Can we say all hail, Simon Farnaby? The performer and writer who started life in Horrible Histories and went on to co-write the BBC comedy Ghosts has taken the family film and breathed no life into it. Having co-written Paddington 2 and Wonka, he has now taken a beloved series of books by Enid Blyton, The Magic Faraway Tree, and delivered a witty, enchanting and charming adaptation that captures the famous writer’s flair for children’s adventures with a film that is relevant for a 21st Century audience, and done it with real style that no matter how old you are, you are going to be captivated by it.

When Polly Thompson quits her job, it becomes the best time to leave the rat race and move to the country, a dream that she and her husband had so that he, Tim, can produce the best tomatoes for a pasta sauce. Along with their three children, all chained to modern technology, they buy an old barn. Fran, the middle child, who is selectively mute, is invited to enter a forbidden forest, where she discovers a magical tree filled with wonderful characters and worlds beyond her imagination that could help the family cope with their new lives.

While the Enid Blyton books are not as famous as The Famous Five or Secret Seven, they are still beloved by those who read them. It is always difficult to capture the spirit of those tales, especially for a modern audience used to special effects or CGI animation. The strength lies in bringing together the past and present in a way that doesn’t feel too creaky or cringy. Thankfully, this version of the stories mostly avoids those trip hazards. We get a tale of a modern family going back to basics, particularly when it comes to screen time, something that is very prevalent in the news today.

Director Ben Gregor, who had previously worked mainly in television, has taken the path of using the country setting as a delight to the eye. It has the gentle appeal of The Detectorists while still acknowledging that, as soon as the story moves to the tree, it enters fantasy, and we get a delight for the eye with some inventive yet simple production design. The world which the characters enter is brightly coloured without going too far that it becomes sickly. The World of Birthdays, for example, is a cold land, because of the icing, and yet the colour palette isn’t jarring compared to the beauty of the natural world below.

If you are old enough to remember the family films of the 70s that Britain produced, The Railway Children being the most famous, this has that same air about it. Inoffensive and yet feeling like a warm hug. It helps that the script bounces from simple family drama to Monty Python-style humour, none more so evident than when we meet the Know-alls, a group of men who share a long grey beard, in a scene reminiscent of the Knights who say Nee from Holy Grail. (Made even funnier by having Michael Palin, Lenny Henry and Simon Russell Beale as the three men).

The film is littered with a terrific cast, all of whom are having the time of their lives. Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy are perfect as Tim and Polly, the parents who lead this new adventure. The children manage to keep their performances on the right side of annoying. Among the starry cast, Nicola Coughlan from Derry Girls and Bridgerton is sparkly as the fairy Silky, while both Rebecca Ferguson as Dame Snap and Jennifer Saunders as Grandmother Thompson seem to love chewing up the scenery.

The Magic Faraway Tree is a joyous example of how to make a family movie that appeals to everyone, not just the young but the young at heart. It will make you laugh, make you smile, and maybe bring a tear to your eye. An utter treat for the holiday period and another triumph from Simon Farnaby. All hail!

4 out of 5

Director: Ben Gregor

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Rebecca Ferguson, Jennifer Saunders, Nonso Anozie, Dustin Demri-Burns, Michael Palin, Lenny Henry, Simon Russell Beale, Mark Heap, Billie Gadsdon, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Phoenix Laroche

Written by: Simon Farnaby and (based on the book) Enid Blyton

Running Time: 110 mins

Cert: U

Release date: 27th March 2026