A young hero goes on a quest first to get the weapon of kick-butt to use on the evil guy in the tower, and thereby lift an evil curse. Tell me if you've heard this story before. But this is straight formula, which is understandable since this is an adaptation of a children's book, and the story must be one that young kids can understand. The simplicity of the story is also evident in the dialogue and writing. The characters are barely sketched in, and a generally fine cast is reduced to spouting off lines that sound just like well, a children's book.
Nobody gets a decent line in the whole film.
Timothy Bottoms is likewise wasted as a curly-haired dad whose sole job seems to be hugging Mio. Christopher Bale is game enough, even at his young age 14 years ago, but again there is nothing for him to do but say the childish dialogue and tag along as the sidekick. I know, I know this is a children's story and this is all to be expected. And I did say that if you could embrace that inner child tightly enough, you could enjoy the story. But the best movies for kids also have elements to entertain the parents, and thereby gain wider appeal.