Alison Lester’s famous kid’s book Magic Beach comes to the big screen
Alison Lester’s Magic Beach is now a charming, entertaining, visually beautiful film for youngsters.
Magic Beach is based on the popular 1990 children’s book of the same name by Australian writer Alison Lester. This film adaptation is perfect for its summer school holidays under-10 target audience.
It is charming, entertaining, visually beautiful and not much longer than an hour. It’s directed by Robert Connolly, whose previous film for younger viewers was the uplifting flight of nostalgia Paper Planes (2015).
Magic Beach moves between live action and animation. Children read the book, or have it read to them, and then imagine themselves or dream themselves into its wondrous world.
Ten Australian animators tell the story, each responsible for one part of it. A boy rides a white horse that swims underwater. A dog snoozes on the beach, blissfully dreaming of sausages until he hits a snag in the form of a grouchy wombat.
There’s drama involving smugglers and a salty swindler. And Lester’s famous watermelon garden is beautifully animated.
At the screening I attended, Lester read her book ahead of the film – and it was a pleasure to hear kids cheering and clapping an author.
This faithful adaptation of her book teems with imagination, something we have in spades as children but can lose sight of as we grow older.
Magic Beach (G)
76 minutes
In cinemas
★★★½
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