The Magic Faraway Tree is a fun family film that isn’t getting the love it deserves at the box office. Photo: Studio Canal.
Since the 1930s, Enid Blyton has sold approximately 600 million books worldwide, making her one of the most influential children’s authors of all time.
Those numbers place Ms Blyton in the top 10 selling authors of all time, only behind the likes of William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, JK Rowling and Danielle Steele.
One of her best-selling series, The Faraway Tree, has sold over 30 million copies alone. With that being the case, it made sense that the series would eventually get the movie treatment.
For those unfamiliar, the story follows Polly (Claire Foy) and Tim Thompson (Andrew Garfield) and their children, Fran (Billie Gadson), Joe (Phoenix Laroche), and Beth.
When Polly is fired from her job at a tech company, the Thompson family relocate from London to the countryside where Tim grew up. Upon arriving at their new home, Tim warns his kids to steer clear of the mythical forest.
Ultimately, the children ignore their father’s warnings and find The Magic Faraway Tree, the home of magical creatures both good and evil.
When it comes to family fantasy films, the Brits do it best.
Christopher Columbus’s first two Harry Potter films were wonder personified, the Paddington movies are all masterpieces, and even Nanny McPhee is an underrated gem.
The Magic Faraway Tree can easily be added to that list. It’s such an easy watch that, despite not needing much brain power to engage with, it still feels worth your time.
With these films, it’s important to nail the setting.
Harry Potter wouldn’t be as beloved if Hogwarts weren’t as iconic and lived in, and The Chocolate Factory in Willy Wonka wouldn’t mean a thing without all its little quirks.
In this case, the Farway Tree nails the characters and colours required for a story like this.
The iconic magical characters like Silky (Nicola Coughlan), Mr Watzisname (Oliver Chris), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning) and Mr Oom Boom Boom (Mark Heap) are all dialled up, cheesy caricatures.
The best by far is Rebecca Ferguson’s turn as the evil Dame Snap, whose hair is just absolutely ridiculous.
Overall, the cast nailed the vibe needed for this over-the-top adventure, and with everyone on the same page, the film is better off for it.
The story’s themes are also quite interesting. The film promotes the idea of getting kids back outside and enjoying nature.
Now that is a little ironic, coming from a movie that will be seen on a screen, but the message is a good modern interpretation of Enid Blyton’s original work decades ago.
Despite my praise so far, not everything is a homerun.
I felt that, outside of the Faraway Tree, both Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield were wasted. Both are extremely talented actors, but whenever their plotline was the focus, it was a clear step down from the magic of the stuff going on at the tree.
With some of these big family films, some of the special effects and production can be a bit lacking, too. It’s no different here.
That’s not to say everything is ugly and impossible to look at; in fact, far from it. But when a film requires larger-than-life locales and costumes, some of it looks like a mediocre stage play.
I think for the most part, Enid Blyton fans will really enjoy this film.
It’s not performing incredibly at the box office and looks like it will struggle to make back its budget, which is a shame because it’s a very fun time at the movies.
The Magic Faraway Tree is showing now in cinemas across the country.
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Region Canberra.
