Has anyone figured out why the movie starts at the Royal Observatory and with the letter yet? Because I haven't.

The people I went with remember Ian McKellen narrating one of the astronomers receiving the letter inquiring as to whether a star could fall from the sky, and it being brushed off as a ridiculous inquiry. I think it was from someone in Wall, but I might be making that up. I don't really understand why it was the opening scene, either.

I went to see it a second time today and I am wondering about the same thing.

My impression is that the child who wrote the question was Dunstan. The question he asked might have been if the stars ever look back at us, since the narration starts with that question, although they never say what the question was. Then Dunstan crosses the wall to find out. I'm not pretending it's the best theory.

I bet it will be answered in the DVD extras. Or at least we'll be able to stop on the reply letter and try to figure it out from there.

The Stardust visual companion book (I spent a good hour reading this at Borders Books) makes it a lot more clear. As Chimeer said, Dunstan writes a letter to the academy of science (or something similar) asking if there could be a magical land on the other side of Wall. Their reply is basically, "hogwash!".

I think the point was just to show the contrast between Victorian England and magic. Whatever the case, it had Ian McKellen narrating and I could listen to his voice all day. He should record audio books.

(he does record audio books, for example this one)

The Odyssey done by Ian McKellen. Awesome! Thanks for pointing that out.

I thought that it was just a way to fit the part of the book: how the well known academics of the day would sneer if you mentioned "faerie" to them, into the movie. I thought it was a bit clumsy the way it was done, but it does establish the context for the rest of the movie to some degree.

*reads rest of thread more carefully*

I'm pretty sure it was Dunstan who sent the letter btw. Wasn't his name on it?

The second time I watched the film, I thought the boy asked the scientist what Ian () asks right before : whether the stars stare back at us. It made so much sense.

But then Ian () goes on talking about the Wall and he says something like "...and the boy was right, for at the other side of the wall lay the magical kingdom of Stormhold..." and it ruined it.