A movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This movie is rated PG. It is chaste, exciting, magical, curious, whimsical, visually exceptional, emotional, sentimental, and occasionally terrifying.

What I enjoyed most was the respectful and often matter of fact focus on the children and adolescents around whom the story revolves. They are brave, intelligent, resolute, and at times goofy or even cruel.

The three main characters find themselves in an intergalactic search for a missing father helped along by three very different but benign witches. Acting by all participants is solid. Storm Reid as the main character inhabits her role with just the right mix of seriousness, charm, and intelligence. The mix of music is also perfect with well-chosen songs throughout.

My only real complaint about the movie is its length. It’s packed with events and visual splendor but is too short. At times I wanted things to just slow down a bit and explore all the characters more. Maybe that’s because I’ve never read the book. Perhaps children seeing the movie will be less patient than I.

You must try to experience the movie from the perspective of a child or an adolescent. The emotions displayed in the film are at times very raw and on the surface: love, regret, fear, doubt, jealousy, anger -- they’re all here and viewed from a young perspective.

It’s a heady emotional mix that occasionally butts heads with the plentiful visual splendors on display. That’s quite a directorial accomplishment, in my opinion.

Some younger children may find some of the sequences too scary or even nightmarish. But on balance this is a very solid film.

The Disney organization should be proud that it has made an investment in such a film.  What’s also significant is that the film's multi-cultural and multi-racial nature will be unnoticed by many if not most of the young people who see it.

Review copyright © 2018 by Dennis D. McDonald