After seeing this movie pop up in an obscure movie TikTok slideshow (one that I need to look up now that I’ve seen it), I found myself dropping everything to go watch this adaptation of a book that I read way back when I was a child. I’ll have to give it another read since I still have my copy on the shelf - yet something tells me that not much was changed from the source material, seeing as I was able to vaguely follow along and nod at all the beats taken straight from the book.
Due to George MacDonald’s strong Christian faith, there’s a very blatant spiritual element to this film that most people likely missed - while the story is never overtly Christian in the sense that it never depicts God or Christ in a straightforward manner, it should be obvious to Christians that the great, great grandmother, her beautiful, dove-like pigeons, her evasive answers concerning her state of being, and her magical ball of enchanted thread are all metaphors for Christ and the Holy Spirit - a theme shared with what is arguably regarded as his most famous work, At the Back of the North Wind.
Similarly, the goblins are easy stand-ins for the forces of the devil - it is even directly stated that, when subjected from the sun for too long, even humans may come to resemble the darkness-loving goblins. Much like demons, they hate the “sun people” and their use of music - a deeply held cultural belief among Christians regarding the use of hymns and spiritual songs to ward off evil.
What is fascinating about this film is that it all of those faith-based messages are kept intact, largely due to its accuracy to the book. While it may not be animated all that well (and severely lacking in a proper soundtrack and sound effects library,) there’s something to be said about how genuine and loyal it is to its source material.
Ultimately, this was a pleasant surprise, even if it isn’t a masterpiece.
After seeing this movie pop up in an obscure movie TikTok slideshow (one that I need to look up now that I’ve seen it), I found myself dropping everything to go watch this adaptation of a book that I read way back when I was a child. I’ll have to give it another read since I still have my copy on the shelf - yet something tells me that not much was changed from the source material, seeing as I was able to vaguely follow along and nod at all the beats taken straight from the book.
Due to George MacDonald’s strong Christian faith, there’s a very blatant spiritual element to this film that most people likely missed - while the story is never overtly Christian in the sense that it never depicts God or Christ in a straightforward manner, it should be obvious to Christians that the great, great grandmother, her beautiful, dove-like pigeons, her evasive answers concerning her state of being, and her magical ball of enchanted thread are all metaphors for Christ and the Holy Spirit - a theme shared with what is arguably regarded as his most famous work, At the Back of the North Wind.
Similarly, the goblins are easy stand-ins for the forces of the devil - it is even directly stated that, when subjected from the sun for too long, even humans may come to resemble the darkness-loving goblins. Much like demons, they hate the “sun people” and their use of music - a deeply held cultural belief among Christians regarding the use of hymns and spiritual songs to ward off evil.
What is fascinating about this film is that it all of those faith-based messages are kept intact, largely due to its accuracy to the book. While it may not be animated all that well (and severely lacking in a proper soundtrack and sound effects library,) there’s something to be said about how genuine and loyal it is to its source material.
Ultimately, this was a pleasant surprise, even if it isn’t a masterpiece.
