Many British children's stories have captured the attention of American audiences through film adaptations, from Mary Poppins to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Paddington. The latest release to cross the Atlantic is unlikely to achieve similar success despite the presence of Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in leading roles and a supporting cast that includes some of the finest English actors. Adapted from Enid Blyton's 1943 novel, which was part of a series of three books, The Magic Faraway Tree is so relentlessly saccharine and sugary that all viewers, except the youngest, risk a diabetic coma.
Foy and Garfield play Polly and Tim, a married couple who decide to leave their home in London when Polly quits her job at a manufacturing company after the company installs surveillance technology in the smart fridge—narrated by Judi Dench, no less—that she has invented. So they move with their children to the countryside, renting a dilapidated barn and starting a tomato farm to fulfil Tim's dream of commercialising his homemade pasta sauce.
The decision does not please their three children: Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), obsessed with smartphones, who is horrified to discover their new home has no electricity or running water, let alone Wi-Fi; and her younger siblings Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran (Billie Gadsdon), mostly silent. "I don't understand, have we gone back in time?" Joe asks mournfully.
Their feelings change when Fran encounters Silky (Nicola Coughlan from Bridgerton), an exuberant fairy, who invites her to tea in the Magic Faraway Tree. There, Fran, now more talkative, meets an array of bizarre characters, including aptly named Moonface (Nonso Anozie); the Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), dressed in kitchen accessories; Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning from Baby Reindeer), who, yes, does a lot of scrubbing; and Mr Whatsnot (Oliver Chris), who, as you might guess, has memory problems.
The complications are not so magical, with convoluted proceedings that eventually involve other fantastical characters such as the Birthday Elves, who offer each child a wish (Joe asks to be turned into his favourite Minecraft character, presumably an update to the original story); Mr Zoom Zoom Zoom (Mark Heap), who has the neat ability to reverse wishes; and the Know-Alls (Michael Palin, Lenny Henry, Simon Russell Beale, practically unrecognisable under mountains of facial hair).
It is all, as you might imagine, more than a bit excessive, and by the time the villain Dame Snap (Rebecca Ferguson, whose giant, lopsided wig probably required her to see a chiropractor between takes) arrives, one finds oneself rooting for the villain. In fact, it is the more acerbic characters who prove most appealing, especially the children's grandmother played by British national treasure Jennifer Saunders, who practically makes a meal of her disgusted exclamation, "No employment!"
Screenwriter Simon Farnaby has extensive experience with this sort of material, having co-written the screenplays for Paddington 2 and Wonka, but brings no similar wit to these proceedings. He also appears briefly as a kindly farmer who provides the opportunity for a laboured joke in which he confuses "Wi-Fi" with "wifey". And while Foy is charming as the tireless mother, Garfield leans too heavily into manic tenderness as the constantly cheerful father who sometimes seems less adult than his children. The story's ultimate message about children learning to do without their electronic devices to embrace the joy of friends and family also seems somewhat ironic, considering the film's future as an electronic babysitter.
The Magic Faraway Tree is most notable for the imaginative costume and make-up designs for its outlandish characters and the brightly coloured, pastel visuals that give you the feeling of looking at an enlarged children's book. But even the distinctive appearance becomes tiresome after a short while. By the time the film ends, one will be craving something refreshing in black and white.
