Niko: The Journey to Magika
By Brian Costello,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Bland animated adventure with bullying, demonic imagery.
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Niko: The Journey to Magika
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What's the Story?
Niko lives with his kind grandparents in the Philippines, but he is constantly the target of bullies at school. When the bullies force Niko to meet them in the middle of a forest and set a large tree on fire, Niko does so, but the tree's vines come to life and kidnap Niko's grandparents and take them to a strange land called Magika. With the help of a girl from Magika named Anna, Niko ventures into this new place, where he meets an unusual group of characters, including a horse that talks like a surfer. When Anna's Uncle Milo tells Niko what ingredients he must collect in order to free his grandparents from being wrapped up in a tree's vines along with many other unconscious bodies, it's up to Niko to find these ingredients and get them out of Magika before it's too late.
Is It Any Good?
Like so many animated features that are in the Disney vein but not made by Disney, much of NIKO: THE JOURNEY TO MAGIKA feels manufactured to fit a specific mold. There really is no need for the musical numbers, for instance, and the horse character talking like a surfer, like totally adds nothing, dude. The lead character, Niko, talks about his parents dying in a car crash when he was a baby, and this is dispensed with in a matter of seconds and not really brought up again. While the story itself isn't bad, all these pointless Disneyesque tropes are distracting at best and annoying at worst.
That said, aside from Niko and his grandparents being likeable enough, nothing else stands out as being especially worthwhile or original in this movie. The demonic imagery is tailor-made to give young and more sensitive kids nightmares, and when the story veers away from its central plot, it can be needlessly confusing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about bullying. How is bullying addressed in this movie? What should you do if you or someone else is being bullied?
How is this film similar to and different from other animated adventures in terms of story, imagery, music, and violence?
Did the violence and demonic imagery seem necessary for the story or did it seem forced?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: December 12, 2014
- Cast: David Campiti
- Director: Robert Quilao
- Studio: Red Giant Entertainment
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Music and Sing-Along
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 17, 2021
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