Q: What was your favorite toy when you were growing up?
Portman: I really liked making stuff out of clay. My mom and I would go to museums and then try and make stuff like that we saw. I also liked cutting my Barbies’ hair and drawing on their faces.
Q: Your character doubts herself when she is in charge. Do you ever feel that way?
Portman: I have lots of self-doubt. I get over it by reminding myself that everyone, even the most amazing people I know, all have moments like that and that it will only prevent me from doing the things I hope to do.
Q: What was it like filming the movie?
Portman: It was really fun. We had kids and/or animals in every shot, so it was always unpredictable and exciting.
Q: If you couldn’t be an actress, what would you want to do?
Portman: Maybe a farmer? Or a doctor? Or an astronaut? Or a mom? I don’t know!
Q: What was your favorite school subject?
Portman: I liked English a lot because I love stories—so reading fiction for homework is actually fun. I also loved math—it was so exciting to think about things like infinity.
DRAGON BREATH
A dragon toy looks cute... until it breathes scorching1 flames at Eric. “We couldn’t really blow fire at a little kid,” jokes puppeteer2 Ann Powell. So the special effects team rigged3 an air hose through the dragon’s mouth, and as Zach leaned toward it, a gust of air came out. Later the fire was blasted out of a flame-thrower4, and a computer added the two scenes together.
RUBBER MAN
When the store’s magic wreaks5 havoc6 on the people inside, one guy wraps his arms around his head as if he’s made of rubber. That’s no computer trick. “He’s a contortionist7,” producer Richard says. “He has trained for years to be able to do that.” And the customer who bends completely backward when an object flies at her?“ She really can do that!” Richard says.
DUCK8 FROM THIS GOOSE!
Don’t worry about the girl being chased by the goose. The goose wasn’t really chasing her—it was chasing a ball! Chasing a child was too complicated a trick for the goose to learn quickly. “Instead, it was trained to chase a Ping-Pong ball,” producer Jim says. “Then we put the ball on the girl’s back, and it took off after it!”
ANIMAL POSSES9
Some celebrities are full of demands. In fact, one star—Pepsi the zebra—refused to act unless his best zebra friend was six feet away at all times. “Zebras are herd10 animals. They travel in groups,” Jim says. “In order to hire a zebra, you have to hire the zebra’s friends.” So while Pepsi was playing Mr. Magorium’s pet, a zebra named Majeur was standing just offscreen.
SURPRISE ATTACK
Mr. Magorium’s store is a fun place—until it throws a temper. “Model rockets, airplanes, and kites rain down on the customers,” Jim says. But the flying debris wasn’t created on the computer. “Some of the cast and crew stood on a balcony or on ladders safely throwing those things and attacking at will11!”
Film Quotes
Mr. Magorium: I fell so completely in love with these shoes; I bought enough pairs to last my whole lifetime. This is my last pair.
Mr. Magorium: I’ve hired an accountant.
Mahoney: What?
Mr. Magorium: It’s a cross between a counter and a mutant12.
Henry: How can a store throw a temper tantrum?
Mr. Magorium: It’s a magical toy store; it can do all sorts of things.
Mr. Magorium: Your life is an occasion, rise to it.
[Holds out her hand to a full shopping bag]
Mahoney: Come on, get out of there!
[A blue ball flies out of the bag and into her hand]
Mahoney: Bouncy13 balls. Always tryin' to escape.
Henry: When you say magical, do you mean special?
Mahoney: Magical.
Henry: What about... really really cool?
Mahoney: MAGICAL!
问：你小时候最喜爱什么玩具？
波特曼：我非常喜欢做陶艺。妈妈和我那时会去博物馆，然后尝试做出我们看到的东西。我还喜欢为我的芭比娃娃剪发，在她们脸上涂涂画画。
问：你演的角色在接管玩具店时不相信自己。你有过那样的感觉吗？
波特曼：我经常缺少自信。我在努力克服这点，我提醒自己，每个人，甚至是我所知道的最了不起的人，也有过这样的时刻。不自信只会妨碍我做想做的事。
问：拍这部电影时感觉怎样？
波特曼：确实很好玩。每个场景都有孩子和动物，所以总不可预测、令人兴奋。
问：如果你不能做演员的话，你想干什么？
波特曼：也许做个农民？或医生？或宇航员？或母亲？我不敢确定！
问：你上学时最喜欢哪门课？
波特曼：我很喜欢英语，因为我喜欢故事——所以家庭作业就是阅读小说真的很有意思。我也喜欢数学——光是想想无限这个概念就令人兴奋不已。
神龙喷火
一个神龙玩具看起来很可爱，可是它竟向艾力克喷出灼热的火焰。“我们当然不能真地朝孩子喷火。” 木偶剧演员安·珀瓦尔开玩笑道。所以，影片特效组在神龙嘴里安装了一个气管，当扎克俯身时，一阵强风就出来了。随后再用喷火器喷出火焰，用电脑把这两个场景编辑到一起。
橡皮人
当玩具店用魔法向里面的人展开报复时，有个家伙用胳膊裹住头，就好像他是个橡皮人。这可不是电脑特技。“他是个柔软体操演员，”制片人理查德说，“他练习多年才能做到。”那么当有个物体飞向一个顾客，她能完全向后下腰，也是真的么？“她确实能做到！”格莱德因说。
躲开这只鹅！
不要担心被鹅追赶的那个女孩。那只鹅并不是真的在追她——而是在追一个球！追赶一个孩子对这只鹅来说，很难迅速学会。“它被训练学习追赶一只乒乓球，”制片人吉姆说，“然后我们把球放在女孩背后，它就真的追上来了。”
群居动物
有些名星要求可真多。实际上，有个明星——斑马佩普西——拒绝表演，除非他最好的斑马朋友无论什么时候都待在6英尺外。“斑马是群居动物。他们一起行走。”吉姆说，“为了雇佣一匹斑马，你不得不雇佣他的朋友。”因此当佩普西扮演马格瑞姆先生的宠物时，一匹叫马耶尔的斑马就站在摄影机拍摄距离之外。
突袭
魔法玩具店本来是个快乐的地方——直到有天它突然大发雷霆。“火箭模型、飞机和风筝像暴雨似的砸到顾客身上，”吉姆说道。但是乱飞的碎片可不是电脑制作的。“一些演员和剧组人员站在阳台或梯子上，随意向下扔那些东西，不过是在确保安全的前提下。”
经典台词
马格瑞姆先生：我是彻头彻尾地爱上了这些鞋子。我买了足够多的鞋子留着穿一辈子。这是最后一双了。
马格瑞姆先生：我雇了个会计。
马哈尼：什么？
马格瑞姆先生：它是一个计算器和一个怪物的结合体。
亨利：商店怎么能够大发雷霆呢？
马格瑞姆先生：这是个魔法玩具店，它能做各种事情。
马格瑞姆先生：你的生命是个很重要的际遇，好好利用它。
[伸手紧紧握住满满的购物袋。]
马哈尼：快，快出来！
[一个蓝色的球从袋子里飞出来跳到她手上]
马哈尼：弹力球，它们总是想溜走。
亨利：你说有魔法，是不是指很特别的意思？
马哈尼：就是有魔法。
亨利：是不是指……酷毙了的意思？
马哈尼：有魔法，就是有魔法！
TOY WORLD玩具世界
Asking for a high-tech toy this holiday season? Check out these ultra fun but low-tech toys from around the world.
这个假期想要个高科技玩具？先来看看世界上各种各样超有趣但“低”科技的玩具吧。
Global “Chia Pet”14
In Brazil, kids fill nylon stockings with sawdust and grass seeds, then paint faces on the bags. The grass grows into “hair”, which they style in all kinds of ways.
全球 “新式宠物”
在巴西，孩子们把尼龙袜里装满锯屑和草种子，然后在袋子上画上各种表情。草长成“头发”后，孩子们就可以设计各种不同的发型。
Cool Car
Kids in Malawi15, in Africa, make galimotos—detailed toy cars—out of bent wire. The steering wheel column stretches as high as the driver’s waist so he or she can push the car around.
酷车
在非洲的马拉维，孩子们用弯曲的金属丝制作一种叫galimoto的玩具小汽车。方向盘和驾驶杆可以到司机的腰那么高，这样他/她就可以推着车到处游玩了。
Noisy Toy
The Indonesian gangsing is a bamboo top with a hole on one side. Kids wrap part of the gangsing with string, then pull to make the toy spin. As it spins, it whistles.
哨音玩具
印度尼西亚的玩具gangsing就是一根竹制陀螺，一侧有个孔。孩子用绳子把gangsing的一部分绑起来，然后抽动让玩具转起来。转动时会发出哨声。
1. scorching adj. 灼热的, 激烈的
2. puppeteer n. 木偶剧演员
3. rig [rig] v. 配备, 装配
4. flame-thrower n. 喷火器
5. wreak v. 发泄；报仇
6. havoc n. 大破坏, 浩劫
7. contortionist n. 柔软体操演员
8. duck v. 闪避，躲避
9. posse n. 临时组织的一群人
10. herd n. 一群
11. at will 随意
12. mutant n. 基因突变的怪物。马格瑞姆先生在玩文字游戏，说“会计”（accountant）是“计算器”（counter）和“基因突变的怪物”（mutant）的“杂交品种”（cross）， ac+count+ant=accountant.
13. bouncy adj. 有弹性的
14. chia pet指那种可以长"头发"的宠物玩具，实际上里面放了一种叫chia（芡欧鼠尾草）的植物的种子。
15. Malawi n. 马拉维(非洲国家)