Film: The Faraway Tree

Quite the delightful fantasy film in which a family moves to the countryside after a change in their financial circumstances. In an attempt to bring more to their three children's lives than their screens, Polly and Tim move to his childhood village. The barn they move into has no running water or electricity, so whilst they make it habitable, the bored children, who are currently living without broadband too, go off to explore. And that is how they happen across The Far Away Tree.

With a cast of magical characters that includes fairies, pixies, and Mum Polly, who is an inventor, we are introduced to temporary lands that change each day: the Land of Goodies, the Land of Bad Things, and the Land of Birthdays.

Based on an Enid Blyton book, and just as children name their pets literally (see Goldie the goldfish), the characters are thus named - Moonface, Saucepan Man, and Silky (Nicola Coughlan), the welcoming fairy who guides the kids through the tree and its ever-changing lands. The youngest, Fran, is mute and the eldest is a miserable teen.

Add to the mix an evil, rich and snooty grandmother (Jennifer Saunders) and the Great Know-All (a small cameo from Lenny Henry), and we have a wholesome family adventure.

7/10