The Canterville Ghost (PG)

According to legend, Sir Simon de Canterville drowned his wife Lady Eleanor in the lake of Canterville Chase and for hundreds of years the nobleman's ghost has been cursed to haunt the manor. American patriarch Hiram B Otis moves from Boston into the country pile with his clan. Daughter Virginia makes her displeasure about the move clear and she forges a pact with Sir Simon to scare her parents back to America.

LondonNet Film Review

The Canterville Ghost (PG) Film Review from LondonNet

A little bit of Fry and Laurie enlivens a computer-animated retelling of Oscar Wilde’s 1887 short story about the spectre of a nobleman, who is condemned to haunt his ancestral home unless a brave descendant solves a riddle and fulfils an ancient prophecy. Screenwriters Giles New and Keiron Self make minor renovations to the original text, losing one member of the visiting Otis family to focus attention on a spirited teenage daughter, who will realise her destiny, free the ghost from its earthbound shackles and learn wholesome lessons about the enduring power of love…

A galaxy of homegrown talent including Meera Syal, Imelda Staunton and Miranda Hart ply gentle humour in supporting roles, the latter at her most effusively plummy as a gung-ho ghost hunter who pledges to rid Canterville Chase of its unwanted manifestation. From an opening scene of night-time menace replete with flashes of lightning and a cawing crow, The Canterville Ghost treads lightly when it comes to paranormal activity. Scares are exceedingly gentle so there’s little chance of young audiences losing their ectoplasm. When the titular phantom dislocates his head to shock two impish boys, the troublesome tykes are amused not frightened and promptly use the noggin as a football.

According to local legend, Sir Simon de Canterville (voiced by Stephen Fry) drowned his wife Lady Eleanor in the lake of Canterville Chase and for hundreds of years the nobleman’s ghost has been cursed to haunt the manor. American patriarch Hiram B Otis (David Harewood) moves from Boston into the country pile after the previous owner, Lord Monroe (Bill Lobley), is driven mad by one of Sir Simon’s nocturnal hauntings. Hiram’s well-to-do wife Lucretia (Syal) and mischievous twins Kent (Bennett Miller) and Louis (Jakey Schiff) are excited about the move but daughter Virginia (Emily Carey) makes her displeasure clear.

Desperate to travel the world, Virginia forges a pact with Sir Simon to scare her parents back to America and the apparition promises to have Hiram and Lucretia “gibbering down the driveway within the week”. Meanwhile, phantasmagorical investigator Algernean Van Finchley (Hart) visits the house and Virginia is spooked by a mysterious gardener (Hugh Laurie) and her feelings for kind-hearted dignitary Henry Duke of Cheshire (Freddie Highmore).

Directed by Kim Burdon and co-directed by Robert Chandler, The Canterville Ghost is undemanding family-friendly fare that mocks outdated gender stereotypes. “Whoever heard of a girl in trousers? It is against nature!” blusters Sir Simon upon his first meeting with Virginia. Animation lacks the sophistication and realism achieved by Pixar and DreamWorks but there are occasional cute flourishes like one doomed love story realised as clockwork pop-up theatre. The film chugs towards its heart-warming resolution like clockwork too.

– Sarah Lee