The Secret Of Moonacre (DVD)

Gabor Csupo does get something of an easy ride in my book; he directed the rather excellent adaptation of the novel Bridge to Terabithia, with all of the darkness that it required, and he was also one of the minds behind numerous brilliant Nickelodeon cartoons such as Rugrats. However, with The Secret of Moonacre, there's sadly just not enough to allow me to recommend it. It's a pallid and weak fantasy film that's going to have trouble entertaining kids, let alone the poor parents who have to take them. The film revolves around thirteen-year-old orphan Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards), who has an old fantastical book left to her that makes the stories ...  Read the complete review

INTRODUCTION The Secret Of Moonacre is a children's fantasy movie directed by Gabor Csupo and starring Dakota Blue Richards, Ioan Gruffudd and Natascha McElhone. It is based on a book by Elizabeth Gouge called "The Little White Horse", the paperback version of which is available for £4.49 on Amazon.co.uk PLOT The story is seemingly set way in the past as it has a bit of a Jane Austen vibe to it. Maria Merryweather (Richards) is a girl in her early teens who has been orphaned and who is sent to live with her uncle Sir Benjamin (Gruffudd) at the old family home at Monnacre Valley, a mansion set in a vast and isolated estate ...  Read the complete review

The Secret of Moonacre is based on the book The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. The book is aimed at children aged 9+ and I would say the film is targeted at around the same age group, give or take a couple of years. The orphaned Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards) is sent to live with her uncle, Sir Benjamin (Ioann Gruffud) at Moonacre Manor, accompanied by her governess Miss Heliotrope (Juliet Stevenson). The one thing her father has left her is a magnificent book, which she starts to read before arriving at Moonacre. It begins to tell the story of the moon princess, but before Maria can finish it, her grouchy uncle confiscates it. Bit by ...  Read the complete review

Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards) is forced to live with her gruff and mysterious uncle, Sir Benjamin Merryweather (Ioan Gruffudd) after the death of her parents. As she begins to read the mysterious book her father has left her, the history of Moonacre is revealed and its magical wonders are soon apparent to Maria. However Maria discovers that she must undo the curse unleashed by the betrayed Moon Princess that is soon to fall upon the two feuding families of Moonacre or they will all be plunged into a world of darkness. As it is a children's movie, much of the plot is flawed when looked at closely and there is greater focus on spectacular ...  Read the complete review

THE SECRET OF MOONACRE is a gentle science fiction and fantasy movie directed by Gabor Csupo that should keep the children entertained. The film centres around Dakota Blue Richards' character, Maria Merryweather an orphan who gains access to a magical book after her father dies. Maria moves to live with her uncle Sir Benjamin played by Ioan Gruffudd and discovers that the book features a rivalry between her family and the De Noirs that caused a curse to set upon the valley she now lives. Magical occurences happen in her house and Maria goes to the woods only to be set upon by Tim Curry's character Couer De Noir. Maria escapes from the badies and ...  Read the complete review