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There are not many children’s animated adventures that include 9th-century Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age among their settings, or which can boast the historical figure Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi as a featured character. Who he? As one of a plucky quartet of gifted children explains, “That’s the father of mathematics! … he’s why we have algorithms!”

This interesting backdrop is one of several – as the title suggests, the kids hop to different timelines – which is among the film’s strengths. Another boon are some pretty good Christmas-cracker style jokes, usually made in passing by background characters such as these two guards trading witticisms: “Why should you never race a Muslim during Ramadan? Because they fast.”

Unfortunately, the adventures of little Abdullah, Aysha, Khalid and Layla drag in other ways. The animation and character design are extremely lacklustre. Time Hoppers looks rather like Animal Crossing, but what passes muster in an interactive video game is horrible to look at for the duration of a motion picture. The characters seem more like avatars than distinctive creations, and the bland voice work matches that vibe, while the lines that most of the main characters have to deliver are a mixture of externalising emotions (“I’m scared”) and exposition (“My dad has always had a thing about time”).

You can look at children’s films through the lens of whether it will keep them quiet for an hour and a half; if that’s your concern, the answer here is yes, probably. But should they watch it? On the one hand, the information about historical figures is no doubt interesting and educational, but ultimately you’d like to hope it is possible to find family entertainment that strikes a happier blend of value and style. This is edutainment that’s a little light on the -tainment.

• Time Hoppers: The Silk Road is in UK cinemas from 17 April.