The Magician’s Elephant Parent Guide

Orphaned boy Peter (Noah Jupe) lives a frugal, regimented life under the eye of his guardian, Sergeant Lutz (Mandy Patinkin), who believes the boy should be raised like a soldier. In a moment of wonder, Peter visits a fortune teller (Natasia Demetriou) to ask whether or not his sister, of whom he only has vague memories, is still alive. The mysterious woman not only confirms that she is alive, but states that Peter can find her by following an elephant. Since there are no elephants anywhere near the town, Peter loses hope in the veracity of the woman’s prediction.

Meanwhile, a magician accidently conjures an elephant during a performance, much to the astonishment of the entire town. Thinking his destiny is in motion, Peter attempts to take the elephant, but is stopped by the local leaders, who are considering putting down this lost pachyderm. In desperation, Peter makes a deal that he will perform three impossible tasks in order to gain possession of the elephant that he believes will change his life. But, as he begins the impossible tasks, he starts to see some very different changes in the town.

I have not read the titular novel on which this adaptation is based, though I have read some of Kate DiCamillo’s other works so I’m familiar with her style. The greatest strength of this production, I think due to the original book, is the simplicity of the story. There aren’t really any subplots or complicated story lines: the movie has a straightforward beginning, middle, and end type of structure, much like a fairy tale. That might sound boring, but the simplicity allows the writers to hone in on the emotions and message of the story in a way that is easily understood and enjoyed by children.

For children with a love of fairy tales or simple adventures, The Magician’s Elephant is a fantastic production with beautiful visuals, great voice acting, and inspiring themes around belief and hope. Parents will appreciate the lack of negative content as well. As a critic I could quibble about the 3D animation and some of the design choices, but that feels unnecessary. Sometimes a simple fairy tale is more than enough to both inspire and entertain.