BASED on the beloved children’s novels by Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl becomes the latest major release to forgo cinematic syndication. From Friday, fans will finally be able to experience the long time coming adaptation - which has floated through so-called ‘development hell’ for the best part of two decades - on Disney Plus.

Both books and film tell the story of Artemis Fowl II: 12 year old whizz kid and descendent of a lengthy line of criminal masterminds. Here, his search for his kidnapped father - Artemis Fowl I - is the focus. Accompanied by his dwarfish servant - Mulch Diggums - Artemis soon finds himself in epic battle against a race of powerful underground fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance.

Newcomer Ferdia Shaw appears something of a find as he brings to life the film’s titular prodigy but comes well accompanied by the more seasoned faces of Colin Farrell, Judi Dench and, rather channelling Harry Potter stalwart Hagrid, Josh Gad. Behind the camera, Kenneth Branagh directs a script by Conor McPherson and Hamish McColl - who, most recently, penned the Dad’s Army reboot - with Judy Hofflund sharing production duties. There’s music from Scottish composer Patrick Doyle and visual panache aplenty by virtue of Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express collaborator Haris Zambarloukos.

From the moment trailers surfaced, fans have expressed both a sense of due wariness and, perhaps premature, disgust towards perceived shifts made in Fowl’s transition from page to screen. Branagh’s film not only merges the plots of multiple books in the series but appears to soften their more acerbic flairs. Rather than the cool, calculating anti-hero fans had to learn to love on the page, Disney’s Artemis bears all the hallmarks of the wide eyed ‘tween of countless kiddie fantasy adventures. Further still, a sense that the film’s tone lacks unique identity - borrowing instead from J. K. Rowling’s Wizarding World and, dare we say, Spy Kids - irks.

Pandemic or no, Disney’s willingness to shift Artemis Fowl to streaming is hardly more promising. No Marvel film would suffer such demotion, whilst the studio’s other upcoming titles - Mulan among them - have instead been pushed back to a safer future slot.

Those less dedicated to the source material may still be in for a treat with Disney’s Artemis but fans will likely deem it fowl.