FIVE CHILDREN AND IT

Year: 2004
UK: Pathe Distribution
Cast: Eddie Izzard, Jonathan Bailey, Jessica Claridge, Freddie Highmore, Poppy Rogers, Alec Muggleton, Zak Muggleton, Alexander Pownall, Kenneth Branagh, Zoe Wanamaker, Alex Jennings, Tara Fitzgerald, John Sessions, Duncan Preston, Norman Wisdom
Director: John Stephenson
Country: UK
UK: 89 mins
UK Certificate: U contains scary moments
UK Release Date: 22 October 2004
UK Release Date: 15 October 2004 (Limited Release - Scotland)


Synopsis

With their father away at war and their mother nursing the wounded, five children from London are sent away to stay with their Uncle in his dilapidated mansion by the sea. There they encounter a strange household, comprising Uncle, who demands absolute silence in order to write his book, Martha, the friendly but crazy housekeeper and Uncle's son Horace, a small boy with a laboratory in the basement - an evil scientist in the making.

While exploring, the children find a secret passage under the house that takes them to a strange beach. What they thought was going to be a dull summer in the country is about to become the most exciting summer of their lives when they accidentally dig up an 8000 year-old sand-fairy, a Psammead.

It is the crankiest creature they've ever encountered, the last sand-fairy in the world, and according to 'It', the greatest that ever granted a wish. It confesses to dealing with greedy kings and corrupt officials with ideas above their station, but is certainly not used to children and does not care much for them either.

It, although ancient and irritable, grants them a wish a day, lasting until sunset. The children soon learn that it's very hard to think of really sensible wishes, and It derives great satisfaction in misinterpreting wishes to cause maximum devastation. They crash cars, create chaos and destruction with a house full of clones, conjure up a T-Rex, sprout magical wings and try and rescue their father from the battlefield. Magic, the children find can be as awkward as it is enticing.

FIVE CHILDREN AND IT is an action packed summer adventure that blends magic, fun and perilous exploits, and proves that the power of wishes isn't as strong as the power of family. FIVE CHILDREN AND IT is adapted from the much-loved and magical children's classic of the same name by E Nesbit ("The Railway Children"), cited as the author who most inspired JK Rowling ("Harry Potter"). This Magical world is brought to life using a combination of animatronics, live action and CGI.

Award-winning stand-up comedian and actor Eddie Izzard (THE CAT'S MEOW, SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE) is the voice of 'It', the cranky Psammead, the main child (Robert) is played by Freddie Highmore who will soon appear on screen in the title role of Peter Pan in "JM Barrie's FINDING NEVERLAND, with Kenneth Branagh (HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS) as the eccentric Uncle and Zoe Wanamaker (HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE) as Martha, the friendly but crazy housekeeper.