Disney’s Into The Woods { Movie Review}

I watched an advanced screening of Into The Woods in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed here are honest and my own.

“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. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them. Rob Marshall, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” directs the film, which is based on the Tony®-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics. Produced by Marshall, John DeLuca, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall, “Into the Woods” will be released in theaters Dec. 25, 2014. (WALT DISNEY PICTURES) This film is rated PG.

By now, you have most likely seen the trailer for Disney’s Into The Woods which opened Christmas Day.

The trailer alone sparks curiosity, but it’s nothing like you would think.  Let’s just say this movie is going to be hard for me to review as there is so much to it as well as twists.  It’s quite crazy.  The movie was also too long for my taste.

You are basically taken on a journey through a musical format (which I didn’t expect), and it ties the stories of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rupunzel, and the Baker and his wife.

The Baker and his wife want to have a baby yet find out that there is a curse on their family since the Baker’s father.  They must undo this curse by getting 4 important objects: Cinderella’s gold shoe, Red Riding Hood’s cape, a white cow, and hair as white as corn.  They must feed these to the milky white cow to undo the curse.   I won’t even elaborate anymore from there.

The entire movie itself is pretty dark and twisted.  I honestly do not know what Disney was thinking with this one.

One of the scenes that really upset me is they made Cinderella’s Prince Charming  to look like a player.  I took it as he cheats on Cinderella with the Baker’s wife with {musical} seduction and long kisses.  Some would see this as petty and just comical, but it was tacky and tasteless.  By this point I really just wanted to leave the theatre.  This is just not a wholesome family film in my opinion.

So sorry to disappoint with this review.  I was hoping it would be a good one.  Maybe you saw it and have a different view or opinion and that’s totally fine.

If you have seen the movie, what are your thoughts?