When Anabel Greening (Mara Wilson) makes a wish for her father, Oliver (Robert Pastorelli), to be cast in a coveted role in a Broadway musical, Murray (Martin Short), a well-meaning but blundering male "fairy godmother," accidentally turns Oliver into a statue instead. To reverse the spell, Anabel and Murray must reclaim a collection of magic wands that have been stolen by the evil witch Claudia (Kathleen Turner) and her sidekick (Amanda Plummer).