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Even before franchises like the Harry Potter series, there's always been interest in fantastical lands, mythical beasts, and, of course, eccentric magicians. The feeling of kicking off your shoes after a stressful day and getting lost in your favorite magical world is truly unmatched. Netflix’s new animated movie The Magician’s Elephant aims to provide you and your family with the same feel-good vibes, with its top-notch animation and heartfelt storyline.

Based on the 2009 children’s book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, The Magician’s Elephant tells the story of Peter, a boy searching for his long-lost sister Adel. The Magician’s Elephant was earlier adapted into a stage play by Nancy Harris, running from October 2021 to January 2022. The show premiered at the world's theater capital, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and was well received by the critics and the audience alike.

DiCamillo is a decorated author with over 25 published titles to her name, four of which have already been turned into feature films. They include Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tiger Rising, The Tale of Despereaux, and Flora & Ulysses. The Magician's Elephant is the fifth in line and will be arriving on our screens in March. If you are looking for a film to watch with your family and spend some quality time with your kids, this film should definitely be up on your watchlist. In the next couple of sections, you will get to read about the cast, the plot, the release date, and everything there is to know about the upcoming Netflix adaptation of The Magician's Elephant.

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Image via Netflix

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Watch the Trailer for The Magician's Elephant

The official trailer for The Magician's Elephant was uploaded quite recently on the official Netflix YouTube channel, on February 16, 2023. You can watch it right here:

In the trailer, we can see young Peter visiting a clairvoyant at what seems to be a fair to ask her about the whereabouts of his long-lost sister. She leaves a bit of cryptic advice for him; to follow the magician’s elephant. Now full of hope and a dream of finally reuniting with his sister, Peter leaves in search of the magician. He does find him, and he accidentally conjures the elephant, but the mysterious beast is soon taken into the custody of the royal court. Peter follows the elephant to the King’s halls, where he asks him in front of a massive crowd to give him the animal that is destined to help him find his sister. Feeling amused, the king puts forth three impossible tasks and promises Peter that he can have the elephant once he gets through them. Peter “dares to believe”, as the film’s tagline flashes on-screen, and he resolves to find his sister once again. The trailer ends with the old magician’s wise words, “Extraordinary things are possible… If you believe.”

When and Where Is The Magician's Elephant Coming Out?

The Magician's Elephant was in development hell for over a decade, but thankfully the project never got canceled despite changing production houses. The animated adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s hit novel will be released on March 17, 2023, the same day as the hotly-anticipated DC movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Once released, the film will stream exclusively on Netflix.

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Who's In The Magician's Elephant Voice Cast?

The cast of The Magician’s Elephant includes the voices of some of the most recognizable faces in the acting industry. A Quiet Place star Noah Jupe plays the lead role of Peter, the young teen who sets out on a quest to find his lost sister. He is joined by the MCU’s Benedict Wong, who can be seen playing yet another magician, and will be conjuring elephants instead of portals. Pixie Davies, who has previously starred as Annabel Banks in Disney's Mary Poppins Returns, provides the voice of Adel, Peter’s sister. Other cast members include Sian Clifford (Fleabag), Brian Tyree Henry (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Aasif Mandvi (Million Dollar Arm), Mandy Patinkin (Homeland), Miranda Richardson (Fate: The Winx Saga), Cree Summer (Atlantis: The Lost Empire), Lorraine Toussaint (Selma), Natasia Demetriou (What We Do in the Shadows), and Dawn French (Vicar of Dibley).

Related:The Most Heartwarming Animated Movies On Netflix Right Now

Who Is Making The Magician's Elephant?

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Image via Netflix

The Magician’s Elephant is directed by Wendy Rogers and animated by Animal Logic, and will be distributed exclusively by Netflix. 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights to The Magician's Elephant in August 2009, even before the book's official release in September, with Martin Hynes as the scriptwriter. Since then, it was stuck in development hell for eleven years until producer Julia Pistor decided to move the project over to Netflix in December 2020.

What Is The Magician's Elephant About?

Peter, the protagonist of the story, lost his sister when he was really young, but it is not known yet how he lost her. He believes that she is still alive and is determined to find her. He finds a fortune-teller who tells him to follow the magician’s elephant if he wants to find his sister. However, he does not get any other information as he was only allowed to ask one question. Wondering what the fortune-teller meant, Peter stumbles upon a magician’s show with a large audience, where the performer accidentally conjures an elephant. Taking it as a cue, Peter makes it his aim to free the elephant, who is now in royal custody.

In order to do so, the young boy will have to perform three impossible tasks. Peter, now full of hope, prepares himself for an unlikely adventure, making friends along the way who could help him rescue the elephant and look for his lost sister. The story is clearly a classic hero's quest, along the lines of movies like Onward and Willow but with its own take on what's a very much tried and tested trope. The official synopsis of The Magician's Elephant reads as follows:

“When Peter, who is searching for his long-lost sister named Adele, crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square, there is only one question on his mind: is his sister still alive? The answer, that he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician who will conjure it, sets Peter off on a harrowing journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town forever and take him on the adventure of a lifetime."