I watched this today as a favor to my brother, well more of an agreement. I had low expectations. It was pretty rough at the beginning, mostly because I didn't care for the acting of the little boy (Natalie Portman?) in the film. Also, the whimsical aspects of the movie, from Dustin Hoffman's character to the magical toy store, all seemed a little too forced and not quite authentic enough. The sentiment and whimsy didn't seem earned. Overall though, it could of been worse, and who is to say what I would of thought of it if I saw it as a child.