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

65%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

81%

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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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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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Parts of it are a bit clunky and the animation feels somewhat cheap at times, but The Magician’s Elephant is nonetheless an enjoyable diversion that stays true to the essence of DiCamillo’s novel while also forging its own path.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 27, 2023

Full Review

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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

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dave d

A hopeful and happy flick that shows us what could happen if we all get along and work together. It isn't the best animated film or even the best on Netflix, but it is one that can be enjoyed by a family without any question. The voice cast is fine, the story is intriguing, but you must let go of the holes in the logic and the disjointed way the narrator comes and goes. Happy people will love this! Final Score: 7.3/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/04/24

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Miguel M

Una tierna pelicula con un elefante, todo gira alrededor del animal.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

Anna E

I thought it was fun and beautiful. The story was fresh and it made me feel better about the world.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/05/24

Full Review

Laura S

The plot doesn't feel organic, everything happens too conveniently. Visually nothing special, rather, this screams it should've been a claymation film. The annoying prince was the best part because his character and delivery were SO far removed from the rest of the movie that it only added to his zany comicality.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/03/24

Full Review

Sauraj g

A very heartwarming movie with a very charming story which teaches you that nothing is impossible and we just have to go for it. I'm definitely watching this with my kid 10 years later.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/06/23

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

Magician

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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 Studios, Netflix Animation
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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