Disney’s Into The Woods is a retelling of a handful of classic fairy tales woven with a new overseeing plot that binds all of the stories into one larger plot. In each of the original fairy tales, the main character must go into the woods during a portion of the story so this new plot marries the stories while they are under the tree canopy. Red, of Little Red Riding Hood, was on a mission to see her grandmother. Jack, of Jack and the Beanstalk, was following the quickest route to a neighboring market to sell the family cow. These woods just so happen to also home the tower where Rapunzel is locked away and where Cinderella escapes the prince’s horsemen.
Having all of these stories mingle around within a new plot where a couple longs to have a child. Of course, the couple coincidentally live next to the witch whom locked Rapunzel away and she tells them about the curse she put on their home. She offers to lift the curse if they collect some magical items, ones that we immediately recognize from the classic fairy tales. The couple sets off to collect a cow as white as milk from Jack, a cape as red as blood from Red, hair as yellow as corn from Rapunzel, and a slipper as pure as gold from Cinderella.
I was raised to be charming, not sincere.
– Cinderella’s Prince
Although the movie was a let down, there certainly was a few moments when the plot was so exaggerated that you couldn’t help but laugh at the weirdness. After what felt like an eternity but was really only about midway through the movie, we each began the “can’t get comfortable, will this movie ever end” seat wiggle. You know the one…it starts with a shift of the legs then moves to re-positioning your butt in the seat while repeatedly shifting your arms because your body is working on convincing you to get up and run away from the theater. That’s when it happens, your ears start to wander as you listen to the people around you. We heard a lot of yawns and interesting comments about how to movie is “boring”, “too slow”, “oh my, why don’t they stop singing.” Ok, maybe the last one was inside my head and not from another movie-goer but who’s to really know.
This is a modern twist on 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, 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.
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This post brought to you by Disney Enterprises, Inc.. Our family was invited to an early screening of the movie. All opinions are 100% mine.
