‘The Secret Garden’ is Getting a Super Magical Remake

Anyone up for a little nostalgia today? Yet another movie from the 1990s is being reimagined for contemporary audiences. The Secret Garden, a beloved classic novel is getting its second movie treatment that’s set to debut in Spring 2020. Can fans of the original handle it?

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As with any remake, there’s a bit of controversy. Fans of the original film feel strongly tied to this version because of its touching portrayal of grief and how that translates to both children and parents. The original movie adaptation came out in 1993. It will be very interesting to see how the last 27 years will shape the newest version. A new trailer for the film has been released and it’s giving people all the feels.

Take a look at this newly released trailer and tell me it doesn’t make you believe in magic!

Here’s the new Mary Lennox, played by Dixie Egerickx, discovering a magical garden for her and her friends. She’s accompanied by two other young actors, Amir Wilson and Edan Hayhurst who all seem rather ready for adventure. The adult actors featured in the film include Colin Firth and Julie Walters. A star-studded cast if there’s ever been one!

As you can see, the newest adaptation of The Secret Garden appears to be lighter in tone and much more fun.

Fans of the original film aren’t necessarily thrilled by the new trailer.

The reboot features a rather sunny look, while the original film felt broody. Mary’s circumstances were so sad after the death of her parents that the magical garden was a much-needed escape for her as well as viewers. Can the new film accurately capture and meditate on grief? The new trailer seems to lean on the magic and less on why it was needed in the first place.

How can anyone replace Maggie Smith?

Dame Maggie Smith played the original Mrs. Medlock, a stern character whose heart pumped ice. We’re sure Julie Walters will make a fine Mrs. Medlock! Others wondered online if she could live up to Maggie Smith’s portrayal. Walters has some hard shoes to fill.

Others thought the new trailer was too spectacular.

Fans of the original wondered if all that movie magic necessary. “I’ll accept it if it’s supposed to represent the children’s imaginations of what the garden could become but I don’t want the garden to be actually magic because I’m sure in the original flick and in the book it wasn’t,” a Twitter user roundly criticized. 

The tweet isn’t wrong. In the original film and in the book, the magic garden wasn’t literally magic. The magic was in Mary’s imagination. It was in direct response to her grief and helped bring needed balance into Mary’s life.

People still have hope for the remake.

In a popular tweet, someone who loves both the book and the original film is excited to see the remake, “I still watch the 1993 version and read the book periodically. Still love it until today, excited to see the latest version of the movie [plant emoji].”

It’s only natural for people to feel tied to the original because of the emotional subject matter. This is exponentially true for viewers who read the book or saw the movie as children.

There’s no doubt that the remake of The Secret Garden has the potential to be polarizing. Let’s hope people go into the new film with an open mind. To quote the book, “If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”