Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium: Critic Reviews

The toys all have prankish lives of their own -- which could have been fun, in a Harry Potter meets Flubber sort of way, except that when you actually see the playthings, they don't look fun at all.

If the concept of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is ingenious, its execution is erratic.

You'd have to be a Scrooge to take against this, though it could use a little more Roald Dahl-ish bite, and a little less of the Hoffman twinkle. Needless to say, it all ends happily.

Writer/director Zach Helm achieves bursts of charm and whimsy, but not quite enough magic to elicit a consistent sense of wonderment.

The movie means to approach the creepy wonder of Roald Dahl but gets only the creepy part right.

Its insecurities do it in.

Never promise wonder when all you've got is manufactured whimsy.

Mr. Magorium is festive, to be sure. But it doesn't have the rhythm of an instant family classic.

This isn't quite the over-the-top fantasy you'd like it to be, but it's a charming enough little movie, and probably the younger you are, the more charming.

The film is very sweet -- in fact it represents the dawn of a new sport, Extreme Whimsy -- but it doesn't look or feel like most other kid-friendly Hollywood products that make it to market. When it counts this fable is surprisingly moving.

Like the store, the movie is chockablock with playthings -- puns, graphics, and music -- that make the life lessons easier to absorb.

Perhaps thinking in pictures led Helm to clutter his screen with TMVI -- too much visual information.

Instantly forgettable except that it contains the worst performance of Dustin Hoffman's long and illustrious career.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium should delight audiences in the mood for holiday magic.

Wonder is the key, and it's lacking in a major way. Should you decide to see it anyway, you might wonder what you're doing there.

Sprinkles in charming moments but ultimately doesn't evoke enough wonderment to overcome its tongue-twisting title and completely win over adults along with kids.

There isn't anything terribly exciting or original on offer... but there's nothing offensive either.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium truly does inspire wonder. As in, 'Wonder why they made this? Wonder what they were thinking?'

As long as Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium sticks to magic, it is pretty engaging, but the lives on display are less than mesmerizing.

Helm knows his way around a screenplay. The guy can write. But directing is a whole other kettle of talent.

For all its playful touches and neat-o nostalgia for nondigital entertainment, the whimsy feels forced.

Wake me when the wackiness is over.

While endearingly heartfelt and G-rated to boot, its storytelling suffers from a lack of locomotive force and characters that feel disappointingly two-dimensional.