Disney sets Rob Marshall to adapt "Into the Woods"

[Silvermoon]

Just got back from seeing it. I loved it. Cast was all amazing. Agony was hilarious! Did I miss some of the cut songs? Yeah, but I also could see why they were cut/why some of the changes were made. Can't wait to see it again And for all that I was worried about the look of the Wolf, it ended up working - happy to say my worry was for nothing on that one

 

[JP]

My first viewing I couldn't stop thinking of not only the original production, but the early draft of the script that leaked that was pretty phenomenal.

Thankfully, I was able to forget all that and my second (and third!) viewings were even better. I truly love this film. I can't even complain in the slightest, which is becoming a problem for a few of my friends who also love the film but have minor gripes.

 

[Mad Ones]

I just saw this and I fell in love with the music and singing. I thought Blunt's voice was absolutely phenomenal, but I also really liked Streep, Kendrick, and the kid who played Jack. I bought the soundtrack and it is extremely pleasant to listen to, unlike the Les Mis soundtrack. My favourite songs are Giants in the Sky, Last Midnight, No One is Alone, and Finale/Children Will Listen Part 1 for Blunt's part.

Seriously, Blunt needs serious props. She's hilarious in the Devil Wears Prada, is badass in Edge of Tomorrow, and has an amazing voice here. She can do anything.

Agony was hilarious. It worked on so many levels. It was meta and a parody, and both princes gave such an over the top and funny performance.

Some of the story didn't work for me, so maybe it wasn't that easy to translate to the screen? Repunzel seemed pointless, when her hair didn't work the solution felt like a copout, and since the whole movie takes place in the woods it felt very small, with too many conveniences and coincidences. But the music made up for these story problems, especially because the songs had such clear messages.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Some of the story didn't work for me, so maybe it wasn't that easy to translate to the screen? Repunzel seemed pointless, when her hair didn't work the solution felt like a copout, and since the whole movie takes place in the woods it felt very small, with too many conveniences and coincidences. But the music made up for these story problems, especially because the songs had such clear messages.

That is a good example of some of the structural things that I felt did not translate from stage to screen. What works on stage as theatrical farce (in the live theatre, the actors can often wink at the audience) does not translate well on the film.

 

[The Squirrel]

Saw it a second time. Maybe because I haven't seen that stage show that much, but I think it is a wonderful adaptation. Even if it is a little rough around the edges.

 

[ComicChick]

i did enjoy the parts with rapunzel, but i kinda felt slighted? i found out afterwards of what happens to her in the play but i have a question for the play version:

Spoiler

does the baker ever realize that she's his sister? does she ever find out the witch isn't her mother?

that idea just kinda dangled for me

 

[sueb1863]

Spoiler

No and no. I think Lapine has said they considered this plotline but decided it would be too complicated to get into. The Baker knows he has a sister but never learns her name, and then she dies in the show. I suppose he could eventually find out in the movie-verse since she doesn't die (apparently), but since he never learns her name and she has no idea she has a brother, I'm not sure how they'd ever connect.

 

[Mad Ones]

I guess after thinking about it some more, Rapunzel wasn't pointless. She adds an important layer to the parent/children theme and makes the Witch much more interesting. I guess I was expecting her to be more important to the core cast of characters, but that never happened.

 

[Loki882]

Wow, who knew that Chris Pine could sing, let alone do it well? His Shatner impression, which I think was intentional on his part, was hysterical.

 

[danoyse]

I remember people said the same thing about Sweeney Todd.. but they literally SHOWED Depp singing Epiphany in most of the trailers.

When I saw Sweeney Todd, it was sold out, and there were people audibly groaning whenever a song started. How did they not know it was a musical?

I was a little worried going in tonight because the guy in line behind me was explaining to his girlfriend that “It’s all of the Disney cartoons in one movie...”

But we had a great crowd tonight. People were really into it, they loved Chris Pine especially (me too), and the audience even applauded at the end. That was cool.

Of course, I get home and one of my friends who also saw it today posted on FB, ”It was good, but it had long singing.” WTF does that even mean??

I loved the movie. The only version of the stage show I’ve ever seen was the one that aired on PBS, but I’ve loved the music for ages. I missed the reprise of Agony, and the giant killing the Narrator (which would have made no sense in the movie, but that part in the show was great ), and I missed No More a little bit. But it still all worked.

I just want a lot more movie musicals now.

 

[JP]

Zadon and Meron are doing Pippin! Seems like the next one up to bat after The Last Five Years.

 

[The Squirrel]

A Pippin movie? YES! I've never seen it, but have wanted to.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Zadon and Meron are doing Pippin! Seems like the next one up to bat after The Last Five Years.

As anyone who visits the musical theatre thread knows, my affection for Pippin approaches buffoonish levels, but I am cautious at best about its adaptation into a film property, and not only because it's been in developmental purgatory longer than Justice League. Assuming it is a traditional narrative film and not a filmed stage version, I fear that some of the structural limitations that hampered Into The Woods will be doubled for Pippin, since so much of the show thematically relies on one character in particular regularly breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience.

However, I can see something along the lines of Big Fish or Baron Munchausen in terms of overall style and tone.

 

[JP]

Pippin is one of those shows that I can't imagine working off stage. As you said, it often relies heavily on the medium.

I also don't think it has that strong of a book (don't hurt me!) and I feel like film could expose that.

One of my favorite scores, though.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Pippin is one of those shows that I can't imagine working off stage. As you said, it often relies heavily on the medium.

I also don't think it has that strong of a book (don't hurt me!) and I feel like film could expose that.

One of my favorite scores, though.

Fair enough, that's probably the most common criticism of that show. I disagree with it, however; despite lacking the obligatory dying prostitute present in most story-driven musicals, I think the book is quite strong, in that it borders on surrealism and should leave the audience asking questions about what they just saw days, weeks and months later.

 

[Drizzle]

I saw it yesterday with my girlfriend. We both enjoyed it but since I knew nothing about Into the Woods going into it, I wasn't expecting it to be so dark. The two main things that I took away from it:

1. As great as Streep was, Emily Blunt and James Corden stole the show for me. I loved the Baker and his wife.

2. Johnny Depp was paid $1 million for a five minute scene where he dressed up in a Party City wolf pimp costume and gave off creepy pedophile vibes to a 12-year-old girl.

 

[Pink Ranger]

2. Johnny Depp was paid $1 million for a five minute scene where he dressed up in a Party City wolf pimp costume and gave off creepy pedophile vibes to a 12-year-old girl.

They could have got R. Kelly to do it for half that.

 

[sueb1863]

I liked Depp's Wolf, but the costume wasn't wolf-like enough. They should have at least painted his face so he didn't just look like a guy in a hairy pimp suit. Heck, the stage version had a wolf prosthetic that made the actor actually look like a wolf, and he had to sing through it! Maybe they could have done motion capture and CGI'd a wolf face over Depp's...

 

[JP]

In the script he's a wolf that transforms into a man. They hinted at that in the film... before we see him we hear him crawling and running on all fours, we also see his eye color change to a more wolf-like color for a split second... But yeah, they could have done a better job with that...

 

[Drizzle]

I saw that the wolf costume in the original Broadway show had a penis attached to it. Whut the whut?

 

[sueb1863]

It sure did! That was pretty, um, distracting.

 

[Venomfan]

I don't get the big deal about Meryl Streep in this movie. Golden globe nom and Oscar nom. I found her borderline annoying. IMO if another actress played the part the exact same way she would not get nominated. I Found the other actresses better in this one

 

[ComicChick]

zavvi steelbook cover art revealed:

 

[ComicChick]

Disney has released cover art as well:

 

[Schlosser85]

I don't get the big deal about Meryl Streep in this movie. Golden globe nom and Oscar nom. I found her borderline annoying. IMO if another actress played the part the exact same way she would not get nominated. I Found the other actresses better in this one

Meryl Streep could walk through a room and say nothing and still get an Oscar nomination. They just automatically nominate her every year because of her name, not the quality of her performances.