Magic Pudding, The (ATOM Study Guide)

The Magic Pudding is a tale about those who have and those who have not – focused on the sharing (or stealing) of food. Norman Lindsay's classic tale revolves around the adventures of the members of The Noble Society of Pudding Owners, Albert (The Magic Pudding who is constantly running away but who never runs out), and the villainous pudding thieves who pursue Albert relentlessly. Since Lindsay's book was written as a series of vignettes, viewers will be intrigued to discover how the screenwriters have adapted the script to create a film with a continuous story that retains its remarkable characterisation of Australian bush culture and humour.
The film version of The Magic Pudding brings Norman Lindsay's characters and their adventures to life through extraordinary animation inspired by the brilliant colours of the Australian landscape and an international cast of high profile voice actors including: John Cleese (Albert), Geoffrey Rush (Bunyip Bluegum), Jack Thompson (Buncle), Sam Neill (Sam Sawnoff), Toni Collette (Meg Bluegum), Mary Coustats (Ginger) and Hugo Weaving (Bill Barnacle).
The film will appeal to a diverse audience with young children enjoying the slapstick and sometimes bawdy humour. Older children and adults will appreciate the more subtle humour and the connections they can make with Lindsay's original work, along with the expertise of the animators in representing the character of the Australian landscape.

Using The Magic Pudding in the Classroom: Curriculum Links
This film provides opportunities for students to develop concepts related to animation and to narrative structure including plot, characterisation and setting. It also opens possibilities of exploring ideas related to relationships, power, families, loyalty and friendship.
The activities provided in this guide have been developed for primary and junior secondary students and teachers. Activities are designed to complement and extend understanding and enjoyment of the film while providing contexts for achieving learning outcomes from across the following key learning areas of the curriculum: English, Arts, SOSE, Maths, Science and Technology. Teachers are encouraged to select or modify activities to best suit the needs, prior experiences, understandings and skills of their students.