Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a 2007 film written and directed by Zach Helm. The film stars Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Bateman and Zach Mills. The screenplay is the first that Zach Helm wrote when hired as a contract writer at 20th Century Fox, but it remained unfilmed until Helm was able to buy the script back after Stranger than Fiction was made. When a young pianist named Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) inherits a magical toyshop from her eccentric 243-year-old boss, Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), she struggles with self-doubt, as well as the store's tantrum. But through the friendship of a charismatic little boy (Zach Mills) and a buttoned-up accountant (Jason Bateman), she learns to believe in herself, and finds that she does possess enough magic to run Mr. Magorium's shop by finding herself in places she's never imagined. Filming started in late March 2006 and continued to June 6, 2006 in Toronto, Canada. The movie, produced by Walden Media and Mandate Pictures, was released in theaters in the United States on November 16, 2007. The film is released by 20th Century Fox and Walden Media through their Fox-Walden banner. On September 5, 2007, ComingSoon! announced that this film is rated G by the MPAA. It is 20th Century Fox's third theatrically-released film to be rated G by the MPAA, following 2006's Everyone's Hero and Anastasia. The premiere of Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium, attended by Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman, will be supporting Barnardo's with tickets available to the public. Funds raised will be going to two prominent children's charities. Check out the Barnardo's website under South-East events for more details. |