Few children’s stories have captured the imagination quite like Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, a world where adventure begins at the top of a tree and anything feels possible. Now, a new big-screen adaptation reintroduces that sense of wonder to a modern audience, blending nostalgia with a timely message about stepping away from screens and rediscovering the magic of the real world.
The Magic Faraway Tree follows the Thompson family as they swap city life for the countryside, where siblings Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran (Billy Gideston) discover an extraordinary tree that leads to magical, ever-changing lands. As they climb, they encounter a host of eccentric and enchanting characters, each bringing new challenges, humour and wonder. Alongside the children, their parents, played by Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, are navigating their own struggles to reconnect as a family.
The film’s rich supporting cast includes Jennifer Saunders as the formidable Grandma and Jessica Gunning as the brilliantly eccentric Dame Washalot. They are joined by a standout ensemble including Nicola Coughlan, Rebecca Ferguson and Sir Lenny Henry, who add humour, heart and a sense of unpredictability to every new adventure.
We sat down with Delilah, Billy and Phoenix to find out more about their experiences on the set of The Magic Faraway Tree.
A Modern Family, A Magical Escape
The Thompson children arrive in the countryside disconnected from each other, from nature, and from the slower pace around them. Beth, the eldest, is caught between childhood and adolescence, frustrated by the upheaval and longing for her old life. Joe is glued to his games and reluctant to engage. Fran is quietly curious, the one most open to discovering something new.
It is Fran who first leans into the magic of the Faraway Tree, pulling her siblings – somewhat reluctantly – into its orbit. From there, the film unfolds as both an adventure and a subtle emotional journey, as each child begins to shift, reconnect and rediscover a sense of play.
Finding Their Characters
Delilah Bennett-Cardy’s Beth is layered and recognisable, “I don’t want to be too mean to Beth, but I’d probably say moody, she has that sort of teenage angst.” A tweenager navigating that awkward in-between stage, sometimes prickly, often protective, and slowly rediscovering her sense of wonder.
Phoenix Laroche plays Joe with an easy, understated charm. As the middle child, he drifts between worlds, initially more interested in his games than the countryside around him, but gradually drawn into the adventure. “I think Joe, when he started, he was a gamer but also a fun brother to go up the tree with. And he’s quite mellow, quite chill.”
Billy Gideston’s Fran is the adventurous and imaginative sibling, instinctively connected to the world around her, she is the one who sees possibility where others don’t. It’s her sense of belief that propels the story forward. “I’d say she’s definitely adventurous because she is the one who wants to go to all these lands and she’s definitely wise.”
Life on Set: Climbing Trees and Creating Worlds
For the young cast, filming The Magic Faraway Tree was as immersive as the story itself. Days on set for Billy and Phoenix were a careful mix of work and studying woven into the schedule between takes with Phoenix explaining there was a lot of “hurry up and wait”, bursts of activity, hurrying to set and waiting for action.
All three were delighted that they didn’t have to rely soley on green screens. Many of the magical elements were built and experienced in real life, with the actors having trained with harnesses and climbing structures to help them climb the tree for real. Being able to see and touch parts of the Faraway Tree, rather than imagining everything, helped them bring their experience to life.
Between scenes, the cast filled their time with card games, reading and baking bracelets, unintentionally but completely on brand with the film’s message. They admit they’re not on their phones much at all. Phoenix for example doesn’t have one and both him and Billy enjoy the countryside surroundings of home when they’re not working.
Working with Superstars
Working with Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy could have been daunting, but they all say it felt natural. As Delilah notes, “It didn’t feel like we were all just reciting from script. I feel like we very quickly got into that family dynamic and picking up things from them was really valuable.”
Billy adds, “After our first few scenes we became a family. The same with tree folk – they were both my families away from my family.”
Best gem from Phoenix announcing that “Andrew was full of energy.”
The three enjoyed the experience so much, remembering that their final scene involved an unscripted spaghetti eating contest between Fran and Joe, with differing memories of who won!
While the film remains rooted in Blyton’s original spirit, Delilah, Billy and Phoenix agree that it has been brought up to date and has even perhaps enhanced their own curiosity. Billy again, “I remember a little bit after I filmed, I really noticed more, when I went out to like lunch or dinner, a table with everyone on their phones. I feel like now people are going to realise that there’s so much they can do off their phones.”
We left it to Delilah, Phoenix and Billy to tell us why families should see the film.
Delilah, “The relatability is definitely there. I have lots of siblings, I see me and my siblings in this, I see my parents in Tim and Polly. I think that the humour of the film, the script and the story suits all ages. The whole family can really enjoy this film and I think relate to it.”
Billy: the story of it, about how everyone’s on the devices nowadays and how maybe like, hopefully will like, remind people to just go outside. I’ve also got loads of siblings as well, and I can also see down there relating to this as well.
Phoenix:” I also think it’s a good moment to go watch a film about joy and happiness. With all the kind of sad news going on at the moment, I think it’s a good thing to go and watch and lift your spirits up.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
The Magic Faraway Tree opens in cinemas on 27 March 2026
Directed by Ben Gregor
Written by Simon Farnaby
Starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Nonso Anozie, Jessica Gunning, Dustin Demri-Burns, Mark Heap, Oliver Chris, Sir Lenny Henry, Sir Michael Palin, Sir Simon Russell Beale, Jennifer Saunders and Rebecca Ferguson
Released by Entertainment Film Distributors in UK and Ireland cinemas on 27 March 2026
Book: odeon.co.uk, myvue.com and cineworld.co.uk
