Anabel (Mara Wilson) will be forced to move away from home unless her dad wins the lead role in a new theatre production of Two Cities. Teased by her older brother for her love of fantasy books like Cinderella, she is overjoyed to discover she has a fairy godmother. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a rather camp Martin Short... who didn't even manage to pass the exam. After a few wasted wishes cause her dad to be transformed into a statue by our feckless fairy, she discovers the only way to return him to his former self is to help the Head Fairy save the world from an evil witch (played by Kathleen Turner) and her canine-turned-human accomplice called Boots (Amanda Plumming) who seeks to steal all the fairy's magic for herself by nicking everybody's wands. Also, they only have until midnight the same day to retrieve them. Can they succeed in their mission or will Daddy remain a target for pigeons and fanatical Japanese tourists for the rest of his life?
I'd been looking forward to seeing this film for quite a while. The plot sounded kinda interesting and Mara Wilson was so good in 'Miracle on 34th Street' that how could possibly fail? Well, guess what... it did. Let's start the analysis with the plot, which has no clear direction and despite the meagre 86 minutes running time, takes too many aimless detours (Like the little trip to Pawhuska, for instance) The special effects are fine, even the computer generated frogs and birds which are obvious fakes have a kind of charm to them. However, I could have done without the 'comedy stylings' of Martin Short at his hyperactive worst, or Amanda Plumming who chews one too many shoes for my liking in this role.
If you're babysitting one night and you find yourself shoved in front of the box with this playing, I'm afraid the only consolation is some good one-liners from Turner and a few mildly diverting magic spells. Otherwise, prepare of a bit of a long haul. Needing far more work at the screenplay stage and a bit of restraint in the performances too, I rank this forgettable, strictly-for-the-kids production a 4 out of 10.
I'd been looking forward to seeing this film for quite a while. The plot sounded kinda interesting and Mara Wilson was so good in 'Miracle on 34th Street' that how could possibly fail? Well, guess what... it did. Let's start the analysis with the plot, which has no clear direction and despite the meagre 86 minutes running time, takes too many aimless detours (Like the little trip to Pawhuska, for instance) The special effects are fine, even the computer generated frogs and birds which are obvious fakes have a kind of charm to them. However, I could have done without the 'comedy stylings' of Martin Short at his hyperactive worst, or Amanda Plumming who chews one too many shoes for my liking in this role.
If you're babysitting one night and you find yourself shoved in front of the box with this playing, I'm afraid the only consolation is some good one-liners from Turner and a few mildly diverting magic spells. Otherwise, prepare of a bit of a long haul. Needing far more work at the screenplay stage and a bit of restraint in the performances too, I rank this forgettable, strictly-for-the-kids production a 4 out of 10.