There’s more than meets the eye in the forest with this retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From the mind of George Lucas comes a modern-day fairy and goblin struggle for love, with a whole lot of music in Strange Magic.
The Plot
In a magical realm divided between the fairy kingdom and dark forest, life has always been difficult. After Marianne discovers her fiancé has been cheating on her, she vows to be done with love forever.
The Bog King wants nothing to do with love either. Through natural curiosity and coincidences that bring the two sides together, the kingdoms will be reunited, and for once, those that spurn love and all the joy of it, will come together.
The Good
The animation is incredible. For a make belief world, it truly is amazing what can be made on a computer and brought to life through the visuals of animation.
The cast is talented beyond belief. From Alfred Molina, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristen Chenoweth, and Alan Cumming, Strange Magic is stacked with a cast of actors that make every performance incredible.
The Bad and the Ugly
Another adaptation of a Shakespeare play that falls off the rails. The story is great, but the inclusion of songs from the last sixty years with characters breaking out into a wide range of music throughout the story, just doesn’t work.
The music is distracting, it does not help further the story but rather takes away from the narrative.
The fact that the story is set in a fairy tale world is not what detracts from the story. It’s the choice to make it a musical that really throws this movie for a loop.
There is a certain magic to the words of Shakespeare, and while it is an adaptation of the play, Strange Magic loses the punch and the vibe of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Visually, it is appealing, but the movie lacks a joy that is essential.
Beyond the Film Facts
- The movie started with an idea from George Lucas who wanted to make a film that was specifically for his three daughters. Lucas wanted the theme of the movie to focus on finding love in strange places.
- The movie opened at #7 when it was released with a weekend return of just over $5 million.
- Director Brenda Chapman of Brave voices Imp.
- Maya Rudolph won a Black Reel award for her voice work of Griselda.
- The Fairy King is supposedly modeled after George Lucas.
- Director Gary Rydstrom plays the part of Angry Gus.
The Streamy Award
{The following four categories are based on a Film Reel scale.
1 Reel-Bored and Killing Time, 2 Reels-When You Have Some Time, 3 Reels-Make Some Time, 4 Reels-Big Screen Event}
Strange Magic gets a ½ a reel rating.
While I can appreciate the magic and wonder behind the film, and for George Lucas to want to create a film for such pure and wondrous intentions, Strange Magic falls flat.
I can’t say that I wouldn’t recommend it, but this is a movie that if you miss, you aren’t missing out on.
Cast and Crew
- Evan Rachel Wood as Marianne
- Elijah Kelley as Sunny
- Kristen Chenoweth as Sugar Plum Fairy
- Maya Rudolph as Griselda
- Alan Cumming as Bog King
- Alfred Molina as Fairy King
- Bob Einstein as Stuff
Directed by Gary Rydstrom
Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Filmbox / Industrial Light and Magic / Lucasfilm Animation Singapore
Release Date: January 23, 2015
Box Office Gross
Domestic: $12,429,583
Worldwide Total: $13,603,453
Coming Soon
Next week I dive into the world of Rob Schneider and his contribution to the Disney vault with his renowned Oscar winning tale Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo.