Why We Should All Go (To) "Into the Woods" This Christmas

By Elana Goodwin on December 18, 2014

Santa’s not the only one bringing you presents this Christmas — Disney is too in the form of the movie “Into the Woods,” which is coming to theaters Christmas Day.

Photo Credit: Disney

Based on the book by James Lapine and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim, this musical film adaptation looks like a delightful family, fantasy movie that includes classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales with new modern twists. From the trailer, you can already tell the music will be big, the sets will be awesome, and the cast simply incredible.

The film is being directed by Rob Marshall, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director in 2003 for “Chicago.” Marshall is also a producer for “Into the Woods.”

“Into the Woods” is one of the most popular plays for schools to do productions of and in the 1990s Hollywood did start to try to make it into a movie. In that version, which never ended up coming to fruition, Robin Williams, Cher, Steve Martin, Danny DeVito, Goldie Hawn and Roseanne Barr were all supposed to star. But after various casting changes and other developments, a film adaptation of “Into the Woods” was put on hold until now.

The basic plot of the movie is that a baker and his wife who want a child have to go about collecting certain magical items from various beloved fairy tales in order to have a witch reverse the curse put on their family. Main characters include personas from stories such as “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk,” among others.

“The first half is very much a romp and a farce; it’s joyous, smart, clever and playful,” director Rob Marshall explained at the film’s world premiere last week at New York City’s Ziegfeld Theatre.

“But when it turns is, in a way, the best part, because you reveal what happens after ‘happily ever after.’ Is what they wanted really what they wanted? And what did they do to get it? It’s a wonderful lesson for children today.”

Besides being a film children can find entertaining, despite the movie’s skepticism on happy endings, the humor and complicated narrative will find adults enjoying “Into the Woods,” too. And theater buffs and Sondheim fans are sure to also enjoy the film adaptation of the renowned play.

Photo Credit: E! Online

Even if you’ve never heard of “Into the Woods,” it’s a must-see alone simply because of the movie’s fantastic all-star cast consisting of Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Chris Pine and Johnny Depp.

And while we knew Streep (“Mamma Mia”), Corden (“One Chance”) and Kendrick (“Pitch Perfect”) could sing, before this film, neither Pine or Blunt’s singing skills really existed or were known to anyone but themselves. Both actors were nervous to audition, and Blunt said, “Once I got over my own fear of singing in front of other people it turned out to be such an exhilarating and impassioned experience.”

Though “Into the Woods” has yet to be released into theaters, it’s already been nominated for three Golden Globes. The film itself has been nominated for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Emily Blunt has been nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, and Meryl Streep has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

Early reviews have started to trickle in from critics, and they’ve been generally favorable so far. Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney wrote, “This twisty fairy-tale mash-up shows an appreciation for the virtues of old-fashioned storytelling, along with a welcome dash of subversive wit.”

Meanwhile, Variety’s Scott Foundas wrote, “If so much as one tween viewer adds Sondheim to his or her iPod playlist alongside the likes of “Let it Go,” all will have been worthwhile.”

And Robbie Collin for The Telegraph raved:

“The film is a whirl of pure pleasure that just keeps whirling: Sondheim doesn’t write show-stoppers but show-surgers, and from the moment the glorious opening number whips up, introducing the central players, the film cartwheels onwards until it lands at its unexpected but quite beautiful happy-ever-after.”

So whether you’re spending Christmas and the holidays with friends, family, or both, you’re going to want to head to the movies together to receive the amazing musical gift of “Into the Woods” brought to you by Disney. It’ll have you replacing Christmas classics (and 2014′s song of the year, “Let It Go,”) with Sondheim tunes for the rest of your winter break and leaving you quoting Streep saying “Go to the wood!”

So, “go to (into) the wood(s)!”

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