An animated short film with a magician, his hat and rabbits?

Film commentary: Bunny Magic

A very funny story about a magician who loses his mind to make children want to do magic tricks!

Question the film: Bunny Magic

To understand the story, the theme, to express one's sensibility and to exercise one's critical thinking.

1 Why does the successful magician become unpopular in the middle of his show (50 s)?
His table breaks and the spectators discover his trick: the rabbits don't come out of his hat but out of the table.
2 Does the magician understand the reason for his unpopularity?
No, he doesn't understand that the table is broken and allows the spectators to see the rabbits.
3 At the beginning the spectators applaud, but when they discover the magician's trick what do they do?
They boo.
Booing :To shout or rant at someone or something to show hostility or disapproval.
4 What is the magician's reaction?
He is sad; he cries.
5 What is the rabbits' reaction?
They will perform another magic trick to save the magician's face: the famous rabbit cut in half!
6 Does the magician understand?
No, because he cannot see under the table; he just thinks that his magic trick is successful again.

Preparatory work for the teaching activities

After watching the film, ask the pupils who wish to make comments to do so.
The points raised can be organised on the board into different areas, validating the comments collectively if necessary by quickly browsing through the film.
The observations in each area can be supplemented by a few oral questions:

- Graphic aspect
How do we recognise that we are watching a magic show (curtain, stars, top hat, costume)?
Where are we placed? How are the magician's emotions conveyed to us (mainly through his mouth, as well as his eyes)? What about the rabbits (they are not very expressive, apart from the ears that stick up when the panel falls and the final smile of the rabbit magician)?Observe the framing that prepares, through the management of the off-screen and the applause, the surprise given to the spectator of the film at 1:18.

- Sound aspect
What elements do the pupils remember (drum rolls, reactions of the audience in voice-over)?Ask them to relate the events of the film by listening only to the soundtrack: the events can be reconstructed in their entirety.

- Magic
Have the students ever seen magic shows? Is it the same magic as that of fairy-tale magicians? Do they recognise the two iconic tricks (the rabbit, "bunny", pulled out of the hat and the woman cut in half)?Are any of them capable of performing tricks?

- Narration
Who are the characters and how many are there? What is the plot (the discrepancy between what the main character perceives and what is actually happening)? Note the contrast between the magician's trick, which is expressive but repetitive and of no interest once the spectators have understood the "trick", and the surprise created by the rabbits, which are not very expressive but are obviously very intelligent.Emphasise the misunderstanding between the magician who thinks he is being applauded again and the audience who is now only looking at the rabbits.

By watching the film again, the different emotions expressed by the magician, the audience and even the rabbits can be listed collectively. The pupils can practise identifying the illustrations of certain emotions using the Emotions, feelings and states of mind sheet.

Additional information
- For your personal information (we do not reveal the secrets of a magic trick to others!),
A video explaining the trick of the woman cut in two...
- Pop-up album: La couleur des émotions by Anna Lenas, Éditions Quatre Fleuves, 22p.,2014, ISBN 979-1026400134.
- Animated film Vice-Versa (Inside Out) by Pete Docter, Pixar, 94 min, 2015.
- Feelings board game by Jean-Louis Roubira and Vincent Bidault, published by Act In Games, 2015.

Download the PDF of the film's educational activities

Created with the support of the French Ministry of Education and the CNC.
Viewing of the film with the family, educational activities with parents at home and with teachers in the classroom
Inventing a story and expressing emotions (French) (Cycle 2 and 3)
Educational activities proposed by Bruce Demaugé-Bost based on the film Bunny Magic.
Performing a magic trick (Mathematics) (Cycle 2 and 3)
Educational activities proposed by Bruce Demaugé-Bost based on the film Bunny Magic.

Discover other educational sheets created with the support of the French Ministry of Education and the CNC...

Theme

Magician

Genre and keywords

Comedy, magic, magic, hat, rabbit

Recommended age

3 years

Running time

1 min 34 s

Title

Bunny Magic

Directed by

Philip Watts

Sound design