PLOT: A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They’re transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
REVIEW: As an American, I never grew up with Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree book series, but I understand it’s quite a big deal in England. I was always more of a Chronicles of Narnia kid, but I can always appreciate a fantastical world. The Magic Faraway Tree follows the Thompson family as they head out to the countryside to live. Once there, the children discover a fantastical world. But can they make a life there, or will they head back to the city?
Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield are wonderful as the parents, Tim and Polly. They have such a fun back and forth, and I enjoyed how much of their motivation is giving their family the best life. If anything, I’m at that age where I always end up connecting more with the parents in films like this, so I wanted more of them. But this is really about the kids and their adventures. We follow Joe (Laroche), Fran (Gadsdon), and Beth (Bennett-Cardy) as they get used to the countryside. They discover a fantastical land and meet Moonface, Silky, and a bunch of other magical people. The story is simple, with the focus mostly on the kids and their relationship with their new home. Is this their new life, or can they return to their old one?
I really enjoyed the look of Moonface, and I wish that sort of flamboyance was always present in the designs. The most showy role is Rebecca Ferguson as Dame Snap and she’s wonderful, relishing every bit of scenery chewing. But she’s hardly even in the film, and only really gets one scene to show off. I don’t know enough about the book series, but Snap feels like she’d be a bigger character. So it’s disappointing to see the role so short-lived.
Screenwriter Simon Farnaby also wrote Paddington 2 and Wonka, and this shares a very similar tone to those. There’s a lightness where even the more intense moments always have a light at the end of the tunnel. I just wish it had a similar humor and some stakes. Again, with this being based on a children’s book from nearly a century ago, some things are going to feel dated, and the story is one of them. It’s hard to care about these kids’ plight while watching them do these absolutely incredible things. This made it hard to get invested when the stakes felt so surface-level.
One element that feels very overlooked is the contrast between the modern era and the tech-barren countryside. This was the perfect opportunity to show some iPad kids moving to the countryside and having to entertain themselves with their imagination. With the first book being published in 1939, I understand that these ideas wouldn’t have been present, but that’s what adapting a book for present times is all about. It feels strange to see it glossed over so briefly.
The sections with the family in their barn/house are some of the most interesting. Oddly enough, the film actually loses some of its charm, the more magical it goes, as we’re often inhabiting these large green screen worlds. It also doesn’t help that Garfield and Foy are the most interesting part of the movie, and they aren’t involved with the magical adventures. The kids don’t feel nearly as developed.
The special effects are handled pretty well, with a good combination of practical sets and CGI extensions. I was particularly impressed with the fairy FX, avoiding the overly green screen look, and genuinely feeling like they inhabit the world. I just wish that it didn’t all feel so bland. The visuals are all similar to other fantastical worlds and doesn’t manage to form an identity of its own. And while the Fairy FX work well, some of the other greenscreen feels a bit more floaty.
Ultimately, I liked some aspects of The Magic Faraway Tree, but didn’t connect with it overall. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with not having grown up with the book series but nostalgia can only go so far. This just simply lacks appeal for non-readers. Two sequels have already been announced, so I’m hoping that they’re able to build off of what they created here and bring the story a bit further into modernity. Because if there’s one battle that will always be intriguing: it’s technology vs magic.
The Magic Faraway Tree is playing in theaters on August 21st, 2026.
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