Das magische Haus

In too many ways, the Hollywood animation industry has ruined the market for everyone else. Disney and Pixar are leading a pack – DreamWorks, Fox, Sony – that have considerable resources at their disposal: they can easily afford to hire the best talents and bombard the entire world with adorable tie-in merchandise, even if the films they're producing aren't particularly good. It's a real shame, because it means that smaller, semi-independent efforts like The House Of Magic – an utterly charming French co-production – might too easily fall by the wayside.

Abandoned by his owners, a cat sneaks into a mysterious mansion that the neighbourhood pets are convinced is haunted. In short order, our feline protagonist gains a new name (Thunder) and a new master – the genial, elderly Lawrence, a magician who lives happily in a magical world with his toys and mechanical gizmos. However, Thunder also gains a few enemies: Jack Rabbit and Maggie Mouse have no intention of allowing him to become part of Lawrence's act, even as Lawrence's nefarious nephew Danny plots to sell the house away.

Plot-wise, there isn't anything particularly special about The House Of Magic. The story marches along in largely predictable fashion – the schemes cooked up by Thunder and his buddies aren't enormously innovative and the ending of the film is never in doubt. It's also the kind of movie in which moral complexities are easier to ignore than include, so don't expect many shades of grey in the characters of Thunder, Lawrence or Danny. Even Jack Rabbit, who proves a worthy, grouchy secondary antagonist to Thunder, is quickly forgotten in the film's action-packed ending.

But it's all woven together to charming, sweet effect in the film, which benefits enormously from its excellent character design. It's easy to forgive the straightforward narrative when it's hurried along so effectively by the bouncy, adorable Thunder and his desire to be part of a family again. Lawrence's toys are also wonderfully realised: Edison, the most expressive walking lightbulb you'll ever see, is a standout, but the other supporting characters are lovingly developed too. Much of the joy in the film comes from watching them come together to thwart Danny's efforts.

Taken all together, The House Of Magic has the feel of a well-worn bedtime story: it may occasionally feel like something you've seen a thousand times before, but it's also powered by a comfortable, familiar spark of magic – the kind that makes you feel right at home, wherever you might be.

The story of the abandoned cat whose cruel owner dumps him when they move house.

Alone and unprotected the lovely cat faces a difficult challenge for survival and as he wanders the streets manages to enter a house that had already other animals in it as well as various gadgets. The owner embraces him instantly but some of the other guests are reluctant to accept him and so he has to earn their trust.

The opportunity to do so will come as a wicked nephew wants to sell the house.

An appealing story combined with high quality visuals, giving us an angle of the world from the point of view of a small animal. Various themes are involved such as abandonment, new beginnings, fitting in and proving oneself.

When it comes to protecting our home, one better not underestimate the determination of even the smallest of opponents.

It will surely delight children without leaving the adults unimpressed either.

What a fun and charming movie to watch! Great for children and adults. Colorful, great characters, a flowing plot, and plenty of smiles and laughs.

The voice overs are done to perfection, the goofy gadgets are highly imagined and brought to life, and the evil real estate nephew and evil bunny top off the story.

Some may say the kitten, Thunder, is too cute but that's not so. He's young and full of himself and wants a home. Each of the perspective buyers the nephew brings by to see the house is original and funny. Then the two construction workers met their match inside the house - it's hilarious!

Fun and sweet for all ages .. you will enjoy!

The film is a mediocre storyline of an abandoned cat that ends up being adopted by a magician. Typical children's story.

However, the villain has a propensity to shout "Damn Cat!" anytime he involved with the cat. This was rated G, wasn't it? The animation is good, and seems to play off some sort of 3d effects throughout. Not the same level of animation as Pixar or Dreamworks, but still pretty good quality.

Watch it if you are bored and need a cheap film to entertain the kids for an hour and a half.

I would give the film the following ratings:

Story- 3/5 Characters- 2.5/5 Animation- 4.5/5 Cheesy reference to the film "Big" - 7.5/5

25 August 2014 Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester on this rainy bank holiday afternoon - House of Magic. Adults were definitely in the minority in the cinema this afternoon to see this lovely animated tale of an abandoned kitten doing everything he can to save his new home. Originally released in France on Christmas Day last year, it has eventually hit our screens amid some fierce competition for the school holidays. This film has some very cute characters and is engaging from the opening scene when Thunder the cat is abandoned by his family. In true animation fashion the story leads us through good times and bad times but always ends with a happy ending. Not one for the DVD collection but a rainy afternoon viewing on the TV would be a must.