DVD Review - The Secret of the Magic Gourd
China Film Group, Disney Adapt Zhang Tiyani Book
Mar 6, 2009
In 2007, China Film Group, Centro Digital Pictures Limited and Disney adapted Zhang Tiyani's children's novel Bao hu lu de mi mi into a live-action+CGI film.
Now Disney has repackaged the film for the direct-to-DVD market as The Secret of the Magic Gourd, adding an English dub that features Corbin Bleu (High School Musical). It's an overly cloying film with messages delivered with all the subtlety of a battering ram.
The Secret of the Magic Gourd Stars Corbin Bleu, Drake Johnston
Raymond is always dreaming, instead of working hard like a good boy should. After failing a math test and becoming the laughingstock of his class, he takes an impromptu fishing trip at a nearby pond. However, he pulls out of the water a mysterious talking gourd (voiced by Bleu) which tells Raymond he can grant any wish the little boy asks for.
Raymond is naturally overjoyed, thinking that this magic gourd will solve all of his problems. However, the gourd's magic has unintended consequences . . .
This film follows a very predictable path: boy gets magic, boy enjoys magic, boy realizes magic ain't what it cracked up to be, boy learns pitfalls of quick-and-easy path, boy learns how to succeed on his own, everyone hugs at the end. This may not be a bad thing for the kiddies but will prove wearing for the parents. In addition, the film's central message – you can achieve your dreams if you just work hard enough – is hammered at the audience right from the get-go and doesn't let up.
The computer-generated animation has a somewhat glossy look that denotes less than state-of-the-art CGI, but the animators have fun with the gourd, changing its shape in many zany ways. There are also some very cute sequences, especially one where Raymond's desire for every toy in a store results in the ambulatory playthings following him home.
DVD Extras
For the kids, there is a staged "blooper" reel, where the gourd suffers various mishaps while filming. There's also a "Too Many Toys" game, where the player helps Raymond hide those toys before his parents get home.
In the Backstage Disney section, there's a "Behind the Scenes With the Gourd" featurette, plus a Chinese-language music video.
Final Analysis
The Secret of the Magic Gourd has good intentions, but the predictable, overly-sugared plot work against it. It's a simplistic, message film that clubs the audience with its moral at every opportunity.
It's not terrible but, when it comes to children's entertainment, there's a lot better out there. It gets a 5/10.
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