Reviewed by Ian McCreath
Stars Ioan Gruffudd, Dakota Blue Richards, Tim Curry,
Natascha McElhone, Juliet Stevenson, Augustus Prew,
Andy Linden, Michael Webber
Written by Graham Alborough & Elizabeth Goudge
Certification UK U | US PG
Runtime 103 minutes
Directed by Gabor Csupo
Based upon the 1946 children’s novel The Little White Horse, The Secret of Moonacre is a fantasy film aimed squarely at the kids for half term week.
Richards plays a 19th century orphan sent away to live with her gruff Uncle on his derelict estate of Moonacre. Clutching her only inheritance — a magical book — she learns that it is her destiny to become a Moon Princess and reunite two warring families in time to stop their impending doom. Throw in a unicorn, a black lion, and a vivid visual style and you have a film that should have been great escapist fun. And up to point, it is.
The story — one of JK Rowlings’s personal favourites — provides ample room for magic, humour, action and suspense. Yet however good these raw ingredients may be, something has been lost in its preparation. The action-packed trailer and sweeping poster imagery may be reminiscent of the Narnia series, but Moonacre is family fantasy on a much smaller scale. Costumes and the derelict mansion house aside, the wider world of Moonnacre is left disappointedly under-drawn, giving the impression that the ambition of the filmmakers outstripped the budget by some significant margin.
Curry is always a welcome villain and Gruffudd plays the dashingly gruff "Darcy" character with ease. Another plus point is Richards, who looks almost as striking as her name in the lead role. Unfortunately she is left too much to do to carry a film often let down by muddled and dull scripting and the below par characterisation of the supporting cast. Similarly, the film boasts some great visual set pieces, such as the moon crashing down into the black sea — but these are scarce and the effects are unevenly executed.
Charmingly old fashioned in tone and direction, there is plenty here to recommend as long as you watch it through the eyes of its intended audience. But while it will no doubt keep the little ones happy (especially the girls), its transfer to the big screen ultimately lacks the fluency and magic to captivate the parents too. Unless the mums have a thing for Ioan Gruffudd, of course.