Into The Woods Review + Fun Facts #IntoTheWoods

I was given passes to the advance screening of Into The Woods in exchange for my honest opinions. Thoughts are my own.

SPOILER ALERT! If you don’t want spoilers, skip the part between the Cinderella photo and the video trailer.

Into The Woods Poster

The wait is finally over and INTO THE WOODS (nominated for 3 Golden Globes including Best Picture, Best Actress Emily Blunt and Best Supporting Actress Meryl Streep) will be playing in theaters everywhere beginning tonight!!!

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on several of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine, “Into the Woods” is a humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel, all tied together by an original story involving a Baker and his Wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the Witch, who has put a curse on them.

IntoTheWoods

I got to watch the movie last week at an advance screening here in San Jose. And based on the way the viewers reacted during the screening, it seemed to me like a lot of the other people there were theater enthusiasts who have probably seen (or maybe even performed) the musical on stage more than just a couple of times.

The movie starts off with a quick intro to the life of the main characters. They all sing out their wishes — Cinderella wishes to go to the King’s festival, Jack wishes their cow would give milk, and the Baker and his wife wish they can have a baby. Little Red Riding Hood just simply wants to go to her Granny’s house in the woods. All the characters then venture into the woods to start their respective journeys in order to get their wishes fulfilled.

IntoTheWoods

As I have mentioned (probably more than 10 times) before, I love fairy tales because it brings back fond memories of my childhood. And I love it even more when the story tells a different story than what I already know (that’s why I love Once Upon A Time so much).

In Into the Woods, the stories of the individual characters doesn’t really stray from the ones we already know but the story ties them all together so well that I didn’t feel any disconnect as I was watching.

IntoTheWoods Cinderella

SPOILER ALERT! There may be some details in the next few paragraphs. You can go ahead and skip to the trailer below.

There were lots of funny moments, and it seemed like a lot of people really loved the performance of the Prince and the Other Prince (Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen) as they expressed their deep love for their respective princesses (Cinderella and Rapunzel) in “Agony”.

I guess the only thing I didn’t like about it is that as the movie ended, I was left with questions in my mind. Like, what happened to Rapunzel and her Prince? It was weird to me how her story got cut off when it seemed like she was an important character.

But the singing was great! I honestly didn’t know Emily Blunt and Chris Pine could sing that well!  I already expected that of Anna Kendrick and Meryl Streep but I was still equally impressed by them. The cast did a great job in relaying their character’s thoughts and feelings through their soliloquies and facial expressions.

Check out the trailer below:

Overall, I’d say it’s a good movie, but if you’re bringing your kids, just be prepared to answer questions they might ask because although the characters’ connections are all clear, the turnout of events may elicit a few questions from curious little ones.

In celebration of the movie’s opening in theaters tonight, here are some fun facts on the movie!

  • Production on “Into the Woods” began in September 2013 at Shepperton Studios and on locations throughout England.
  • Stephen Sondheim has received 8 Tony® Awards, more than any other composer in history. He has won 7 times: Best Music and Best Lyrics for “Company” (1971); and Best Score for “Follies” (1972), “A Little Night Music” (1973), “Sweeney Todd” (1979), “Into the Woods” (1988) and “Passion” (1994). His 8th honor was a 2008 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
  • The foundation of the Woods set was made up of 2,000 tons of soil, over 600 ferns, acres and acres of ivy and countless pallets of moss and turf. This was built on Stage H at Shepperton Studios.
  • 95 percent of the trees used on the Woods set were real trees, which included 30-foot pine trees and hundreds of 25-foot oak tree branches, the leaves of which had to be removed and replaced with artificial ones (so they would last longer). The remaining five percent were full-sized whimsical trees constructed from plaster.
  • There were four cows cast to play Milky-White. Their names were Tug, Diamond, Two Fold and Pearl.
  • Rapunzel’s hair in the film is 20 feet long. The braid is made from real hair and weighs almost 6 pounds.
  • The music for the film was pre-recorded over a two-week period at Angel Studios in London with a 56-piece orchestra, composed of some of the best musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic.

 

CONNECT! Like INTO THE WOODS on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter and Pinterest. Check out INTO THE WOODS on Tumblr and the official site!

 

INTO THE WOODS is rated PG and will be playing in theaters everywhere starting tonight!

 

I was given passes to the advance screening of Into The Woods in exchange for my honest opinions. Thoughts are my own.

Comments

Into The Woods Review + Fun Facts #IntoTheWoods — 50 Comments

  1. Hmmm. I’m still not sure if I should see this one. I do have to say that I skimmed most of this because I hate spoilers. Forgive me if you did give a warning, and I didn’t see it, but I always appreciate the words “spoiler alert.” Thanks. 🙂

  2. I am really looking forward to seeing Into the Woods, I can’t wait. Maybe the reason that Rapunzel’s story ended so abruptly is because they are planning to do a movie about her. I love these “fun facts” posts, thank you for sharing and Merry Christmas!!

  3. I’m excited to see this, I may have to go with a friend since my hubby is so not interested in seeing this.

  4. PRetty sure this looks too scary for me-I would have to watch it in the comfort of my house in case I scream

  5. I like fairy tales but not musicals. If I had young children I would probably take them to see this if they wanted to.

  6. Can’t wait to see this! Have seen the commercials for it a million times, and it looks so good!

  7. i’ve seen the trailer alot.and thought the movie looked interesting.i’ll probably check it out.thanks for the review.

  8. We still have not seen this movie but are so excited to see it next weekend with the kids. Love the costume designs.

  9. (Into The Woods Review + Fun Facts #IntoTheWoods) This is one movie that our whole family wants to go and see. We will pick a time for the cheaper showing at our local theater-

  10. I love to watch this movie. it did release over the weekend and looking forward to watching it. i love all the characters of the movie and the review was fantastic.

  11. I had no idea it was a mix of several stories. I thought it was only a play on Little Red Riding Hood. Nor did I realize it was more like a musical. I may have to check this out. Thanks!

  12. Fun fact: Once you see this great movie the songs will stay in your head for at least a week, if not longer.

  13. I haven’t seen this movie. but was told by a friend its not worth the price of the ticket. And its just random with the songs. And I don’t think its an appropriate movie for children. There’s a cheat scene, wont say with who. cuz that would be a spoiler alert.

  14. I so want to see Into the Woods for only one reason – Anna Kendricks. She is such a riot, and with talent to boot. If you don’t already, you should foolow her on Twitter.

  15. I’ll finally get to go see it this weekend. Your spoiler alerts made me want to watch it even more. 🙂

  16. I saw the previews of this movie and was kind of intrigued. I did not know it was a musical.I enjoyed your review and am still looking forward to seeing the movie. Not sure about my grandson seeing it though.

  17. Thanks So much for the Fantastic Review on Into The Woods Review + Fun Facts #IntoTheWoods! I don’t think I’ve ever heard about this movie before now! It sounds like a really good movie! I’m really not big into musicals, however, I have seen my fair share! I think I would enjoy this movie considering it takes several different stories and brings them all together as one! Thanks so much for sharing this movie and your thoughts on it with all of us! I honestly do appreciate it! Thanks so much, Michele 🙂
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  18. I wouldn’t be able to sit through it. I’m not a fan of musicals. It sounds fairly interesting. I like Johnny Depp.