When I was a kid, one of the first movies I ever became obsessed with was Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.
I could not tell you the exact day I watched it for the first time, or even how my family stumbled upon owning the disc version of it — but it feels like the movie has been a part of my life forever. I remember watching it, and then watching it again, and again, and again; I never got bored with it.
Directed by Zach Helm, the film follows Natalie Portman’s character, Molly Mahoney, a manager at the fantastic, whimsical and vibrant Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium — a toy store which is seemingly magical.
Molly Mahoney works closely with the store’s owner — and, I guess you could say, father — Mr. Magorium, played by Dustin Hoffman. Mr. Magorium is just as fantastic and colorful as his toy store, and mysteriously magical as well, as he says he is 243 years old.
Due to certain circumstances — ones that I don’t necessarily want to spoil, so I guess you have to watch the movie — the magical toy store becomes upset, lashing out and losing all of its color and magic, as ownership of it shifts from Mr. Magorium to someone else.
To no one’s surprise, the new store owner, and symbolic parent of the store, is Mahoney.
This film, evidently, changed my life as a kid and continues to change my life on every rewatch.
There’s a certain essence of childlike wonder with the film that little else can create. Additionally, the film taps into this aspect of childhood which I think we could all use a little bit more of in our lives: radical creativity.
Mahoney was once a piano prodigy, but is now suffering from a serious case of writer’s block while trying to arrange her debut piece. Alongside the main plot of the film, there is this buildup of self-discovery with Mahoney finishing the piece by the end of the movie.
She was able to do this through the radical act of taking risks and playing — literally playing. Mahoney embraces the inner childlike wonder within all of us that sees something in the world and is purely curious. Curious to be curious and curious to create out of curiosity.
One of my favorite scenes of all time is when Mahoney fully takes on the role of toy store owner, bringing the magic back to the store. The song on the backdrop of this scene is titled “Mahoney’s Debut,” composed by Alexandre Desplat and Aaron Zigman.
Magic. Pure magic is how I can perfectly describe this song. It is swooping, whisking you off onto this roller coaster of an audio adventure. The film’s central theme song is expanded in this song, playing to its full ability and it’s incredible.
Something about pairing this specific song with Mahoney finally coming into her own and embracing the wonder of life brings me to tears whenever I watch the film.
This scene, as a matter of fact, the whole movie, is a reminder that life is about being curious and bringing the joy of wondering into all aspects of your life; it is about self-fulfillment through the act of being radically yourself in only the most creative of ways.
I urge you, readers, to watch the movie and, beyond that, embrace the wonder in your life. Be curious. Be radically creative in finding ways to bring back that ever-infectious childlike joy into your life, in any way possible.
Hirata can be reached at [email protected].
