The prayers of parents, desperate for something to entertain the kids during Easter, have been answered.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a rollicking fairytale full of magic and mystery, based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, which reveal an alternative reality full of goblins and ogres.

British child star Freddie Highmore (Charlie And The Chocolate Factory) continues to shine in dual roles, playing twins Jared and Simon, who move to the dilapidated family pile of Spiderwick Mansion with their older sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) in the wake of their parents' failed marriage.

The children's mother (Mary Louise-Parker) struggles to put a brave face on the move.

However, she's powerless to cajole Jared from his sulk, stemming from the enforced separation from his father.

The moody tyke explores the house and discovers a book in the attic entitled Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide To The Fantastical World Around You, a study apparently written by their great-great-uncle.

Jared opens the leather-bound tome and thus a doorway to a world of goblins, fairies and sprites surrounding the old mansion, which can only be seen through an enchanted "seeing stone" or by the power of a hobgoblin's spittle.

Luckily, a friendly hobgoblin called Hogsqueal (voiced by Seth Rogen) allows Jared to view this hidden realm by spitting in his eye.

The boy discovers that a shape-shifting ogre called Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) seeks the Field Guide and will stop at nothing to acquire it.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a brilliant, action-packed adventure that manages to keep one foot firmly in reality, even during the most wondrous flights of fantasy.

Despite the PG certificate, parents with very small or particularly sensitive children would be advised to exercise discretion.

  • See it at the ABC and Empire.