One of the more left-field Oscar contenders heading into this year’s awards season is undoubtedly Disney’s musical fairytale, Into The Woods. It’s based on Stephen Sondheim’s atypical and indeed award-winning musical deconstruction of the titular tale, which weaves together a variety of renown fantasy heroes who unite against Meryl Streep’s spiteful witch.
Directed by Chicago’s Rob Marshall, the film is essentially a melting pot of the studio’s beloved characters from the Brothers Grimm catalogue, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk, who are all drawn together to face the aforementioned villain thanks to a loveable baker and his wife — played by James Corden and Emily Blunt, respectively.
What’s most impressive about Into The Woods, though, is it’s remarkable ensemble cast, which features the likes of Anna Kendrick, Johnny Deep as The Wolf, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Pine and Tracey Ullman.
In the journey from theatre to film, though, it’s fair to say that Disney has made a fair amount of alterations to the project in an attempt to recapture its family-friendliness. For instance, the studio has ensured that MacKenzie Mauzy’s Rapunzel isn’t killed in the final product, nor will the prince sleep with the baker’s wife.
For more on the upcoming musical, here’s the official synopsis:
“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.
Disney’s crossover tale Into The Woods will land in theaters on December 25th, 2014.