A whimsical fairy tale for kids.
“The Magic Faraway Tree” is a family fantasy film that knows when to be delightful with the fantasy worlds and when to deal with reality. Think of how movies like “Mary Poppins” and “Nanny McPhee” were period pieces that spoke to children needing to grow and develop. And now think of how “The Magic Faraway Tree” takes place in modern times, when kids are glued to their phones and tablets, and need to a wake up call on what life has to offer.
Granted, it’s not as mature as “The Sheep Detectives,” which didn’t cater to fart jokes or tired old cliches, but it is one of the few entertaining children’s films out this late summer, and it has a lot of fantasy world ideas that charms us.
Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy reunite from “Breathe” as Tim and Polly Thompson, a couple with three technology-minded kids: bratty teenager Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), little boy Joe (Phoenix Laroche), and mute little Fran (Billie Gadsdon). The wife invented a Smart Fridge with Judi Dench’s voice and quits her job when she finds out her company is spying on their customers. So their only recourse is to relocate to the countryside and grow tomatoes for their tomato sauce business. At this moment, their new abode is a shabby barn with no running water or electricity, and Beth’s snooze mode is throwing something at a rooster.
However, the magic begins when Fran sees a human-sized fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan) and returns her purse to her. That’s when she speaks for the first time in ages, and that’s when she’s invited into Silky’s world inside a giant tree known as the Magic Faraway Tree. To enter, you must close your eyes and say: “I believe in magic” three times. And there, she also meets the wise and clever Moonface (Nonso Anozi), who has a giant white hairstyle shaped like moon, Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), who is a little hard of hearing because of the saucepans he wears (When Fran asks why he doesn’t just take them off, he responds: “Because I wouldn’t be Saucepan Man, Dum Dum”), Tiny Pixie (Hiran Abeysekera), who isn’t much friendly to giants, Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), who loves doing laundry and sees everything from above, and Mr. Whazisname (Oliver Chris), because he doesn’t even remember who own name.
There’s also a giant ladder that goes all the way up in the clouds into different lands. For example, the Land of Goodies, where the only rule is “Don’t Be Greedy.” The candy is big and looks delicious, and I think we can agree that if Augustus Gloop came here, he would be banned for life. But you have until the sand falls to get your treats and get down the ladder.
And finally, there’s an evil school mistress (Rebecca Ferguson), whose black hair style is as tall as Marge Simpson’s and limp as wilted lettuce leaves. I think she’s the weakest element of the film, because she doesn’t have much value and falls for routine class formulas, which include the obligatory fart jokes and detention warnings.
Thanks to Fran’s beliefs, she brings Beth and Joe to the Magic Faraway Tree, where they all get reality checks. You could say: “Be careful what you wish for” and “Family sticks together.” Although I’m pretty sure only Tim is the only parent to believe his youngest daughter about where she went and what she saw.
Based on Enid Blyton’s book series with the screenplay by Simon Farnaby (who also plays a goofy farmer), “The Magic Faraway Tree” has a good sense of humor, some impressive special effects, and likable whimsical work from the likes of Garfield, Foy, Anozi, and Coughlan, as well as the kid actors challenging ages and aspects on life. There comes a time when kids are supposed to test their limits and learn to develop, and the movie wants to acknowledge that. And I’m glad it cuts back on the “You’re just imagining things” formula by taking the cynical Beth to the fantasy world and changing her tune.
I’m glad my grandmother (rest her soul) taught me about the value of tomatoes, and I’m glad this movie allows the family to value tomatoes and make them into something. Tomatoes in the real world, and giant marshmallow trees in the Land of Goodies.