The Sorcerer's Apprentice

In present day Manhattan, a veteran sorcerer named Balthazar Blake keeps watch over the city, waging a covert war against a dark magic force led by the sorcerer Maxim Horvath. Long ago, Balthazar trained his apprentices to defend the world from this threat, but the job fell by the wayside as generations changed. Now he seeks out an unlikely student, Dave Stutler, a seemingly ordinary college student with a hidden flair for magic. The two strike an uneasy alliance as Dave undergoes a rapid crash course in spellcraft, battle tactics, and courage, under Balthazar's gruff mentorship. Together they confront Horvath's schemes and recruit Becky Barnes and other allies to shield Manhattan from chaos. Becky brings resilience and a streetwise edge.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub and released in 2010, the film adapts Disney's Fantasia segment The Sorcerer's Apprentice for a modern audience, pairing Nicolas Cage's gruff mentor with Jay Baruchel's eager apprentice in a high energy fantasy adventure worldwide for all.

Worldwide, the movie pulled in around 215.3 million against a 150 million budget, signaling solid performance for a big scale fantasy adventure aimed at families and casual moviegoers, with broad audience appeal. Its box office success spurred talks of sequels.

Although it did not become a cultural touchstone, the movie reinforced a city grounded approach to magic and action for family audiences. Its brisk, visually polished battles and urban spectacle offered a recognizable recipe for Disney style sorcery in modern settings, leaving a modest but visible imprint on the genre.

Critical reception was mixed, with reviewers praising Cage's charisma and the film's action sequences, while critiquing a thin plot and tonal inconsistencies. The story leans on mentorship, responsibility, and the temptation of power, balancing humor with danger and the idea that ordinary people can rise to the occasion for others.