Adapting The Magic Faraway Tree for the screen was never going to be straightforward. Simon Farnaby, who helped bring the charm of Paddington 2 and Wonka to life, takes a decent swing at translating Enid Blyton’s whimsical, plot-light books into something resembling a cohesive family film. The result is a bright, well-meaning adventure that captures the spirit of childhood imagination, even if it struggles to fully justify its journey.
This version updates Blyton’s world for a modern audience, swapping out the original children for Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy, succeeding a little too well at playing a truly insufferable, woe-is-me teen), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran (Billie Gadsdon), the screen-addicted kids of stressed inventor Polly (Claire Foy) and ever-optimistic dad Tim (Andrew Garfield). When the family relocates to the English countryside after Polly quits her job, the children quickly discover the titular tree and its delightfully odd residents – from self-conscious fairy Silky (Nicola Coughlan) to the well-meaning, if stern Moonface (Nonso Anozie), the gloriously chaotic Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns) to perennial choremaster Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning).
Director Ben Gregor leans into the storybook absurdity, delivering a carousel of fantastical lands and eccentric personalities. There’s a playful variety to the humour too – from knowingly silly slapstick to more distinctly British absurdism, including a multi-headed oracle voiced by Michael Palin, Lenny Henry and Simon Russell Beale. Some gags land beautifully, particularly a running joke involving a smart fridge (courtesy of Judi Dench), while others feel like they’ve wandered in from a different, less polished film – including the occasional lurch into broad, pantomime-style humour.
Where the film falters is in its attempt to impose narrative weight onto material that famously never had much of one. The emotional throughline – a disconnected family learning to reconnect – is earnest and often effective, especially in the quieter moments between Foy and Garfield. But it competes with a barrage of whimsical distractions that resist grounding. For every sincere beat, there are multiple detours into oddball antics that, while amusing, dilute any real sense of stakes.
Visually, the film has a slightly uneven texture. The pastoral English setting is charming, but some of the fantastical realms feel closer to high-end children’s television than cinematic spectacle. Interestingly, the film occasionally flips expectations – brighter tones for darker ideas, gloomier palettes for supposedly joyful lands – though not always to convincing effect. The late arrival of the villainous Dame Snap (Rebecca Ferguson, clearly enjoying herself as she leans into the campiness), meanwhile, adds urgency but feels underdeveloped.
Still, there’s enough warmth and invention here to win over family audiences. Farnaby injects just enough wit and emotional sincerity to stop the film from floating away entirely on sugar-coated whimsy, and the cast remains consistently engaging, even when the material veers into the nonsensical.
It may not reach the heights of Farnaby’s best work (truly, Paddington 2 will never be matched), but The Magic Faraway Tree remains an amiable, gently charming adaptation – one that embraces imagination over logic, even if it occasionally leaves you wishing for a little more substance among the sweetness.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Magic Faraway Tree is now screening in Australian theatres.
