So I wasn’t planning on making another new article type this year, but then I realized: there’s actually a decent amount of movie adaptations of chapter books. And TV shows. Even stage plays. That’s at least one Watch List article a year. So let’s talk about this movie.

Actually, let’s talk about the chapter books this movie is a sequel to first.

The Chapter Books This Movie Is A Sequel To

I’ve already talked about Rainbow Magic as a series in this article a few months ago. But Night Fairies isn’t the first Rainbow Magic sub-series, Rainbow Fairies is.

These ones.
This is the story arc where Rachel and Kirsty first meet on vacation to Rainspell Island.

These two.
And they discover rainbow magic alongside the rainbow fairies.

Them.
Ruby the red fairy, Amber the orange fairy, Sunny the yellow fairy (UK: Saffron), Fern the green fairy, Sky the blue fairy, Inky the indigo fairy (UK: Izzy), and Heather the violet fairy to be specific. Together they bring color to all of Fairyland.
But “evil” Jack Frost banishes them the human world to make Fairyland cold and grey.

This guy.
And then Rachel and Kirsty find the rainbow fairies scattered across Rainspell Island and return color back to Fairyland. I don’t want to spoil too much, so maybe go read them. This is the first arc in one of the most influential, actual longest chapter book series ever, after all. So popular, that it got a movie with a theatrical release in the UK. I can only think of maybe one other chapter book series that did that. Okay, two.

This Movie

This movie picks up right at the end of book 7. Heather the violet fairy is found and the rainbow fairies banish Jack and the goblins to the snow globe, just like in the book (except for the part where he almost dies first).

Them. Now in color. And anime!

This movie was made in partnership with Japanese company The Answer Studio, better known for their work on Your Name. So that’s why this British series looks very anime. The voices are still in British English though. There’s actually no Japanese dub, funnily enough.

So I didn’t really have a solid idea of how I was going to write this part of the article in mind. I think I’ll handle it like a typical Book Smarts article: just the high points. Like the books this movie is based on, I don’t want to spoil too much either. It’s only 60 minutes, and you can watch it for free on Pluto TV. You don’t have to import the DVD like me. That’s just for my collection credibility.

The Rainbow Fairies Have Big Personality

They do a bit in the books too, but it’s really present here. Crazy how they can manage all these characters and still give them distinct personalities in one hour.

Jack’s Goblins Have Names

Leonardo, Newton, and Edison. Pretty funny that they’re all named after famous smart people. Newton even has a running gag where heavy stuff keeps falling on him.

In the books, Jack has way more goblins, so they’re not named, but it makes sense they do it here. Not sure they needed the clothes though.

There’s Mean Girls In This!

Colour me surprised. Thanks Lydia, Wendy, Angela, and Bril for making this movie even better than I thought it was going to be. Leader Lydia even tells off Rachel’s mom later on in the movie. Pretty mean.

Also I love their huge belts. They even have different buckles.

Rachel and Kirsty Go Camping Again

For the first time, I mean. I read Night Fairies first, so they’d already been camping in my mind.

They Make This Wand Arc For Rachel And Kirsty To Walk Through

I just thought it looked cool. Very silly and dramatic of them. Starting from Ruby and going backwards, it’s even in rainbow color order (ROYGBIV)! I just noticed that. Nice attention to detail.

Nice Traits All Around

Legit nice traits, not just chapter book main character nice traits. In the books too. They all really earned them.

The Fairies Have Their Sparkle Trails

In their color and even their specific shapes sometimes. You can see them better in the nice images above. Very useful in wide shots, so you can keep track of where the fairies are.

Jack Makes A Snowman Army

To rule the human world, too. That’s the basic version of the plot. More happens. Escalation happens. It’s pretty cool, pun intended.

He Also Has a Terrible Rap Song

Not cool. There’s 3 songs in this movie. This one is really really bad. Not even funny bad. The other two songs are fine.

“Do you believe in fairies?” – Rachel

“Ehehehehe! Of course we believe in fairies! Hahahaha!” – Amber
“Good. That means you believe in yourselves.” – Rachel
“That seems logical.” – Sunny
“Well then. If you believe in yourselves, the skies the limit! Right, Kirsty?” – Rachel

This exchange made me smile and tear up. How is this not in the books? The entire movie, Rachel has been insecure about her belief in fairies, and this scene is the big payoff for her coming around. What a great rally. I’m gonna remember this exchange for quite a while. Maybe forever.

Conclusion

So I liked this movie, but would you? Probably need to be a Rainbow Magic fan. Wouldn’t hurt to have read the first seven books. Honestly, it’s way better than I thought it was going to be. It’s a simple plot and has simple characters and a simple runtime, sure. But the execution and attention to detail is really on point.

While this might be the only Rainbow Magic movie, there’s a ton more Rainbow Magic ground to cover. And a ton more chapter book ground to watch. Find out what next Watch List.