Jeremy Degruson and Ben Stassen direct the children’s animated movie ‘The House of Magic’, about an abandoned cat who seeks shelter in a strange and wondrous house.
Set in a picturesque suburb is the story of Thunder, a lost little cat who finds a new home with an old magician and his magical friends. From stumbling upon the mysterious house, discovering the old magician’s home is under threat to trying to save the house from the old man’s wicked nephew, this is a charming film that can be enjoyed by children and parents alike.
For a Belgium production the English speaking cast are all well suited to their characters. Murray Blue as Thunder is always charming, without being saccharin, and carries the film perfectly well. George Babbit as Jack the Rabbit and Shanelle Gray as Maggie the mouse are excellent as Thunder’s jealous adversaries, and provide a gentle edge to the film might other wised have lacked. Finally, Edward Asner as the old magician Sr. Jeffrey McDonough and Grant George as greedy nephew Daniel, nicely provide the human element to this feline feast.
The pot is as effective as it is simple, with the magicians’ animal and mechanical friends learning they have to trust each other and work together to protect their family home. It does get off to a bumpy start with a lot of first person view chase sequences that make the film feel more like a computer game than a movie, but things eventually settles down as the more interesting plot takes over. The CGI may not reach the dizzying heights of Pixar and Aardman, but the characters, and the world they inhabit, are well developed and are suitably rendered. When the film does get into its stride it does deliver a number of amusing sight gags along with some great visuals scenes.
Though the film is not as magical as the title suggests, it does do more than enough to endear it to both youngsters and grownups. Where most children’s animation now have separate jokes for the kids and adults, the humour here is very much a family affair and can be enjoyed by everyone.
More enchanting than magical, The House of Magic does just enough to pull the rabbit out of the hat.
‘The House oF Magic’ opens in cinemas around the UK from July 25th.
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