When I heard that Disney was making a movie called The Sorcerer's Apprentice, of course the first thing I thought of was the classic Mickey Mouse short from the masterpiece Fantasia. When I discovered that the new movie really didn't have anything to do with that aside from the fact that it involved sorcerers, I was extremely skeptical that anything good would come of it aside from yet another Harry Potter wannabe. Imagine my relief, then, when I discovered this movie not only doesn't besmirch the good name it carries, but it isn't even really a Harry Potter wannabe. If anything, it has more in common with Disney's Enchanted mixed with a dash of National Treasure; meaning it'sa fun, enjoyable movie filled with adventure, action, and with some of that Disney magic from a bygone era.

Two things were necessary for this movie to work. One, the actors had to buy into it; and two, the audience had to buy into it. Fortunately, the cast is uniformly excellent. Nicholas Cage does a fine job as Balthazar, channeling a little Liam Neeson as Jedi Master in his performance. However, there are times when the way he played things became a bit cumbersome. I wish he would have let loose just a little more. Every now and then we get a glimpse of the slightly wacky, more animated Nic Cage and a bit more of that would have been welcome here. Jay Baruchel really carries the movie as Dave, playing his part with lots of energy andwit; it just looks like he's having fun. In fact, he reminded me a bit of some of the actors in classic Disney films who would often play things on the edge of over the top and corny but somehow kept things light, fun, and enjoyable. And finally there's Alfred Molina, who plays Horvath with just the right amount of menace and classiness, and some of his subtler moments are also some of the funniest, I thought, in the movie. It's obvious that the cast is not only having fun with this movie but that they're doing so by playing much of it as straight as possible, which is part of what makes it so fun. They deliver strong, believable performances even when things get a bit ridiculous, but it's their sincerity that draws us in.

As I mentioned, the other thing needed for this movie to work is for the audience to believe it, or at least to suspend their disbelief. The special effects go a long way in helping with that. It'd be easy for a film like this to use sub-par special effects and just count on the audience to go along with it, but that's not what happens here. The effects are all done well and don't look cheesy. For me, cheesy special effects would have really ruined this one; nothing's worse than a made-for-TV movie on the big screen (I'm looking at you G-Force). But solid special effects and good performances combine to make for a fun adventure that puts a smile on your face as you watch it.

One of the most interesting aspects of the movie is the way it handled the subject of magic. In this story, magic is merely an extension of science. Sorcerers use the entire potential of their brains (unlike the rest of us schlubs who only use about 10% of our brains), and that gives them the ability to understand more completely the interaction of particle, molecules, atoms and so forth. Not only do sorcerers have a greater understanding of the scientific world, but they also understand how to use that knowledge to manipulate those elements and perform amazing feats that look, well for a lack of a better word, magical. I found this idea that magic is really just the effect of a lack of scientific understanding intriguing.

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