I remember having many of this author's books around when I was little, and for the longest time I thought her name on the cover said Gnid, not Enid. Now, after all these years, her stories don’t always hold up or align with current perspectives, but this one is a fun fantasy that has been revised to directly address our modern-day preoccupation with technology. The “Thompson” family is struggling financially and has moved into a rundown barn where dad "Tim" (played enthusiastically by Andrew Garfield) wants to grow tomatoes. Mom "Polly" (Claire Foy), who comes from a privileged background, seems willing to embrace their new rural lifestyle—even if the kitchen includes its own chicken. Their three kids, however, are another story entirely because there’s no electricity, no wifi, and therefore no life as they know it. The one possible exception is their quiet daughter "Fran" (Billie Gadsdon), who accepts a strange invitation to go into the forbidden woods, where she meets the kind fairy “Silky” (Nicola Coughlan). Silky introduces her to friends and takes her on an adventure centered around sweets. When Fran explains how she spent her day, no one believes her, so naturally, she has to convince her brother "Joe" (Phoenix Laroche) and their perpetually grumpy older sister "Beth" (Delilah Bennett-Carey) to return with her to this fantasy world to prove it and have more adventures. Unbeknownst to everyone, though, “Beth” has enlisted the help of their wealthy grandmother (Jennifer Saunders), who is threatening to shut down their unusual plan and send the children to a proper school. It all seems to hinge on "Tim" and his tomatoes… Neither Garfield nor Foy are particularly prominent here; it's really more of a showcase for the young actors, and once their escapades truly begin and we meet “Dame Washalot,” “Moonface,” and the frightening “Dame Snap” (Rebecca Ferguson), then the story’s appeal takes over. There are all sorts of gadgets—a tree that grows its own marshmallows, even an airplane that likes to fall asleep at inconvenient times—as the kids realize what's truly important in life, something that usually isn’t found on an iPad. It is this message about experiencing life fully, interacting with others, and actually playing with tangible things (okay, so real fantasy people and things) that demonstrates how a person develops—no matter their age or preference for pasta sauce. The production design evokes the look of “Narnia” from around twenty years ago, but it has better CGI. I do wonder who the intended audience is, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it.

Source on TMDB