If you’re a fan of amazing CGI effects, a rollicking soundtrack and Hollywood superstars lending their voices to bring a story to life, then The House of Magic, produced and directed by Ben Stassen, is probably not going to sit well with you. If you’re after a simply story to help while away 80 odd minutes with some kids, then this might do the trick.
The House of Magic is about cute little kitty Thunder, who, after being abandoned by his previous owners, ends up living with “The Illustrious Lorenzo”, or uncle Lawrence as he’s known by his slimy nephew, in his grand old mansion with a host of magical gizmos who have come to life, and two very mean-spirited (read: annoying) animals Jack the rabbit and his sidekick Maggie the mouse. Jack tries to get Thunder kicked out of the house, but his prank goes awry and sends Lawrence to hospital instead. With Lawrence out of commission, his smarmy, greedy nephew plots to sell the house, and, with a common enemy in sight, Thunder, Jack and the other inhabitants band together to keep their home.
Yes, it’s that predictable, but has the Pixar brush tainted us all or should we not care? Pharrell’s comeback hit Happy came from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, Tom Hanks is more than just Forrest Gump thanks to the Toy Story franchise and we all know what Robin Williams did to voice casting with this almost entirely unscripted turn as the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin.
But The House of Magic doesn’t have any of that, but it still sorta works, you know? It’s got everything needed to appeal to the audience: cuteness, a fast-paced storyline and a clear good overcoming evil outcome. It may not have the Hollywood star power we’ve come to expect with animated features, but this shouldn’t be a reason to keep the youngsters away from this film. In fact, it should be more of a reason to expose them to it, to remind them that sometimes, a Belgian-based animation studio can release a feature film to compete against the DreamWorks behemoth titles kids are so used to.
And the music is just as good as any soundtrack. Composer Ramin Djawadi does a great job of adding enough atmosphere in the film without having to resort to key song moments, and his work can also be found in TV shows like Prison Break, Game of Thrones and Stassen’s first animated feature Fly Me to the Moon.
The animation itself is pretty well done – they’ve used different camera angles for poor frightened Thunder’s first appearance in the house and it’s not really anything you’d see in Monsters, Inc.
While the storyline is a bit predictable overall, it’s enough to enthral the kids (Thunder is very cute) and if you’re a stressed out parent or guardian trying to make a living against the money-hungry One Percent, then you will appreciate the characters’ adventure to stick it to Lawrence’s greedy property developer nephew.
The House of Magic isn’t ground-breaking stuff, but it’s enough, and maybe we need to be reminded that simplicity can still win. Down with The Man!
Review Score: THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The House of Magic opens in 2D and 3D on the 18th of September in NSW/QLD/VIC and SA/WA/ACT/TAS/NT on the 25th of September.
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