"Young Elise and Alfie are twins who wish themselves into a magical world before getting into various scrapes. Sadly, Elise is deeply annoying and Alfie is a bit nondescript, which makes the whole thing rather a chore. The involvement of Tim Rice as lyricist also promises more than it delivers."
"Not to moan about how things were better in the good old days, things have clearly moved backwards in kid-aimed animation, so now we routinely get this sort of ersatz DreamWorks storyworld where everything looks like a screensaver and the dialogue is a blend of cod-Roald Dahlisms with a bit of pseudo-inspirational hugging and learning."
"McGregor as the Wish Collector does his best with material like You don't need wishes, you never did, you just needed each other, but for parents and indeed discerning children, it's pretty thin stuff."
This children's animation features a starry voice cast including Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, and Mel Brooks, but the film is undermined by its lead characters—twins Elise and Alfie—who are voiced by lesser-known actors and prove annoying or nondescript. The story follows these children as they wish themselves into a magical world and encounter various problems. Tim Rice's lyrics disappoint, featuring clichéd couplets that appear recycled from rejected material. The film exemplifies a broader decline in children's animation, featuring generic DreamWorks-style aesthetics, screensaver-like visuals, and dialogue combining forced Roald Dahl references with pseudo-inspirational messaging. Even McGregor's efforts cannot salvage the thin material.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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