Every so often, a film comes along that captures just the right amount of whimsy and playfulness to recall beloved family fantasies like “Hook” and “The NeverEnding Story,” among countless others. What places a film into categories like “children’s” or “family” entertainment may always remain up for debate, but by bringing together what are essentially the greatest hits of the movies that came before it, “The Magic Faraway Tree” becomes something akin to those millennial classics. Its many influences are rarely difficult to spot, though plenty exists just below the surface once one is willing to wade through its undeniable sea of tropes.
Based on the books by Enid Blyton, director Ben Gregor and screenwriter Simon Farnaby’s film revolves around the Thompsons, a family of five led by Polly (Claire Foy) and Tim (Andrew Garfield). As seen in the opening, Polly has only moments earlier left her job programming smart refrigerators capable of harvesting their owners’ data. With Tim also unemployed and eviction from their company-owned apartment seemingly imminent, the two decide it’s time not only to relocate but also to pursue a long-festering dream of Tim’s: tapping into his admittedly questionable Italian heritage and starting a tomato sauce business.
Flashbacks of a young Tim playing in a field seem to lend weight to their destination of choice, though the move is met with nothing but resentment from their three children, Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Joe (Phoenix Laroche), and Fran (Billie Gadsdon). Each possesses an addiction to screens, while Fran has withdrawn to the point that she hardly speaks a word to anyone. Tim suggests that such a drastic shift will ultimately be good for the family. I’m reminded of “RV.” I will continue.
Upon their arrival, Beth’s comment about the lack of Wi-Fi prompts the hilariously unintelligible landlord (Simon Farnaby) to mistake her words as referring to his wife (Claire Keelan), who subsequently warns the children not to venture into the wooded area adjacent to their new home. Fran, meanwhile, has noticed something lurking in those same woods: a being of some sort, appearing vaguely human and seemingly grateful when Fran returns her missing purse.
Soon revealed to be a human-sized fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), she enables Fran to venture into a realm cut from the same cloth as “Alice in Wonderland” meets Neverland. It’s here that she encounters a variety of characters ripped directly from the pages of your favorite fantasy book. At the risk of repetition, shades of “The NeverEnding Story” overwhelm these scenes.
Fran meets Moonface (Nonso Anozie), who harbors a long-festering dislike of humans; Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), armed with a variety of volume levels and a disregard for keeping those around her dry as she proceeds with her washing; Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), whose name requires little explanation; and Mr. Watzisname (Oliver Chris), who can’t remember his name. What did you expect?
Brightly lit and packed with childhood wish fulfillment, these sequences are playful to the extreme, though upon Fran’s return home, her tales of this mysterious realm naturally meet with varying degrees of disbelief. After several attempts to convince Beth and Joe, the two reluctantly agree to join Fran on her next trip, where any remaining doubt is put to rest as they venture through Oz…I mean, the Magic Faraway Tree. My apologies.
Meanwhile, Polly and Tim struggle with Tim’s plan to climb out of their financial rut and enter the world of tomato sauce success. A visit from Polly’s upper-crust mother (Jennifer Saunders) certainly doesn’t help, as she remains unwavering in her disapproval of the family’s situation. Will the reality of their lives and the fantasy of a certain faraway tree ever collide?
Maybe. Somewhat.
There is a moment in which, on another page seemingly ripped from Lewis Carroll, a quartet of elves informs the children that every day is their birthday. Because today is, yes, also their birthday, each of them is permitted to make a wish. Beth wishes that her father’s sauce-making venture will fail and that they’ll all be able to return home; naturally, this will come into play later.
Everything mentioned truly comprises only the basic setup of the film. Despite drawing from many different sources to create its Frankenstein-esque story, “The Magic Faraway Tree” still manages to capture the right amount of joy, energy, and that spark of nostalgia that any Gen Y-er will recognize from the films listed above. Its familiarity ultimately becomes part of its appeal: there’s something comforting about watching a movie so eager to embrace the extravagant fantasy, broad humor, and unabashed sincerity of an earlier generation of family adventures.
Everyone involved slips into their roles with the greatest of ease, even Rebecca Ferguson, appearing in what is essentially a glorified cameo as the film’s de facto villain. As the Thompson parents, Foy and Garfield are simply wonderful as they try their best to figure things out. Garfield, in particular, imbues Tim with a childlike sense of wonder seamlessly mixed with an undying love for his family, making his improbable ambitions feel sincere rather than merely foolish.
All three children are perfectly cast, as are the colorful beings of the Faraway Tree, who inject a welcome British sensibility into Farnaby’s unquestionably funny script. The performances understand the heightened tone of the material without allowing its eccentricity to become exhausting; however strange these characters become, the actors remain completely at home within the film’s fantastical world.
And when the story needs to turn up the emotion, composer Isabella Summers supplies an outstanding score and recurring motif that can’t help but recall the one heard throughout “Cloud Atlas.” It brings an extra degree of feeling to a movie already committed to wonder, nostalgia, and the sincere emotional power of childhood imagination.
It’s a special movie, even if its ancestors remain on full display, though whether that familiarity comes from the source material or elsewhere ultimately may not matter. “The Magic Faraway Tree” knows precisely what kind of experience it wants to provide and throws itself into that mission with infectious enthusiasm. If the child within needs a trip to the movies, this is the film for you. [A-]
Brian Farvour is a film/television critic and entertainment journalist whose work has also appeared on Fandomwire. He previously co-hosted The Playlist Podcast.
