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Item published by ArcT on 4th February. 2 Comments.

Weaving the Magic: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Yes, folks, it's another Disney film. Jerry Bruckheimer seems to be taking on quite a bit this year, with the upcoming Prince of Persia set to be part one of the studio's next Big Three and this newly-announced adaptation of one of the best parts of Fantasia. Weirdly, though, Mickey Mouse finds himself played by Jay Baruchel (Danger Barch in Million Dollar Baby) in Manhatten, no less.

Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the only move from the original. Scuttlebutt is that a Ferrari was crashed, injuring two people, during the filming of a 'chase scene'. Still, it can't be all bad. The standard Disney maxims are present; Apprentice Dave Stutler is the apparently average college-going chap whose mystically hidden potential is spotted by Nicholas Cage's (Lord of War, National Treasure) Balthazar Blake, and he is taken on as reluctant protege to fight the forces of evil. Pretty standard Disney once more, and I'm betting there will be a montage Team America would be proud of.

So what is it with Disney suddenly going the mystical (and, more importantly, Live-Action) route? After the wild success of the Pirates of the Carribean movies and the gradual downturn from Golden-Age-Of-Y'arr-Me-Hearties-Pirates to semi-intellectual musings on the nature of mortality, we could have expected something rather less flashy than a coming-of-age story set in the heart of New York. It seems that the apple isn't falling too far from the tree.

However, it's interesting that Disney are bringing magic and reality together. We saw it with Harry Potter nine years ago now, so it's not like they're trying anything new. It's no secret, either, that Potter is one of the best-selling franchises in cinema today, and coupled with the fact that Fantasia was consistently well-received with critics, it looks as if Disney would quite like a slice of that particular pie.

I must admit that I'm a little unconvinced by this; I think we're heading dangerously towards another Herbie: Fully Loaded (which should have been renamed Fully Loathed, in my opinion). It looks like the studio is trying to create a niche that simply has no reason to exist, and I think a lot of people might well realise that.

Incidentally, that's where you come in. What do you think?

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