Carolo’s direction had the pace and flavor of a feature film for children, leavening adventure with comedy and pausing for some occasional wise words from the good parental figure, Sarastro. If it seems somewhat incongruous for that slave-holding character to be given the part of Albus Dumbledore, well, you’re thinking too hard.

Some filmic references were hard to miss. For example, when Sarastro rescued Pamina from the threats of Monostatos in the second act, he used Darth Vader’s old technique of choking the slave by making a pincer gesture with his fingers. (No heavy breathing, though.) And when Papageno and Pamina, during their duet, “Bei Männern” (In men who feel love), took the fake birds out of their cage and petted them, the effect was a little too Disney to go down easily. The opera’s Masonic philosophizing was given a New-Agey cast and, to make it more palatable, the two priests ended up doing their own comic business, chasing Papagena around the stage to keep her from prematurely revealing herself to Papageno. Strangely, this worked within the context of the production’s child-oriented vision.

And then there is Mozart’s music, whose simplicity masks profundity and in which even adult emotions remain accessible to children. The good news here begins with Svetlana Nikitenko, whose Queen of the Night is a known personage in the Bay Area. (She has played the role in San Jose and stepped in for an ailing Suzanne Ramo at the San Francisco Opera in 2003.) She hit the high coloratura notes unflinchingly and rocked the house with both her arias. Her tone was sharp and clear, showing no sign of wear.

Her nemesis, Sarastro, was sung by Roger McCracken, whose bass voice reached all the role’s deep notes, although not with the needed authority. While the orchestra was cooperative and kept in check by Palmer, McCracken’s vocal power seemed to evaporate as he moved into the lower register. He sang pleasantly but without conviction.

Brian Thorsett delivered a sterling performance as Tamino. His supple tenor is ideal for Mozart, and his phrasing was exemplary. He was equally good as an actor, moving naturally from speech to song. Thorsett excelled in a long recitative sung in front of the portals to Sarastro’s temple, where ease of expression is at a premium, and the scene never flagged.

Heidi Moss’ Pamina was first-class, as well. Possessed of a pleasingly full voice, with crystal-clear tone and diction, she made the most of her character’s big second-act solos. Above all, both she and Thorsett showed good musical sense in pointing lines to their costars and inviting a response, and in blending their sound with others, which made for tight, fluid ensemble throughout the opera.

Martin Bell was absolutely in his element as Papageno, singing lightly but with expression and playing the comedy unselfconsciously. His Papagena, Joanne Um, has a fine voice and a winning smile. The Three Ladies (Meagan Todd, Kathleen Moss, and Terry Alvord) made a strong-spirited crew from their first entrance, jostling each other over Tamino’s fallen form. They sang well, too. Michael Mendelsohn’s Monostatos was an audience favorite and well-sung, garnering a fair share of laughs with his stage business. Justin Smith displayed a firm bass and managed to maintain his dignity as the Second Priest. Trey Costerisan as the First Priest sang well but pulled grave faces instead of embodying the character. Matthew Perry, Brandon Yim, and Wyatt Koon made a fine trio of boys, singing sweetly and in tune, and making a little comic mischief on the side. The chorus sang as well as I’ve ever heard it.

Barnaby Palmer conducted with his usual crispness. He voiced the sonorous Masonic music and the big three chords as well as possible, given the orchestra’s small size. The turn figure in the overture’s Allegro could have been a bit more sharply accented and regular, but in general the orchestra played like champs. Particular praise is due to Michelle Caimotto for her flute solos and April Nissen for her glockenspiel work. It was a tight show, all in all, as we have come to expect from San Francisco Lyric Opera.