The Secret Of Moonacre (U)
- Starring: Dakota Blue Richards, Tim Curry, Natascha McElhone, Ioan Gruffudd, Juliet Stevenson
- Director: Gabor Csupo
- Duration: 103 mins
- Year: 2008
Orphaned at a young age, plucky 13-year-old Maria Merryweather is forced to leave behind her old life to seek lodgings with her eccentric and gruff uncle, Sir Benjamin Merryweather, on the isolated Moonacre Valley estate. Accompanied by the caretaker, Miss Heliotrope, Maria soon learns of an ancient feud between her family and the De Noir clan, whose young son Robin takes an immediate dislike to the teenage Merryweather. Searching for clues in her one possession, a book of stories bequeathed by her late father, Maria realises that she holds the key to reuniting the warring estates by tracking down a set of magical pearls before the next full moon. However, the De Noirs will stop at nothing to hinder Maria in her quest and should the girl fail, Moonacre Valley will be destroyed forever.
Reviews
Alison Rowat's Review
Dakota Blue Richards hotfoots it from The Golden Compass to star in another serviceable fantasy drama. Based on a children's novel by Elizabeth Goudge, The Secret of Moonacre is the usual caper involving moderately well-known actors wearing curtain material and talking posh while fantastic things happen around them.
Richards is Miss Maria Merryweather, an orphan left nothing by her father except a beloved book, The Ancient Chronicles of Moonacre. Sent to live with her grumpy uncle (Ioan Gruffudd) in the countryside, Maria finds there's more to the tome than lovely illustrations. Plenty of CGI and Harry Potter-style shenanigans will keep youngsters amused, and there's a nice turn from Juliet Stevenson as a twit of a governess, but after an hour it drags along like a wounded unicorn carrying a cartload of obese elves.