The Secret of Moonacre (2008)

When 13 year old Maria Merryweather's father dies, leaving her orphaned and homeless, she is forced to leave her luxurious London life to go and live with Sir Benjamin, an eccentric uncle ... See full summary »

Director:

Gabor Csupo

Writers:

Lucy Shuttleworth (screenplay), Graham Alborough (screenplay),

Stars:

Dakota Blue Richards, Juliet Stevenson, Tim Curry

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dakota Blue Richards	...	Maria Merryweather
Juliet Stevenson	...	Miss Heliotrope
Tim Curry	...	Coeur De Noir
Tamás Tóth	...	Vicar
Augustus Prew	...	Robin De Noir
György Szathmári	...	Lawyer (as György Szatmari)
Natascha McElhone	...	Loveday
Ioan Gruffudd	...	Sir Benjamin Merryweather / Sir Wrolf Merryweather
George Mendel	...	Priest (as György Mendel)
Michael Webber	...	Digweed
Szabolcs Csák	...	Henry
Lurko	...	Wrolf the Dog
Zoltán Markovits	...	David
Marcell Tóth	...	Richard
Zoltán Barabás Kis	...	Dulac (as Zoltán Barabás Kiss)

Storyline

When 13 year old Maria Merryweather's father dies, leaving her orphaned and homeless, she is forced to leave her luxurious London life to go and live with Sir Benjamin, an eccentric uncle she didn't know she had, at the mysterious Moonacre Manor. Soon Maria finds herself in a crumbling moonlit world torn apart by the hatred of an ancient feud with the dark and sinister De Noir family. Maria discovers that she is the last Moon Princess and, guided by an unlikely mix of allies, she must overcome her family's pride in order to unearth the secrets of the past before the 5000th moon rises and Moonacre disappears into the sea forever.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | lion | unicorn | costume | castle | 

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Taglines:

A magical adventure for all the family!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild peril and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

Hungary UK France Australia USA New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

De maanprinses en het geheim van het witte paard

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£308,099 (UK) (6 February 2009)

Gross:

£517,887 (UK) (13 February 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Forgan-Smith Entertainment, Australian Film Commission, The, Eurofilm Stúdió

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Much of The Secret of Moonacre was filmed in Hungary, but some scenes were filmed in England.

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Goofs

When Miss Heliotrope is saying goodbye to Maria Merryweather as she sets off for the forest on her horse with the rabbit in her lap, in three successive shots the rabbit changes position each time in her lap as she leaves.

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Quotes

Coeur De Noir: She's back in the forest. And this time she won't be leaving.

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Crazy Credits

The sea is used as a backdrop for the end credits.

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Connections

Version of Moonacre (1994)

User Reviews

Nothing new

This is a film suited to children so perhaps I shouldn't be writing this review, although my two children didn't seem overly impressed. The problem I have with this film is that we are served up with what has become a very much repeated storyline over recent years after LOTR. Inevitably we have a piece of jewelery that holds magic powers, that has been lost and lead to feuding families, and the little star of the film must rectify matters. The sets and costumes are top notch and are what make the film really worth watching. The acting is mediocre to say the least, in particular Tim Curry as one of the feuding family heads, although I will say that Dakota Blue Richards as the child puts in a decent performance. Very few of the characters do anything that makes you really empathize with them, and I don't recall being moved in any one moment of this long film. I give it a 5 out of 10 thanks to the sets and costumes.