The Secret of Moonacre
| The Secret of Moonacre | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Gábor Csupó |
| Produced by |
David Brown Michael Cowan Brian Donovan Meredith Garlick Monica Penders Jason Piette |
| Screenplay by | Graham Alborough Lucy Shuttleworth |
| Based on |
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge |
| Starring |
Ioan Gruffudd Tim Curry Natascha McElhone Juliet Stevenson Dakota Blue Richards |
| Music by | Christian Henson |
| Cinematography | David Eggby |
| Edited by | Julian Rodd |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $7 million |
The Secret of Moonacre is a 2008 fantasy film based on the novel The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. The film was directed by Gábor Csupó and starred Dakota Blue Richards in the leading role. The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2009 by Warner Bros.
This begins with Maria Merryweather mourning her father and mother at their funerals. She reads a book her father left her entitled "The Ancient Chronicles of Moonacre Valley". In the English countryside of Moonacre Valley there resides two clans: the de Noirs and the Merryweathers. A woman of the de Noir clan is so pure of heart that nature gifts her with a set of powerful magical moon pearls, and she comes to be known as the Moon Princess. The two families unite to celebrate her wedding to Sir Wrolf Merryweather, and exchange two magical animals as gifts: her father, Sir William offers a rare black lion to the bridegroom, and Sir Wrolf bestows a white unicorn from the ocean to his bride. In return, the Moon Princess decides to share the moon pearls with both families. But the power of the pearls incites greed in her father and fiancée. Maria stops reading when a picture of the Princess frightens her.
Maria's father was murdered in London. At the reading of his will, she discovers that he gambled away the family's estate and most of her inheritance. The only thing left is the mysterious book. Due to the loss of the house, Maria and her governess, Miss Heliotrope, must go live with Maria's estranged uncle, Sir Benjamin, in Moonacre Valley, where her father departed from years before her birth.
On their journey to Moonacre Manor while the "halfwit" cabby Digweed is unlocking the gate, Maria and Miss Heliotrope are attacked in their carriage by bandits. One of them is Robin who's hand is scarred by Maria's sewing needle. They manage to escape and upon arrival, Maria discovers that her uncle is a strict, cold, and bad tempered man with very little interest in them. Sir Benjamin confiscates the book on sight, claiming his brother had no right to take it from the manor. He warns Maria that the bandits who attacked them are de Noirs, and she should keep out of the forest if she wants to avoid encountering them again.
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