Magika

       Magika is the first musical movie from Malaysia in 2010. This movie was directed by Mr. Endry Abdul Halim. He is not only a director of Magika movie, he is also the writer for this movie. This movie is about the main character which a little boy call Malik has lost her mother who passed away not long ago. He was very sad about her mother's death and he keeps argue with his sister, Ayu. One day, Malik argued with Ayu and Malik run into the forest that just beside their house. Suddenly, Malik fall into a well and then bring him to a new world call Magika. Ayu went into the forest to find Malik and she found out that Malik fall into the well. Then, she try to rescue him from the well by using a rope but unfortunately the rope was broken and she fall into the well. Then, Malik as caught by a witch in Magika world. Ayu also had been brought to the Magika world to rescue Malik. Ayu tried her very best to find Malik by asking anyone in the Magika world. Ayu also met a guy,Bad who helped her to find Malik. With all the obstacles and challenges that faced by Ayu, Malik and Bad, Ayu finally found Malik and rescues him from the witch. Both of them back to their world and continue their life there.

Trailer of Magika (2010)

In this movie, not only the techniques and styles, even the movie poster also has the same concept with a Hollywood movie call Spiderwick Chronicles. The side of Magika’s poster looks alike in Spiderwick Chronicles’s poster which used trees as the effect. In Magika’s poster, they also use blurring effect on the character’s leg like in the Spiderwick Chronicles’s poster as well. The arrangements of both movies are also almost at the same place. The main character of Magika and Spiderwick Chronicles was place in the middle while the other character was place at the side of the main character. 

                                          

 Besides that, Sweeney Todd is a musical movie that produced in 2007. The director of Sweeney Todd, Tim Burton used dull color like blue black color to show that the sadness of the main character who lost his wife. At the end of the story in Magika, the color of the scenes also used similar color like in Sweeney Todd. This is to show that the sadness of Ayu who missing Bad so much and walking alone in the jungle.

There is a part in Magika when Puteri Gunung Ledang holding a paper, the person which is the witch in the paper is moving. This part obviously can found in Harry Potter where the people in newspaper and announcement on the wall are moving. It is so obvious that Magika is imitating the part in the movie Harry Potter. This is how Magika has been influenced by the Hollywood movie.

In Harry Potter, there is an owl who responsible on sending letters or announcement to their owner. Same goes to Magika. In Magika, the Puteri Gunung Ledang has a bird who responsible on sending announcement to its owner.  This is the part where both of the movies using animal to send letters or announcement. This is the similarities that can found in the movie Magika with Harry Potter.

 Other than in Harry Potter, there are some other movies that were imitated by Magika like in High School Musical. High School Musical is a musical movie had been produced in 2006. It is a dancing and singing movie. They used singing style as their conversation. In Magika, the characters also using singing style to communicate with each other. For example in Magika, when Ayu met Bad in the jungle, Ayu start to sing to tell Bad that she is looking for her brother, Malik and Bad also use singing style to answer Ayu back.

Furthermore, there is one part in Magika where the people gathering with Puteri Gunung Ledang to sing and dance together.  All of them sing and dance together while Puteri Gunung Ledang is promoting her potion that can make a person become younger. In High School Musical movie, there are also a part where everyone singing and dancing in their canteen. One of the basketball players started the singing first and the others sing together as well. These are the part where the Magika is imitating the plot in High School Musical. Not only that, both of these movies also has the same shots when shooting the characters singing and dancing together. The shooting style that used in High School Musical is from high angle and slowly zooms in to the characters. It is to show the audiences that who is the characters who are singing together and who is the character who sing solo. Other than that, it is to show the audiences the pattern of their dancing style. Same goes to Magika. Magika imitating the shooting style in High School Musical which is shoot from high angle and slowly zoom in to the character who is singing and dancing. This obviously shows that the Malaysia’s movie had been influenced by the Hollywood movies.

In Magika, there are also some scenes that used CGI (Computer Graphic Imagery) footage so that the audience will feel that this movie is interesting. In the whole movie in Magika, there are only some parts that are using CGI footage which is the trees who can talk and move. When Malik trying to pee on a tree, then the tree start to move and talking to Malik and the other trees as well. This part can be found in a Hollywood movie call The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings was produced in 2001 and directed by Peter Jackson. In The Lord of the Ring, there is a part where the trees can move and talk as well. The trees have a clear face expression in Magika and The Lord of the Ring. Magika is imitating the movie The Lord of the Ring by using CGI effect on the trees. The angle of shots of the trees in Magika also similar with The Lord of the Ring which is uses a low angle to shot the trees. It uses low angle to shoot the trees so that the audience can feel that the trees is talking to the character. 

In addition, there are a lot of shooting technique that can found similar in Magika and The Chronicle of Narnia. The similar scenes in both movies is when the changing scenes. In Magika, there are a lot of changing scenes by using extreme close up onto the tree and change the scene. For example in Magika, Ayu is relying on a tree when thinking of Bad. At the sametime, Bad is also relying on a tree in Magika world and thinking of Ayu. At this part, the camera slowly move from right to left and showing Bad is at the Magika world and Ayu is at the normal world. This changing scene can be found in The Chronicle of Narnia as well when the 4 siblings entered the beaver’s house. The camera move slowly from right to left which is from outside of the beaver’s house to the inside of the house without cutting the scenes.

Moreover, in Magika, there is a scene used a high angle from the top and shoot the character who is lying on a sleeping chair. Beside a chair there is a flower filled with water. For example in Magika, Malik is very tired and quickly lying on the sleeping chair. From that high angle, the audience can see that beside the sleeping chair there is a flower filled with water. Although in Magika the flower is not relevant to the story, but the similar scene can be found in Hollywood movie which is Peter Pan. In Peter Pan, there is a scene that used a high angle to shoot Peter Pan lying on a sleeping chair. Beside the sleeping chair, there is a flower filled with water like the scene in Magika. So this is how Magika had been influenced by the Hollywood movies.