 |
| Where Was The Magic Faraway Tree Filmed? All Filming Locations Revealed. (Photo: IMDb) |
The Magic Faraway Tree was filmed across southern England and Malta, combining working studios with real countryside landscapes to create the film's distinctly British fantasy setting. Principal photography took place largely in 2024, with production moving between controlled studio environments and outdoor locations before the film entered its lengthy post-production period ahead of its 2026 release.
For viewers wondering where those enormous trees, rural landscapes and storybook surroundings actually came from, the answer is a mixture of specific production sites rather than one single magical patch of woodland.
Some locations were deliberately kept quiet while filming was under way, which is hardly surprising when a major family production is trying to build an imaginary world without having curious visitors wandering into shot looking for the next social-media post. As a result, not every precise filming spot was publicly identified at the time of production.
The 2026 adaptation, directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby, brings Enid Blyton's much-loved world into a modern family story. Andrew Garfield plays Tim Thompson, with Claire Foy as Polly Thompson, while Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Phoenix Laroche and Billie Gadsdon play their children Beth, Joe and Fran.
The film moves from a technology-heavy London life to an old countryside property and ultimately into the extraordinary world surrounding the Magic Faraway Tree, giving the locations an important role in the family's transformation.
Shinfield Studios, Berkshire
One of the principal production bases for The Magic Faraway Tree was Shinfield Studios in Berkshire, near Reading. The modern studio complex provided the production with the controlled environment needed for major set construction, fantasy sequences and scenes that would have been difficult to capture entirely in the open countryside.
This was particularly useful for the magical sections of the film, where the production needed to control lighting, camera movement, practical scenery and visual effects without worrying about unpredictable British weather deciding to become an additional member of the crew.
Large-scale studio stages also allowed the filmmakers to construct parts of the Faraway Tree environment and surrounding fantasy worlds in a way that could later be expanded digitally.
The Reading and Shinfield area itself also provides a useful contrast to the film's fantastical countryside. While audiences may remember the finished scenes as completely detached from everyday Britain, the production was working within one of the country's increasingly important filmmaking centres.
Southern England Countryside
 |
The English countryside plays a major visual role in The Magic Faraway Tree, providing the rural backdrop into which the Thompson family is transported after leaving their previous urban lifestyle. Rather than relying entirely on constructed sets, the production used landscapes across southern England to establish the sense of isolation and greenery surrounding the family's new home.
These countryside settings are crucial because the story needs the transition from London to feel substantial. The Thompsons are not simply changing houses; they are stepping into an environment where the children's relationship with technology is challenged and their imagination has room to return. Fields, woodland, rural roads and traditional countryside surroundings therefore become part of the story rather than simple background scenery.
For fans hoping to recreate that atmosphere, southern England offers plenty of the same mixture of woodland, farmland and old rural architecture seen throughout the film. The trick, of course, is remembering that the Magic Faraway Tree itself is considerably less likely to be waiting behind the next hedge than the film would have you believe.
Surrey, England
Surrey was another important production area in southern England, offering a combination of countryside, established filming infrastructure and access to major studio facilities. The county has long been useful to film productions because it can provide everything from rural landscapes to large-scale controlled environments without requiring crews to travel enormous distances between locations.
For The Magic Faraway Tree, Surrey's countryside helped establish the visual identity of the family's new rural surroundings. Its mixture of woodland, open land and traditional villages makes it particularly suited to a story that needs to feel recognisably English while still leaving enough room for fantasy to take over.
The county's proximity to London was another practical advantage. A production could capture rural scenes while remaining within reach of the capital and major transport connections, which is considerably more sensible than sending an entire film crew halfway across the country every time a character needs to walk through a field.
 |
Shepperton Studios, Surrey
Several key sequences were filmed at Shepperton Studios on Shepperton Road in Surrey's Spelthorne area. The studio has a long history in British filmmaking and provided the kind of large-scale production facilities required for a project combining live-action performances with elaborate fantasy environments.
For The Magic Faraway Tree, studio filming allowed the filmmakers to control sequences that required extensive set construction and visual-effects work. The approach is particularly important for the film's magical locations, where ordinary physical sets can be combined with digital environments to create places that could never exist in quite the same form in the real world.
Shepperton also helped bridge the film's two visual identities: the recognisable English family drama at ground level and the increasingly extravagant fantasy world encountered higher up the tree. In other words, the studio was doing a lot of heavy lifting while the characters were busy climbing.
The Printworks, London
Additional filming took place at The Printworks in London, a distinctive industrial venue that has become a recognisable location for productions seeking large, atmospheric interior spaces.
Its industrial character gives filmmakers a very different visual palette from the green countryside used elsewhere in the movie. The contrast is useful for a story that deliberately places modern life, technology and corporate culture against an old-fashioned rural environment and an entirely fantastical woodland world.
The London setting also helps reinforce the beginning of the Thompson family's journey. Before they discover the Faraway Tree, their lives are tied to a much more recognisable contemporary environment, making the eventual move into the countryside and magical woods feel like a genuine visual departure.
Malta
The production also travelled to Malta during the latter part of its filming schedule, with the Mediterranean island providing additional environments for the film's fantasy material and effects-heavy sequences.
Malta has a long-established production infrastructure and an unusually varied collection of landscapes and architectural settings. Its distinctive scenery can be transformed significantly through production design, lighting and visual effects, making it useful for filmmakers who need something that does not immediately look like ordinary modern Britain.
For The Magic Faraway Tree, Malta formed part of the production's broader strategy of combining real-world environments with studio work. The result is a fantasy landscape assembled from several different parts of the production rather than a single physical forest that audiences could simply visit with a sat-nav and an optimistic picnic basket.
The Maltese Film Production Setting
The Maltese portion of filming was particularly useful for sequences requiring a more stylised visual environment. While the story is rooted in an English countryside setting, the magical worlds accessed through the Faraway Tree are supposed to feel unpredictable and unlike everyday life.
That meant the filmmakers had considerable freedom to use different landscapes and then transform them through set decoration, cinematography and effects. Malta's contribution therefore sits alongside the English studio and countryside work rather than replacing it, helping create the film's larger fantasy world.
Reading, Berkshire
The wider Reading area is also closely associated with the film's production because of Shinfield Studios. Although the finished movie does not present the region as itself, the location was an important operational base for the production team.
Reading's position in southern England makes it especially practical for productions that need access to London, Surrey and surrounding countryside. For viewers visiting the area, the connection to The Magic Faraway Tree is therefore as much about the filmmaking infrastructure as the scenery appearing directly on screen.
Spelthorne, Surrey
The Spelthorne district provides another useful connection to the production through Shepperton Studios. Situated in northern Surrey and close to Heathrow, the area has long benefited from its position within the wider film-production network surrounding London.
For the movie, the location offered access to major stages while retaining easy connections to the countryside and other southern English shooting areas. It is one of those places audiences may never recognise while watching the film because the real attraction is what the production builds inside the studio.
The lack of a complete list of precise filming spots during production should not be interpreted as a sign that the locations did not exist. Large productions often keep specific shooting addresses and individual outdoor sites private while cameras are rolling, particularly when working around residential areas, public spaces or sensitive production setups.
There is also the very practical issue of crowd control. A major adaptation starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan, Nonso Anozie and other recognisable performers can attract considerable attention.
If every forest track, farm entrance and shooting address were announced in real time, the crew could quickly find itself managing curious visitors instead of filming. Keeping some details quiet is therefore a straightforward way to protect the production schedule and allow cast and crew to work without unnecessary interruptions.
The locations reflect the film's central contrast. London and industrial interiors represent the modern world the Thompson family initially occupies, while Surrey and the wider southern English countryside create the rural setting that pushes the family towards a slower way of life. Shinfield and Shepperton then provide the controlled environments required for the more elaborate fantasy material, while Malta expands the visual range of the magical world.
That mixture is one of the reasons the finished film can feel much larger than its individual shooting locations suggest. A real field can become part of an enchanted forest, a studio stage can become a magical realm and an industrial building can suddenly belong to an entirely different chapter of the family's journey once production design and visual effects enter the picture.
Fan reactions to the film's visual world have naturally varied. Some viewers are particularly interested in finding the real countryside behind the fictional Enchanted Wood, while others are more fascinated by the studio-built environments and how much of the Faraway Tree was created through production design and effects.
There is also a growing appetite among film fans for location trips based around productions such as this. The idea of visiting places associated with a favourite movie can turn an ordinary holiday into a small piece of cinematic archaeology, although anyone planning a trip should remember that a filming location does not necessarily resemble the finished scene. A field is still a field until a film crew arrives with several trucks, a huge lighting rig and an unreasonable number of people discussing where a tree should stand.
For now, the confirmed production trail for The Magic Faraway Tree runs through Shinfield Studios in Berkshire, southern England, Surrey, Shepperton Studios, The Printworks in London and Malta, with the wider countryside playing an important role in creating the film's rural identity. As more precise location information becomes available, the list can be expanded to give fans a clearer picture of where the film's real-world magic was created.
Next: Movies Like The Magic Faraway Tree.
The Magic Faraway Tree is ultimately a story about leaving the familiar behind, so there is something rather fitting about its production travelling between London, English countryside, major studios and Malta to build the final world. Would you visit the real filming locations for a Magic Faraway Tree trip, or would you rather leave the adventure to the Thompsons and enjoy the fantasy from home? Tell us which location you would most like to see, and keep an eye on Tonboriday.com for further filming-location discoveries as more details emerge.