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:

Based on the best selling book "The Little White Horse."

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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 [fr]

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

The title was changed after the producers ran an Internet poll. The Secret of Moonacre was a more popular title then the book's The Little White Horse.

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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

Loveday: You don't understand, do you?
Maria Merryweather: I'm starting to understand one thing. The real curse of this valley is pride.

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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

Lovely as the moon, and that's no secret; especially nice is the art direction

In London, young, almost-a-teen Maria (Dakota Blue Richards) has just lost her father. Her nanny, Miss Heliotrope (Juliet Stevenson) tries to comfort her. When the will is read, Maria is dumbfounded to find out that she must move to the countryside and live with an unknown uncle, Benjamin (Ioan Gruffudd) at a remote estate called Moonacre. With no other choice, Maria and Miss H make the journey. Immediately, her uncle's gruff manner upsets the young lady. Yet, over the course of the next few weeks, magical things begin to happen to Maria. Elves appear and tell her of Moonacre's curse, that is, a pearl necklace was stolen from the Moon Princess long ago, by Maria's relations. In order to break the spell, the gems must be returned and are said to be hidden somewhere on the premises. Can Maria find them? The young girl also has to deal with dangerous, evil neighbors who inhabit a dark castle beyond the woods that separate the two properties. This family, headed by a horrid man (Tim Curry) wants to capture the girl to prevent her from breaking the curse. Also, living in the woods, is a beautiful lady (Natascha McElhone) who was once in love with Benjamin. Unhappily, their engagement went awry and the two are mild enemies, at present. But, since this beautiful woman knows the woods, can she help Maria in her fight against the wicked castle? This is one very lovely film, as beautiful as the moon, as they say. The art direction and special effects are superb, making the movie enchanting to watch. Also fine is the cast, from the stars to the supporting members. With very fine sets, costumes, script and direction as well, why wait for the moon's next appearance? Get this one today!