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| Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Full Screen Edition) | 
 enlarge | Actors: Jason Bateman, David Rendall, Steve Whitmire, Dustin Hoffman, Jonathan Potts
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $3.38
You Save: $16.60 (83%)
New (30) Used (37) Collectible (1) from $3.38
Avg. Customer Rating:  86 reviews
Sales Rank: 8397
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 94
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.8
MPN: 2250483
UPC: 024543504832
EAN: 0024543504832
ASIN: B00128VA6W
Theatrical Release Date: November 16, 2007
Release Date: March 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) owns and runs the most magical store in the universe where all of the toys for sale are alive. But when the aging shopkeeper decides to retire and sell the business to his faithful cashier (Natalie Portman) he hires an uptight accountant (Jason Bateman) to get his affairs in order.System Requirements:Running Time: 94 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 024543504832 Manufacturer No: 2250483
Amazon.com
Equal parts whimsical and bittersweet, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a family-friendly movie that will charm youngsters. Dustin Hoffman stars in the titular role of an eccentric 243-year-old owner of a magical toy store. He doesn't appear to be sick, but he has lived a long and happy life and is content to leave his emporium to his employee Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman). A former child prodigy who has grown up unsure of herself, she barely knows who she is, much less what she wants to become. Molly is both frightened that her beloved boss is leaving and that she will be left in charge of a store she doesn't know how to run. "Are you dying?" she asks him. Magorium points out, "Light bulbs die, my dear. I am departing." His take on death is both comforting and matter of fact, things younger viewers may find soothing when dealing with mortality. Though the film has drawn comparisons to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this G-rated venture is less dark, curious and interesting than the former. Still, it offers dazzling visuals and a premise that who you are isn't equivalent with who you think you are. Adult moviegoers may find the premise cloying and repetitive. But seen from a child's eye, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is indeed a magical place for a short visit. --Jae-Ha Kim
Beyond Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium 
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Stills from Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
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| Customer Reviews: Read 81 more reviews...
 Charming...Charming February 7, 2008
46 out of 51 found this review helpful
I would just like to say that it is rare in this day and age for a theater audience to stand and applaud at the end of a movie. That is exactly what happened when I saw Mr. Magorium.
It is also rare for a movie to captivate, not only myself and my wife, but my 13 year old, 10 year old and especially my 4 year old all at the same time.
It was a truly magical movie. Dustin Hoffman was brilliant and brought the charm of Mr. Magorium to life; a performance matched only perhaps by that of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka.
To those who suggest this is a child's movie. They are correct. It is for children...of all ages.
Great for the young 'uns (and not so young 'uns!) March 16, 2008
21 out of 38 found this review helpful
This is a terrific family movie that is suitable for children of all ages. There are, to a degree, some parallels with Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory [HD DVD]. However, for the most part it is its own movie. It centers around a man (played by Dustin Hoffman) who wishes to leave the management / ownership of his magical toy store to his favorite employee (portrayed by Natalie Portman) as he can sense that his end is near. Unfortunately, Portman's character is apprehensive about taking over the toy store, mostly stemming from a lack of self-confidence.
To be sure, many will say that this film is predictable, and so it is. However, the people who criticize it on such grounds are, I believe, missing the point. Granted, there are no real "hooks" in the plot or plot-twists that will keep you guessing. So what? In a movie like this, it really doesn't matter. At base, to me the film is not so much about the story itself as it is about how we all used to look upon the world with such a sense of wonder when we were children. People who are only looking for surprises are not prone to "getting it" insofar as this DVD is concerned.
The casting is terrific with Hoffmann and Portman leading the way. Hoffmann gets his chance to play a sort of pseudo-Santa Clause, and it's evident that he enjoyed himself immensely. I've always like Portman, and it's nice to see a young woman who is both a fine actress as well as a great person. She is kind of the antipode to "bad girls" like Lindsay Lohan.
If you are the parent of small children, I'd highly recommend this film. If you're not a parent of small children but enjoy feeling like a kid again, this one is recommended to an equal degree.
"the germinating seed of inspiration" January 11, 2008
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
Perception is everything in this world. The story of Mr. Magorium is partly one of the archetypal American legend who inspired a generation to carry on dreaming. It is significant that Kermit makes an appearance in the film as Jim Henson was one such figure who may well, have inspired the films philosophy. Few men of his generation were so influential to the children of the world and these men like Magorium set an example not by what they said so much but by what they did with their lives. Inspiration reverberates for generations and the wisdom which comes from that inspiration will hopefully always lead us towards the lights until ultimately we have a legacy like Magorium's to pass on. This idea of finding faith in past childhood wisdom in order to regain direction in ones life is largely the journey Molly Mahoney must grasp in the film until she understands the strength of her perception and how she can do some good in this world.
This film was an unexpected highlight over the holiday period. My whole family enjoyed it and will be one for the collection when it finally comes out. The cast performances, as you might expect are a class act and the story was very heartening. I strongly recommend this film and I'd say, pay no attention to superficial comparisons to the Wonka movie!
 A man with no more tricks left up his sleeve January 28, 2008
14 out of 32 found this review helpful
For young folk, this movie does seem to capture their imagination. My six year old sat enthralled through most of it given the emporium full of wonderful toys that Mr. Magorium had. Unfortunately, for adults this is a dull, plodding movie that will test your patience throughout. I expected much more from Hoffman and Portman, but they can only deliver on what has been handed them, and in this case it was more props than it was story, as Zach Helm made Mr. Magorium into a 243-year-old Mr. Gadget who no longer had any tricks up his sleeves and had decided to sign out. The reason, as Mr. Magorium explains, is that he has come to the end of his last pair of Tuscan leather shoes and there is nowhere else to find them. The film's fixation on death is a bit strange given that it seems aimed mostly at elementary age kids. Sadly, the main characters are all such loners that they have a very hard time letting Mr. Magorium go, so we get endless attempts to forestall the event and a store that goes into a deep gray funk over the matter. What little humor there is in the movie is parsed out in little cubes of sugar, seeming forced and contrite. They could have at least found the toymaker extraordinaire an old shoe shop in New York that could fix his dilapidated shoes. Poor Molly seems to have the hardest time, staring at a block of wood Mr. Magorium gave her, unable to unlock its magic power until the end, when everything is restored to glowing technicolor as it should be. By then all one can say is, Whew, glad that's over!
Charming...Charming February 7, 2008
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
I would just like to say that it is rare in this day and age for a theater audience to stand and applaud at the end of a movie. That is exactly what happened when I saw Mr. Magorium.
It is also rare for a movie to captivate, not only myself and my wife, but my 13 year old, 10 year old and especially my 4 year old all at the same time.
It was a truly magical movie. Dustin Hoffman was brilliant and brought the charm of Mr. Magorium to life; a performance matched only perhaps by that of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka.
To those who suggest this is a child's movie. They are correct. It is for children...of all ages.
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