Ancient Cult Files # 3 -- The Secret of Moonacre

   Some think cult films are synonymous with gore, nudity, and are completely unsuitable for children. This is not at all true. While many of the more well-known bearers of the cult-status are indeed a bit more...graphic...in content, there are plenty of family friendly cult films in the world. Children's films are often hard to make

without major endorsements from Walt Disney Studios or other such corporate giants. But several truly magical children's films have snuck in under the radar through the years.
   The Secret of Moonacre is a 2008 fantasy-children's film directed by Gábor Csupó (best known for his animated Nickelodeon programs such as The Rugrats). The film starred Dakota Blue Richards, Tim Curry, Juliet Stevenson, and also featured Natascha McElhone and Ioan Gruffudd. The story is based off of the novel "The Little White Horse" by Elizabeth Goudge and concerns the magical land of Moonacre Valley. The valley is occupied by two prominent families; the Merryweathers and the De Noir's. The story begins with the homecoming of Maria Merryweather (Richards) and her quirky governess Miss Heliotrope (Stevenson) to

The pearls of the Moon Princess

her ancestral home of Moonacre after the death of her father. The

only piece of inheritance left to by her dept-ridden father was a book of the ancient legends of Moonacre Valley. Upon reading it, she discovers that once there was a woman in the valley known as the Moon Princess, a pure soul who Mother Nature had taken as her own daughter. She gave to the Moon Princess the gift of magical pearls that could grant the wish of whomever possessed them. The day came for the Moon Princess, who was of the De Noir family, to marry, and she was to wed the eldest son of the Merryweather clan. But upon revealing the gift to the two families, they immediately began to fight over who was to be in possession of them. The Moon Princess was disgusted by their greed and after the pearls were lost, placed a curse on the two households that would plunge the entire valley

Sir Benjamin Merryweather and Wrolf

into the ocean forever, and come to pass with the 5000th full moon if the pearls were not returned.
   Maria initially dismisses the book as a fairy-tale, and instead

occupies herself with trying to understand the dynamics of her new home. Her uncle Sir Benjamin (Ioan Gruffudd) is cold and strict, the house servants are extremely peculiar, and the house dog, Wrolf, is seemingly vicious. She also is bewildered by the unexplained elements of the manor; the painted stars on her room's ceiling move, the piano plays itself, and a little white horse that looks to be a unicorn is seen by Maria outside her window nightly.

Loveday's woodland home

   She soon discovers that the tales of the book are true and that the 5000th moon is set to rise, and that she must now play the part of the Moon Princess. Maria then sets out to attempt to find the lost pearls. She meets a variety of other characters such as the woodland-caretaker Loveday (McElhone) who is an estranged member of the De Noir clan. The De Noir's have attempted to capture Maria on several occasions throughout the film, and she deducts that they must be hiding the pearls. She eventually meets Coeur De

Nior (Curry)at the De Nior stronghold who reveals that they do not have the lost pearls as she thought, and it becomes clear that both the families have no idea where they are and have just been endlessly accusing the one another of stealing them. Maria must then read between the lines of the old legends to attempt to lift the curse to save them all.

Maria at the magic piano

   The film was given a very limited release and has since been mostly forgotten. The only way I found it was through a chance scanning through Netflix. This was Dakota Blue Richards second major film after the Academy-award winning The Golden Compass released a year before. 
   The film, while not being as technically advanced as some of the newer fantasy flicks such as Maleficent and Snow White and the Huntsman, the CGI used in combination with the real sets creates an atmosphere like that of stage play. The sets and costumes are absolutely beautiful; Beatrix Aruna Pasztor creates a steampunkish theme in her garments that adds to the near-apocalyptic setting of the plot. The somewhat deconstructed gowns and frayed edges contribute to the Merryweather house that is falling into ruin as the curse nears. 
   The story itself is a bit confusing at points, but mostly flows well. This is because the film makers wanted to include most of the characters from the original novel, but they could have condensed some of them together.

Maria exploring her new room

   Maria is an excellent example to young girls; she is thrown into a new world and takes initiative to act and not be passive as some of the other characters tell her to be, and instead takes the control of her own life and fights for what she believes in. She conquers her fears, such as horse-back riding, and makes decisions about how she feels for herself for the first time in her life. Dakota Blue Richards is excellent in the role.

Maria as "The Moon Princess"

   Some have criticized the film for having a lacking script and instead being a display of pretty clothes and sets and has no depth. Personally, I think that the film is underrated and has much more depth than anything in the effects shows that dominate the fantasy genre today. The film is engaging for the young and gives them an introduction to common elements of story-telling in a way that appears different and more exciting than other, much more dry in story, British films.
   This is a film that deserves much more recognition than it has received, and deserves attention much more than whatever flashy creation starring Johnny Depp that Tim Burton has created to fill the pockets of Disney executives this year.
   The Secret of Moonacre is a lost pearl and has beautiful glow all its own.
   Three stars, watch it.

The Moon Princess and her little white horse