The Magic Faraway Tree
This movie is called The Magic Faraway Tree. It shares its name with the second book in the series, but the story it tells is from book one. Confusing? Definitely. But does it work? Absolutely.
The Magic Faraway Tree uses a magical land to highlight some themes in the film. It emphasizes the importance of family and the need to balance friends and family. We see this most with the oldest daughter, Beth, who is very resistant to the change. It also shows that there should be a balance with technology; sometimes it’s nice to interact with the ones around you instead of being glued to a game or phone. It shows how success doesn’t look the same for everyone and sometimes success changes for people. We see this with Polly, the mom, who is an inventor, but when the company she works for uses cameras on her invention to spy on people, she realizes she wants to be successful but not at the expense of her morals. The themes are very relevant for the times, as this film deals with parents navigating new life with their kids in an ever-advancing world.
Watching the movie transported me back to childhood, remembering the films I watched like this that reminded kids to embrace their imagination and have fun. For kids, it’s a cute and fun film, but for adults, it may transport you back to when things felt simpler and make you emotional.
The film is directed by Ben Gregor and stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, and Delilah Bennet. It’s a fantasy adventure film that’s filled with so much creativity.
It has similar vibes to Alice in Wonderland, with this story where the character is transported to a fantasy world and meets lots of interesting characters that change her for the better, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory because he doesn’t have many fantasy lands, but each room in his factory is vastly different, like the lands in the movie and its filled with the spirit of imagination. Then Nanny McPhee because it’s an outsider who helps kids learn to behave and appreciate their family.
The visuals in this film make you feel like you are transported. There are a lot of colors, which are all vibrant. It makes the whimsical worlds in the Faraway Tree magical. The real world is a little duller, but you can bring your own whimsy like their dad.
The location changes are minor, but they make a big difference. We start in the city where electricity and access to Wi-Fi make it natural for these kids to be so engrossed in their devices. When they move to the countryside with a lack of those resources, it shows how it’s more work but encourages more bonding time. The Faraway Lands change so each one has a cool theme that’s fun to see.
The Costumes for this movie help show how the residents in the real world are kind of boring, but the ones in the faraway tree are plucked straight out of a fairytale. My favorite was Moonface, but the others in the different lands helped to show how different each land was.
The film's runtime is a little bit long, yet some stuff felt rushed. It was great to see the fantasy lands, but they hyped up Dame Snap, and I felt like we went to her world for maybe 5 minutes and then the group escaped. I know it’s a kids movie and you can’t make her too scary, but her land was hyped up as this scary place, and it wasn’t that scary. Then there’s the kids’ Grandma who was funny in her scenes, but she also just pops up, gives her an ultimatum, and disappears til the end. It just feels like with the runtime they should have been able to add more.
The family moments were a highlight for me. I loved that money wasn’t the only thing they were after. They remembered they had dreams back in the countryside and decided to do that. The kids, especially Beth, realized that the family isn't trying to hurt you; they care for you a lot and just want you to be able to explore as much as you can as a kid while they’re able to witness it. In the end, it was cute to see them all rally to support the tomato stand and fend off evil grandma.
It was cool that the kids reconnected with their imagination while in the faraway tree and nature in the countryside. It seems like tech wasn’t allowing kids to explore their creative side, and they would stay inside, so with a lack of access, they explored and found a fantasy world that helped show how fun life can be when you do some exploring. In the end, the family realized you can have a balance between tech and experiencing life with the people in front of you.
The Magic Faraway Tree is worth the watch. It’s fun and cute and will have you tearing up at the end. I will say the story may feel familiar, but there are some differences, and it works, and it’s filled with great performances. There are a couple of messages to take from this movie, and I think the most important is finding balance between spending time with technology and taking in the world around you.
The Magic Faraway Tree takes us into a whimsical world where a family learns to put down their phones and rediscover each other. In this review, I break down the visuals, performances from Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, the film's themes on tech-life balance, and whether the hype around Dame Snap pays off. Spoiler: it's a fun, heartfelt watch, but is it worth your time? Watch to find out.
