“Strange Magic,” a new animated film from Lucasfilm Ltd., is a fairy tale—but not your average fairy tale. It’s a madcap musical with a princess who has sworn off love, a vulnerable villain, a slightly nutty Sugar Plum Fairy, a tenacious and big-hearted elf, a mischievous imp, and a knight who is no Prince Charming. With Marius DeVries serving as musical director and soundtrack producer, the Strange Magic digital soundtrack from Buena Vista Records is now available at digital retail. The physical CD will be available on Feb. 17. “Strange Magic” from Touchstone Pictures will be in theaters on Jan. 23, 2015.
“Strange Magic” welcomes an extraordinary roster of voice talent, including Alan Cumming (CBS’ “The Good Wife,” Broadway’s “Cabaret”) as Bog King, Evan Rachel Wood (“The Ides of March”) as feisty fairy Marianne, Elijah Kelley (“Hairspray,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”) as lovelorn elf Sunny, newcomer Meredith Anne Bull as Marianne’s lovesick sister Dawn, Sam Palladio (ABC’s “Nashville”) as heartbreaker Roland, Kristin Chenoweth (Broadway’s “Wicked”) as the potion-making Sugar Plum Fairy, Maya Rudolph (“Big Hero 6,” “Bridesmaids”) as Bog’s mum Griselda, Alfred Molina (“Chocolat”) as the Fairy King, and Bob Einstein (HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Peter Stormare (“Fargo”) as Stuff and Thang, Bog’s loyal goblin assistants.
“I wanted to do something fun and happy yet unexpected,” says executive producer George Lucas. “It’s a story about love and how the most unlikely people fall in love. It’s about finding true beauty in someone’s soul regardless of how they look.”
Music producer Marius de Vries (“Moulin Rouge”) serves as both the musical director and composer, and chose the songs in collaboration with music supervisor Steven Gizicki, weaving together new versions of favorite songs from the last six decades—including songs made famous by artists ranging from Mickey & Sylvia and Elvis Presley to Kelly Clarkson, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. De Vries says he took Lucas’ lead when it came to the stylistic anchors of the film’s music. “Each of the kingdoms’ tribes is colored by a specific genre of pop music drawn from a very eclectic and diverse range of periods and styles, and woven into a narrative tapestry that still manages to feel coherent and emotionally logical.”
Director Gary Rydstrom says ‘American Graffiti’ was one of the inspirations for the movie. “But for ‘Strange Magic,’ we took the idea a step further,” he says. “Every song helped tell the story, but because the songs come with such history, they evoke emotional tugs on your heart strings.”
Adds Lucas, “I love telling stories with music. ‘Strange Magic’ may take a different approach than we did with ‘American Graffiti,’ but I had just as much fun. I love all kinds of music from classical to ethnic to contemporary. Since childhood, music has been an important part of my life.
“I chose Marius [de Vries] as the musical director because I loved what he did with ‘Moulin Rouge,’” Lucas continues. “And I’ve turned to Gary [Rydstrom] for many years for his talent in sound design. I’ve always thought that sound and music were just as important as the visuals in a film. It was an extraordinary experience to work with such a dynamic duo on such an intricate collection of songs and the complementary score.”
The track list follows:
- “Can’t Help Falling in Love”
Performed by Evan Rachel Wood and Sam Palladio
- “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”
Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
- “Three Little Birds”
Performed by Elijah Kelley and Meredith Anne Bull
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”
Performed by Marius DeVries
- “C’mon Marianne / Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
Performed by Sam Palladio and Evan Rachel Wood
- “Trouble”
Performed by Alan Cumming
- “Love Is Strange”
Performed by Kristin Chenoweth
- “Say Hey”
Performed by Elijah Kelley
- “Mistreated”
Performed by Alan Cumming
- “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”
Performed by Meredith Anne Bull
- “Straight On”
Performed by Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming
- “Strange Magic”
Performed by Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming
- “Tell Him / Wild Thing”
Performed by Meredith Anne Bull, Maya Rudolph, Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming
Soundtrack Album Producers: Marius de Vries and Steven Gizicki
The Strange Magic digital soundtrack is available on January 20, with a physical release set for February 17.