Disney Into The Woods Review | 5 Reasons to See Into the Woods #IntoTheWoodsEvent

Disclosure: I received an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the Into The Woods press event. All opinions are completely my own.

Into the Woods Opens December 25, 2014

Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine, “Into the Woods” is a humorous and heartfelt musical that 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.

Directed by Rob Marshall

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I was blessed to be able to watch Into the Woods at the iconic Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on Thursday. It’s the same theater where the Academy Awards take place. The theater was filled to capacity during the screening and the audience included the cast and filmmakers of Into the Woods, as well as some big names, and then there was me (well, me and 24 other awesome bloggers).  It truly was the perfect setting for this screening, partly because it was followed by a Q&A session with the cast and filmmakers and partly because of the theater itself. I should mention that Chris Pine sat only 3 rows back from me during the screening. I may have had a huge smile on my face when I saw him.

All the buzz in the audience quieted down as the lights went down and the screen was revealed. We all settled in and I was immediately mesmerized by the movie’s imagery. So much thought went into the making of this film. From the choice of actors, to the tone of the songs, and the absolutely gorgeous sets. It truly was a wonderful cast, and I was surprised by some of the vocal talent.  The cast included award-winning actors and some really talented singers. Even actors that aren’t known for their singing voice, showed that they can have fun with their songs.

I had not watched Into the Woods on stage or screen prior to this viewing, so I came without any preconceived notion of what the film should or shouldn’t be. It is a brilliant musical and I think it was very well done. There were moments I laughed and moments I teared up. The story itself was a bit dark, but still had a ton of funny moments.

This isn’t your normal fairy tale, it’s a lot of fairy tales merged together into one story about wishes and what happens after a wish is made. There isn’t always a happily ever after, but that’s what made the story exciting and drew me further into the movie. At 124 minutes, you would think it might seem a bit long, but I totally got lost in the moment while I was watching and it didn’t feel like a long movie at all.

Into The Woods Trailer

Let’s talk about the singing talent. The singing was amazing! From Anna Kendrick singing “On the Steps of the Palace” to Chris Pine singing “Agony,” and James Corden singing “No One is Alone” all of the actors did a superb job taking the songs to another level. Simply wonderful. The Into the Woods soundtrack is available now on Amazon and includes two discs. It’s a little late to put on my Christmas wish list, but maybe I can ask for a New Year’s present. 😉

“On the Steps of the Palace” Clip

5 Reasons to Watch Into the Woods

• Meryl Streep makes one heck of a witch.
• The beautiful set design.
• It’s a musical. Who doesn’t love musicals?
• Even though it’s dark, it has humor and lightness weaved throughout.
• Chris Pine. That’s it. Just Chris Pine. And James Corden. Both men are amazingly talented.

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What a wonderful experience and a breathtaking film. Like I said earlier, the sets were beautiful and the costumes by Colleen Atwood were amazingly beautiful. She put so much thought and time into making these costumes for each character. There were truly magnificent, especially Cinderella’s ball gown and the Witch’s blue dress.

I put Into the Woods on my must see musicals list and cannot wait to take the family to see it in the theaters. I’d love to hear what my husband thinks of the movie since he’s seen it on both stage and screen. That, and I just want another excuse to go see the film.

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Into the Woods Opens December 25th and is rated PG.