Aussie director Rober Connolly, who ping-pongs at will between family fare like Paper Planes and Blueback to more serious stuff such as The Dry, brings us another of the former with this adaptation of Alison Lester’s beloved children’s book.
When is Magic Beach being released in Australia?
Magic Beach arrives in Australian cinemas on January 16, 2024.
Magic Beach
What is Magic Beach about?
Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the book, Magic Beach is not a strict adaptation. Rather, it sees a gaggle of nine kids (plus the obligatory dog, because every kids movie should have a dog!) read the eponymous book, only to find themselves transported to the “magic beach” itself. There they…well, muck around on the beach, as kids are wont to do.
The rub is that this is a live action/animation hybrid, with the imaginary (or magical—take your pick) sequences being rendered by a roster of top-notch Australian animation talent, including Emma Kelly, Pierce Davison, Simon Rippingale, Marieka Walsh, Lee Whitmore, Kathy Sarpi, Susan Danta, Eddie White, Anthony Lucas and Jake Duczynski.
The cast of Magic Beach
Spencer Ellis Anderson, Rylee Chuck, Elliott Hayes, Summer Jeon, Azania Molefi, Frankie Pollard, Anezka Sero, Luka Sero, Sebastian Sero, Flynn Wandin, and Monty Newton Welsh are on board, and are mostly newcomers. We don”t have a whole lot of context in terms of who they’re playing. However, we’re fairly certain Bigsby, credited as “self”, is the dog. Unless Bigsby is a nascent, mononymic child star, in which case—sorry, Bigsby.
Magic Beach trailer
Why we’re excited about Magic Beach
Poised to hit cinemas during school holidays, Magic Beach looks like it’ll be a hit with both parents and young’uns, the former being entranced by the panoply of animation styles on display, the latter by…well, whatever kids are into. We’re old. But Connolly has proven to be a dab hand at this sort of thing, so our hopes are high.
