Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium

I watched this movie "Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium" sometime ago and enjoyed the simple and heartwarming story. It reminds me of when i was a kid and i would enjoy playing with my barbie dolls, dressing them up and pretending that they are real and talking to them. Nowadays i still likes barbie dolls and have a huge collection of them but alot of my friends would always be shocked when they see my collection. The first thing they would ask me is if i still play with my dolls. I guess they can't imagine a grown up still playing with dolls. However come to think of it, why can't grown ups play with toys? Its the same as playing games like Xbox, playstation where children also enjoys and nobody feels that its strange for grown ups to enjoy such games.





In the movie one of the character, an accountant was embarrassed to admit that he likes the toys in the shop and feels that it is embarrassing for an adult to be playing with kids or toys. I can understand his reaction as whenever my friends ask if i play with my dolls, i would always insist that i just collect them and do not play with my dolls. But after watching the movie, i feel that there is nothing wrong with admitting that i enjoy playing with my dolls, dressing them up with the different outfits that i bought and decorating their rooms (i have 2 shelves that i used to store all my barbie doll furniture and i enjoy deciding where to put the different types of furniture to create living, dinning rooms and offices and shops). It is like a magical world for me or a never land where i have all the toys that i like. I would take some pictures and post it on my blog the next time for those who have not seem my barbie doll collections. I got somemore new dolls recently for Christmas and also during sales.



Back to the movie, the whole story revolves around a magical toyshop. Dustin Hoffman (Eccentric 243-year-old Mr. Magorium), Natalie Portman (Molly Mahoney) and Jason Bateman (Henry Weston) star in this family drama about the most fantastical toy store in the world where everything comes to life and all customers have to do is to believe. This is Portman's first family drama and she stars as Dustin's apprentice who has to revive the shop's magic upon his impending death. At the start of the movie and from time to time during the movie a 9-year-old boy Eric (Zach Mills) who helps out at the store, is shown with a book telling the story.

Mahoney, believing herself to be unworthy of the store, offers it for sale. Eric regrets this very much and approaches Weston with a "business proposal": he is willing to invest his savings and pocket-money in the shop. Though he refuses, Weston sees that Mahoney is making a mistake, and tries to persuade her against selling the store.

While doing so, he witnesses for himself the store's magic and is at last convinced of it. The shop itself, distressed by Magorium's death and the upcoming sale, is delighted and colourfully revived as Mahoney finally takes her position as manager and unlocks her creative potential.