The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010 Film)

''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' is a 2010 American action adventure fantasy film directed by Jon Turteltaub and written by Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard. It is loosely based on the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment from Walt Disney’s 1940 animated film ''Fantasia'', which in turn draws inspiration from Paul Dukas’ 1897 symphonic poem and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1797 ballad. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, and Monica Bellucci. The narrative follows Balthazar Blake, a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan, who recruits a physics student named Dave Stutler to help prevent the resurrection of a powerful dark sorceress.

''The Sorcerer’s Apprentice'' premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on July 14, 2010, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office, grossing approximately $215 million worldwide against a production budget of $150 million.

Plot

In 740 AD, in England, the wizard Merlin has three apprentices: Balthazar Blake, Veronica Gorloisen, and Maxim Horvath. Horvath betrays Merlin by aligning with the evil sorceress Morgana le Fay, who seeks to cast a powerful spell called "The Rising" to resurrect dead sorcerers and enslave humanity. Merlin is mortally wounded, and Veronica absorbs Morgana’s soul to stop her. To prevent Morgana’s return, Balthazar traps both her and Veronica inside a magical nesting doll known as the Grimhold. Before dying, Merlin entrusts Balthazar with a dragon-shaped ring that will identify the "Prime Merlinian"—his destined successor capable of defeating Morgana. Balthazar spends centuries capturing Morganians—sorcerers loyal to Morgana—and imprisoning them within the Grimhold, including Horvath.

In 2000, ten-year-old Dave Stutler encounters Balthazar in a Manhattan antique shop. When Dave tries on the dragon ring, it chooses him, revealing him to be the Prime Merlinian. Dave accidentally opens the Grimhold, releasing Horvath. In the ensuing struggle, Balthazar and Horvath are trapped inside a magical urn for ten years, while Dave escapes with the ring.

A decade later, Dave is a physics student at New York University. The curse ends, releasing both sorcerers. Horvath resumes his mission to free Morgana, while Balthazar seeks out Dave and convinces him to become his apprentice. Though reluctant, Dave agrees after confronting Horvath and another Morganian, Sun Lok. As his training progresses, Dave becomes romantically involved with his childhood crush, Becky, despite Balthazar’s warnings.

Horvath recruits celebrity illusionist Drake Stone to retrieve the Grimhold, but later steals his powers. He also frees other Morganians, including Abigail Williams, whom he uses to kidnap Becky and blackmails Dave into surrendering his ring. Stripped of his magical conduit, Dave turns to his scientific ingenuity and builds weapons to counter the threat.

In the final battle at Battery Park, Horvath releases Morgana by transferring her soul from Veronica's body. Morgana begins casting the Rising Spell while Horvath animates the Charging Bull statue to attack. Dave intervenes using a Tesla coil to neutralize Horvath and Becky disrupts Morgana's spell. Balthazar absorbs Morgana’s soul to protect Veronica, but Morgana escapes and fatally wounds him. Dave, using his own power without the ring, ultimately destroys Morgana with a barrage of plasma bolts. He then revives Balthazar using electric shocks, and the sorcerer reunites with Veronica. Dave and Becky depart on Balthazar’s animated steel eagle to celebrate their victory.

Cast

* Nicolas Cage as Balthazar Blake, a millennia-old sorcerer of the 777th degree/rank; based on Yen Sid in '' Fantasia''
* Jay Baruchel as David "Dave" Stutler, a highly intelligent college student who becomes Blake's reluctant apprentice
** Jake Cherry as Young Dave Stutler
* Alfred Molina as Maxim Horvath, an evil sorcerer and Balthazar's nemesis. Once friends with his fellow apprentices, he became embittered when Veronica chose Balthazar over himself, eventually turning against them and Merlin.
* Teresa Palmer as Rebecca "Becky" Barnes, Dave's love interest
** Peyton List as Young Rebecca "Becky" Barnes
* Toby Kebbell as Drake Stone, a Morganian who supports himself as a celebrity illusionist and joins forces with Horvath when called
* Omar Benson Miller as Bennet Zurrow, Dave's roommate
* Monica Bellucci as Veronica Gorloisen, a sorceress and Balthazar's love interest
* Alice Krige as Morgana le Fay
* Robert Capron as Oliver, Dave's childhood friend
* Ian McShane as The Narrator (uncredited)
* James A. Stephens as Merlin
* Gregory Woo as Sun Lok
* Nicole Ehinger as Abigail Williams
* Ethan Peck as Andre
* Adriane Lenox as Ms. Jessalyn Algar
* Henry Yuk as Chinese Dragon Carrier

Production

Development

The concept for ''The Sorcerer’s Apprentice'' originated with Nicolas Cage, who expressed interest in playing a character with magical abilities and exploring a contemporary mystical world. At the suggestion of producer Todd Garner, Cage proposed expanding the "Sorcerer’s Apprentice" segment from Disney’s '' Fantasia'' (1940) into a full-length feature. Walt Disney Pictures officially announced the project on February 12, 2007. The film incorporates direct references to its source material, including a scene in which mops are magically animated to clean a lab, and Mickey Mouse’s iconic wizard hat, which appears in a post-credits scene.

Casting

Nicolas Cage was cast as Balthazar Blake, the central sorcerer, also serving as a producer through his company Saturn Films. Jay Baruchel joined as Dave Stutler, the reluctant apprentice. The supporting cast includes Alfred Molina as antagonist Maxim Horvath, Teresa Palmer as Becky, and Monica Bellucci as Veronica Gorloisen.

Filming

Principal photography took place in New York City, where the story is set. Key locations included Washington Square Park, Eldridge Street in Chinatown, and the New York City Hall subway station, which served as inspiration or a practical set for Dave’s underground laboratory. Several elaborate interior sets—such as Drake Stone’s penthouse and parts of Chinatown—were constructed inside the Bedford-Atlantic Armory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

During filming on May 4, 2009, a Ferrari F430 used in a chase sequence spun out of control and crashed into a Times Square Sbarro restaurant, injuring two pedestrians, including one struck by a falling lamppost. A second minor accident occurred the following night. Both incidents were attributed to wet road conditions caused by rain.

To create a grounded visual style, filmmakers emphasized practical effects. Fire was generated using real fluids and flash powders to produce colored flames, while plasma bolts were enhanced using LED-lit gloves worn by the actors for on-set lighting references. Floating objects were manipulated via wirework or held by stunt performers dressed in green chroma key suits.

Reception

Box office

''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' was released in the United States on July 14, 2010. On its opening day, it earned approximately $3.87 million. Over its first weekend, the film grossed $17.6 million across 3,504 theaters, ranking third at the domestic box office behind '' Inception'' and ''Despicable Me''.

The film concluded its domestic run with a total gross of $63.15 million. Internationally, it performed better, earning $152.13 million, bringing its worldwide total to $215.28 million. Notable international markets included Russia and the CIS ($13.63 million), France and the Maghreb region ($12.93 million), and Japan ($10.63 million).

Despite its global earnings, the film was considered a box office disappointment. With a production budget of $150 million, the returns were insufficient to cover marketing and distribution costs. Analysts estimated that Disney's share of the worldwide gross, after theater cuts, was approximately $118.3 million, which likely covered only the promotional expenses.

In July 2010, '' Parade'' listed ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' as the number one "Worst Box Office Disasters of 2010 (So Far)."

Critical response

''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 40% based on 174 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "It has a likable cast and loads of CGI spectacle, but for all but the least demanding viewers, ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' will be less than spellbinding." Metacritic assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' awarded the film two and a half stars out of four, describing it as "a perfectly typical example of its type, professionally made and competently acted." Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' found the film to be "an enjoyable action-fantasy adventure with a sparky script." Kirk Honeycutt of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' has said that "''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' is a tired relic of summer-movie cliches, clearly beaten to death by far too many credited writers."

Conversely, Simon Abrams of ''Slant Magazine'' criticized the film as "another slapdash, lazy, and just plain dumb fantasy that targets prepubescent boys still convinced that grand adventures await them once they grow up." James Berardinelli of ''ReelViews'' commented on the film's predictability, stating that "only a few minutes into the production, it's possible to guess with uncanny accuracy not only how the story will end, but pretty much every step the plot will take."

Accolades

''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' was nominated for Choice Summer Movie at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards. It placed as one of the Top Box Office Films at the 2011 ASCAP Awards.

Music

The film's score was composed by Trevor Rabin. It was released on July 6, 2010.

The songs " Secrets" by OneRepublic Quote: it plays prominently in ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' and " The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World are used in the film but do not appear on the album. Dukas' symphonic poem '' The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' was used in the scene where Dave brings a broomstick to life.

Home media

''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 30, 2010. It has sold 1,288,735 DVD units (equivalent to $21,609,680) since its release in DVD.

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorcerer's Apprentice
2010 films
2010s fantasy adventure films
2010s children's adventure films
2010s children's fantasy films
American fantasy adventure films
Urban fantasy films
Walt Disney Pictures films
Films set in 8th-century Anglo-Saxon England
Films set in 2000
Films set in 2010
Films set in New York City
Films shot in New York City
Films shot in New Jersey
Films directed by Jon Turteltaub
Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Films scored by Trevor Rabin
Films about magic and magicians
Films about witchcraft
Films about wizards
Arthurian films
Disney film remakes
Saturn Films films
Films based on works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
American buddy action films
American films about revenge
Films about physics
Films about dragons
American children's adventure films
American children's fantasy films
Fantasia (franchise)
Works based on The Sorcerer's Apprentice
2010s English-language films
2010s American films
Films with screenplays by Lawrence Konner
Films with screenplays by Mark Rosenthal (screenwriter)
Jerry Bruckheimer Films films
English-language fantasy adventure films
Live-action films based on Disney's animated films