Five Children and It

When their father goes off to war, five children are sent away to the English coast to live with their eccentric uncle (Branagh). On a deserted beach they discover a Psammead (voiced by Izzard), an 8,000-year-old sand-fairy with the power to grant wishes. Based on a story by Edith Nesbit that reads like Enid Blyton rewritten by Roald Dahl, Five Children and It is by turns magical, charming and irritating. The magic and charm are supplied by Izzard, who is hugely enjoyable as the wise-cracking voice of the knowing sand-fairy: "You'll learn a valuable lesson," he announces slyly as he grants yet another double-edged wish. The irritation comes courtesy of the overwrought acting of Freddie Highmore as Robert, the child who learns the hardest lessons, while the predictable story adopts a heavy-handed moral tone in which a selfish child receives a disproportionate comeuppance.