Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and actor Nicolas Cage have collaborated together on over seven films in roughly the last ten years and their latest production, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," is another example of their ability to make quality entertainment for the whole family in the classic Disney tradition. But it wasn't always that way. The two began working together in the mid-'90s on action films like "The Rock," "Con Air" and "Gone in Sixty-Seconds" for the Disney off-shoot, Touchstone Pictures. That changed in 2004 when the two Hollywood powerhouses joined with "Phenomenon" director Jon Turteltaub to create the extremely family friendly and entertaining adventure films "National Treasure" and its sequel "National Treasure: Book Of Secrets." So it only makes sense that The Sorcerer's Apprentice would be the natural evolution of their collaborations, a fun and magical film that has just enough excitement to entertain children and parents alike.

The film is, of course, loosely based on the popular scene from the classic Disney Animated film "Fantasia," which was also called The Sorcerer's Apprentice and featured Mickey Mouse in the title role. The live-action version does a great job of not only updating the idea for a modern audience but incorporating all of the fun and magic of the original while creating something completely new for today's fans. The filmmakers also do an impressive job of balancing humor and action with several nods to the source material yet never get bogged down in trying to compete with the classic animated film. Cage is the perfect actor for the role of Balthazar Blake as he carries the right amount of gravitas along with a bit of his trademark eccentric-ness to really make this character believable and come alive. Also fantastic in this film is actor Jay Baruchel who is really having one hell of a year between his star-making performance in this film, the runaway-hit "How To Train Your Dragon" and the under-rated comedy "She's Out Of My League." Baruchel's perfected "awkward guy" routine is pitch-perfect for the role of goofy College student David and further more the actor is both believable and likable in the part.

The film begins with a cool introduction to the world of magic, set in mid-evil times with Merlin battling his rival, Morgana. Merlin has three apprentices, Horvath (Alfred Molina), Veronica (Monica Bellucci) and Balthazar (Cage) who all share his powers and abilities. But unbeknownst to Merlin, he is about to be betrayed by Horvath who teams with Morgana to destroy his friends because of his feelings for Veronica, who does not return his affections but instead is in love with Balthazar. After they destroy Merlin, Morgana takes control of Veronica's body and Balthazar's only hope of stopping her is to lock all three of them in a magical urn for centuries until he is able to find the one true heir to Merlin's power. Fast-forward to the '90s and Balthazar, who has been looking for his apprentice for centuries finally finds David, an awkward young boy who sees the world in a different way. But before Balthazar can tell David of his true destiny, Horvath escapes the urn and in order to stop him, Balthazar must lock both of them in there for ten years. Of course nobody believes what David has seen and he becomes the laughing stock of his friends.

Now its ten years later and Horvath has once again escaped and plans to unleash Morgana on the world. He recruits his own apprentice, A "Chris Angel" type illusionist named Drake Stone (Toby Kebbell), to help him find and kill the only person that can stop him ... David. Balthazar is also free and now looking for David in order to prepare him for the fight ahead. But David is dealing with his own insecurities, now as a College student still longing to be with Becky (Teresa Palmer), the cute girl that laughed at him in grade school. But it is Becky that eventually gives David the courage to train with Balthazar and embrace his destiny. But learning the ways of being a wizard is not easy and will offer many challenges for David that Balthazar must help him overcome. In the end, it is up to David and Balthazar to stop Horvath from freeing Morgana and save the world from total annihilation.

Again, the movie does a great job of recognizing what worked in "Fantasia" and adapting that idea for the modern day audience. It's a totally different film, that is buried in mythology and the dark arts but it still inhabits that same fun and adventure into the wonders of magic that the source material did. Be sure to keep an eye out for nods to the original like dancing brooms, David's shadow in that scene and especially an additional scene at the end of the credits that you don't want to miss. Bruckheimer, Turteltaub and Cage once again make a great team and put together an entertaining and fun adventure film for the whole family. While the movie may not be the most memorable film you will see this year, you will thoroughly enjoy it and I think the film will really play well with young kids. The movie juggles action, suspense and good-hearted humor well, allong with all the special effects that you would expect from a Jerry Bruckheimer film. In the end, The Sorcerer's Apprentice may not be the best film of the year, but it certainly is a fun and entertaining movie that embodies what Disney is all about and it is something that the whole family can enjoy.