Young Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards) loses her father leaving her orphaned and penniless. She goes to live with her uncle Sir Benjamin (Ioan Gruffudd) at the mysterious Moonacre Manor. Maria finds a world of ancient feud with the De Noir family. She is the last Moon Princess and she must find the magic pearls before the next moonrise or else a dark curse will doom the Merryweather family.

There is a lot of history and backstory to go through. Based on book The Little White Horse, there's a lot of explaining for the first half. There is a lack of magic in this fantasy movie. The Moonacre Manor is supposed to be rundown, but it's ruined state has no atmosphere. It looked cheap rather than moody or Gothic. That goes for all the other sets and FX. All of it looked cheap. The story rambles on and on. It lacks adventure, tension, and importantly joy. The great actors can do nothing with this mess of material.

This movie is based upon a book which influenced JK Rowling. There are similarities between this movie and the Potter series.

1)Both have character names which fit the character. The "evil" people have a French name (dead English giveaway) De Noir.

2)Characters are quirky.

3) Maria, who is orphaned at an early age discovers she is of royal bloodline.

4) Both have magical objects such as a magic mirror.

5) Both have a secret book in a library.

6) Luna Lovegood was clearly based on Moonacre character Loveday.

Maria is orphaned and goes to live with her uncle, who is very cold to her and her caretaker, Ms. Heliotrope. While there, magical things happen and she is instructed not to go into the forest where the Du Noirs roam. (They all dress in black.)

You don't see too much of the unicorn and lion on the cover, but they are in the film.

This is a movie adults can enjoy watching with their kids and also one for people who enjoy the type of names and symbolism one sees in Harry Potter. The movie has magical devices, but unlike Potter there is no real spell casting witchcraft. There is also a Romeo and Juliet element to the story which is revealed about half way through.

A great film especially for young girls, but not so childish adults can't enjoy it. The best of all worlds.

The Secret of Moonacre is a beautifully constructed fantasy adventure film. I would describe it as rather charming with a sense of childlike playfulness. While it may not be made on a very big budget, they make do with what they have. The sets are interesting, the costumes are beautiful and there is a decent amount of shiny pretty special effects.

While it may not be fast-paced it does continue on at a steady pace with a lovely storyline. It may seem similar to other fairy tales but the execution is what makes this movie special. Try to enjoy this one for what it is. It doesn't proclaim to offer you anything more than a lovely little movie set in a fantasy land and that is what it delivers.