Wondering what to do after the Christmas presents have been opened this week? I am taking my family to see Disney’s Into the Woods, which opens Christmas Day. My 9-year-old son and I were able to see an early screening of the movie a few weeks ago, and the very first thing out of his mouth after the credits started rolling was, “I can’t WAIT til that comes to theaters. We need to take the rest of the family to see it on Christmas Day!” I’m not kidding. He hasn’t stopped talking about how we’re going to see it with everyone else on Christmas Day, either. (PS – even though we got to see an early screener for free, we will happily pay for the family to see it once it’s officially out in theaters on the 25th!).
“Into the Woods” is a humorous and heartfelt musical that follows classic fairy tales—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. In theaters nationwide Dec. 25, 2014. Photo by: Peter Mountain. © 2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
About Into the Woods:
Before I get to my Into the Woods movie review, here is the official blurb about the movie:
“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 and Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the Witch (Meryl Streep), who has put a curse on them.
© 2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
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 1987 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 John DeLuca, Marshall, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall, “Into the Woods” will be released in theaters December 25, 2014.
Johnny Depp as the Wolf and Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood in Disney’s humorous and heartfelt musical INTO THE WOODS, directed by Rob Marshall and produced by John Deluca, Rob Marshall, Marc Platt and Callum McDougall.
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.
Should I Take My Kids to See Into the Woods?
I’m guessing that you could tell by my introductory paragraph and my son’s comment that I think that Into the Woods is a movie worth seeing with the family. I would recommend taking older kids (maybe 8 and up?) to see Into the Woods. It scores very family-friendly in the language department, and the scariness factor is low. The one scene that I would caution parents about is a scene in the second half where there is a kiss between married adults not married to each other. It was a surprising turn of events for me, and though the kiss is very mild (this is not a “sexy” scene), there is a rather significant “consequence” to the decision and I wanted to point that out. As far as my 9-year-old son was concerned, the kiss totally went over his head. For families with younger kids, I don’t think it’s inappropriate/scary/dark for little ones, but I think they might not get into the story as much. It’s definitely geared toward an older family crowd.
What I Loved About Into the Woods
The crowning glory of Into the Woods was its incredible cast. Everyone did an equally fantastic job, and it’s hard to pick a favorite, though I have to say that Chris Pine was the “star” of our favorite scene and song in the entire movie. So far, we’ve kept his song, “Agony” a secret from the rest of the family because both AJ and I are excited to see their reaction to his hilarious scene at the river. It’s a scene that we’ll play over and over once we have the movie on DVD (and we’re already planning on owning it once it’s available on disc!).
Chris Pine stars as Cinderella’s Prince in “Into the Woods,” a modern twist on beloved fairy tales. Based on the Tony®-winning musical, the film hits theaters nationwide Dec. 25, 2014. Photo by: Peter Mountain. © 2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
I loved the songs, the scenery, and the costumes. I honestly don’t have a negative thing to say about the movie. In other words, make plans right now to go see it! Just be warned: this is a MUSICAL, not a movie with a few songs in it. It is full Broadway-style musical, with songs throughout. I know of a few people who are not fans of musical-style movies, but that’s not me…I love musicals!
- Like INTO THE WOODS on Facebook: Facebook.com/DisneyIntoTheWoods
- Follow INTO THE WOODS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/intothewoods
- INTO THE WOODS is rated PG and opens in theaters everywhere on December 25th!
© 2014, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
Looks like a great movie! We can’t wait to see it!