The Grace family has left New York and moved into the secluded country home of their great-great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), a strange recluse who disappeared years earlier under highly mysterious circumstances. Mom Mallory (Mary-Louise Parker) knows this is the way it had to be, elder daughter Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and one half of twin brothers Jared and Simon (Freddie Highmore, both) more than understanding of her complex and emotional situation.

Sarah Bolger and Freddie Highmore in Paramount Pictures' The Spiderwick Chronicles

It is Jared who is the holdout. He believes his father will be coming for him soon, refuses to allow that his parents can actually even think of breaking up their happy family. In other words, he's furious, and even if the house is full of strange occurrences, odd noises and is located smack-dab in the middle of some truly ominous woods the usually inquisitive kid couldn't care less.

That changes the moment he discovers Arthur Spiderwick's life's work, a hand-written field guide to the fantastical world. Soon Jared is talking with the overly protective house brownie Thimbletack (Martin Short) and making friends with the revenge-seeking hobgoblin Hogsqueal (Seth Rogan), other supposedly mythical creatures hiding within the flower petals and the fluffy wintry whites of overgrown dandelions floating on a summer’s breeze.

But the evil ogre Mulgrath (Nick Nolte) wants this book, and when he discovers the new boy living in his old nemesis' abode possesses it suddenly the Graces find themselves in mortal danger. With his brother and sister by his side Jared must discover the secrets hidden in the world around him and protect the field guide – and thus the world – at all costs, in the process reconnecting with a family he's managed to over time fractiously distance himself from.

Based on Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's popular series of books, The Spiderwick Chronicles is an energetic joy the whole family is almost certain to love. It is also a film I didn't remotely see coming. This is one picture, based on the overly silly trailers and exaggeratedly frenetic promotional materials, I freely admit to not being at all interested in, the thought it would be anything other then moderately passable the only one I could bother concentrating on.

Yet much like last year's fine Disney adaptation of Bridge to Terabithia, this one is an outright winner taking audiences into a tremendously engaging other world both children and adults alike can discover wonders to delight in. More, it is a remarkably appealing on a human level, the characters springing to life with a childlike elegance and grace that's both vivacious and enchanting.

It must still be said that a few of my early premonitions weren't exactly that far off. At times the film does become silly and obnoxious, while the frenzied over-animated theatrics of the climax almost got on my nerves. And while Parker manages some very nice moments as the frazzled mother of her fitfully fraying clan, her character is still far too one-dimensional to ever resonate as clearly as I would have liked.

These are relatively small complaints, however, and in the grand scheme of things there is far more to love about this adaptation then there are to get angry about. The acting is universally solid, with young Finding Neverland and August Rush star Highmore crafting two entirely distinct characters both of whom are completely believable as twins. Director Mark Waters (Mean Girls) keeps the action moving briskly and with a winsomely intoxicating intelligence treating his audience with the respect they deserve, while his writers streamline the sprawling original stories into an invigorating stew full of zest and wonderment.

My guess this has one heck of a lot to do with acclaimed screenwriter John Sayles, the man behind such magnificent achievements as The Return of the Secaucus Seven, Eight Men Out, City of Hope and Lone Star. But it is his luscious Irish fable The Secret of Roan Inish I was reminded of most while watching this, both this film and that capturing the blissful imagination of childhood in ways viewers of every age can hold in elegant rapture. It is his subtlety refreshing touch that is most on display, and because of him I can't help but resort to a cliché of my own and proclaim The Spiderwick Chronicles nothing short of magic.

-Review reprinted courtesy of the SGN in Seattle

Film Rating: êêê (out of 4)

Additional Links:

-  The Spiderwick Chronicles Theatrical Trailer