Into the Woods (2014)

Disney, 2014
Starring Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, James Corben, and Emily Blunt
Directed by Rob Marshall
Music and Lyrics by Stephan Sondheim

We leave Denmark and enter the woods for a far darker fantasy. This is another one that took years to bring to the big screen. It was originally in development at Columbia in the early 90's, but they'd lost interest by the end of the decade. It didn't start up again until Marshall approached Sondheim after the success of Chicago in 2002 to direct one of his shows, and Sondheim suggested Into the Woods. It finally got going around 2012, and debuted in 2014 to become a fair success. How does this melding of four famous fairy tales and one original one look on the big screen? Let's start in a small town with a lot of folks doing wishing and find out...

The Story: The Baker (Corben) and his wife (Blunt) want nothing more than to have a child, but were cursed by a witch (Streep) after she caught his father raiding her garden. Because she did lose the magic beans, the witch was herself cursed to be ugly by her mother. Pretty Cinderella (Kendrick)  wants nothing more than to attend the festival and meet the handsome prince (Chris Pine), but her stepmother (Christine Baranski) won't let her go. Little Red Riding Hood (Lila Crawford) is pursued through the woods by a hungry wolf (Johnny Depp) who wants to do a lot more to her and her granny than see and smell them. Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy) just wishes her guardian the witch would just let her leave her tower. Jack (Daniel Huddlestone) wishes he didn't have to sell his cow, and his mother (Tracey Ullman) wants a better life and a more attentive son.

After many misadventures and much running into each other and losing cows in the woods, they finally all get what they want...but it turns out to be far from the end of our tale. Jack killed the giant when he went up the beanstalk, and now his wife has come down to the kingdom for her revenge. After Rapunzel takes off and the giant kills Little Red Riding Hood and Jack's parents, the others have to figure out how they're going to get the giantess out of the woods...and the importance of teaching the next generation about real love.

The Song and Dance: A great cast brings four of the most beloved fairy tales of all time to life. Kendrick makes a sweet Cinderella, while Pine and Billy Magnussen are hilarious as the princes, who are more concerned with their own egos than their love interests. Streep makes an excellent witch, cursing the Baker and his wife, then so upset when Rapunzel opts to leave safety. Corben and Blunt also do well as the couple who start everything off with their desire for a child, and the kids are a delight.

The other delight here is the special effects. From the birds who dress Cinderella to the tar the witch sinks into, everything does indeed look magical and spooky. Even better are the things they choose not to see. We don't get to actually see the full giantess, just what the characters see of her...but it works better leaving it to our imagination.

Favorite Number: The movie kicks off in high style with an epic title song that gradually involves almost every principal and reveals their desires and wishes...and how they'll impact the story. Streep tears into her solos "Stay With Me" and "Witch's Lament." Blunt and Corben have a touching "It Takes Two," and Blunt does well by "Any Moment" with an amorous Pine and "Moments In the Woods" when she's trying to figure out her feelings afterwards. Crawford has fun with her admittance that "I Know Things Now" after escaping the wolf. Kendrick's "On the Steps of the Palace" as she tries to figure out how to avoid the prince again is adorable, and Pine and Magnussen's "Agony" is hilarious and beautifully filmed by an artificial waterfall.

The film ends with my favorite song from this one, the touching "No One Is Alone." The surviving characters admit that, even if they've lost their loved ones, they still have each other...and their loved ones will always be in their hearts.

What I Don't Like: A lot was changed from the original show. Many characters were cut or had their parts reduced, notably Cinderella's father and the "mysterious man" who shows up in the second half. Many songs were dropped, including the Baker's big solo "No More." And as dark as this is, it's still not as dark as the stage version, which included details like Rapunzel becoming pregnant and being killed by the giant and the princes having affairs with other storybook maidens.

And speaking of Rapunzel, what happened to her and her prince? After she takes off with him, they're neither seen, nor heard from again. We never do find out if they survive the giant or not.

Johnny Depp isn't the singer that the rest of these folks are, and his Jack Sparrow-esque Big Bad Wolf feels more than a little out of place amid the rest of the perfectly-chosen cast.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the cast, the work of Stephan Sondheim, or love older, darker fairy tales like I do, you'll want to take a trip into the woods yourself and check this one out.

Home Media: As one of the more recent movies I've reviewed, this is easily found in all formats, including streaming.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime (Buy Only)