The Secret of the Magic Gourd

SCORE: 86

The Secret of the Magic Gourd is an interesting milestone for Disney. This is a traditional Chinese children’s story that has not imported into America (editor: at least not in a mass market kind of way) before. This little boy is a dreamer. He wants to achieve great things, but does not want to work hard for them. Another way of describing him would be lazy. Well a magic gourd (think of a magic Genie kind of a character) crosses paths with him, and it seems like he has it made. The magic gourd grants his wishes, but not always in the way that helps. Take for example he needs to check out a certain book, but the library girl won’t give it to him. So the magic gourd makes the book disappear from the desk, and re-appear in his backpack. The book gets reported stolen, which causes him a lot of grief.

The Secret of the Magic Gourd has some great special effects including a dinosaur, airplane, fish, and of course the magic gourd. Young boys are shown swimming without their shirts on, and there is some scary scenes where it looks like the young boy is going to get eaten. I love how elders are properly respected on this DVD. Something that certain areas of America need to work on.

The voice acting is well done in The Secret of the Magic Gourd. Certain parts look like voices were put in when Chinese actors are talking. One has to have a keen eye to notice, but I did find that. The lesson of this DVD is only by hard work can you achieve success. This is a great lesson for children to learn, especially if they are not applying themselves.

My children have already watched The Secret of the Magic Gourd numerous times, and really like it. Disney included quite a few different extra features that I appreciated. The most notable to me is the explanation of the roots of this story. The Chinese music video is interesting, I just wish I had some idea what she is singing.

The Secret of the Magic Gourd has an intelligent design to the menu screen lay outs. I love using the FastPlay option, and am thankful Disney included it on this DVD. The only possible concern with the storyline in The Secret of the Magic Gourd is some people may take it too far, and not be willing to accept grace, and other such gifts from others. I enjoyed a peek into a different culture.

The Secret of the Magic Gourd is a perfect match for Disney. The magic, innocence, and moral story will last a long time. I hope that a lot of people take an interest in this movie. The door was left open for a sequel, and I would love to see one. Be careful what you wish for.
- Yolanda

Graphics: 82%
Sound: 89%
Replay/Extras: 86%
Gameplay: 90%
Family Friendly Factor: 84%
System: DVD
Publisher: Disney
Rating: 'G' for General Audiences

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