Five Children And It Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
You are invited to discover the secret...
A magical experience for the whole family
Anything can happen if you believe in IT!
'It' is a Psammead (voiced by Eddie Izzard), an ancient, ugly and irritable sand fairy the children find one day on a secret beach at their uncle's mansion. It grants them one wish per day, lasting until sunset. But they soon learn it is very hard to think of really sensible wishes, and each one gets them into unexpected difficulties. Magic, the children find, can be as awkward as it is enticing.
| Tara Fitzgerald | Mother |
| Freddie Highmore | Robert |
| Alex Jennings | Father |
| Jonathan Bailey | Cyril |
| Jessica Claridge | Anthea |
| Poppy Rogers | Jane |
| Zak Muggleton | Lamb |
| Zoë Wanamaker | Martha |
| Kenneth Branagh | Uncle Albert |
| Alexander Pownall | Horace |
| Eddie Izzard | It |
| Georgio Serafini | Mr. Bialli |
| John Sessions | Peasemarsh |
| Kim Fenton | RFC Flier |
| John Stephenson |
5.50 out of 10 (616 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Good British Fun
posted on 12 Apr 2009Searching through the movies on 'Sky' when I was off work with flu, I stumbled across the film 'five children and it', when I was a young kid i Remember watching a program of the same name on 'BBC' and really loving it, so in an effort to restore past childhood memories (or potentially risk damaging them) i decided to give the new adaptation a go.It got me gripped from beginning to end and I could not believe this had not been 'in my face' more with advertising and marketing schemes, this has the feel of a real good old classic BBC children's drama that you would find on a Saturday afternoon and leaves you with a real good feel good factor.The cast is a really good choice with not a sniff of bad acting and plenty of great script work with funny,emotional and sometimes hysterical pieces of dialogue. 'Kenneth Brannagh' for me leads the cast as the professor, really funny and keeps a smile on your face. The children are all equally good, putting in excellent roles and not looking lost for a minute.....you would think they are a real family! Eddie Izard is a real gem though, giving him the role of the psamiead with a dodgy accent at first gives you the impression you are about to be disappointed but I could never have been further wrong, he has an amazing role and keeps the punchlines coming and coming.Overall I am a 21 year old guy and found this film to be a real treasure and would certainly tell my own kids one day to watch. I still think it is criminal that the film didn't do better than it did.a real worth see.
Five children spend a rainy summer with a crazy uncle,and discover a door to another world
posted on 27 Mar 2009I am a big fan of Roald Dahl and CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. In terms of the spirit of adventure and fantasy and of the children out-witting the adults it reminded me a lot of that. It is mercifully brief and the dialogue is highly amusing and surprising. Kenneth Branagh is hilarious as the dotty and self absorbed math professor. I found myself laughing so hard at some lines I had to back up to pick up the dialogue again. Eddie Izzard is "hip and irreverent" as "IT". His voice stylizations reminded me very much of Robin Williams. It is a delightful family movie that will be enjoyed by kids and adults. Even little kids should not be scared (by much)and older kids will like the sassy sand fairy voiced by Eddie Izzard. I have two boys 11 and 14 and they liked it.
a Truly Moving Picture
posted on 21 Mar 2009I am a judge for the Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival. This feature film is a Crystal Heart Award Winner and is eligible to be the Grand Prize Winner in October of 2005. The Heartland Film Festival is a non-profit that honors Truly Moving Pictures. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."This is a movie in the tradition of "Harry Potter" movies and "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." It is a fantasy set in 1917 in wartime England. Five children are sent from London to the countryside for safety and security reasons. They are staying in a large, spooky, Gothic-like house with a math-crazed Uncle played brilliantly by Kenneth Branagh. His acting and make-up are so unique that there is no way you could possibly tell it was Branagh. The Uncle has many rules for the children including stay out of the greenhouse. Of course they disobey the rules and the greenhouse leads them to a secret beach where they find a sand fairy.The sand fairy is cute and small and insolent and irreverent and funny. The children are off on adventures because the sand fairy grants them one wish a day. They soon find that getting what you wish for can be overwhelming and not welcomed.The leader among the five children is not the oldest. The leader is a classic all-boy instigator, Robert, that pushes the story forward constantly by being curious and never reigning himself in. He is played by Freddie Highmore of "Finding Neverland" fame and he steals the movie with his character and his screen presence.The children as a group are interesting. They are loyal to each other, they care deeply for their parents, and they develop a love for the sand fairy. And they learn from their mistakes.This film has beautiful art direction and wonderful casting and acting.FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Crystal Heart winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.
I shouldn't have read the book
posted on 15 Aug 2008A few weeks ago I picked up a very charming children's book called 5 Children and It. Written by E. Nesbit and originally published in 1902 or thereabouts, it's a remarkably modern-sounding tale about a family, with maid and cook, who go to the country for the summer. The father has to work in the city, and the mother is called away on some business, and the children are left to their own devices under the care of the maid and cook, who are happy as long as the children stay outside all day and don't mess up the house, and show up for meals and bed on time. So far an extremely believable story that anyone who has rented a summer place can relate to. The children discover a magical creature called a psammead ("sammyadd") which grants them one wish a day. Minor misadventures ensue, with each succeeding day another chapter in the book. The children learn to be careful in their wishes and to think ahead. A good life lesson. Then they made a movie. Movies can't be about ordinary people because then we would all start thinking we're equal. This family has sent Father off to World War I as a flying ace, Mother as a dedicated volunteer nurse, and the children go to a large country home on the cliffs of Dover to stay with their batty uncle, evil cousin and a mysterious woman who is neither the uncle's wife nor just a housekeeper. It doesn't matter because she just provides plot devices necessary to carry along the movie version which is wholly different from the book except for the character's names and two of the wishes. Imagine if the movie version of Harry Potter had included Dr Xavier and the X-Men characters and been set in wartime because some pinhead producer felt that J K Rowling's story didn't have enough flash and mawkishness. If you've seen the movie, read the book. If you've read the book, skip the movie. There was a BBC version made in the early 1990s. I'm going to find a copy of that and have a look. This book was that good.
A Wonderful Children's Film based on a Classic Novel!
posted on 24 Jan 2008Edith Nesbit was before our time. She wrote this novel in the early part of the last century. The casting is first rate with Freddie Highmore as one of the children; the divine and future Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire Zoe Wanamaker CBE as the eccentric housekeeper of the castle; the always fascinating Kenneth Branagh as Uncle Albert, and Eddie Izzard as the voice of It. Okay, the story is a bit eccentric and bizarre about five children who are sent to live with their writing uncle in a desolate castle in the country. During their summer in the country, they come across making wishes that they would soon regret. The film works and is worth for children to watch it as well as adults. It can be serious at times while the children's father is sent off to fight in World War I and fun at times like the missing October and Thursday when they arrive on Friday at the castle. It's a charming film overall.
Eddie Izzard's hysterical portrayal of "It" is his best performance and the only real reason to see this otherwise unremarkable children's film
posted on 15 Nov 2007Five children go to the country to stay with their uncle during the First World War. While exploring the house they come upon a secret door which takes them down to the beach where they meet a "sand fairy" who agrees to grant one wish a day for them. The wishes all go horribly wrong, but in the process the children learn something.The Jim Henson Company produced this adaptation of the E Nesbit story and its not one of their better works. The film looks like any other children's book adaptation you can think of to the extent that you could probably inter-cut scenes from this film with any other similar children's film and not be able to tell the difference. Its not bad, but it doesn't have anything unique about it......well actually it does, It has two excellent performances that keep this film from sinking to the bottom of the children's film adaptation barrel. The first is Kenneth Branagh as they kids crazy Uncle Albert. he isn't in it all that much but while he's on screen he chews the scenery looking like a deranged Jim Broadbent. He is charmingly scatterbrained as a man who doesn't know what day it is and who wonders where last October went to.The other joy is Eddie Izzard, in his best role to date as the voice of the sand fairy, the "It" of the title. This is Izzard at his free-form best as he bounces off the walls of sanity in a steady stream of nonsense. Izzard's portrayal is a kin to an evening of his best stand-up comedy but in the context of the story, where anything can and will come out of the mouth of a little creature with a mobile home. Its one of the funniest things I've seen on screen on long time and he's the real reason to see the film.Over all a completely average children's film made more than watchable thanks to Eddie Izzard's vocal performance as It. Worth a rental or a viewing on cable, especially if you're a fan.
what a stupid scenario'
posted on 07 Nov 2007I will repeat - what a stupid scenario.Is there anything new inside? I don't know who have wrote this. But i believe this guy have watch all Hollywood -children -family -teens movies ever made... all scenes and dilouges u can see in everywhere. Why do u people making this movies? children's like an adults? they like money gold cars... and they are positives? they have lucky... and emotions of course... without it can be done. o the young Actors - wow :-). I do like when is camera concentrated on their nice faces? what a crap... there is 90% better children movies that this one! This is not creative or funny movie. This is simply nothing.D.
Mildly entertaining story...
posted on 18 Oct 20071st watched 10/29/2006 - 4 out of 10(Dir-John Stephenson): Mildly entertaining story of a group of five kids who are forced to live with their eccentric uncle while their father and mother fight & work in World War I as England entered the war. They are told not to go in the greenhouse of the uncle's mansion, which of course they do over and over, and they discover a sand fairy who them daily wishes that only last until the sun goes down. This is the "IT" referred to in the title, created by the Jim Henson group and voiced by Eddie Izzard. The problem is their wishes usually bring about other problems that they are supposed to learn from. This part of the movie is not done very well because it's obvious the children, primarily the Freddie Highmore character, do not learn from them but instead keep going back to "it" to solve their next big problem. "IT" is not nearly as funny as it could have been with the comedian Eddie Izzard really not given much opportunity to improvise and Kenneth Branagh is wasted as the eccentric uncle, although he is the best character. The children are fine as far as their acting abilities but the story probably would have been much better going into the fantasy realm but they did have a human story to tell as well, which probably caused the confusion with the filmmakers. So, all in all, this was an OK film but could have been much better.
Enjoyable
posted on 04 Jun 2007No intro.It's the Great War; a group of children stay with their eccentric uncle and meet It (a sand fairy).A sand fairy is a funny looking, short, talking creature that lives in a beach and can grant wishes. It's not in this movie as much as expected. The rest of the picture deals with how all the kids want their father to return home safely. One top scene: the children grown wings and fly up to meet German Zeppelins! Branagh has a strange role as the maths obsessed uncle, Fitzgerald is the mother and Wisdom appears in a shop (how old is this actor?). The movie is another of those non-American children's movies that reminds me of the atrocious Tooth. Five Children and It is an enjoyable and intelligent kids' movie.
A really good family film
posted on 08 Feb 2007I took my 7 and 9 year old daughters to see this and enjoyed it as much as them. It is set in the First World War and has the same sort of feel as the Railway Children but with some magic in. It was a really good family film with no f*rt jokes or rude bits that you have to explain later.It has a sentimental theme to the story without drowning you in saccharine which made it much more genuine and affecting - cue me sniffing! At the same time it had a good line in comedy which was quite modern and stopped the film from being too dated. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants an really enjoyable film to take the kids to. Lovely!
Enchanting Fairy Tale...better than most
posted on 29 Sep 2006I had never heard of the unique "Five Children and It" before it was recommended to me. It had the look and style of Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket films and looked interesting enough. Considering top billing went to twelve year old Freddy Highmore of Finding Neverland, it wasn't exactly a star studded affair. Nonetheless the story is a beautiful little fair tale more for kids but very entertaining...more so in fact than Lemony Snicket which I thought was just averagely done.Five Children and It is the story of five brothers and sisters who are sent to live with their eccentric mathematician Uncle when their father is stationed in France during WWII. The children are treated to an enormous castle and given the guided tour by the mysteriously protective housekeeper Martha. Despite his caring ways, the almost crazy Uncle Albert insists the children keep a tight ship, cleaning and carrying out a huge list of chores. The only rule they are given above all others is to stay out of the greenhouse. Young Robert, a strong willed, rebellious boy quickly finds his way to the greenhouse and goes inside and then convinces his brother and sisters to join him. They find a door which leads to them an unchartered beautiful beach where it doesn't rain and everything is calm and peaceful. Robert then accidentally discovers a shell and inside the shell is a very mysterious creature. He is a sand fair...It...as the children call him and he has the ability to grant one wish to one person per day. Through his wishes however he tends to teach a lesson by how and what they wish for. The children immediately wish their chores to be done which ends in disaster, and with each day that passes they learn to be more careful about their wishes. More than anything else what is important to them is their father returning safely from war and when he goes missing, they must choose their wish wisely to bring him home safely. And when the safety of the sand fairy becomes an issue the children pull together to save him from disaster.I thought that Sand Fairy who is by far the most amusing character in the film was underused quite a bit. Eddie Izzard performs as his voice and he's very funny and although the sand fairy is a little irritable he cares for the children and becomes endearing. The only child of the five of them who gets any significant screen time is Freddie Highmore who is becoming quite the actor with his breakthrough roles. Kenneth Braghn plays a great character in Uncle Albert. He obviously has no parenting skills but does the best he knows. His role was still better than Carey's in Lemony Snicket. Children will love this film, it's a great adventure without ever leaving the castle and at the same time has some great morals and lessons with the necessary laughs that children will love. The Sand Fairy is wonderful and kids will love him. With director John Stephenson at the helm who has worked with Jim Henson's creature shop for a long time, he knows what makes a great monster. Definitely check this out with your kids...maybe even on your own, it's a great little family film not to disappoint. Shout out to Deb who recommended this one...and I didn't even have to pay to watch it YEAH!! 8/10
"It" is an Exceptionally Charming Children's Film
posted on 13 Jul 2006With the "children's movie" industry becoming increasingly reliant on computer-animated films to light up children's' faces and make us laugh, it's an event worth celebrating when a live-action children's film as genuine and warm as "Five Children and It" comes into the picture.Set in a refreshingly simplistic perspective of the World War I era, the story tells of a charming bunch of children who are separated from their parents to live in their strange, arithmetically-obsessed uncle's huge castle in the countryside. While their parents are off serving duties in the war cause, Robert (Freddie Highmore) and his siblings struggle to cope with the strict rules of Uncle Albert's (Kenneth Branagh) mansion, as well as the separation from their dear parents. In an amazing little adventure, Robert and the others discover "It," a mysterious little creature at the end of a hidden passageway who grants one single wish to the children each day. But Its magic may end up causing more misfortune than fortune.Witty and sassy little Robert misses and worries for his father so much that he struggles to except that Dad may not return from fighting at war. In a superbly genuine portrayal, Highmore charms the viewer with perhaps his most deeply expressive and emotional performance of his career, next to his spectacular exploration of Peter Llewelyn Davies in "Finding Neverland." Highmore is one of the finest child actors there is today, and is continuing to reach for the stars, most currently in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." In "Five Children," Freddie fits his Robert like a glove, and achieves what few actors can-- he causes the viewer to become attached to the character. Arousing our sympathy and tearing our hearts, Mr. Highmore has done it again. Astounding! It would be ridiculous not to also acknowledge the wonderful performances by the other children, whose ability to compliment each other with on-screen chemistry is truly a joy to watch. And of course, It, the sand-fairy, is an amusing little character brought wonderfully to life by Jim Henson puppetry and Eddie Izzard. Granted, the animation effects for the film are quite poor, but I am pleased to say that this does not matter. Director John Stephenson has created a lovely children's film without advanced use of computer-- now that's magic! "Five Children and It" leaves us with a heart-warming message and a feeling of purity so rare in films these days, that it's a shame this movie wasn't widely distributed. And although it can't be said that this movie reached %100 of its potential, I personally don't understand any negative comments that critics may make regarding it, for this movie is truly exceptional children's entertainment. Why not simply appreciate it for what it is? Still, it feels good to be one of the few people who appreciate this little gem of a film, which gently reminds us that even though as we grow old the magic of childhood may die, the mark it leaves on us is eternal.Grade: B+ / Stars: 3 out of 4
A British Family Film Like they used to make (but with modern FX)
posted on 26 Apr 2006I found this film utterly charming. I had to almost force my daughter to see it (she wanted to see The Princess Diaries 2 (shivers!!!!). But once the children found the Wishasuraus she was transfixed.It is a film very much of British and of the Railway Children type. and will sadly be missed by many because of the Steam Roller Hype of Shark Tale. But this is a real FAMILY film. The beginning has a distinct Harry Potter feel to it, The theme tune is clearly influenced by HP. Kenneth Branagh is the quintessential English Eccentric but unlike the Hollywood stereotype this is a British film that has it's tongue firmly in cheek. Zoe Wannamaker as the caring housekeeper who knows more that she lets on is wonderful. Eddie Izzard as the voice of the Sand Fairy is perfect. This is as British as Brighton Rock and Whelks in a tray at the sea side. And I loved it.
Annoyingly dissimilar to the book
posted on 20 Apr 2006I would think that this was one of those films whose director hadn't read the book it was based on, were it not for the fact that they are just slightly similar. It is certainly possible for a great film to be "based" very loosely on a book and this was certainly the latter but not the former.There were a number of flaws. One was that it tried to be too much like the Railway Children, probably because adults would expect this, being from the same author. Another is that it also sought to be too like Harry Potter, down to the music and in overemphasizing the setting. I have nothing against J K Rowling or the films but the book is just nothing like the Harry Potter ones. I thought the Psammead, though very well voiced by Eddie Izzard and in character too, was almost gratuitously in a totally inappropriate environment. I may have missed something here, as the comments made about one of the characters' own books may have been a reference to the inaccuracy of the adaptation. There was also no need for the extra characters, and today's special effects could easily have been used to tell the story as it was written, but they weren't.I saw this film with my two children, one of whom knows the book and the other of whom doesn't. The one who does know it thought it was all right but wasn't as enthusiastic as the one who doesn't. I'm not sure what this means.
Wonderful sweet movie for all ages
posted on 18 Apr 2006This is a wonderfully sweet, innocent movie that parents and children alike will enjoy. This is a movie that brings us back to our childhood and the dreams and fantasies that were part of the innocence of children and of believing in the impossible. The five children in this movie are sweet and caring siblings - not argumentative and spoiled children, but siblings who clearly love one another.The idea that make believe can come true is refreshing. Clearly this is a movie about love, hope and dreams. Freddie Hightower, the young star of Neverland, is just as good in this movie. He is joined in his acting ability by 5 other young actors, as well as the wonderful Zoe Wanamaker and Kenneth Branaugh - all of whom are wonderful.The scenery is wonderful - the England coastline. This is one of those movies they don't make enough of - it leaves you smiling when you finish the movie.
Worthwhile but not a classic
posted on 08 Apr 2006In these days of blockbuster movies made especially for children, it is quite refreshing to see an old fashioned tale of magic and mischief. Children of all ages will like this film and take it at face value - it is an adaptation of a classic story. The special effects are reasonable but unremarkable and we are drawn mainly to the characters played by Kenneth Branagh and Zoe Wanamaker, the latter having the best role by far. The story skips along nicely to its inevitable and predictable ending. The storyline is sentimental; unfortunately the child actors do not add anything to this emotion and appear to be fairly wooden. The film is worth a viewing on a rainy afternoon but it is unlikely to draw in the crowds.
A strange creature is discovered on the beach
posted on 28 Jan 2006I remember the TV series of 5 Children and It and enjoyed that and I enjoyed the movie version just as much.During World War 1, five brothers and sisters are evacuated to their Uncle's creepy mansion where they make a very strange discovery. They come across a sand fairy that can grant wishes, but these only last until sunset. The children's' wishes include flying, having loads of gold and, best of all, a T-Rex which was wished by the Uncle's mad scientist young son after he had kidnapped the sand fairly to experiment on. The five children then return the sand fairly back to his lair and say goodbye to him at the end after their dad returns from war duty and is OK.This is an excellent movie, great special effects and quite creepy at time too. Although this has a universal rating, some scenes including the T-Rex may be a little scary for really young viewers.An excellent cast which includes: Johnaton Baily, Freddie Highmore, Tars Fitzgerald, Alex Jennings and well known British stars Kenneth Branagh, Zoe Wanamaker and veteran comic Norman Wisdom in a cameo. With Eddie Izzard as the voice of It.5 Children and It is essential viewing if you get the chance. Excellent.Rating: 4 and a half stars out of 5.
Read the book instead
posted on 18 Sep 2005Freddie Highmore...everybody, keep an eye on this kid. If he keeps on acting he'll be destined for great things. The little guy received heaps of acclaim for "Finding Neverland" and got top billing in "Five Children and It" (not sure if this was always the plan or if they just decided to do that after all the Neverland hype). Freddie plays Robert, one of five children sent away to the seaside from London during World War I. Their father becomes a pilot and their mother a nurse; the film opens with Freddie giving a voice-over explaining how the children are moving. They hop onto a train, have an almost unbearable emotional scene, and off they go. Fortunately, the voice-overs did not continue throughout the rest of the film. A constant narration would have really annoyed me.The story of this film has almost nothing to do with the E. Nesbit book of the same name. I don't mind films not sticking to their source material as long as they've been well adapted, but in this case, the screenwriter was fairly terrible and really disappointed me. I recommend reading the book to your children, preferably instead of the film, or at least after watching it.One of the main changes is that instead of a boring cottage, the children stay in a spooky castle with a completely eccentric uncle, a bizarre housekeeper and a mentally disturbed cousin. Kenneth Branagh is barely recognisable as the mathematician uncle, yet he is terribly amusing. Zoe Wanamaker plays the housekeeper and newcomer Alexander Pownell plays Horace the freaky cousin. As a bad character, the cousin of course had to be fat with glasses. Alexander Pownell was much better than I'd expected.The five main children – Cyril, Robert, Anthea, Jane and their baby brother – find early on in the house a Psammead. The Psammead is a Sand Fairy who grants their wishes. The Psammead was voiced by Eddie Izzard, who apparently chose to adopt a crazy accent for the role. I thought the Psammead had been well-designed and animated, but didn't seem much like a Psammead to me, not was he particularly endearing. He grants the wishes of the children, and of course this leads to many misadventures. I felt that the children weren't given enough time with the Sand Fairy. In the original story, they spend many days their and are able to start planning and co-ordinating their wishes. In this film it seems they only spend about a week in the uncle's house, and they aren't very good at thinking about decent wishes. Still, all the child actors, mostly newcomers, struggle along with some bad material.Disaster strikes about halfway along. But the devastated children don't stop long, and soon they are battling an incredibly unrealistic and stupid-looking dinosaur. After the lame reptile, things go downhill faster than they ever did before. Freddie Highmore has some great scenes and performs beautifully, but the film starts fizzling out. When it ends with a nice shot of the sea and you start to feel like you're appreciating the film, the Psammead starts a particularly nasty voice-over about "episode 2", "starring the Psammead", makes a stupid engine noise…and that's the extremely aggravating finale.
Narnia meets ET in uninspiring, snobby kids' flick
posted on 09 May 2005The Great War breaks out and Daddy is a brave pilot who goes off to carry out some unsightly business to put Jerry in his place. Mummy is doing her bit as a nurse, so the five children are evacuated to their barmy uncle in the country, where a secret passageway takes them to a mischievous sand fairy and the beginning of a magical adventure.Based on a book written the best part of a century ago, they don't make stories like this anymore. And there's a reason. The men fly planes and author books; the women change bandages and clean house. The boys lead the way with their compasses and nighttime furloughs; the girls do what they are told and play violin - badly. Fat kids who wear specs are nasty. All the kids speak in those clipped, vowel-flattening accents that are soppy and prim but which a certain economic class of English people cultivate. On top of the snobbery and yearning for Imperial Albion, there are plot holes a five-year-old would not tolerate. I mean that literally - my son was asking why the father disappeared before sunset, why the compass didn't just drop from his hand as he disappeared. The film at least tries to aim strictly for the kids, until a completely inappropriate and unfunny monologue by Eddie Izzard (what a waste of genuine comic talent) plays over the final credits.No doubt the five percent of British schoolkids who go to expensive public schools in the UK will find it all such a jolly wheeze. For the other 95 percent of British families who no longer live in the 19th century, the good news is Wall-E, Ratatouille and Wallace and Gromit are all out on DVD.
For Freddie Highmore fans ONLY...
posted on 26 Aug 2009This is one of those "family" movies that I can't imagine having much appeal to anyone over about 9. A group of siblings discovers a "sand fairy" (yes, really) conveniently located at the end of a not-so-secret passage at the country home of their eccentric uncle, to which they've been evacuated from the London blitz. ...And there you have it, all in one sentence. The story is about the role of magic in childhood and the danger of getting wishes fulfilled, but neither of these issues is examined in a way that would be interesting to adults or instructive to children (or vice versa!). The only reason I can think of for watching this is to see how starkly Freddie Highmore's outstanding talent stands out from the rest of the mediocre performances.