Parents' Guide to The Magic Faraway Tree

Adapted by Simon Farnaby (the screenwriter behind Paddington), this modernized take on Enid Blyton's classic books has a similar mix of innocence, silliness, and messages about coming together. Just as the Paddington stories were updated for modern times, The Magic Faraway Tree balances the innocence of the original's countryside frolicking with today's world of obsessive screen time and corporate immorality. Thankfully, the latter two are more for context, and the movie quickly moves toward its magical themes early on when Coughlan's sweet but not sickly Silky is glimpsed in the bushes by a wide-eyed young Fran. The Bridgerton actor's role is one of the better developed of the fantasy beings, which all live up to their names—Moonface, Saucepan Man, Dame Washalot, and Angry Pixie—but not a huge amount beyond that. The movie perhaps didn't have the budget to realize some of the magical lands to the extent of some of its peers—the Land of Birthdays is particularly underwhelming—but what it lacks in visual spectacle at times, it makes up for in its sense of awe and adventure. The Land of Goodies delivers in its candy-colored excess, though it's no Wonka, to be sure. Foy and Garfield are great as the loving couple trying to realize a dream at a time of desperation, full of gung-ho positivity as things crumble around them. The kids are realistically outraged when removed from their tech, and their relationships develop with warmth. A few moments run a touch too saccharine—a family water fight, a family song—but they'll likely still appeal to those who hark back to the original work of Blyton and a comparatively more innocent time.