There are a plethora of movies inspired by children’s books, and I’m always up for giving them a shot, even if I don’t know the story. The Magic Faraway Tree is adapted from the beloved children’s fantasy series The Faraway Tree by British author Enid Blyton. First published in the 1930s, these books take place in a mid-20th-century setting where kids freely explore the outdoors. The movie brings it into the present, incorporating technology, the internet, and even AI into daily life. 

The casting of Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy is the main draw for me. They play a couple once again after their roles in the 2017 biopic Breathe. I have high hopes for this one since it’s penned by Simon Farnaby, the screenwriter of Paddington 2 and Wonka, both of which are family-friendly fantasy films I’ve loved. I’m not as familiar with Ben Gregor; however, he’s more well-known in the UK for his TV comedies and satirical work.

The movie starts off promisingly, showing Garfield’s Tim dozing off and reminiscing about his childhood days spent playing in the yard. Then we shift to his life as a stay-at-home dad, feeling swamped with cooking while the kids are glued to their screens. Foy’s Polly is the main breadwinner, working as an engineer who creates the super-advanced Smart Fridge. However, she decides to leave her tech job after discovering that the fridge has hidden cameras spying on families. 

This prompts a sudden decision from the parents to move to the countryside right away without consulting the kids. Tim and Polly pull out their ‘Dream Book,’ and living as tomato farmers in the country has always been their dream. While the thought of a simpler life sounds great, you’d think there would be a lot more to think about when kids are involved. Yanking the kids away from their school, friends, and activities just to chase their idealistic dream feels a bit off and inconsiderate.

The film doesn’t hold back on its strong tech satire, making it clear that ‘technology is bad’—not just the AI-driven Smart Fridge spying bit, but tech in general. It portrays the kids as whiny and irritating when they moan about the lack of Wi-Fi during their train ride to the countryside. The shift from life in the city to a dilapidated barn with no electricity is so drastic, so it’s no wonder the kids are frustrated. While Toy Story 5 also tackled the modern issue of kids being glued to screens, it did so in a subtler way compared to the blunt anti-screen message here. 

Ironically, the filmmakers included ‘Magic’ in the title, yet this adaptation feels completely devoid of it. They spent way too much time turning the rundown barn into a livable space for a family of five and Tim’s homemade tomato sauce venture, instead of the adventure in the magical tree. Part of the issue lies in the casting; with big names like Garfield and Foy as the parents, the script has to give them extra screen time. This is probably a studio mandate, which tends to focus more on profits than staying true to the source material.

However, this also does a disservice to those actors who are typically charming, as both Tim and Polly come off as unlikable here. It’s tough to care about their farming adventure since it feels so ridiculous and unrealistic. Do they think we’d believe they could pull in £20k by selling jars of sauce to the locals in just a few weeks?? The only ‘magic’ these folks need is a solid business lesson. On top of that, the parents are always lecturing their kids instead of actually listening to them. That’s not what I expect from a supposedly feel-good children’s fairy tale. 

For a movie about a magical tree, I wish we’d spent more time in it. To make matters worse, the fairy tale elements lack the enchanting quality that we immediately felt with Paddington or Wonka. The most notable names among the fairies and tree inhabitants are Netflix stars Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) as Silky the Fairy and Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer) as Dame Washalot. I also recognized Nonso Anozie from the 2015 Cinderella and Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, but his character Moonface’s original design of having a literal moon-shaped head is severely altered.

Dustin Demri-Burns as Saucepan Man and Hiran Abeysekera as Angry Pixie are disappointingly forgettable, but the most questionable casting choice has to be Rebecca Ferguson. The talented actress feels underutilized here and seems completely out of place as the cartoonish Dame Snap. Comedy legend Jennifer Saunders doesn’t fare much better in her role as the stern, ruthless grandma. 

When it comes to the kids, social media-savvy Beth starts out as snarky and miserable without her smartphone, but predictably, she comes around after visiting the tree. Delilah Bennett-Cardy does her best with the material she’s given, even if her transition feels a bit abrupt. Billie Gadsdon’s Fran comes off as largely expressionless, while Phoenix Laroche is given very little to do as the youngest boy, Joe. The interactions among the children, or the family as a unit, just don’t feel genuine. In the Land of Spells, there’s a moment where the kids sing a family song to get the magic spell they need, but the joyful glee feels saccharine and manufactured. A lot of the scenarios seem strange rather than whimsical, and most of the humor falls flat. I hardly laughed throughout the entire 1 hour and 50 minutes, as I was too busy cringing.

The visual aesthetics of the Faraway Tree aren’t exactly awe-inspiring. While the tree trunk resembles a cozy apartment complex and is quite lovely, I can barely remember the designs of the three worlds featured here—The Land of Birthdays, Topsy-Turvy, and the Prison of Dame Snap—just days later. Many of these worlds appear overly reliant on CGI, and the stark contrast in color grading between the fantastical realms and the real world is jarring. 

There is a certain charm in valuing family and embracing a simpler lifestyle, but a touch of nuance would go a long way. This movie looks like it’s trying to launch a big fantasy series, but I won’t be wasting any more time on this bland, magic-less tree.

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