First things first... this is definitely a kids' movie, so if you're coming here expecting to find an outstanding plot with compelling characters, find another movie, as you'll see all sorts of kids' movie cliches throughout the film.
The storyline is simple. Kids find Rufus. Rufus finds his wizard friend who has to regain his powers and spellbook. Rufus and co. go on a quest to retrieve MacGuffins for creating magic dust to heal their world from various locations: some magical, some mundane.
During the library part, they try to hide Rufus in a baby carriage, but before the magical forest, they aren't hiding him in public anymore. And after the library, why aren't the police and/or some others searching for Rufus by the time the movie ends?
The story also ends on a blatant sequel hook... so expect there to be other loose ends that will hopefully be tied up by the time the second movie comes out.
Character-wise, the majority are either unlikable (yes, even Rufus falls victim to this), or just don't really stand out. The only characters I kinda ended up liking were Blade and the great wizard Abbott (I think that's how you spell it?).
The CGI animation is easily the weakest part of the film if you ask me. The movements and visuals feel more like they're from a video game than something that's apparently occurring in the real world. The magic itself is hit-or-miss visual-wise. Sometimes, the particle effects make it interesting to look at, but other times, like the magical shield, it feels like a Clipart image imposed in front of the protagonists.
Overall... this is definitely a kids' movie that doesn't really stand out. If your children do really enjoy stories about magic and stuff, I'd put it on for them.
The storyline is simple. Kids find Rufus. Rufus finds his wizard friend who has to regain his powers and spellbook. Rufus and co. go on a quest to retrieve MacGuffins for creating magic dust to heal their world from various locations: some magical, some mundane.
During the library part, they try to hide Rufus in a baby carriage, but before the magical forest, they aren't hiding him in public anymore. And after the library, why aren't the police and/or some others searching for Rufus by the time the movie ends?
The story also ends on a blatant sequel hook... so expect there to be other loose ends that will hopefully be tied up by the time the second movie comes out.
Character-wise, the majority are either unlikable (yes, even Rufus falls victim to this), or just don't really stand out. The only characters I kinda ended up liking were Blade and the great wizard Abbott (I think that's how you spell it?).
The CGI animation is easily the weakest part of the film if you ask me. The movements and visuals feel more like they're from a video game than something that's apparently occurring in the real world. The magic itself is hit-or-miss visual-wise. Sometimes, the particle effects make it interesting to look at, but other times, like the magical shield, it feels like a Clipart image imposed in front of the protagonists.
Overall... this is definitely a kids' movie that doesn't really stand out. If your children do really enjoy stories about magic and stuff, I'd put it on for them.