'Imagine That' (PG)(out of four)

"Imagine That" is Disney without the fairy dust. Actually, it's a Nickelodeon movie, which explains why this family friendly tale stays rooted somewhat in the here and now. Unlike the Disney flick "Bedtime Stories," which is what "Imagine That" looks like in its trailer, the story of a young girl and her imaginary friends remains in her head.

There's no going off into some computer-generated land, or a flip of the switch where humans become animated characters. Nope. As a credit to the filmmakers they stay true to the name of the film, making the audience play mind games and go along the same fantasy journey that Evan Danielson (Eddie Murphy) travels with his daughter, Olivia (Yara Shahidi).

When we first meet Evan, he's struggling with becoming a newly divorced dad and juggling his obsession for a promotion at his financial firm. His ex-wife, Trish (Nicole Ari Parker), is pushing Evan to hold up his end of the child-rearing responsibilities. He has little understanding of what to do with a 7-year-old, especially a chatty girl whose blue security blanket contains a whole other world that has her drifting off into magical lands.

At Evan's bachelor pad, the tiny blanket that she's dubbed her "Goo-Gaa" (the name is never fully explained, but it doesn't really matter) becomes even more important to Olivia since imagination is the only way she can escape the sterile and stern environment of her workaholic father.

Evan becomes even more obsessive about work since he is in fierce competition with an overbearing co-worker named Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church) who uses his Native American New Age speak to convince his boss and clients that stock market ups and downs, and financial stresses can be solved by ancient Indian lore.

One day after Olivia has used crayons and glitter to draw her fantasy land on her father's financial spreadsheet presentation, Evan is made to realize that maybe there's something to his daughter's pretend conversations that can help him move up the ladder and turn Whitefeather's wisdom into smoke rings.

The sad part about this story is that Evan eventually turns his full attention to Olivia and her blanket because there is something in it for him. Of course, in true family movie land fashion, he later experiences a self-awareness that maybe selfish success isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Murphy's believability is sometimes stretched to the limits as Evan (the guy is so tightly wound could he ever really let go?), but the comedian's funny delivery and commitment to the role is enough to forgive and forget. More importantly, he has such chemistry with his young leading lady that even a schmaltzy ending makes sense.

Whether the two are making ketchup and mustard covered pancakes, or trying to conjure two princesses and bypass a fire-breathing dragon creeping around the kitchen floor, there's magic in "Imagine That." And the best part about it is it is firmly grounded in real life rather than typical Hollywood hocus pocus.