There is a specific kind of magic created when films are set in war times, an escapism that allows audiences to seek enchantment in the ethereal world that is created, but the true magic in these movies is how they teach viewers to find hope in the mundane of our every-day lives.
Movies like theChronicles of Narniareassure audiences that even in the darkest of days, there are powers at work beyond ordinary understanding, that watch over the characters and make sure that things turn out okay when all else seems lost. The sweet childhood adventureFive Children and It(2004) is no exception, harnessing all of the joy and comedy that balances out the tense backdrop of war and devastation. Detailing the journey of five young children who are evacuated from their home in London during the Second World War to their Uncle’s remote manor in the country, the movie is a mix of humor and warmth that will leave audiences with a lasting impression.
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Starring some well-known actors including the Uncle being played by Kenneth Branagh (fromHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) and some memorable faces among the five children, including Freddie Highmore fromCharlie and the Chocolate Factory(whoseprequel Wonka has been given a 2023 release date), and Jonathan Bailey who plays the main character and playboy turned romantic lover Anthony Bridgerton inBridgerton Season 2. Whilst their parents are off being fighter pilots and nurses for the wounded soldiers on the battlefield, the children are left to run amuck in their uncle’s large manor, where they discover a secret door onto a nearby beach that a magical creature calls home.
‘It’ as he is so named by the children, is a creature known as a Psammead, and he introduces himself as a sand-fairy who can grant the children wishes. He is an eight-thousand-year-old being, who has lived through many phases of the world, and as such he is a gruff and grumpy creature who values his sleep, and finds the children’s constant interruptions annoying. As many of these films start out, the children wreak havoc with the magic (just as the children do inNanny Mcphee) but they soon learn some important life lessons that they will take forwards with them on their journeys.
The sand-fairy’s magic doesn’t abide by the usual rules, and appears to grant absolutely any wish that is spoken, although It also has a gigantic rule book for the wishes whose contents are never fully explored. Nevertheless, there is only one wish per day, and whatever wish is made disappears when the sun sets that evening, which gets the children into (and luckily out of) some tricky situations. And then there’s their cousin Horrace, who seems determined to catch them in their secret scheme and snitch them out to his father, but it quickly becomes apparent that it’s because he’s lonely and wants to be included, rather than because he’s malicious as it at first appears.
There are many elements that are reminiscent of other magical fairytales likePeter Pan(said to be casting for Live Action remakecurrently) and its sequelReturn to Neverlandwhich also deal with children who have been whisked away during the war, and subsequently make bad choices until they see the error of their ways and learn how to open up again. The wishes that the children make inFive Children and It, transition from selfish indulgences like wanting to have tier chores done by magic so that they don’t have to do them themselves, to becoming more self-aware of the consequences of choices and how they affect others.
They begin to wish for things like money to pay for replacements of expensive items that were broken, and wings to be able to go and visit their father who is away fighting in France. But the main character Robert, second youngest of the five, undergoes the greatest character development as he learns the importance of working alongside his siblings to achieve common goals, rather than defying Cybil (Jonathan Bailey) who is the oldest, and is just trying to keep them all safe. His petulance and determination to do as he pleases almost gets them drowned in the ocean as their wings begin to fade near sunset, nearly gets It experimented upon and dissected by Horrace, and then almost gets them eaten by a giant T-rex, like something straight out ofthe Jurassic Park movies.
But when Robert finally makes a truly selfless decision to let all of his siblings see their father whom they all desperately miss, even though it means he won’t get to see him because the magic will fade by sunset, the Psammead is able to bring their father home permanently and make it safe for them to all go back to London together. Through the humor and the wit of the memorable creature, combined with the important lessons of loyalty, selflessness and teamwork,Five Children and Itmanages to ground itself in the very genuine space between fantasy and escapism, and offers a fun adventure for children to enjoy. For fans of films like Narnia and Nanny McPhee, it’s a nostalgic and familiar formula that won’t disappoint.MORE:Darkest Animated Children’s Movies Ever
