Cure Miracle to Mofurun no Mahou Lesson

DGFischer Nov 20, 2019

9.6

I was steered to this five-minute short feature when family chores pre-empted my customary watching of an hour-long+ Pretty Cure movie.  I noticed two factors that made this selection stand out: 1) It was a film short.  The only other Pretty Cure short feature was Pretty Cure All Star Dream GoGO!, which initiated the concept of joining teams of Precure in an epic battle (all three minutes of it) versus the forces of rock-concert hating evil.  The concept piece encouraged a score of full length (usually 70 minute) flicks featuring an ever expanding army of legendary warriors. 2) The unique use of CG Animation technique, making the two characters in this episode, Cure Miracle and her teddy bear Mofurun more vibrant.  Even if the plot was more a jest than a well-thought out story line.  I usually say that Maho Girls Precure was the first to incorporate Barbie as an iconic Pretty Cure.  In this short feature, we got to see Skipper in the title role. Now, Cure Magical and Cure Felice did appear with Miracle and Mofurun in the first portion of the feature in their typical animated forms doing the typical announcements:  the usual appeal to limit the carnage in the use of that staple of the Precure Movie, the Miracle Light (you know the drill: don't look at the light, don't pull at it, don't bludgeon the kid in the next seat with it, don't convert to light-saber mode ... yada yada bing bang). But after these PSA's, the action begins.  I have no idea why the piece is called 'Magic Lesson.'  It is more like the wizards' duel between Merlin and Mad Madam Mim in Disney's Sword in the Stone.  Both Miracle and Mofurun take turns waving their magic wand with that cheery 'Cure Up Ra-Pa-Pa!'  Mofurun turns Cure Magical briefly into Cure Flora of Go! Princess Precure (a sort of inside Precure joke.  Much like if Cure Black and Cure White got into one of these, they turn each other into Cure Bloom and Cure Egret).  Cure Miracle in turn changes Mofurun into ... well, it is clear that this is truly a Toei Animation production ('you got to be kitten me!'  Great pun!  One of the best in the mega-series). Finally, Cure Miracle casts a spell which change's Mofurun's tail into a balloon.  The poor bear drifts off, only to be attacked by vengeful bees.  Cure Magical must mount broom and brandish wand to save her beloved teddy.  And once done ... your five minutes are up.  Well, let's call it another happy ending for the books.   But, when do we get tto use the Miracle Lights? My chief question is why Toei used this method of animation, something that I have not seen in other Precure episodes.  Well, there was some awful pieces in the closing Glitter Force dance routines, but that was a Saban foul-up.  I know that Toei had joined forces with Disney in assisting the production of Thomas Astruc's French anim-esque Miraculous Ladybug, a project which was offering episodes of superb animation at a laboriously slow pace.  I'm not privy to the corporate decisions which occur like this, but Toei has always moved with the latest trends. I'd love to see what future projects will incorporate this version of CG animation.