3 reasons you’ll want to go ‘Into the Woods’ with Disney this Christmas


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

ENCHANTED FOREST — Disney’s take on Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” is set to charm audiences this Christmas, and both fans and newcomers alike have a lot to look forward to.

True, the popular 1980s musical enjoys a dedicated and vocal fan base who’ve been leery of a cinematic adaptation, but in many ways, “Into the Woods” feels more at home on the big screen, especially during its smaller, quieter moments.

If you're considering taking a trip into the woods this holiday season, here are three reasons we think you definitely should.

Movie first

Many of the inevitable criticisms of “Into the Woods” will have more to do with what’s missing from the play than the actual execution of the film.

Fans of the stage production will notice changes in the story, dropped numbers, and some of the darker elements simply ignored. But at the end of the day, this isn’t a note-for-note transfer from stage to screen. The cuts make for a tighter, even-paced cinematic adventure that could’ve otherwise felt disjointed and bloated.

If purists can view Rob Marshall’s “Into the Woods” as its own experience, it will make sense why Rapunzel lives happily ever after, the Prince Charmings don’t pine for Snow White and Sleeping Beauty’s attention, and possibly even why “No More” is left to an instrumental reflection.

"Into the Woods" will be in theaters Christmas day. (Photo: AP Photo/Disney Enterprises, Inc., Peter Mountain)
"Into the Woods" will be in theaters Christmas day. (Photo: AP Photo/Disney Enterprises, Inc., Peter Mountain)

If you had a small panic attack even reading the above list of missing items, relax and take a deep breath. If “witches can be right,” surely Disney Studios deserves its chance.

The cast

With the obvious exception of Johnny Depp whisper-talking his way through a few out-of-reach notes, Disney’s cast of “Into the Woods” complements the original material beautifully.

Meryl Streep’s take on the short-fused, spell-casting gardner is getting the most attention from critics, but Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, James Corden and Lila Crawford all deserve accolades for their sincere journey into this musical universe. Even Depp, who lacks the musical range, delivers on a genuinely creepy and threatening “Mr. Wolf.”

While there is an established and great line-up of interpretations and cast recordings, the 2014 original motion picture company may just end up becoming your favorite.

The point of the thing

Part of the reason “Into the Woods,” in its many forms, continues to resonate with audiences is because of its simple, melodic way of tackling complicated and uncertain realities.

Seemingly tender moments like the song, “Children Will Listen,” first appear disarming before acting as a sobering warning for parents everywhere. And even the central, almost throw-away theme of being careful what you wish for doesn’t conclude with any neatly wrapped finality.

Like all great fairy tales, “Into the Woods” has a message it wants to get out there. Only its message is complicated, and may take some time to sum-up exactly. In fact, you might have to make your own decisions about what it’s trying to say. And that really is a good thing.

For the kids?

One last note before families include their little ones on their outing into the woods — this is not a happily ever after kind of movie. While there is almost no objectionable language or offensive imagery, there will be plenty to talk about on the drive home.

Also, Sondheim’s music requires a lot more attention than your standard Disney material. And while Marshall does a great job illustrating some of the faster, conceptual lyrics, children under 10 may lose their way and get bored.

Conclusion

“Into the Woods” is a beautiful film to look at with a wonderful cast, compelling music and something worthwhile to say. If musicals are a tough sell for you, there’s a high probability this won’t be that one exception, but for everyone else, there’s a reason Marshall’s “Chicago” won Best Picture. Marshall knows how to bring Broadway to film, and “Into the Woods” is an exclamation point on that fact.


![](http://media.bonnint.net/slc/2539/253907/25390738\.jpg)
About the Author: Travis Poppleton ----------------------------------

Travis Poppleton has been covering movie news, film reviews and live events for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010 and co-hosts the FlixJunkies podcast. You can contact him at tspoppleton@gmail.com.

Related links

Related stories

Most recent Entertainment stories

Related topics

Entertainment

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast