Cert – U, Run-time – 1 hour 50 minutes, Director – Ben Gregor
When their family moves to the countryside, kids Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Fran (Billie Gadson) and Joe (Phoenix Laroche) discover a magical tree, inhabited by fairies and pixies, that can take them to a new unique land each day.
There may not be a great deal of plot glimpsed throughout The Magic Faraway Tree, but it’s very much a film that takes delight in simply exploring the wonders that the titular tree can lead to. Whether it be the Land Of Goodies (a sweet-tooth utopia) or the Land Of Birthdays (a roller-skate disco party) there’s a simple joy to the lands the quite frankly terrifyingly high and structurally unsound ladder above the tree leads to each day. It’s where siblings Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran (Billie Gadson) learn to appreciate the countryside, and perhaps the efforts of their parents (Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy), more.
Moving from the city to a dusty barn in the country after mum quits her job designing fridges, used against her knowledge to spy on potential customers, the kids are far from fans. Removed from tech, unamused by the locals and spending each day bored when Fran discovers the Magic Faraway Tree a new world is opened up by the fairies and pixies that live in it (including faces such as Nicola Coughlan, Nonso Anozie and Dustin Demri-Burns). However, all of this could be taken away when grandma (Jennifer Saunders) learns of the family’s move, giving a deadline for dad’s pasta sauce business to take off or she’ll take the kids with her.
Yet, it’s the supporting cast who largely act as figures in the individual lands rather than pushing forward the narrative. Mark Heap provides a humorous turn as a collector in the basement of the Land Of Birthdays, while the standout turn of the whole film is Rebecca Ferguson giving a gloriously panto-style performance as strict headteacher Dame Snap. Ferguson may only get a couple of minutes of screen-time, but for every second of them she’s an absolute joy, relishing the light villain role that I’d personally love to see more of from her. She’s the personality of her land, and much of where the film succeeds is in the personalities and wonders of the lands. There’s a charm to their design and effect which comes through also in Simon Farnaby’s screenplay.
Heart may not fully come through, although it’s there in the making, but certainly charm helps the film along and creates an amusing adventure for all ages. There’s likable humour scattered throughout, including a set of brief appearances from a number of famous faces (and voices), and the familial beats that form the core of the film. This strand might be somewhat light amongst the exploratory surroundings but they still manage to move along well without feeling overly schmaltzy. Perhaps it’s because of the lightness of the surroundings and the amusement there’s to be had from the film and the chuckles it provides, alongside the aforementioned joy of the worlds explored – which the film takes most delight in showing. Regardless, there’s still a charming and entertaining piece of family fare to be found here, and luckily much less of a climb to be immersed in these worlds than for the central characters.
A charming and amusing venture into a set of wonderous lands, The Magic Faraway Tree takes delight in its worlds while managing to form a light, not overly-schmaltzy family narrative around them. It’s good entertainment for all ages.
Just A Little Bit Random 