Magic Beach

I'll preface by saying I have two preschoolers (the target audience for this film), who ADORE the Magic Beach book by Alison Lester. Unfortunately they were bored senseless by about 30 mins into the film and it was a struggle to keep them in the cinema until the end.

I'm sure this film will be critically acclaimed, but I felt it was more about the artists creating it than actually providing entertainment for children. Personally I think it would appeal to now-adult fans of the book from their childhood, for the nostalgia value. Can't recommend to other parents of young children, it's just far too long with no consistent narrative, too many slow sections and just not enough story to keep them engaged.

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.

I took out an imdb membership just to save others time and money re this film. (love imdb, just never felt the need to write reviews). We LOVE supporting aussie film making, but this series of vignettes just didnt work (to be polite). It feels like a series of "look at me! Look at me!" events with no cohesion let alone synergy. I agree with other reviewers. In fact it is almost impressive how effectively it avoids appealing to any audience demographic. I think it does the book a disservice. To the makers: PLS review the difference between collective vs collaborative.

To the director: You really did 'Paper Planes'?? (that was Fabulous!) Split these into standalone 'shorts' and sell to the ABC as a series (filler spot) so each animation style can shine.

My kids loved this film. They loved the different animation styles and seeing a story they love coming to life. While it was a bit disjointed to me, it's not made for adults and I get that. I can definitely see the inspiration that play school has made on the story. We had a big chat about daydreaming and they loved the idea that their daydreams could be made into films.