The House of Magic

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

Not perfect and could have been better, but it's a good, colourful and fun film and one of nWaves' better efforts.

Story-wise, The House of Magic is somewhat standard fare and a few parts feel over-familiar and well-worn. It also slightly runs out of gas towards the end, becoming a little over the top and not as crisp pacing-wise as the rest of the film. Some people may also be disappointed by the lack of emotional resonance and depth.

The animation however is wonderful (in 2D and 3D), the colours are vibrant and rich, there is so much detail and inventiveness in the backgrounds and the characters are well-modelled, cute but not overly-so. The magic scenes are very imaginatively animated too and the gizmos are cool. The House of Magic also boasts a catchy and whimsical soundtrack that compliments the film's mood ideally, and the pacing mostly is very lively in a film that can hardly be classed as 'boring'. The polished script is very high in zany wit, fun and charm, with some occasional dark weirdness that doesn't get in the way of the overall tone of the film and a whimsical quaint charm.

While the story may not be exceptional, it is a long way from a disaster either, livened by some set pieces that are both fun and scary and some eye-popping spectacle for the magic and gizmos. The message is well-intended and sweet, and delivered in a way that doesn't preach. The characters are all cute and engaging, their likable personalities and the charming and entertaining interaction between them more than compensating for the lack of depth. The voice acting is strong.

All in all, has some imperfections in the story but is mostly a very entertaining bag of tricks with a lot of great merits. 7/10 Bethany Cox

First off Im a 53 year old retired police officer who almost never watches an animated film but this was free on Shout TV channel and I thought the title looked cool so what the heck!

Of course the story is a bit juvenile but it is after all an animated film, but never the less I found it very charming and actually laughed out loud a few times. The animation was well done and the cat, Thunder carries the lead role well.

It does get a bit cliche with the villain, but then I guess we have to expect that. The magician and his magical home are fun for all ages. Unique is Einstein the sort of robotic light bulb who steals the show a bit. Its a pleasant and fun way to pass an hour and 20 minutes. (pssst, I might even buy it on DVD but don't tell anyone)

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!

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.