A bit of name-calling, seriously sour attitudes and some bathroom humor are the only dead branches in an otherwise positive family flick. The Magic Faraway Tree, as the title implies, has a fair bit of magic involved, too. But the film’s affirmation of a loving family, as well as its cautions toward children’s tech obsessions, will make a climb up the Faraway Tree more worthwhile.
Stay-at-home dad Tim Thompson has a problem that many modern-day parents can relate to: His kids are permanent residents of the digital world.
Instead of acknowledging his dad’s delicious homemade pasta sauce, son Joe would rather keep his VR headset on at the dinner table. Daughter Beth’s online friendships may seem sincere to her, but Tim knows that community is much more than who likes your most recent post. And youngest child Fran doesn’t even talk anymore: She just stares at her screen in silence. So when Tim’s wife, Polly, reports that she quit her job after executives installed cameras on a fridge she designed without her consent, Tim sees this as an opportunity for some much-needed change.
The family moves to the countryside to start anew and grow tomatoes, a lifelong dream of Tim’s. Initially, the kids view this internet-free getaway as a fate worse than death. That is, until Fran gets a note from a woodland fairy inviting her to take a visit to the “Faraway Tree.”
Fran meets an eclectic group of peculiar creatures who reside in the mystical tree. A wingless fairy named Silky, a kitchen dish-covered man aptly named Saucepan Man and a fellow with crescent-shaped white hair named Moonface befriend Fran and act as her guides in this peculiar world.
The tree functions as a gateway to an everchanging selection of magical lands. One land is populated with more sweet treats than a kid would know what to do with. Another provides a birthday wish for each of its guests. As long as the group doesn’t accidentally end up traveling to the strict halls of the villainous Dame Snap’s school, they should be alright.
Growing tomatoes on a farm may not be the dream of most kids, but perhaps the Faraway Tree can help ease the Thompson kids into this new way of life. And maybe they’ll learn a little more about their dear old dad’s childhood dreams, too.
The Magic Faraway Tree features messages that are so similar to what we over at Plugged In frequently write about, I was almost convinced one of my coworkers got a hold of the script and did some edits.
It is clear from the get-go that Tim and Polly love each other and want to strengthen their family dynamic. Tim is warmly supportive of his wife after she informs him that she quit her job. Polly had learned that the company she worked for was secretly monitoring people’s eating habits by putting hidden cameras in the fridges she designed—a decision that she felt extremely uncomfortable with. Polly’s integrity leads her to speak out about the unethical product, and when higher-ups refuse to listen to her, she quits. Tim lauds her decision and comforts her throughout the film.
At the start of the movie, Polly works while Tim stays at home with the kids. Even when he is criticized (both by his own kids and his mother-in-law) about the fact that he is technically unemployed, he seems positive about their decision to have him as the kid’s primary caretaker.
Both parents are extremely involved in their kids’ lives, encouraging them to play with each other, be creative and dream big. While there clearly should have been a heightened level of regulation regarding their kid’s tech use, Tim and Polly otherwise lead by example. The couple doesn’t let hard times tear them apart, instead using the unplanned change as an opportunity to grow closer. Most of the film, both parents are working hard to create a new life for their family, inventing helpful gadgets and renovating their new house.
The film also takes a similar stance on children’s tech use as Plugged In. The unhealthy obsession the Thompson kids have with their devices is clearly portrayed as an issue, and one that’s causing them to be disconnected from the beauty of the world around them. However, tech is not demonized: As part of their renovations for the new house, Tim and Polly still add electrical outlets and a Wi-Fi router, but they criticize excessive use of technology and encourage their kids to pursue other interests.
Characters throughout the film consistently display bravery and a desire to help each other out. Children come to respect their parents (and their parents’ decisions). One child learns how her own selfish decisions can have a lasting and serious impact on those she cares about the most.
Viewers are taught an important lesson about greed when Fran travels to a land filled with candy and nearly gets imprisoned for trying to take too much. (Her new friends risk their own safety to rescue her.)
In another land, characters make “birthday wishes” that actually come true. However, they soon realize that their superficial desires—such as to have a different voice or to have wings—can’t make them happy and are not easily reversed. They realize that they were better off the way that they initially were and must work hard to undo the effects of their wishes. While there is no specific Christian parallel mentioned within the film, parents can easily point to this scene as evidence that, although insecurities arise with age, being confident and content with the way God made you is the best route.
Moonface, one of Fran’s new friends, is hesitant to trust humans because his last human friend forgot about him. But Fran and her siblings win him over. And their influence later helps him to forgive the person who forgot him. Silky notes that while many children indeed forget about their fairy friends when they grow up, it’s not necessarily a bad thing because kids are supposed to grow up and move on from childish things.
As the title of the film would suggest, there are elements of magic at play throughout the movie. The use of magic here never feels overly spiritual, and it’s similar to the ways that fantastical elements would be weaved into an animated Disney film.
We meet folkloric creatures, including fairies and elves, who don’t seem to have their own magical abilities but do possess a sort of immortality. Floating lights and odd noises add to some mysticism in the film. To see the Faraway Tree, Fran and her siblings must close their eyes and repeat the phrase “I believe in magic” three times.
Fran and her siblings are told that they can get stuck in the lands of the Faraway Tree if they don’t return to the tree’s base before the lands change each day. Spells are used to solve problems and are acquired from the aptly named “Land of Spells.” One spell is used to help plants grow quickly. In the “Land of Birthdays,” every visitor is granted a birthday wish that actually comes true (and is very difficult to reverse).
A pixie who struggles with anger issues attempts to meditate and is shortly interrupted. Some villagers theorize that the woods in which the Faraway Tree resides may be haunted. Tim plays a recording of Gregorian chants, believing that they help plants grow.
Tim and Polly share a very healthy marriage and express their affection for each other throughout the film. The two hug, embrace, hold each other and exchange a few quick smooches throughout the runtime.
A character is caught practicing how to kiss with a broom, a situation which he is embarrassed to have been observed in. Several elves (similar to the kind you might see in Lord of the Rings) wear tight, formfitting outfits. One female elf in particular sports some very short shorts throughout one scene.
Saucepan Man temporarily wishes he has no cookware covering his body, which leaves him in a sort of thermal underwear. He doesn’t see it this way, though, covering his body and commenting that he’s “naked” and “looks ridiculous.”
Joe is addicted to what is presumably a violent video game. Although we never see any gameplay, he yells, “Kill, kill, kill!” while playing it. One character is held at gunpoint with a multi-barreled “toffee” gun.
Characters fall and push each other on multiple occasions, typically as a form of slapstick comedy. A drink of lemonade punch ends with a character actually getting punched by a boxing glove. Beth throws a shoe at a rooster in an attempt to get it to quiet down in the morning.
Characters smack each other with various household items, such as pans.
The film’s villain, Dame Snap, appears in only a few scenes but is a bit menacing. The group meets her when they accidentally travel to the school where she works as the headmaster. Snap recalls how her name used to be “Slap,” on account of how she would slap misbehaving children. At one point, she screams in frustration—a loud, shrill sound that sends out a sonic wave and nearly topples a plane taking flight.
A few rickety plane rides are also cause for some mild tension as it soars through lightning storms.
Some mild name-calling runs amuck, but there’s not much else in the language department. Characters call each other “dumb dumb,” “brat,” “stupid,” “fool” and “idiot.” A character is referred to as a “pot head” because he literally has a pot on his head at all times. We hear a few misuses of God’s name, mostly from a young girl, as well.
Tim falls asleep with half a glass of wine by his side. The family’s technologically advanced fridge notes that Tim consistently partakes in wine at a certain time of day.
The Thompson kids are all initially obsessed with their respective devices, to the point of having little interaction with the world (or people) outside of their screens. Any attempt by Tim or Polly to reduce screen time is met with snappy, rude comments.
Tim worries that his oldest daughter is becoming a social media influencer. When Beth’s phone dies as a result of no electricity, she dramatically states that she is going to bed and hopes she’ll never wake up. She directs several insults at her father, typically as a result of him putting (very reasonable) restrictions on her constant screen time.
When a man is hit in the crotch, he exclaims, “My goo goo buns!” While, it turns out that area is where he keeps actual pastries called goo goo buns, the double entendre is clear.
Polly briefly states that if she and Tim didn’t have kids, they could more easily start a new life. Fairies and pixies make comments to each other that are deemed as “sizeist.” An obnoxiously loud villain named Mr. Oom Boom Boom attempts to trick the children and kidnap one of their fairy friends (he locks the fairy away in a dark box), but his plans are foiled. A girl finds herself tangled up in a marshmallow branch, told that she will be sent off to prison as a result of her greed.
The film features some potty humor that will likely have parents rolling their eyes. Tim asks a neighbor for some manure for his garden and is instead given a truckload. He comments about the size of the horse that must have created such a stink. A character steps in snail poop, and another reports that eating apricots is good for your stool. An extended scene has multiple characters passing gas (on purpose) for significantly longer than is necessary.
The grass is always greener on the other side. Childhood does have its charms, but adulthood has its benefits as well. It’s best to enjoy every season of life for what it is. That’s a belief that The Magic Faraway Tree clearly holds.
Andrew Garfield’s performance as Tim is the prime example of this notion. The two-time Oscar-nominated actor gives the film a grounded sense of sentimental optimism. His character holds on to the magical aspects of childhood without skirting away from his adult responsibilities, working hard to give his kids an upbringing that will set them up for success. Tim’s sacrificial love for his family is the heart of the film, and while the scenes within the branches of the Faraway Tree are sure to charm kids, it’s the time spent on the homefront that will be most impactful for families.
Now, there are many magical components here, which parents will certainly want to take into consideration before sitting down to watch with their kids. We also witness some potty humor and a lot of teenage angst and attitude. However, The Magic Faraway Tree doesn’t lean into every Hollywood familial trope.
Often, modern movies will add tension with a broken marriage at the center of the film. It’s investing and sweet to see a couple on the brink of separation come back together by the end of the film.
What’s even more sweet, you ask? A portrayal of a marriage that starts out strong and ends even stronger through overcoming the adversity of life together. Add in some timely messages on the dangers of living within a screen, overcoming insecurities and learning to respect your parents and it’s safe to say that many families will find a climb up the branches of The Magic Faraway Tree well worth the time.
Jonah Parker’s first interaction with Plugged In came when he was just five years old, after his parents read a review for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and deemed the content too intense for him. What started out as a contentious relationship between Jonah and a staff of reviewers who knew not of his existence would later turn into an appreciation for the site’s ability to present media content in a way that was accurate and fair. Jonah enjoys analyzing how our entertainment echoes the creativity of our Creator while finding glimpses of Biblical truths within every genre. He believes that Robert Pattinson’s Batmobile is the perfect mix of cool and practical.
