by Austen Terry, Contributing Writer

For years, animated movies have brought emotional, heartbreaking stories, though they have also highlighted trauma rather than focusing on a main villain. That plot point is crucial in Netflix’s newest animated feature, The Magician’s Elephant. Over the years, Netflix has stacked the screen with tons of original programming, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio just recently won an Oscar. Many of their shows and movies are being talked about in the public eye. There hasn’t been much talk about this latest movie, though, which causes you to wonder if it’s any good, or if it’s worth the company’s time to promote…

The Magician’s Elephant tells the story of Peter (Noah Jupe), an orphaned boy being raised by the soldier Vilna Lutz (Mandy Patinkin), who saved him during a great war. His whole life, Peter has believed his baby sister is still alive, and he dreams of finding her one day. When he goes to the market one day to buy himself and Vilna dinner, he spends that money on a fortune teller (Natasia Demetriou), who says his sister is alive and he must follow the Magician’s Elephant to find her. That night, a magician (Benedict Wong) conjures an elephant onstage, and when Peter finds out, he demands that the king (Asaif Mandvi) give him the elephant. But the king demands Peter do three impossible tasks to get the elephant. Peter will stop at nothing to find his sister, so he agrees to do these three tasks, and boy does doing so live up to the tagline of, “Dare to Believe.”

Jupe is fantastic in this role, and brings the same energy I have seen in his others. Doing voice work requires so much more talent, and he knocks this one out of the park. The few other big names attached, like Patinkin, Wong, and Mandvi, bring this film to another level. Brian Tyree Henry also lends his voice as friend and guard who tries his best to help Peter on his journey. There is so much talent here it makes me glad that it is already hitting the Netflix top 10 list. Even veteran voice actors Phil LaMarr and John DiMaggio lend their voices to this film. This cast truly brings something unique to this story that will pull at your heartstrings. 

This is the directorial debut of Wendy Rogers, after her previous visual effects work on films like Shrek and Puss in Boots. Rogers brings a unique, brilliant, and beautiful animation style. Martin Hynes adapts the screenplay based on Kate DiCamillo’s book of the same name. This story is excellent, but I can’t help noticing the similarities between this story and other stories. Most notably, the overarching plot of having Peter do impossible tasks to achieve something reminds me of the tale of Hercules doing 10 impossible tasks to achieve atonement. But as Peter sets out on his journey, his courage and bravery start changing everyone else around him. 

The town they live in was plagued by a mental depression after the war. People lost their hope and joy with a literal embodiment of heavy clouds over the city that never rained or snowed. The story may not be something entirely new or groundbreaking, but the animation is fantastic. The themes of found family, and following your dreams and your heart are what make it emotional and heartbreaking. Some people in the film make choices they think are best, and that can leave trauma in a young person’s life that isn’t noticed for years. This movie explores that and what leaves you completely emotional. 

There’s a reason this is already in Netflix’s top 10 — if you have time, this is a movie the whole family can enjoy.

Score: 8/10

The Magician’s Elephant is currently streaming on Netflix


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