TIME LOS ANGELES – Time Network Los Angeles The first Disney movie of 2020 is Pixar's latest original film "1/2 Magic", starring "Monsters University" director Dan Scanlon and producer Crane Ray again, "Dutch Brother" Tom Holland and "Star Lord" Chris Pratt voiced the elf brothers Ian and Barry, once again taking the audience on a fantastic journey with laughter and tears.
The film is set in a modern wizarding world. Ancient magic has been replaced by modern inventions such as light bulbs and stoves, and the special abilities of various magical creatures have gradually been ignored.
In a world where technology replaces the "divine" lives the protagonists of the story, Ian and the Barry brothers. The teen elf Ian (voiced by Dutch brother) lost his father at an early age, and on his 16th birthday, he accidentally received gifts from his father , a magic wand and a phoenix gem.
Next to the gift is a handwritten letter from Dad instructing the brothers Ian and Barry (voiced by Star Lord) on how to recall Dad's soul. If successful, they can spend 24 hours with their dad.
However, losing their magical abilities, they stumbled and damaged the phoenix gems necessary to cast the spell, and only recalled the lower half of their father's body. In order to regain Dad's upper body again with a spell within the deadline, Ian and Barry embark on an adventure in search of the rare Phoenix Gem.
This time, Pixar is still talking about the theme of "family affection and personal growth" that it is best at, as the film's slogan says, "No matter how great the magic is, it is not as good as the love of the family." On this basis, "1/2 magic" also focuses on how people face "loss".
His brother Barry had the opportunity to spend time with his father when he was a child, and Ian, who was born after his father's death, could only see things and think about things. The two brothers also lost their father, but they have different regrets. After this fantastic adventure, they have the opportunity to make up for the barriers between different personalities, deepen their mutual knowledge and understanding, and thus make the sacrifice at the end of the film more touching.
In terms of story structure, "1/2 Magic" is like the magical "Lord of the Rings" + the funny "Boss Goes on Vacation".
However, the plot is highly original and not jerky to implement. Many links vividly integrate the characteristics of fantasy creatures into the character design, and the animation technology of the picture and action is also very solid, creating a magical world with high credibility and will not let people play.
For example, the brothers' stepfather, Officer Brown (voiced by Mel Rodriguez), is a half-horse beast who is good at running, but also because technology has replaced divinity, he simply does not run and simply drives. When he entered the home with limited space, the horse's body collided with the clumsiness of furniture everywhere, which was very vivid. In addition, Barry's own van "Guannaville" is named after the unicorn on the body, the exhaust pipe noise is mixed with the real horseshoe sound, and the throttle is stepped on with a thousand horses galloping magnificently, like Barry's courage to embark on an unknown journey.
Van "Guannaville"
In the movie, a variety of magic spells with different effects are also designed. The process of casting the spell by the protagonist does not make the audience feel obscure, or deliberately pretends to be a ghost, and to achieve the effect of the spell, it is also a test of the psychological quality of the wizard himself.
Interesting growth spells
In addition to the plot, the performance of the voice actors is also very substitutionary. In the past, most hollywood cartoon dubbing was recorded separately by each actor, but this time, Chris Pratt and Dutch brother stepped into the studio together, which helped to reflect the good friendship between the two in real life into the film.
Chris Pratt, who voiced his brother Barry, interpreted the character's atmospheric, unpretentious sense of humor and courage, which was very compatible with the big-screen image of "Star Lord" himself. Tom Hollander, who voiced the younger brother male protagonist Ian, played the gentle and considerate Ian personality, portraying a teenager who lacked self-confidence.
Surprisingly, "1/2 magic" also brought the folklore mythical beast "Scorpion Tail Flying Lion" to the screen, and Octavia Spencer, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for "Help", voiced it.
The scorpion-tailed flying lion in the film
"Scorpion Tail Flying Lion" is no longer a mythical bird of prey in the film, but a family restaurant owner with a ponytail tied and high heels, and she and Barry are the laughing points in the film. Overall, 1/2 Magic is an emotionally rich and very human film. Even viewers who are not very interested in magical adventure stories can feel the "loss and sacrifice" emotion in the film.