The Secret of Moonacre opens solemnly with the funeral of 13 year old Maria Merryweather's father. He died in debt, leaving Maria orphaned and homeless. Along with her caretaker, the marvellously eccentric spinster played to perfection by Juliet Stevenson, Maria is forced to leave London to live with her Uncle in the country.
It is on the Moonacre estate, under strict instructions from her cold, intolerant Uncle not to enter the forest, that she discovers an ancient feud between the Merryweather and De Noir families and a curse that only she can lift.
This heartwarming, satisfying story has some good character development, wonderful settings and costumes and a good sprinkling of magic and mystery. The charismatic Tim Curry is superb (although under used) as the head of the De Noirs.
I have to admit that I did nod off for a while during the film, missing a chunk of plot development. This is more indicative of how tired I was than any failure of the film to entertain.
The Secret of Moonacre would be unlikely to sustain the interest of very young audiences (my 2 year old slept soundly through the whole thing) but would make ideal viewing for families with slightly older children.
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