A blend of Camp Rock and Now You See It, Magic Camp, directed by Mark Waters, is a nostalgic and joyous summer film experience. The recently released Disney Plus film stars Adam Devine as Andy, a twenty-something year old magician struggling to make it in Las Vegas. Andy’s life suddenly changes when his former mentor and Magic Camp director, Preston (Jeffrey Tambor), offers him a job as a Magic Camp counselor for the summer. Unfortunately for Andy there’s just one catch — his backstabbing ex-girlfriend Christina Darkwood (Gillian Jacobs) is going to be there also.
After arriving at Magic Camp for the summer, the campers are sorted into bunks with one counselor assigned to each group. Andy gets assigned a group of all new campers and forms a particularly special bond with one young magician Theo (Nathaniel Logan MacIntyre) who recently lost his father.
Magic Camp gave me nostalgia for old Disney Channel films while still providing fresh takes. The movie presented similar themes to popular classic movies like bullying and mourning a dead parent yet the concept of Magic Camp felt new and exciting to me. I also enjoyed that there was more than one main character to root for — Andy and Theo’s stories were mutually important to the plot and each represented a significant part of the other’s growth as a character.
The highlight of the film was getting to see Adam Devine play a role nearly opposite of the type of character he usually plays; and Gillian Jacobs too. I never thought I would see this comedic pairing star in a family film together, but they were fantastic in their respective roles and as a team. Magic Camp is a story for people of all ages and is certainly a cross genre — so it doesn’t matter if you like fantasy, comedy or drama–Magic Camp is for you. I recommend watching the film along with your family or a group of friends.
Magic Camp is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Score: B+
By Blair Krassen @blairlyawake