Of late, Instagram has suffused my timeline with clips of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman talking about Practical Magic 2. The two lead actors seem as surprised as the rest of us that there’s a sequel to their 1998 film about a family of witches.Practical Magic (based on Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel of the same name) starred heroines rather than heroes, and wasn’t afraid to explore grief and trauma within a romantic comedy. It also had a climax that culminated in 12 women sweeping a house clean.But it bombed at the box office. Twenty-eight years later, the sequel is out and, regardless of how it fares, I’m delighted we’re in an era when actresses aged 62 (Bullock) and 59 (Kidman) can star in a romantic comedy and get a studio to both greenlight and promote it aggressively.The other recent magic-themed release, The Magic Faraway Tree, has been less fortunate. It dropped into theatres with barely a peep of publicity. I suspect it only showed up on my timeline because my search history includes scones, strawberry jam, ginger beer and pixies.I positively bounded to the first show.Moonface, Silky, Saucepan Man and Dame Wash-a-Lot formed part of the bedrock of my childhood, and I felt honour-bound to watch the film. Because before there were “book husbands”, there were “book friends”.The film did not disappoint. It may be mid-budget, but it is also heartwarming and quietly thought-provoking.Written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Paddington in Peru, Wonka) and directed by Ben Gregor, it moves Blyton’s characters to a modern setting. Fran (Billie Gadsdon), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) are forced to move to the countryside with their parents, Polly (Claire Foy) and Tim (Andrew Garfield), after Polly is fired.Tim hopes this will be an opportunity for the family to reconnect, but the children are aghast at their new circumstances. Their home feels like a ramshackle barn. There is no electricity, and the landlord (played by Farnaby) seems to speak only gibberish.While Polly and Tim try to make the best of it, the children, led by Fran, discover the faraway tree, its whimsical residents, and the magical lands that dock at its highest reaches.The film doesn’t spend enough time or effort on the magical lands, which were the highlights of the original stories. The Land of Birthdays, for instance, is particularly basic. However, these are not the focus of the film.The tree itself (whose leaves do indeed go wisha wisha wisha) is, and it is gorgeously realised, complete with the details Blyton mentioned, including an adorable angry pixie (Hiran Abeysekera) and a slippery slide.Farnaby and Gregor introduce significant and welcome changes to Blyton’s characters. Silky (Nicola Coughlan), originally a petite and petulant fairy, tussles with insecurities about her size. Moonface (Nonso Anozie) is Black; and has a fabulous crescent-shaped hairdo, instead of a full moon as his head.Blyton wrote the books between 1939 and 1951, offering readers an escape from their grim World War 2-era reality. Farnaby and Gregor present their movie as an antidote to dark times too. The difference is that while Blyton presented this fantasy realm as a microcosm of its own, the film holds out the idea that magic is woven into our world.In the film, a careless wish made in the Land of Birthdays causes catastrophe in the real world. A sentimental ditty sung by the children’s father, that initially makes them cringe, proves priceless in the Land of Spells. Magic is not an escape route in the film. It helps navigate the real world.In a strange way, the film’s tepid promotion almost fits into the plot. The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical secret few talk about; yet the ones who need to find it, will likely do so.(Write to Deepanjana Pal @dpanjana on Instagram. The views expressed are personal)