CMS Wish I'd read these reviews first. We were surprised by the repeated use of the curse word "damn" throughout the movie by the evil nephew. It was not a welcome surprise when viewing with our 3yo. I didn't think G-rated movies were allowed to use curse words. The story line was fine, but the language was unnecessary. Not sure who they were trying to appeal to with it.

christine-122-818786 This movie goes way too far with the violence.It has an adult that goes completely mad and tries to kill a cat with a shotgun. There is a lot of guns and violence in a lot of kids movies, but this somehow goes way too far.I found myself sitting with my three young children completely stunned. It spiraled way out of control.The animation was fantastic and it started out being a fairly nice entertaining film. And then it all goes horribly wrong. This was a big fail for me. Why fill a kids movie with so much violence and a shot gun?

trevorwomble Most European animations intended for the mass market are often very disappointing either in a lame script or bland animation. Usually it is Hollywood that rules the roost here, but The House of Magic was a pleasantly surprising film released (in the UK) in a summer already overcrowded with family fare.Admittedly this film is aimed at a much younger market than say, the Marvel Films but nonetheless it is still doing the rounds where other animation like The Nut Job, How to train your dragon 2 and Planes 2 are also on release. I am a little surprised the distributors put it out during the summer because it obviously won't have the same kind of publicity as those big American productions but nonetheless I am glad to see it has been reasonably well received because it is actually quite watchable and likable. Although I saw the film in 2D I could see the scenes designed for the 3D release and can quite understand those that think its is one of the better 3D releases.The story is not terribly sophisticated, an abandoned little ginger kitten wanders into a spooky house and ends up fighting a greedy real estate agent who is trying to sell it behind his elderly magician uncle's back. After a sub plot involving the Rabbit and a mouse trying to get rid of the kitten the kitten ultimately ends up teaming up with the other inhabitants of the house (Rabbit, mouse, two lovebirds and various sentient inventions) plus two sick children to thwart him. The film does drag in a few places and is quite predictable but is extremely well animated, has fun with it's music cues (watch out for some classic British pop music from the 1980s) and will ultimately leave children and adults with a big grin on their face as the end credits roll. The script could have done with a few more laughs but anybody who has ever owned a cat will recognize how well translated the mannerisms of 'Thunder' the kitten have been done.Ultimately I found this to be an undemanding, very well animated and perfectly serviceable little film that has no offensive elements (although I agree with a previous reviewer who found the callous way the kitten is abandoned by its original owner to be a little bit upsetting). Nonetheless the film moves on quickly from that start and the reasons why he was abandoned are briefly addressed in the story (economic recession).I was going to give this film a 6 but 'Thunder' is such a cute creation and probably the most lovable cat in a film since Puss in Boots from Shrek that I gave it a 7.

cinematic_aficionado The story of the abandoned cat whose cruel owner dumps him when they move house.Alone and unprotected the lovely cat faces a difficult challenge for survival and as he wanders the streets manages to enter a house that had already other animals in it as well as various gadgets. The owner embraces him instantly but some of the other guests are reluctant to accept him and so he has to earn their trust.The opportunity to do so will come as a wicked nephew wants to sell the house.An appealing story combined with high quality visuals, giving us an angle of the world from the point of view of a small animal. Various themes are involved such as abandonment, new beginnings, fitting in and proving oneself.When it comes to protecting our home, one better not underestimate the determination of even the smallest of opponents.It will surely delight children without leaving the adults unimpressed either.