Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

(rousing orchestral fanfare playing)

(clock ticking quietly, man snoring)

This is one of my favorite stories ofall time,

even though it begins in a basement.

l'm gonna tell it the way it was written

- by this guy— Bellini— - (bell ringing)

who lives underneath the amazing, the remarkable...

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.

- (doll squeaks) - And, yes...

he sleeps with a dolly.

: Bellini'sjob is to build all the books

for all the kids who come to the Emporium.

But it is also to chronicle the life of Mr. Magorium himself.

Mr. Magorium once made toys for Napoléon,

beat Abraham Lincoln at hopscotch

and holds the current record for time spent upside down.

There were those who called Magorium a genius.

My mom called him an eccentric.

And this one guy from Detroit

inexplicably called him "Steve."

But Magorium's story

was reaching its final chapters.

That's okay— all stories, even the ones we love,

must eventually come to an end...

...and when they do,

it's only an opportunity for another story to begin.

So the beginning ofthe end begins with a chapter called,

"Molly Mahoney's First."

Molly Mahoney was the manager ofthe Emporium,

Mr. Magorium's apprentice, and my only friend.

ln the mornings, Mahoney would play her piano,

attempting to finish hervery first concerto,

but she never could find the right notes.

When she was younger,

everyone thought she was a musical genius,

a brilliant pianist,

and she believed them.

But now, as she became a grown-up,

- (music stops) - she wasn't so sure.

l don't know why grown-ups don't believe what they did

when they were kids.

l mean, aren't they supposed to be smarter?

What Mahoney needed was the opportunity to prove to herself

that she was something more than she believed.

And that opportunity was about to appear.

And so that's how this chapter begins...

with my hat getting stuck.

Eric.

Hi, Mahoney.

You're back.

Yeah.

I thought camp was four weeks.

No, no...just the one.

Uh-huh.

My hat's stuck.

Huh.

Looks like you're gonna need a ladder.

Nah.

I just need tojump higher.

Eric, that's seven feet, at least.

Seven feet?

- Really? - At least.

You think I should get a running start?

Yeah.

So, did you make any friends at camp?

Yeah.

Uh...Jeff.

IsJeff real?

Yeah. Sure.

Is he an animal?

He was a squirrel.

(all clacking in various rhythms)

Good morning.

- (toys clicking, dinging) - ERIC (distant): Gotcha.

Uh-oh.

That's a good way to lose a train.

(man singing indistinctly in other room)

Mahoney.

Morning, sir.

Already?

Drat. Come in, come in.

How did you sleep?

Upside down. Made my feet tingly.

Mortimer, get offthe couch.

Do you like turnips?

Nobody likes turnips.

So you probably wouldn't like turnip pudding.

Probably not.

It's a shame because I made some.

Sir, I was hoping to talk again

about what we spoke about last week.

About how paper really shouldn't beat rock?

No, sir.

About me possibly finding a newjob.

That's what I was saying.

What?

I stayed up all night making turnip pudding,

and thinking, and it occurred to me

that I've owned the Emporium for over 1 1 3 years.

(needle scratches, music stops)

That's a very long time, Mahoney.

Yes, it is.

It's almost 1 1 4 years.

And not once have I even

looked at a receipt, so l have absolutely no idea

what the store is worth.

Well, that's probably not very good.

Exactly.

Mortimer... fetch.

- (Mortimer sputters) - Stupid zebra.

I'm hiring an accountant.

- A what? - An accountant.

According to the word,

it must be a cross between a "counter" and a "mutant."

And that may be precisely what we need.

That's great, but...

I'm pretty sure that word is pronounced...

l placed a call into one ofthose agencies

and they said they'd send over one oftheir best mutants

sometime today, hmm?

So consider the matter settled.

How is the matter settled?

Quite perfectly in my opinion.

- Come with me. - Sir?

- Hmm? - I'm serious.

What?

I'm stuck.

Ooh! To my floor?

: No, sir.

Then what?

Like as a person.

You remember when I was a little girl,

and l could play Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto

and everyone was talking about my potential?

Mm-hmm.

Well, I am 23 now,

and everyone's still talking about my potential,

but ifyou ask me to play the song I know best...

I'll still play Rachmaninoff's 2nd.

May I suggest you stun the world

with Molly Mahoney's First?

I want to.

But I am stuck.

Come with me.

This, my lovely, is foryou.

Thankyou.

What is it?

It's the Congreve Cube.

It looks like a big block ofwood.

It is a big block ofwood.

But now, it's your big block ofwood.

Thankyou.

I wasjust saying last night

I don't have enough big blocks ofwood.

Unlikely adventures require unlikely tools.

Are we going on an adventure?

Well, my dear, we're already on one.

All I will say is this:

With faith... love...

this block... and a counting mutant,

you may find yourselfsomewhere you've never imagined.

And with that... let's open the store.

Wait, sir...?

Mortimer, I'm way ahead ofyou.

Stay out ofthe refrigerator.

Sir...

Yes, my honeycomb?

You're wearing your pajamas.

Flapdoodle.

(children shouting happily)

Fore!

Whoa!

Whoo-whee!

Whoosh!

Eric, may I borrow your hat?

Sure!