Magic Beach

I'm not sure who this movie was for. Magic Beach is a plotless series of vignettes which would have been more appropriate as an art installation than a cinematic release. It's too long for the attention span of younger kids - who might be of an age to appreciate the substance-less imagery. But it's also not engaging enough for older kids who can endure the length.

The children in the film don't interact with each other at all. Making them as isolated as the animated scenes the film is comprised of. There are some moments where our children (6 and 3) were brought back in. The smuggler and the pirates had enough of a plot to entertain for a moment, but then the film goes back into yet another portfolio piece for the next Melbourne artists.

The kids had enjoyed the movie adaptions of the Julia Donaldson books like Tiddler and Snail and the Whale. And perhaps it was our fault for expecting something similar. But as I said at the top, the film seemingly has no audience but for the people who made it.