By John Corrado
Adapted from the classic children’s novels by Enid Blyton, The Magic Faraway Tree is a British live-action family film that works mostly as a cute and charming adventure.
The story follows Tim Thompson (Andrew Garfield) and his wife Polly (Claire Foy), as they move to the countryside with their three kids. The move happens after sole breadwinner Polly quits her job at a smart fridge company for ethical reasons, causing them to lose their flat.
They buy a dilapidated old farmhouse in the countryside, so that stay-at-home dad Tim can realize his dream of growing tomatoes and selling homemade pasta sauce. Their oldest daughter Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) mopes around about losing access to her friends and, more importantly, her precious wi-fi, while little brother Joe (Phoenix Laroche), a gamer kid who basically lives in virtual reality, laments losing the ability to endlessly play his video games.
But youngest daughter Fran (Billie Gadsdon), who is the most inquisitive of the three and filled with wonder, adapts best to the move. When venturing out into the forbidden woods, she discovers a magic tree that serves as a portal to enchanted fantasy lands. She is invited into this magical world by fairy Silky (Nicola Coughlin), and her shrieky little pixie sidekick (Hiran Abeysekera), despite their leader Moonface (Nonso Anozie) not trusting human visitors.
It’s here that Fran encounters a number of eccentric figures, with the film introducing us to a ragtag cast of supporting characters that provide some amusing moments. There’s Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), so named for the saucepan armour he wears; Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), who loves doing laundry and dumping pots of sudsy water over her balcony, and Mr. Watzisname (Oliver Chris), who can’t remember his own name. But they must stay clear of the villainess Dame Snap (Rebecca Ferguson).
The film is directed by Ben Gregor, who is working from a screenplay by writer Simon Farnaby, who is basically modern day British family film royalty alone for having co-written Paddington 2 and Wonka. If The Magic Faraway Tree can’t reach those levels, it still has enough wholesome charm to it, and provides a quality viewing choice for families.
The plot can drag in places, taking on a bit of an episodic quality as Fran explores these different worlds. A lot of the fantasy stuff seems geared more towards the younger audience members. But there is a sweet message here about unplugging and getting back in touch with family and the natural world. Between this and Toy Story 5, it’s a good summer for family movies tackling the epidemic of iPad kids and over-reliance on screen time.
Gregor’s film is actually better when it is more grounded. There are a lot of enjoyable scenes focusing on the family adapting to their new life on the farm, and learning to reconnect. Garfield has a lot of fun letting loose and mugging his way through as the goofy dad, while Foy is quite lovely in a role like this. Their performances elevate the film. The three younger leads also nicely define their sibling roles, with Gadsdon able to carry stretches of the film on her small shoulders.
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