The Magic Faraway Tree is a classic children's story by iconic British author Enid Blyton which is now being adapted as a major movie. With larger-than-life characters such as Moonface, Silky, Saucepan Man and Dame Washalot, Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree saga was written in the 1930s, 40s and early 50s, and has enchanted children for decades.
The movie of The Magic Faraway Tree features a script written by Wonka and Paddington 2 writer Simon Farnaby (also the star of BBC1 comedy Ghosts), but the story has been set in the modern day, following a family moving to the English countryside. There, the children Jo, Beth and Fran, discover an enchanted forest and a magic tree full of quirky inhabitants that leads them to wondrous lands. The Crown star Claire Foy and Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield play the children’s parents Polly and Tim.
Here’s everything you need to know about the movie The Magic Faraway Tree…
The Magic Faraway Tree release date
It’s early days as The Magic Faraway Tree has not yet been fully cast, but as soon as we hear of a release date, we’ll update this page. We're expecting it to be 2025 at the earliest. We'll also update on which channel the film is streaming, whether that be Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus or another.
The Magic Faraway Tree plot
The Magic Faraway Tree follows a family that moves to the countryside. Before long, the children discover a magical tree which is home to some extraordinary characters including Moonface, Mr Whatzisname and Silky the fairy. At the top of the tree they are transported to fantastical lands and, through their adventures, the family learns to connect for the first time in years.
The Magic Faraway Tree cast — Claire Foy plays mum Polly
Claire Foy plays the children’s mum Polly in The Magic Faraway Tree. She’s best known for playing Queen Elizabeth II in the series The Crown from 2016 to 2023. She played Lisbeth Salander in The Girl in the Spider’s Web and has also starred in The Lady in the Van, All of Us Strangers, A Very British Scandal, First Man, My Son, Wolf Hall, Upstairs Downstairs, Little Dorrit and White Heat.
Andrew Garfield plays dad Tim
Andrew Garfield plays Polly’s husband Tim. He took on the iconic role of Spider-Man in the 2012 movie The Amazing Spider-Man and has also played him in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He’s also starred in the Channel 4 drama Boy A, tick, tick, BOOM!, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Under the Banner of Heaven, Doctor Who, The Social Network and Hacksaw Ridge.
Rebecca Ferguson plays Dame Snap
Rebecca Ferguson plays the terrifying headmistress Dame Snap in The Magic Faraway Tree. Rebecca has starred in movies such as Dune, Mission Impossible and The Greatest Showman, plus hit TV dramas such as Silo.
Who else is starring?
The inhabitants of the tree, capable of transporting visitors to fantastical far-off lands will be played by Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) cast as beloved woodland fairy Silky, Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth, Ted Lasso) as self-appointed group leader Moonface, Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer, The Outlaws) as Dame Washalot and Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses, The Great) as Saucepan Man. Rounding out the cast of the magical denizens of the woodlands will be Mark Heap (Friday Night Dinner, The School for Good and Evil) as Mr Oom Boom Boom and Oliver Chris (Trying, My Lady Jane) as Mr. Watzisname.
British icons Sirs Lenny Henry, Michael Palin and Simon Russell Beale play a trio of mystical wise men from the Land of Know-Alls. They join the previously announced Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield.
Is there a trailer for The Magic Faraway Tree?
No, not yet, but when a trailer for The Magic Faraway Tree becomes available, we’ll add it to this page.
Behind the scenes and more on The Magic Faraway Tree movie
The Magic Faraway Tree will be written by Simon Farnaby, the comedy actor who plays the trousers-down Conservative MP Julian Fawcett in Ghosts. He's previously written Movies such as Wonka and Paddington 2.
Neal Street Productions and Elysian Film Group are behind the movie and filming gets underway in the summer of 2024.
Academy Award-nominee Pippa Harris (Empire of Light, 1917, Call the Midwife) and Nicolas Brown (Britannia, Informer, Penny Dreadful) of Neal Street Productions are producers alongside Danny Perkins (Greatest Days) of Elysian Film Group.
Tamara Birkemoe’s US and UK-based Palisades Park Pictures is handling worldwide sales, with CAA Media Finance co-repping US rights, and will present the film at the European Film Market in June 2024.
Danny Perkins, CEO, Elysian Film Group, says: “Enid Blyton’s timeless story The Magic Faraway Tree has long been captivating the hearts and minds of children and adults alike, and I have no doubt that Farnaby and Gregor’s adaptation will resonate with modern audiences across the globe. Pippa and I are thrilled to bring this wonderful project to the big screen with the backing of Ashland Hill Media Finance.”
Pippa Harris, Co-founder, Neal Street Productions, adds: “The Magic Faraway Tree was the first book I ever read as a child and it captured my imagination like no other. Blyton’s joyous stories explore the importance of family, childhood creativity and the environment, themes which are just as resonant today, if not more so. I’m thrilled to be bringing the delights of this enchanted tree to a whole new generation."
Ashland Hill Media Finance Managing Partner, Simon Williams, says: "The amazing group of filmmakers assembled to bring The Magic Faraway Tree to life for family film audiences worldwide is a testament to the strength of this enchanting and classic story. It’s set to be a magical journey both in front and behind the camera and we are thrilled that principal photography is set for June.”
More on Enid Blyton’s books in her Magic Faraway Tree series
Legendary children’s author Enid Blyton wrote a collection of Faraway Tree books. She first introduced us to the magical tree in her book "The Enchanted Wood" in 1939. She then penned "The Magic Faraway Tree" (1943), "The Folk of the Faraway Tree" (1946) and "Up the Faraway Tree" (1951). The series follows three children who venture into an enchanted forest and discover a magical tree full of eccentric characters. And at the top of the tree they can access incredible lands such as The Land of Birthdays, The Land of Goodies and The Land of Take-What-You-Want. However, some lands, such as The Land of Dame Slap, are not so much fun and the children often get stuck in them.
