By LEIGH VASSALLO
COLUMIST
On the surface, Into the Woods simply looked like a different take on the classical fairytales, including: Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Jack and the Beanstalk. There is music, amazing costumes, and of course, Meryl Streep. It would appear to be a simple and enjoyable day at the movies for everyone. However, Into the Woods brings a lot more than what Disney has put in to its animated features. It shows that the beloved fairytales we know maybe did not end up with the happily ever after ending that we originally thought they got.
Personally, I loved this film. The cast does an unbelievable job as they bring these well-known characters to life. Meryl Streep is, without a doubt, the most entertaining part of the entire film as the blue-haired witch who sends the childless baker and his wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt) on a mission for random items to bring them the baby they always wanted. Red Riding Hood, played by Lilla Crawford, brings just the right amount of annoyance as she prances her way to Grandma’s house. Johnny Depp makes his brief appearance as Mr. Wolf as he sings a seductive, and almost hypnotizing, dark song about how much he wants to eat the child who is just trying to go to Grandma’s. Jack, played by Daniel Huttlestone, gives a heartwarming performance of a boy who is constantly berated by his mother and only wants to do something right and have some happiness. Lastly, Anna Kendrick is lovely as Cinderella. Her journey through this alternate take on the fairytale leads her to believe that maybe her Prince Charming, played by the stupidly good looking Chris Pine, is just that and nothing more: charming. The takeaway message that is practically being screamed at the audience is: nothing is ever as it seems.
In true Disney fashion, it would be impossible to ignore the fact that this is a musical. The songs produced by this cast are wonderfully original. Although they were recorded separately, it is difficult not to get swept up in the emotional experience each character is going through as they belt out these ballads and whisper their soft wishes of happiness and change.
Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine originally made this tale for the stage in 1986. As we all know, the limitations that exist for the stage are a laughing matter compared to the magic that is available with the movies. The sets in the movie are out of this world. The ominous feeling that something is not quite right in the woods is palpable throughout the entire film. The special effects that director Rob Marshall injected into this film are truly what make this a fantasy.
Of course this story is fiction in every sense of the word, however, with all of the different elements that are artfully and beautifully thrown into this project, it makes Into the Woods is worth the detour.