Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Here

Released in 2007, writer-director Zach Helm’s Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium remains a unique specimen in the landscape of 21st-century family cinema. In an era heavily dominated by fast-paced, snarky, CGI-laden animated spectacles, Helm crafted something fiercely counter-cultural: a live-action, unabashedly earnest fable about the heavy weight of growing up and the delicate art of letting go.

At the center of this vibrant, breathing toy shop is Edward Magorium, played with a delightful, lisping eccentricism by [Dustin Hoffman](0.5.4, 0.5.17). Magorium is 243 years old, and he has decided that his time on Earth is simply complete—largely because he has run out of shoes. He intends to bequeath his living, breathing emporium to his insecure apprentice, Molly Mahoney, brought to life with a quiet, touching vulnerability by [Natalie Portman](0.5.4, 0.5.23). A Living, Breathing Masterpiece of Production Design Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

When the store is happy, giant balls bounce playfully and paper planes paint the cosmos. Released in 2007, writer-director Zach Helm’s Mr