Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere The Little Tikes Magic Workshop premiered last night at the local theater and was a resounding success. Children and adults alike were captivated by the whimsical and entertaining performance. The workshop featured a variety of magic tricks and illusions that left the audience in awe. The main idea of the performance was to inspire creativity and imagination in young children. The show's host, Mr. Magic, engaged the audience with his charismatic personality and had everyone laughing and clapping throughout the night.

ESPN 30 for 30: This Magic Moment (2016)

Usually when a new professional franchise starts up, there is a decade long struggle for greatness. Building a team from the ground up is no easy task and it certainly takes a few breaks along the way in order to build a champion, especially in quick succession. There have been a few teams who have managed to come into a pro league and win really early on. The most obvious example I can think of is the Arizona Diamondbacks of the MLB. An expansion team in 1998, they quickly were World Series champions in 2001, in remarkable fashion over the dynasty that were the New York Yankees at the time. Another example would be the Minnesota Wild of the NHL, who reached the Conference Finals in just their third year of existence. That one stung being a Columbus Blue Jackets fan, since the Wild came into the league at the same time. But that’s the point, the Blue Jackets are one extreme, still not having found extended success 10+ years after entering the league. The Diamondbacks are the other extreme.

The Orlando Magic fall somewhere in the middle of those extremes, but their fate has more to do with good luck turning into bad luck in the blink of an eye. The 30 for 30 series has been good to this point at chronicling the bad luck stories, as well as some of the more fulfilling success stories in sports history. With This Magic Moment, directors Erin Leyden and Gentry Kirby explore a little bit of both, crafting a familiar, but decidedly different type of 30 for 30 film. The Orlando Magic began play in the NBA in the 1989-1990 season, at the tail end of Magic Johnson and the Lakers dominance and decade long battle with the Boston Celtics, and the beginning of the reign of Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the 1990s. After a few poor years, the Magic won the draft lottery and took once-in-a-lifetime player Shaquille O’Neal. The team was immediately better. They then did the impossible and won the lottery again the next year, netting them Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and draft picks through savvy trading with the Golden State Warriors. Shaq and Penny began to build something special in Orlando, but soon the two superstars fairy tale would come to an unfortunate close.

It is hard to call the story of the mid-90s Orlando Magic unknown, but it may be apt to call them overlooked or under-appreciated as history has remembered them. Ardent fans of the game will certainly remember their greatness, but more casual fans may simply remember Jordan and the Bulls, and the two titles Olajuwon and the Rockets won with Jordan playing baseball. This Magic Moment gives the Orlando Magic their due, even if that also means recognizing the fact they got extremely lucky to win the NBA Draft Lottery in back to back years and built a giant with two franchise players. Leyden and Kirby deliver their due diligence by showing the rather procedural segment of how the Magic came to be, both in terms of the franchise popping up in Florida, and the talent making their way to make the team a contender. This background is necessary to then explore the interesting dynamic between Shaq, Penny, the rest of the team, the coaching staff, the front office, and the rest of the league.

I can’t say this documentary doesn’t feel like one of the standard ESPN formula 30 for 30‘s, because it is, but I would say it’s one of the better ones out there. Having Shaq and Penny help produce the film certainly makes one wonder about the “slant” the film gives each player and the team in general, but even if the film is a little biased in favor of the star players and how the team is remembered, it still remains that the Orlando Magic were a great team with a couple of really great players. When the film takes the turn from rising team to dysfunctional, falling team, I think the dynamics between all those involved could have been explored a little bit more than they were, which was mostly Shaq and Penny saying they wish they would have stayed and built something. I’m not sure I buy that. Shaq won four NBA titles. But, whether intended or not, by having these two greats “look back” on the good times in Orlando, the film has a good conversation about the maturity level of elite athletes.

Players in almost all sports are said to be in their prime when they are still in their 20s, when their priorities are very different from more mature players. Shaq and Penny were worried about how much money they were making, whose “team” it was, how many championships they would win together. Often when you take a step back from the rigors of the game years after, you can more easily see what was truly important to you. Shaq and Penny both regret leaving Orlando, they both regret the ego struggle for who the real leader of the team was, but in their defense, that’s just how twenty year olds feel. Even in today’s culture you can find ego’s whose desire for money and fame trump success on the court (and still making lots of money, just not the most). The San Antonio Spurs are the exception. The rest of the league is the rule.

The Orlando Magic under Shaq and Penny works as both a success story and how to build a successful franchise, and a cautionary tale for both young players and front office executives. In one tale, the Magic showed how to build a franchise, and how to unintentionally dismantle the same. The Magic imploded from within, which is unfortunate, as it would have been a wonder to see this team for years and years compete with Jordan’s Bulls and the rest of the league. It is the great unknown. ESPN has explored this angle to a story a few times (The Best That Never Was, Unguarded), and This Magic Moment is another solid entry into the series.

ESPN 30 for 30’s “This Magic Moment” captures the moment

Magic, engaged the audience with his charismatic personality and had everyone laughing and clapping throughout the night. The workshop also incorporated elements of education, with Mr. Magic explaining the science behind some of the tricks.

The Orlando Magic will be featured in ESPN 30 for 30’s ‘This Magic Moment.’ It is a tragic tale of youth and unfulfilled promise that hits each moment.

ESPN’s latest 30 for 30, This Magic Moment, opens with two men, weathered with experience reminiscing on what could have been.

What if Shaquille O’Neal never left, Anfernee Hardaway asks. What if Anfernee Hardaway never got hurt, Shaquille O’Neal asks back. These are two of the great questions left from the Orlando Magic of the mid-1990s. The questions that could never be answered properly.

What would have happened if these two great players had stayed together? What would have happened if things broke the right way and the inevitable ascendency of one of the youngest, most exciting teams of a generation had continued on its seemingly endless upward trajectory?

These are the questions directors Gentry Kirby and Erin Leyden ask looking back upon history. And these questions frame the regret, possibility and story of the Orlando Magic, Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway in ESPN 30 for 30’s This Magic Moment.

The story begins with the founding of the Magic and the circumstances that led to their back-to-back Lottery wins. It winds its way through with what the Shaquille O’Neal pick meant and the noise that began as this young franchise prepared for its first big (and young) star.

It continues with the familiar story of Hardaway’s five-on-five workout with the Magic that convinced them to invest in the young point guard from the unknown program in Memphis.

And then hits the familiar notes of the rise to a Playoff team, the trip through the 1995 Playoffs. It hits the turn with the 1995 NBA Finals disappointment and then the breakup of the team.

The lesson is that nothing is inevitable, egos clash and success can be fleeting if you do not know how to take care of it.

The realization that comes from unpacking and watching these events recounted in sequence is just how complex and how layered this time for the Magic was. The theme that comes throughout the film is just how young everyone is.

Horace Grant talks about trying to tell his teammates to enjoy the moment in the Finals because no one knows when you will get back. The young man, as the movie says, takes that and enjoys the moment too much, not taking care of the task at hand. The veteran man knows the opportunity is fleeting and does not give it up.

One of the many lessons as the Magic’s downfall eventually takes over.

O’Neal left. Hardaway’s body broke down. The story is familiar to Magic fans. The championship dreams went unrealized.

For the national audience, they will get the story they may not know by heart or have experienced firsthand. This story is not burned into their psyche, governing so many decisions down the road. They will learn how the Magic came to exist and rose to contender and then how things fell apart again.

The story is well told. For Magic fans, the emotions will be especially poignant.

The raw joy of having a basketball team and becoming a major league city is captured. The thrill of winning the Lotteries is experienced all over again. The push for a title and just how easy it seemed to come is felt. The ecstasy of it all is there.

And then the crash. Like a drug, success came with its bitter pill. And the knife gets twisted again as old wounds are re-opened. The fact this movie is able to re-open those wounds and bring that sense of regret and pain is a good thing. It hits those notes and captures that moment for fans again.

O’Neal goes deeper into what led to his decision to leave Orlando than perhaps he has ever done before. He reiterates what he said last year as he was inducted into the team’s hall of fame. He wanted to stay in Orlando, but his youthful ego got in the way.

Hardaway also speaks very openly about his departure and the injuries that sapped him of his identity, seemingly.

Just as Nick Anderson speaks very openly about the free throws that made him nationally infamous. Others speak about the effect that moment had on Anderson’s career — on a similar upward trajectory stopped too soon.

There is new information and honest discussion about this team that has not been seen elsewhere. It may make the pain worse, honestly. But that is part of the story too. A part that cannot be ignored.

The story of the early Orlando Magic is a tragedy, after all. A lesson to be learned.

If This Magic Moment has a shortcoming it is that it jams everything in without clearly stating what the lesson the audience should take from this sotry is. There is a lot to jam in too — from the Magic’s history, to Orlando’s history, to O’Neal, to Hardaway, to the collapse.

Is this a story about unfulfilled potential and what could have been? Is this a story about the folly of youth — both of a franchise and of the players trying to make their own name? Is this a story about how success can be fleeting?

All these issues are touched upon, but perhaps not fully explored.

The documentary simply tells the story as it happened and tells it well. The three players — the Magic, O’Neal and Hardaway — all get equal weight to draw whatever lessons we are supposed to draw from this tale.

It is quite a story. The kind of story ESPN 30 for 30 was supposed to tell. It is the the story that is not the main story of sports history — the Magic are merely a footnote in the story of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers dynasties. But this team resonated with NBA fans around the world and still holds a place in the conversation about the 1990s.

This documentary helps tell the team’s story — the good and the bad.

Overall the film is good. It hits all the notes and recreates the feelings of that time and that team well. It will be an entertaining, exhilarating and emotional ride.

The film premieres April 14 at 9 p.m. on ESPN and is well worth the watch, even if it opens up old wounds anew. A must-watch for young Magic fans especially who only heard the stories of this 1995 team.

On the Scene: ’30 for 30: This Magic Moment’ Premieres at TFF 2016

For any fan of the NBA, the 94′-95′ Orlando Magic team was one of the greatest dynasties that never was. When a team goes so far as to make it to the NBA Finals, especially when the team is filled with young talent, you expect them to return the next year with a vengeance. That wasn’t the case with this fabled team as team leader Shaq left the Magic for the Lakers, and this documentary explores the events leading up to that.

The directors Gentry Kirby and Erin Layden discussed the film at the red carpet and offered their perspective on the events of the 90’s. They offered their two cents on why this story was fascinating and how social media might have affected the saga the team endured. With the Magic being the only sports franchise in the city of Orlando, they were already getting all the attention they possibly could from newspapers to television to radio. They also mentioned some stories that didn’t make the cut, such as the time the team got stranded in a hotel in Allentown Pennsylvania with the cast of Sesame Street Live on Ice and Marilyn Manson as well as the secret rap diss track Shaq had made where he erroneously predicted he and the Magic would win the championship.

The biggest red carpet star, in more ways than one, was Shaq himself. He towered over his directors, and with his recent hall of fame announcement, the retirement of his rival and friend Kobe, the film reflecting on his early career and the dozens of fans lining the streets to see him, he certainly had a look of mixed emotions. However, he is as playful as he is big and managed to engage the crowd with some shenanigans involving a box of Entenmann’s donuts.

Reviews for "Unveiling the Magic at the Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere"

- John - 1 star

I was really disappointed with the Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere. The tricks were poorly executed and the overall production was lackluster. The setup was confusing and the instructions were unclear. The presenter didn't seem very knowledgeable and couldn't answer basic questions from the audience. I wouldn't recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a truly magical experience.

- Lisa - 2 stars

I attended the Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere with high hopes, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The tricks shown were basic and not very impressive. The presenter lacked enthusiasm and seemed bored throughout the workshop. The workshop also lacked audience interaction, making it feel more like a lecture than an interactive experience. I left feeling underwhelmed and wouldn't attend another workshop from Little Tikes.

- Mike - 2 stars

I wasn't impressed with the Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere. The tricks shown were nothing special and could easily be found online for free. The presenter seemed disinterested and rushed through the workshop. The workshop didn't offer any new or unique tricks, making it feel like a waste of time and money. I wouldn't recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a captivating magic experience.

- Sarah - 2 stars

The Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere was a letdown. The tricks were very basic and not at all impressive. The presenter seemed inexperienced and stumbled through their explanations. The workshop lacked a cohesive flow and felt disjointed. Overall, I was disappointed with the quality of the tricks and the presentation. I wouldn't attend another workshop from Little Tikes.

Step into the Enchantment at the Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere

Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere: Where Kids Rule the Magical Kingdom

Little Tikes Magic Workshop Premiere: A Night of Wonder and Fun