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The Magician's Elephant

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1:58

The Magician's Elephant

PG

Released Mar 10, 2023

1h 43m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

When young Peter, who is searching for his long-lost sister, crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square, there is only one question on his mind: is his sister still alive? The answer -- that he must follow a mysterious elephant -- sets Peter off on a remarkable journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that magically change the face of his town forever. THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT is based on Newbery Award-winning author Kate DiCamillo's classic novel.

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Critics Consensus

Always well-intentioned and once-in-a-blue-moon compelling, The Magician's Elephant is an adaptation with a message about believing in yourself unveiled with more whimsy than magic.

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Nell Minow

RogerEbert.com

The human characters are fairly standard, but the title pachyderm is designed with enough realism to bring emotional and believable physical weight to the story.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 17, 2023

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Devika Girish

New York Times

In jazzing up the tale for the screen, Rogers sands down the somberness — Baltese is all fuzzy blues and pinks, with nary a trace of postwar grit — while turning up the silliness for gimmicky thrills.

Mar 16, 2023

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Michael Nordine

Variety

While the movie itself is more whimsical than magical, it does have a few tricks up its sleeve.

Mar 15, 2023

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Tom Spoors

Loud and Clear Reviews

Wendy Rogers’ The Magician’s Elephant is an animated fairy tale with an inspiring message that will have audiences smiling from beginning to end.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 7, 2025

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Nuha Hassan

Off Colour

The Magician’s Elephant doesn’t have a compelling story; the predictable outcome is a bit disappointing. It’s a family-friendly animated movie that is most likely to resonate with younger audiences.

Sep 8, 2023

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Ronak Kotecha

The Times of India

It may not cast a huge spell on you but will leave you slightly enchanted with its make-believe charm.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 14, 2023

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Dominic C

An elephant fell on an old lady, yeah that's all I remember

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/08/25

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KamRan Z

“The Magician’s Elephant” touched something deep in me. A simple yet powerful tale of hope, belief, and the magic of connections. The visuals were poetic, and the soundtrack lingered like a memory. I’ve watched it over and over—and each time, it feels like coming home.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

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Audience Member

This movie was so refreshing. It wasn’t the same shiny CGI movie that is always made. My whole family from my 5 year old to my 15 year old and my husband any myself saw it together and loved it. It was funny and silly and full of heart and was also serious at times with a great theme. We recommend it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

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Grace D

I suspect this was based on a well-enough written book, but the chronology was terrible, the narration was worse than superfluous, and it reeked of PC message-making. (I can only take so much overt lecturing by a whimsical know-it-all canned narrator.) Neither the characters nor their relationships with each other were in the least believable, and it couldn't have further belabored the theme of "overcoming the impossible," to such an extent that it reduced it to trope status. The only thing saving it from being absolutely abysmal was the beauty of the animation, which nonetheless seemed to waver between realism and Looney Tunes.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

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Thomas P

Fantastic portrayal of friendship.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Kate DiCamillo’s timeless novel is a masterpiece, and this is a disgrace to its name. Rather than capturing the raw, complex beauty of the book, the movie slaps crappy animation and unfunny narration onto a simplified, boring plot, once again proving that children’s content is becoming more low effort and soulless than ever.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

Full Review

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Wendy Rogers

Director

Noah Jupe

Peter

Mandy Patinkin

Vilna Lutz

Brian Tyree Henry

Leo Matienne

Sian Clifford

Gloria Matienne

Benedict Wong

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The Magician's Elephant: Trailer

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Synopsis

When young Peter, who is searching for his long-lost sister, crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square, there is only one question on his mind: is his sister still alive? The answer -- that he must follow a mysterious elephant -- sets Peter off on a remarkable journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that magically change the face of his town forever. THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT is based on Newbery Award-winning author Kate DiCamillo's classic novel.

Director: Wendy Rogers
Producer: Julia Pistor
Screenwriter: Martin Hynes
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Animal Logic, Netflix Animation, Netflix Studios
Rating: PG (Some Action/Peril|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2023
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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