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"Animated Shoe Lace" by Jeremy Moncrief
Suggested Retail USD$15.95
Available direct from Precision Magic
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"Animated Shoe Lace", created by Jeremy Moncrief and released by Precision Magic really can't be discussed without comparing it to Nobelzada's "Self-Tying Shoelace" and, when that happens, "Animated Shoe Lace" scores some heavy pluses lacking in the previous version.

The effect of "Animated Shoe Lace" is simple: your shoe is untied, you shake your foot a bit, the lace begins to move and ties itself. The end. It's quick, it's visual, and its simplicity is alluring. It's the same effect as "Self-Tying Shoelace"... kinda sorta.

Like everything else in magic, the method will out. Here the method is in favor of "Animated Shoe Lace".

First up, there's no special gimmick. There's a gimmick, but it's not something you have to run to a dealer for -- you're supplied with part of the working; the other parts are laying around the house. In fact, the part supplied with "Animated Shoe Lace" is also cheap: a trip to WalMart and you've got a huge supply for about three bucks.

Second, there's no problem with the gimmick making all sorts of fun noises while you're trying to be sneaky. You can be sneaky in silence with this one (a plus if you're like me and aren't often around a lot of ambient noise).

Third, the reset takes place in a second or two. Untie your shoe and you're ready to go again. This may or may not be a big deal, depending on you and your audience, but it's nice to be able to get ready to go again without running to the bathroom or the like.

Fourth, forget the pants pulled down over your shoes and touching the floor. Yeah, yeah, I know all about it being stylish and all, but not for someone who remembers sitting in front of a black-and-white TV and watching "The Night Stalker" on the "CBS Late Night Movie". In fact, Precision Magic says that "Animated Shoe Lace" can be performed in shorts; I haven't done it but it certainly seems possible.

Fifth, the effect just ain't the same. Yes, the untied shoe lace becomes tied, but the visual here is very, very strong: the shoe lace appears to visibly ties itself. Check out the performance video at Precision Magic and see for yourself. It looks damn good.

Okay, so those are the obvious strong points. "Animated Shoe Lace" does well in a few other places as well. The instructions are good and reasonably easy to follow (you may have a few false starts because the gimmick has to be assembled "just so" for the best operation -- once you get the idea, though, you can put the whole thing together in ten- to fifteen-minutes). It's simple to get the hang of the operation, so while practice is mandatory (as always) you won't be slaving away for months on end with it. It appears to work with all lace-up shoes and all manner of laces. Once you're set, you can walk around forever, waiting for the right moment to spring this one at someone (which, actually, is probably the best way of performing this).

There are a couple of very minor drawbacks to "Animated Shoe Lace" and one more important one. You do end dirty -- no handing your shoe out for examination here, folks -- and you do have to perform a bit of slight modification to your shoe. As for ending dirty, I did this fourteen times so far and no one has ever asked to examine my shoe. It could conceivably happen, though disarming the situation would be easy enough. As for modifying the shoe, it's not like taking a saw or a knife to it, but I'd prefer not to do anything to my better shoes -- I reserve this one for my cheap Nike-wannabes and my domestic stuff and leave my Italian leathers alone.

The more important drawback is not being able to do this surrounded. Now, logic says that if the magic happens in front of you, then you wouldn't try to do this surrounded anyway since people behind you wouldn't see it happen. The problem is that there are many performance situations where you will have people around you and not just in front of you. In those situations, "Animated Shoe Lace" suffers; like with any such trick, though, plan ahead, be aware of your surroundings, and you've pretty much beat the problem.

In the end, "Animated Shoe Lace" is a very slick piece of magic. I love Moncrief's thinking here and I love the result. All in all, this is the version to get, especially at the price.

"Animated Shoe Lace" by Jeremy Moncrief
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 9
Instant reset, can be done in almost any sort of clothing, "set and forget" working... this one has a lot going for it. There's an angle problem to overcome, but that's simple enough here.

Workmanship: n/a
The gimmick is strictly DIY, but it's easy to do after a couple of shots. The main part of the gimmick is supplied; you'll find the rest of it laying around the house.

Documentation: 10
The documentation is sparse: a sheet telling you how to put the gimmick together, a couple of photos to help you out, and a paragraph telling you how to operate the thing. Believe it or not, you don't need much more than this.

Effect: 10
If anyone would have told me how well this would play, I would have laughed at them. I'm not laughing; this plays huge as an "impromptu" piece.

Presentation: 10
I'm sure there'll be those that try to work this into their show or whathaveyou, and it'll probably work well for them. To me, the best way of playing it is the way it's described: let someone notice your shoe's untied and fix it. That whole "off the cuff" feel to the presentation gives this some added oomph.


Shane