My mother took my sister and I to see a stage production of Into the Woods when I was a teen. I loved it! It was a fun and fantastic twist on several of my favorite fairy tales. When I heard that Disney was filming their own production, I was ecstatic, especially once I heard who was to star in the film. We went to see this new film recently, and loved it as well. I will warn you, this post does contain spoilers, but if you're familiar with the fairytales Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood, most of it will not come as a surprise.
There are many characters in Into the Woods, and the title song introduces many of them. There's Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) and her wicked stepmother (Christine Baranski) and stepsisters (Tammy Blanchard and Lucy Punch). Anna Kendrick, who rose to fame in the Twilight movies, is quite a wonderful Broadway style singer, as is Christine Baranski, who did a fantastic job singing in another musical film, Mama Mia. Lucy Punch was also the wicked stepsisters in another Disney film, Ella Enchanted. We also meet the Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt). He played the much abused servant Planchet in the most recent Three Musketeers, and she was the voice of Juliet in Gnomeo and Juliet, among other roles. Meryl Streep is incredible as the Witch, and although I absolutely adore her in Mama Mia, she does a much better job of singing in Into the Woods. Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford in her debut screen role), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and his mother (Tracy Ullman) round out the group that must enter the woods, either to solve a problem or visit someone far away. Daniel Huttlestone previously appeared as Gavroche in the lavish film production of Les Miserables. Tracy Ullman, who has been making me laugh since Robin Hood: Men in Tights, also lent her voice to characters in the Corpse Bride and Kronk's New Groove.
As there adventures play out in the Woods, they meet each other, as well as other characters. The Baker and his wife must find the things that the Witch requires so that they can have a child. The Witch requires four things: the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure as gold. Jack must sell his best friend, his cow Milky White. Cinderella must find a way to attend the Prince's (Chris Pine) Ball. And Little Red Riding Hood must make her way to Grandmother's house. On the way, she meets the Wolf (the delicious Johnny Depp who is absolutely wicked in the role, especially when he sings "Hello Little Girl"). As the Baker and his wife split up to better continue their search, she sees Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and her Prince (Billy Magnussen) meeting in a tower.
Through a series of wild and ridiculous misadventures, everyone works to toward their own goal. The Baker and his wife manage to find and lose and find again the items that they need. Cinderella continually evades the Prince, who, along with his brother, Rapunzel's Prince, sings the hilarious song "Agony" to explain their misery at falling in love with girls who are distant, each in their own way. Cinderella's Prince finally comes up with a wily way to catch the mystery maid, but succeeds only in catching her shoe. Rapunzel's Prince is caught by the Witch and cast out into a wall of thorns. Jack, who traded his cow to the Baker for "magic beans", has gone up the beanstalk and robbed the giants, and even killed one. Eventually, everyone gets what they think they desire, only to discover that the giant's mother (Frances de la Tour, who played another giantess in Harry Potter) has come seeking revenge for the death of her son. Back into the Woods, everyone must go to find a way to set everything right. I won't spoil the end for those who haven't seen it, but it is quite unexpected.
In all, I quite enjoyed the film. While it isn't exactly like the stage musical, it was still a good adaptation. (And the songs will be stuck in your head for days. We ended up buying the soundtrack because of this.) If you have the chance, see Into the Woods. You may end up loving it, too.
