Toy Story In The Magic Lantern Manner
Published 10th Nov 2007 by Alessandra Romanelli

After Charlie Chaplin and Jacques Tati’, “Toy Story” will conclude the Magic Lantern season’s first cycle of “films that make you laugh”.   This first animated film in the history of cinema made entirely by computer will be presented as part of the Brighton CineCity Film Festival on November 24th.  Using The Magic Lantern formula a stage show will take place followed by the screening of the film, providing an opportunity to discover new aspects of this classic of animation.

The Magic Lantern show will introduce the idea of the ‘virtual’, explaining that it is possible to make a film entirely by computer, without making a single drawing and without recourse to actors or real scenery.

The introductory stage show is performed by The Magic Lantern actors Mark Locke and Laura Stephens. They will lead the children through the history of animation and highlight the importance of dialogues in this film, which is quite unusual for a cartoon.

The film was chosen because of its strong potential contribution to children’s emotional development: it addresses jealousy and friendship in a sensitive fashion and helps children understand and handle such feelings.

Toy Story also invites reflection on the vexed issue of over-consumption of toys, a matter in which the children themselves play a role. This provides an opportunity for constructive dialogue between parents and children.

Aimed at 5 to 12 year olds, The Magic Lantern is an educational film club like no other. It aims to introduce its young members to the pleasures of discovering great films in a real cinema. Here they can experience films in a fun and imaginative way without their parents.

A few days before each show, members receive an illustrated magazine to introduce the film and to inform them about the filmmaker(s). Then, before each screening, the children see a short stage show performed by professional actors which introduces the film in a comic way whilst informing them about the history, genres and techniques of cinema.

This year’s program of 9 films from all genres is based on an unbeatable trio: three films that make you laugh, three that make you feel a bit sad, and three that make you dream. In other words, three of the essential emotions of cinema!

Each cycle has three subcategories: a film from the early days of cinema, a classic from the 1940s-80s, and a recent work.

The sessions are held at the Odeon, on Saturday mornings at 10.30. The next dates are: 24th November, 19th January, 16th February, 27th March, 19th April, 17th May and 14th June.

Membership costs £20 for the first child and £15 for each sibling. Adults are not normally allowed, except to accompany children with special needs.

For info please contact Balint Bodroghy, by phone at 01273 774770, by mail at b.bodroghy@lanterne.ch, or visit our web site www.the-magic-lantern.org

The Brighton & Hove club is the first to be established in the UK. It has received support from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the Cultural Foreign Policy Centre, the Arts Council, Brighton & Hove Council and Screen South.

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