It’s time to return to the beloved classic novel The Secret Garden. The Secret Garden movie of 2020 is a beautiful remake is sure to charm families everywhere. We sat down with Dixie Egerickx and Edan Hayhurst to chat about their new film.
The Secret Garden is available to watch as a Premium Video On Demand now on your favorite streaming services.
THE SECRET GARDEN 2020 starring Colin Firth, Julie Walters, and Dixie Egerickx is a new take on the beloved classic novel of the same name written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Set in England during a new time period in 1947, the film follows a young orphan girl who, after being sent to live with her uncle, discovers a magical garden on the grounds of his estate. Marc Munden is directing the script, which was adapted for the screen by Jack Thorne. David Heyman (Harry Potter franchise, Paddington 1, 2) and Rosie Alison (Paddington 1, 2) are producing and Jane Robertson (The Danish Girl, Bridget Jones’s Baby) is co-producing. StudioCanal’s Ron Halpern, Didier Lupfer, and Dan MacRae are executive producers. STXfilms will distribute THE SECRET GARDEN in the U.S. and Canada.
The latest installment brings the story forward in time a little more than the original story but still allows for families to understand that the story was in the past. Egerickx plays Mary Lennox, a privileged little girl that grew up in India with her wealthy British parents. The story takes place after World War II, and there are remnants of the death and destruction everywhere. The prologue to Mary’s story is heartwrenching and hard to watch. Her journey to go live with her Uncle after her parents die is tough. She has some growing to do, but just enough to remind her of what it is like to be a child and how important it is to hold on to your imagination. 
The Secret Garden shows us the healing nature of being outside among mother nature. Mary seems to know this deep down because she is always playing outside. She also uncovers the truth about her cousin Colin, played by Edan Hayhurst. Their mothers were twins, and having lost them both they more than a few connections. Mary helps break Colin (and their Uncle) from the prisons they have erected in their minds within the walls of the house. A collection of misfit children grow together when they discover the gardens and their healing powers.
Check out the full interview with Dixie Egerickx and Edan Hayhurst in the video below.
The onsite filming locations for The Secret Garden were magnificent, so naturally, I wanted to know what the actors thought of these places that they got to roam while filming.
Where were your favorite onsite outdoor filming locations?
Dixie: Oh yeah, there was a place that we went to, and it was called Trebah, and it had, it was probably my favorite. It was this big garden, so nice, and it had all this big gunnera which is a type of plant, but it was really pretty and really fun. I hadn’t seen anything like it to be fair. There was a mini, like a private beach at the end, which was so nice. Yeah, that was probably my favorite, I really liked it, and the weather was really good.
Edan: Yeah, I remember that. We have to get tutoring on set because we still have to go to school and everything, and I remember tutoring on the beach, which was a new experience for me. I’d agree that that was a good one. 
What life lessons would you want your young readers to take away from this movie?
Edan: Just the real beauty and power of nature and the people around you. That people aren’t always as they seem at first. You have to kind of get to know them to see the other side of them.
Dixie: I agree with Edan, the importance of nature and protecting it, and the importance of friendship and stuff is a big part of the film. How people can grow and change in good ways, like positive ways.
Watch the video for the full interview.
While this movie has some beautiful imagery, I don’t think it will hold the younger audience’s attention. My 12-year-old really enjoyed the movie and thought it was beautiful. With the new, The Secret Garden movie comes an original cinematic novelization as well. Because the stories are different, you can now get a collection of books to go with the 2020 version of the film.
