‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ Review – An Enchanting Reminder Of The Wonder Of Childhood

While many will pick apart the adaptation of The Magic Faraway Tree, the new Vertical Entertainment film remains remarkably patient in its commitment to vintage, family-friendly storytelling. A new generation of moviegoers, including younger film critics, may struggle to wrap their heads around its old-fashioned pacing. The filmmakers let the magical setting wash over the characters rather than having them frantically consume every new wonder.

The Magic Faraway Tree is enchanting; that goes beyond the eye-popping special effects and charming British accents. The new Andrew Garfield film is more whimsical than belly-laugh-inducing, where most family films resort to sophomoric humor to keep kids’ attention spans from wandering into daydreams of what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is offering next door.

However, perhaps most important of all, the screenplay layers all that cinematic wonderment over a coming-of-age-adjacent story about preserving a time in our lives that far too often passes in a flash, never to be experienced again. Yet studios do what studios do, sacrificing some of the source material’s heart to make room for big-name adult leads.

In doing so, The Magic Faraway Tree forgets some of the boundless childlike freedom that Blyton’s young characters discover through their own autonomy.

Based on Enid Blyton’s best-selling children’s series The Faraway Tree, the story follows Tim Thompson (Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield) and his wife, Polly (Claire Foy), who live in the heart of the city with their three children: the teenage cynic Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), the adorable yet the easily distracted Joe (Malice‘s Phoenix Laroche), and the shy Fran (Cruella‘s Billie Gadson), where you can find them buried in their smart phones.

I mean, I’m not sure you can blame them, since their mother adapts kitchen appliances, like the refrigerator, with smart technology. To rid themselves of these devices, the Thompsons, much like the folks at Prego, I imagine, decide to start their own countryside tomato sauce business. Soon, Fran wanders off after being told to stay put. She stumbles upon the world’s most disruptive piece of shrubbery and gateway to poor decision-making.

This feature is helmed by director Ben Gregor, whose television background lends parts of the film an episodic feel. For example, each adventure, particularly the various “Land Of” encounters, plays like its own chapter. Working from an adapted screenplay by Wonka scribe Simon Farnaby, the script is gentle, endearing, disarming, and quietly charming. The experience is remarkably light, without delving into heavy maudlin themes.

That could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you like to consume films in the genre. But beneath the colorful imagination and quirky characters, the movie captures both the magic of being a child in the moment and the nostalgia of looking back on those moments as an adult. That balance allows the film to reach a rare height for family entertainment. Appealing not just to children or adults, but to families as one cohesive audience.

Yes, The Magic Faraway Tree runs about twenty minutes longer than it should. This gives the adult characters oxygen at the expense of the children’s storyline. Which, in turn, cuts the “magic” characters off at the knees and leaves them underdeveloped. That includes the likes of Judi Dench and Rebecca Ferguson, respectively. However, the warmth and childlike wonder are deeply felt, so much so that the shortcomings don’t uproot the experience entirely.

The Magic Faraway Tree is currently playing exclusively in theaters courtesy of Vertical. 

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