The Magic Faraway Tree

[readingmakesmehappy]

We’ve just been to see it and I wish they’d stuck more closely to the books. They spent very little time actually in the magic lands. Some terrible wigs. But the kids adored it and it passed the time very happily.

New movie is Joe, Fran (Frannie) and Beth. Original book I had was Joe, Bess and Fanny. Pretty sure Dick was a cousin who came to stay in one of the books, renamed Rick in more recent versions.

Absolutely nothing like the book, but a sweet family film all the same. The dad character was the ultimate cocklodger, I’d have LTB!

I cannot decide if I want to see this or not. They were some of my all time favourite books when I was a child. I have seen some of the trailer and it just seems too modern. I supppose I was hoping for something more like the Judy Blume film the other year - are you there god it’s me Margaret. That seemed to have a real nostalgic feel

Nooooooo. He was trying to be supportive in his own way (ok mostly not working and playing a guitar) but even that was vaguely addressed. His dad died when he was young etc.

Generally enjoyed the file except Andrew Garfield’s acting let the side down and his character was absolutely cringe. The family backstory was a little over egged. As were the arguments over tech with Beth at tha start of the film, just could have reigned t in a bit/ maybe a bit over acted.
The rest was good- agree some of actors were wasted as it is a great cast (Garfield’s acting aside). More focus on the lands / realms next time. Hope there is a sequel and would see it at the cinema , my son enjoyed it.

Just went and thought it was a terrible adaptation. Like watching a pantomime of the books - badly pieced together, random songs, one dimensional characters. I felt sad that is what was interpreted from the books.

There's another thread on this in chat 😄

I don't remember a Dick in the books, are people getting mixed up with the Famous Five? It was Joe, Bessie and Fanny. I can understand why they changed Fanny!

The first book was The Enchanted wood with just the three children - Joe, Bessie and Fanny. The second is The Faraway Tree and cousin Dick comes to stay. Connie then comes to stay in the third book, The Folk of The Faraway Tree.

Me and my son loved it today - had the fancy recliner seats which were great.

Watched it today. Enjoyed it although some of the minor (and totally unnecessary) changes were irritating. Don't see why Moonface had moon shaped hair rather than a big round face and didn't get the point of making Silky human sized rather than fairy sized. I did enjoy the new 'modern' elements though and the nods to the books.

Is it something that a four year old girl would enjoy? I haven't read the book so not sure!

The film isn’t really like the books so doesn’t matter that you haven’t read them.

Depends on your 4 year old really - she’d probably like the tree / lands bits, but think she might get a little bored with the “family” parts.

Adored The Faraway Tree books as a small child (1960s). I don’t think I’d want to see the characters rewritten

Dragged a long a nearly 20 year old to see it yesterday. Would have been better if they'd been 8 or 9 though :-)

We both thought it was a sweet/gentle film portraying a rural idyll. But agree with others - Nicola is generally lovely in whatever she's in but she's not 'Silky', and Moonface should have had a moon face rather than moon hair. But hey ho, small points. Saucepan Man looked exactly like I imagined, (as did Dame Washalot) but wasn't really deaf enough. We loved the tree and the slippery slip - apparently it took months for them to create them - they aren't CGI. The lands they saw were generally as I would have imagined them to be.

It wouldn't take a lot to make it a 'PG' or a '12' and I think if they make a sequel they should just introduce a bit more mild peril.

If memory serves me right the land of spells was awful and scared me to death when I read it. In the film it's dark but none scary.

My only quibble is that there was too many farts (but perhaps a great number of farts would appeal greatly to the films target demographic).

And when did it become okay to kick your shoes off in the cinema and dangle your smelly feet over the back of the seat in front of you?

Well I've bought the Tonies audio book for my grandson . He loves to listen in bed.

MoonFACE 🌝
😒 not moonhair
disappointed before it was even released

we’ve read the Jaqueline Wilson story which is probably similar to the film , set more in the present with Milo Mia and Birdy

I enjoyed it and am a big fan of the books - still have my original 40-year old copies. They have updated a lot of things of course but there was still enough that was recognisable from the books.

Loved it, great film and great characters

I enjoyed it. I loved the faraway and wishing chair books, they are such a core memory of my childhood. It’s a lot to squeeze in to a movie though as so much goes on - maybe better suited to a series? As it did feel a bit rushed. Didn’t mind the modern twist being its aimed at current children not us oldies

Yes the books definitely weren’t a U. It really was very scary at times 😅

I read my gorgeous old illustrated childhood copy to my dc. Dd was very scared of Dame Slap and really quite disturbed by the idea when I read this to her. In my childhood, when there were real adults who slapped children with impunity, she just struck us as a standard villain.

Dd didn’t enjoy Malory Towers either, felt enormous sympathy for Gwendoline’s struggle to separate from her mum, and saw Darrell and Janet as bullies. That went over my head as a child, because I had to learn early on how high the cost of not fitting in could be.

There have been huge gains in emotional intelligence across the generations.

I was adamantly against the changes in modern editions of children’s books, but reading them with my own dc gave me a more nuanced perspective. I don’t agree with white washing but in the case of Dame Slap/Snap I think the change is actually an appropriate update reflecting the context of a modern child. But the characters will always be Jo, Bessie, Fanny and Dick in our house.

Saw the film tonight and loved it. Too much emphasis on the family and not enough on the tree and lands. In EB’s books you never saw parents.

My 7 year old liked it well enough. I found the Jennifer Saunders character annoying and the family backstory felt a bit silly. I couldn’t work out why the land of birthday people all sounded like they were on Eurovision with roller skates.

It was an enjoyable enough couple of hours of me but definitely things they could have done to make it better.

As someone who grew up loving these books, I liked it.

The tree and wood looked exactly as I imagined as a child, and I thought the characters were great. I like the Moonface revamp: was dreading a fake-looking moony face and thought the hair worked well.

I also quite liked the new backstory as it kind of anchored it. It is easy to always feel the original "got it totally right" but actually, stepping back, the books were fabulous but in a way the fantasy aspect was just a bit of slightly fatuous (though wonderful) fantasy. I felt this tapped into a more useful message, namely that modern life can be rather devoid of all those sorts of things that come more easily to children: imagination, hope, dream and the courage to follow them. No, none of us are likely to find an enchanted wood with a saucepan man living in it BUT the idea that we can step away from the way we are expected to live and the pitfalls and tedium of modern lifestyles and follow something more imaginative was an aspect that I felt helped the movie resonate beyond just the pure fantasy element.