![]() It’s an evocative sequence, the kind you can’t help wishing “The Magician’s Elephant” featured more of. That’s especially true of the unnamed pachyderm, who at one point has a dream of her family in which they all swim underwater together. Their story beats are familiar, but Peter is easy to root for and the animation itself has an elegant quality befitting the narrative’s whimsy. The film was directed by first-time helmer Wendy Rogers from a script by “Toy Story 4” scribe Martin Hynes, who adapted Newberry Award winner Kate DiCamillo’s YA novel. “Nothing felt possible or magical,” narrates the fortune teller (Natasia Demetriou) who sets Peter on his path, “and then the clouds rolled in.” Those clouds are the film’s most distinctive visual element: a gloomy ceiling hovering over Baltese that looks as though opaque snowballs floated a set distance above the town and got stuck there. ![]() Though fictional and intentionally vague, its picturesque backdrop and melancholy vibe evoke the aftermath of World War I. “The Magician’s Elephant” takes place in Baltese, a vaguely Central European town still reeling from the Great Foreign War. Before each attempt, Peter centers himself by saying “I will find her” to himself - a reminder of why he’s putting himself through this and why it’s ultimately worth it. (Bored monarchs aren’t known for being reasonable, one supposes.)Įrgo, Peter must best the city’s fiercest warrior in single combat, fly and make a bereaved countess laugh for the first time since her brother died in battle. ![]() The ruler’s reasoning is simple, if also a bit skewed: Since Peter’s hope of finding his sister by heeding a fortune teller’s advice to “follow the elephant” is impossible, he should have to prove his mettle by achieving the impossible on his lonesome. The three trials Peter must complete aren’t edicts from the movie’s eponymous magician, who barely factors into the narrative beyond conjuring the elephant out of thin air, but rather a royal decree from an eccentric king (Aasif Mandavi).
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