"Into The Woods": New Movie Poster, New Website & Random Thoughts on How We (& the Media) View Fairy Tales

And one more bit of Into The Woods news for Thursday:

Today also saw the launch of the official website (although there's not a whole lot there apart from the trailer, cast list and the photos you've already seen) and new promo poster variations (see above and below).

The Facebook page is finally becoming active too.

The important thing this confirms is that they're still releasing on Christmas Day in theaters in the US. I can see the Winter merchandise and decorations now... although they're mixing up with Narnia a bit in my head at the moment, which I wouldn't mind too much since so much of the first Narnia movie merchandise at the time of the release was just stunning.  I'm going to do my best to be optimistic about this.

One note does concern me though: we're a little tired of fairy tale stories backstabbing us, or the media doing their level best to "shock" the public by uncovering their dark sides via these "OMG did you know..!" lists. Adam over at Fairy Tale Fandom has a great and timely post on this very subject.

One thing my forced downtime made me do, since I couldn't handle computer screens, was to do a lot more reading. While I plan to get to the various books in more detail in the coming weeks, I have to admit my favorites were not the novels but the collections, specifically Jack Zipes' recent wonderful book, The Golden Age of Folk & Fairy Tales from The Brothers Grimm to Andrew Lang and to a lesser extent, though still great to read, Philip Pullman's Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm (with the English version and the German version side by side so I could look at Shaun Tan's sculptures while reading).

Why? Because they were just "as is" - no emphasis on the happily ever after or the magic but also no emphasis on the dark, gruesome, grimness either. They were just tales in which something out of the ordinary happened and people had to choose how to respond and what, if anything, they should do about it.

When I started getting a lot better and could watch TV again, I also spent some time showing my kid some more of Miyazaki's movies and discussing extraordinary, ordinary things (if you follow me) and it struck me just how similar the sensibilities are - which is probably why I love the movies so much. While the fantasy creatures and impossible things were notable, it was clear that many of these things could have been either frightening or wondrous, depending on the context they were seen in and particularly how the child (usually it was a child) at the center of the story saw it. We weren't told "this is beautiful" or "this is scary", we had to hold our breath and see what the kid thought.

Here is an excerpt from a wonderful set of images, illustrating Miyazaki's philosophy in storytelling. It's something I sincerely wish more filmmakers, especially regarding family films, in English speaking countries would adopt:

The excerpt above is slightly out of context so you can see the full five illustrated page summary HERE.

Anyway - these are my random musings as I watch fairy tales being presented to the public once again. I'm actually hopeful that Into The Woods will work in favor of balancing some of the glitter vs gruesome polarization we currently see when the public contemplates fairy tales.

1st Official Trailer: "Into The Woods"

Ta da! And here it is:

My first thoughts are mostly positive, especially considering my (and many others') fears. Glad to see they're continuing the trend of customizing the view of the Disney castle for the film. 

How about you?

At Long Last, the Journey "Into The Woods" Begins

Over the last couple of days we've been treated to a bunch of stills (care of People Magazine) and a sneak peek of some footage, care of Entertainment Tonight (see below, with apologies for the quality) for Disney's, much anticipated/feared live action version of the award winning musical, Into the Woods. 

It was originally set for theatrical release this Winter (December 25, 2014), but there's a chance that may be moved... TBC.

Although it would seem they're currently doing some reshoots, the marketing machine appears to have finally chugged into gear. Rumor has it that we'll be seeing a proper trailer either August 1st or August 2nd.

In the meantime, here's the ET segment (cut off). Note: the first version I saw was removed so see this ASAP in case this goes too! (, no doubt we'll get a better look very soon):

Hm. Interesting. It actually looks quite... theatrical, though there will no doubt be more effects than we have currently seen. For fans of the Broadway musical, this is still going to be a tough sell but unless it's been completely "Disney-fied" and much glitter added where we have yet to see it, there appears to be a chance of a traditional live action musical here. (Gasp!)

(We've seen the images below before but I thought I'd add them for context.)

Emily Blunt and James Cordon look great, as do many of the cast but I'm going to have to see quite a bit more before I'm completely sold on the Witch, Cinderella and especially the Wolf... (Johnny Depp in a hat. Why are we not surprised?)

What do you think so far?

PS Personal note: I am finally - mostly! - recovered from my 'broken crown', it's unlikely I will be able to blog every day for a short while yet, but I will do my best to manage to bring you news as often as I can. While it turns out it's completely true that a good whack on the head does have you seeing bright lights and stars (but no tweety birds) just like a cartoon, recovery from said stars can actually take (a very inconvenient, painful and frustrating period of) weeks and weeks (very UNlike a cartoon!). Please take care of your heads!

Disney's "Into The Woo.., er, HEAs" (Possible Spoilers, Except You Expected This)

All illustrations in this post are by Hudson Talbott for his adaptation of an Into The Woods picture book

Rapunzel Lives! The Wolf is Not a Lech! The Baker's Wife is Not Unfaithful! HAEs for Everybody!

Wait.

What was the point of "Into The Woods" again?

It's taken me a few days to figure out just want I want to say about this news but my thoughts on the matter have basically stayed the same, because, be honest: I expected it. Heck, you expected it. You (and I) really, really, REALLY hoped it wouldn't happen, but it did. The edgy musical favorite, Into the Woods, which turns the popular view of fairy tales on its head by taking a gritty look at some very real consequences of fairy tale actions (in Act II), has been Disneyfied, or in fancier terms:

(The) more subversive elements of the Brothers Grimm-themed story (have) been excised by studio chiefs. 

"You will find in the movie that Rapunzel does not get killed, and the Prince does not sleep with the [Baker's Wife]," (Sondheim) told an audience of drama teachers at Sardi's restaurant in New York, also noting that Disney had objected to the sexualisation of the relationship between Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. Added Sondheim: "Disney said, we don't want Rapunzel to die, so we replotted it. I won't tell you what happens, but we wrote a new song to cover it."

While James Lapine, (original Into The Woods writer) reportedly argued against the rewrites with Disney (but lost the battle) Stephen Sondheim (original composer/lyricist for Into the Woods) has defended the changes (from HERE):

Sondheim said teachers had a duty to explain to their students that creative licence could be undermined by social conservatism. "[You] have to explain to them that censorship is part of our puritanical ethics, and it's something that they're going to have to deal with," he said. "There has to be a point at which you don't compromise anymore, but that may mean that you won't get anyone to sell your painting or perform your musical. You have to deal with reality."

Translation: To Sondheim, it was worth the money to let Disney "Disneyfy" it. He wanted to get paid.

Ya know, I get that. We all gotta eat.

BUT.

It's INTO THE WOODS! aka the Disney-fication-antidote!

-strangle-sounds-

At least we've been warned.

Will it hurt box office? Unlikely. At least not for opening weekend.

Because, in the end, again in the spirit of being honest, the original Sondheim/Lapine team are still on this so there's still a chance it might be good, and you want to know how they dealt with it all, just as much as I do, don't you? DON'T YOU?!

Argh.

-headdesk-

Bonus Brain Stretcher for the day:
There's an interesting article from the Washington Post HERE about why Disney cannot tell grown-up stories. While there are some interesting points, and it makes a good argument for the predictable patterns in (current) Disney storytelling, I think it also makes it even clearer that society in general doesn't really understand the essence of simple timeless stories, or of fairy tales. Fairy tales in particular may be condensed, spare and even, in some ways, simplistic, but they are never "childish". And I have to agree with the author on this point (below):

There is big money in happy endings, ...and Disney can complicate its brand only so much.This is the same problem the company has in other areas, and the reason we hear so many complaints about a juvenile strain in popular media. If your brand relies on the idea that Captain America is a good, trustworthy person,you can only go so far in encouraging your audience to think critically about the implications of giving a single person the ability to do great violence. If you are in the business of selling happy endings, your customers might get less enthusiastic as they become convinced that “ever after” is not an ironclad guarantee.

Sources: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE.

"Into the Woods Trailer" Surfaces (& People Get Excited, Even Though We're Pretty Sure It's Fan Made...)

Into the Woods by Charles Vess

The real question is, are they on target for a Christmas 2014 release? It's already (nearly) mid-May, which means we're about six months out and so far... nothing!

This trailer here, with the not-fantastic text and the weird lighting etc is looking.. less-than-Disney, ie it looks fan-made (please say it is because, although it's fine for a demo it's not looking very pro.) More telling, this appeared at the very end of April and there hasn't been a blip of news or comment about it since....

Here's the trailer though, and you can make up your own mind about it. Apparently it's still fooled a lot of people but Disney will be doing much better than this (we sincerely hope!).

Meryl Streep is the Witch in ''Into The Woods'' from Walt Disney Pictures. See the musical like you have never seen it before. 

Walt Disney Studios, the studio behind "Frozen" and "The Muppets", presents "Into the Woods", a stunning big-screen comedic musical adventure. When the Baker and his wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt) discover they have been put under a curse from the Witch (Meryl Streep) rendering them forever childless, they embark on a life changing adventure into the woods to seek out special items needed to lift the curse. The cow as white as milk belonging to a poor village boy named Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) looking to sell his milk-less cow, the cape as red as blood belonging to a courageous and blood thirsty little Red Riding hood (Lilla Crawford), the hair as yellow as corn from atop the head of a lonely and outcasted Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and finally the shoe as pure as gold having fallen from a distressed Cinderella's (Anna Kendrick) foot. With giants abound and where Big Bad Wolves (Johnny Depp) become the hunted, love and betrayal will the Baker and his wife ever be able to lift the curse on their family? 

Into the Woods by Walt Disney Productions brings a hilarious new spin on an already existing musical classic. 

The film is directed by Rob Marshall ("Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", "Nine") and produced by John DeLuca, Marc Platt ("Winter's Tale", "2 Guns"). Featuring music from Stephen Sondheim ("Sweeney Todd", "Sunday in the Park with George") 

"Into the Woods" comes to theaters in 3D on Christmas 2014. 

What do you think?

More from Into the Woods, including Ms. Streep

First look at Meryl Streep as the witch

We've had a few pics be released via on-set personal cameras, Twitter and Instagram this week and it's encouraging the positive buzz. We even got to see a first highly anticipated look at Meryl Streep's witch at the end of the week (see above). I was curious to see which way they'd go with her character. Looks pretty traditional with the matted wigs and talons etc. I guess I was hoping for a different take overall from Rob Marshall but it's a little early to judge just yet.

Wedding sets and costumes

Cinderella & her scruffy prince on their wedding day

The wedding stuff looks fairly standard, too - lovely but missing some oomph for me (of course we're not seeing sots from principle photography, just behind-the-scenes and that can make a huge difference.) As I said, early days...

Rapunzel

I do like Rapunzel's wrapping details. Costume designer Ms. Atwood can generally be relied upon to put a lot of thought and symbolism into her pieces for characters so I'm hoping we see an interview with her sometime soon on some of her work for this movie.

I'm sure we'll see a few more images over the next week or too as well. They're likely to release a teaser Depp shot for publicity reasons so I'm watching for that, curious to see what direction they're taking Big Bad and little (oh so young) Red.

Sources: HERE & HERE (there are more castle shots at this link too)

Into the Photography (Of Into the Woods)

Note: Good glory - I just experienced almost 24 hours without phone, internet or TV or radio news! It's weird when even your schools and libraries cannot get online... Into the Desert here - sheesh. Thank goodness for Megan at The Dark Forest keeping up with the days' scoops! You MUST subscribe/follow/log-in and read her regularly.

Yep - it's picture time! First behind-the-scenes pics - in Colleen Atwood's costumes* (swoon!) - were released today via Broadway World from the filming at Dover Castle of Disney's movie adaptation of Into the Woods (dramatic music sting - and a sharp slap on the hand for a ridiculously long sentence).

Go check Megan's The Dark Forest post for lost of lovely pics, all the details and her excellent musings on why we love Into the Woods and whether or not making it into a movie will make that love stronger or make it die a thousand deaths... (or, worse, make us yawn).

Oh - and the comments on Broadway World are fun/cringe-inciting to read too. I had to include this exchange:

*Check Rapunzel's braided corset detailing peeking through in the background, amidst the pics in the original article - very nice touch.

Rapunzel's Tower Is Under Construction

Set of the film, Into the Woods (2014) under construction at Waverley Abbey, Farnham, Surrey. The artificial tower between the abbey's dorter on the left and the refectory on the right is Rapunzel's Tower. (September 18, 2013)

So if this is what the construction of such a structure looks like in 2013, what would it have looked like in the 1600's? (ie. when Giambattista Basile was writing his version, which is the earliest version of this tale found to date?) What materials would they have used? How many people would it have taken to build? How long would it have taken to construct - had to be less than 12-16 years, right?

Oh wait. Mother Gothel was a witch so she probably magicked it into being...

"The way is clear, the light is good...." #IntoTheWoods
~ Anna Kendrick on Twitter
Image from Into the Woods filming location

But if she could do that, between that and her luscious garden, what kind of witch was she?

And no matter whether the tower sprang up overnight or over twelve years, what would the townspeople's reaction have been if they'd seen it in the wood?

(In the Basile version, Rapunzel/Petrosinella is much older when her mother hands her over to the sorceress/ogress and has already been to school [and it's in an even more heartless manner that the exchange happens, in my opinion] and at least one member of the town community interacts/gossips with the ogress, so someone else - other than Petrosinella's birth family - was very aware of her living situation.)

I love the questions that spring to mind when the practical matters of a fairy tale have to be managed in real life, such as how to construct an actual tower for set use in a film. In this case, the construction is for the current film-in-production Into the Woods, for which principle photography started this last week (the building will be half-historical and half new).

Check the interior stairs - would the original tower have had stairs inside with no door or window to make use of the space, do you think? And with woods like those shown above, don't you think the tower would have been more than a little visible to the surrounding towns? Or was it also camouflaged with vines and greenery? So many questions...

"Into the Woods" Movie: Disney's Official Character/Cast List & Descriptions (Released today)

Into The Woods by PhLightAttendant

Thought you might like to read the official list, also released today, along with the descriptions. If you're familiar with the musical you'll spot some "official differences" right away.

PS You'll note in the "additional cast" summary, that Cinderella's stepsisters have their names finalized  (finally!) and that "Drusilla" still isn't one of them (thank goodness).

PPS And Granny is being played by one of our favorite fairy godmothers! Nice to see her back in a fairy tale. (Annette Crosbie - The Slipper and the Rose)

The all-star ensemble cast includes: 

· Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “August: Osage County”) portrays the Witch who wishes to reverse a curse so that her beauty may be restored. 

· Emily Blunt (“Looper,” “The Young Victoria,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) is the Baker’s Wife, a childless woman who longs to be a mother. 

· James Corden (Broadway’s “One Man, Two Guvnors,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Gavin & Stacey”) plays the role of the Baker, a hard-working man who desperately wants to start a family. 

· Anna Kendrick (“Pitch Perfect,” “Up in the Air”) fills the shoes of Cinderella, who finds herself on a journey of self-discovery. 

· Chris Pine (“Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Jack Ryan”) portrays Cinderella’s Prince, charming and impossibly handsome, who is on an endless quest to find his bride. 

· Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean” films, “The Lone Ranger,” “Sweeney Todd”) steps in as the Wolf, who sets his sights on Little Red Riding Hood. 

· Lilla Crawford (Broadway’s “Annie”) makes her feature-film debut as Little Red Riding Hood, a smart and spunky girl who journeys into the woods, finding unexpected adventures along the way. 

· Daniel Huttlestone (“Les Misérables”) lands the role of Jack, an absentminded and adventurous boy who trades his treasured cow for five magic beans. 

· Tracey Ullman joins the cast as Jack’s Mother, a poor and exasperated mom who is overwhelmed, yet fiercely protective of her son. 

· Christine Baranski (“Mamma Mia!,” “Chicago” “The Good Wife”) takes on the infamous Stepmother who wishes for riches and grandeur; she’ll do anything to marry off one of her daughters to a prince.· MacKenzie Mauzy (“Brother’s Keeper,” Broadway’s “Next to Normal”) plays Rapunzel, a sheltered young woman who experiences the world beyond her tower for the first time. 

· Billy Magnussen (Broadway’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “The East”) is the dashing and eager Prince who courts Rapunzel. 

Celebrated actors from the stage and screen fill the supporting roles, including Tammy Blanchard (“Blue Jasmine,” “The Good Shepherd”) and Lucy Punch (“Bad Teacher,” “Dinner for Schmucks”) as Cinderella’s spoiled stepsisters, Florinda and Lucinda. Richard Glover (“Sightseers,” “St. Trinian’s”) is the Princes’ royal steward, Frances de la Tour (“Hugo,” “Alice In Wonderland”) portrays the giant, and Simon Russell Beale (“The Deep Blue Sea”) is the Baker’s father. Actress Joanna Riding (“My Fair Lady,” “Carousel”) portrays Cinderella’s late mother, and Little Red Riding Hood’s beloved granny is played by Annette Crosbie (“Calendar Girls,” “The Slipper and the Rose”).

Into The Woods is set to open in theaters December 25, 2014.

The statement also officially summarized the Disney version of the story:

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on 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, 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. 

You can read the full press release HERE.

Note: In addition to the fun illustration at the head, you can see PhLightAttendant's lovely character sketches for Into the Woods in his deviantArt gallery HERE as well (under Fan Art) or you can see them laid out in the "almost final" cast graphic I made a while back HERE.

Sources: HERE & HERE

Breaking Casting News: "Into the Woods" Swaps Reds

Little Red Riding Hood by George Sheridan Knowles (1863 – 1931, English)

So... although it had been confirmed by her agent that "YouTube sensation", and Ellen-darling Sophia Grace Brownlee would be starring in her first feature film role as Little Red Riding Hood for Disney's movie Into the Woods, now that filming has started on the movie, things have changed.

Just today (Monday September 16), it was confirmed that Sophia Grace will no longer be playing the controversial role and that Red's shoes would instead be filled by the (slightly older) Broadway actress, Lilla Crawford.

From Entertainment Weekly:

Much of the concern from fans about the ten-year-old Brownlee revolved around her age, as well as the fairly blatant subtext of the material she would have to perform, which included her seduction of sorts by Depp’s Wolf. Crawford, for her part, is just 12, so it’ll be interesting to see what changes, if any, are made from the Broadway version of the material.

Although there is only a two year difference between the girls, I would have to agree that the difference between age ten and age twelve is pretty huge, with regard to many different areas of maturity. I would NOT say, however, that it's enough to offset the ick-factor*, unless Miss Crawford's Red is a very savvy twelve-ish year old and the script has changed enough to reflect that in a way we can get behind (and I don't mean in a Lolita way).

Either way, we should be feeling rather more confident of an excellent and nuanced performance from the Broadway star. Despite her youth, she has already wowed audiences and critics with her role as "Annie" in the new, Tony-award winning revival of the show.

While we, as fairy tale folk, have read so many variations on Red Riding Hood we've probably lost count - including those of savvy little girls and the less-than-savvy - the implications are no longer lyrical, metaphoric or hypothetical when you have a young actress required to live the lines of a preyed upon child. With Disney proudly hanging their brand name right on the front of this movie (instead of intentionally staying behind the scenes by using eg the Touchstone brand name or similar) I'm curious as to whether this aspect of Into the Woods will be addressed at all or if the story line will be rewritten to take all the teeth out of it so it can't sully the Disney name in terms of subject matter association.

My cynical side is wondering if all this isn't just a, rather staged, publicity stunt... If it is, it's working. People are talking, and they're watching for what the results will be.

*Columbian artist Rossina Bossio painted THIS rather disturbing painting of a young Red, which, despite being considered "Art" I would say is NOT SAFE FOR WORK AND IS RATHER DISTURBING - probably as it was meant to be.

D23 Report (Aug 9 & 10): Maleficent First Look & Branagh's Cinderella sizzle reel

I had a feeling it would be a Maleficent week...

It turns out, D23 attendees were treated to a great first look at the live-action panel on Friday and Saturday, along with an appearance and interview with Ms. Jolie (minus the horns).

From iO9:

The first ever footage of Maleficent screened at D23, which Peter Sciretta of Slashfilm described quite highly (Edit FTNH: see pic of tweet inserted below). Then the lady of the hour, Angelina Jolie, appeared to a standing ovation and talked about how bad-ass Maleficent's horns are. GOOD. 

More importantly, the official Maleficent synopsis was released, which reveals a bit as to why this awesome villain decided to go green and ruin princess Aurora's life:

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"Into The Woods" Has Full Cast, Started Rehearsal Aaaand Some Controversy... (Yes. Already.)

First order of business:

Disney's "Into The Woods" movie now has a full (and 100% confirmed) cast!


All the cast are as per the (GIANT) graphic I made HERE, with the addition of young Sophia Grace Brownlee as Little Red Riding Hood.
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Breaking News: Main Cast 'Almost!' Complete for "Into the Woods" Movie

Into the Woods Poster by laurean

From an apparent "world exclusive" on Broadway World, breaking news of the Into the Woods movie casting came in late last night.

The Baker & His Wife by Phillip Light

From Broadway World: 

A source close to the production has confirmed casting for the majority of the roles now that official casting for the highly anticipated big screen tuner is almost complete, with the big budget production set to start shooting in the UK in a few weeks.

I made a very quick-and-dirty (and giant!) graphic of all the well known characters with names and pics. (Do not ask how late I was up doing this thing!)

You should be able to click on the image to get a closer look (or right click "see original image" and that should show you full-size too).

You will see there have been a few changes (including last week's news of Jake Gyllenhaal having to bow out due to scheduling conflicts). No word yet on who Little Red will be and apparently Daniel Huttlestone has not yet signed properly on the dotted line yet to play "Jack" either, so he's still a maybe.

I've also seen no mention of the giant - either character or voice so I'm not sure what the approach will be on that aspect.

Note: the characters at the bottom, though recognizable are considered ensemble cast so it could run the extreme from cameos by well known actors to unknowns. Likely depends on the approach with the main cast (you don't want to unbalance the movie but at the same time a well placed cameo often adds shades were none were necessarily evident before). I guess we shall see...

All the lovely Into the Woods character-caricatures are by the very talented Philip Light (PhLightAttendant on deviantArt).

And now to the latest cast list.

(Click on image below to view full size) 
- EDIT JULY 24, 2013 -
Because people were having trouble viewing this full size, I have made it the original size here on the blog, even though it's kinda ugleeee! So please excuse the blog look for this post but hopefully the fact you can now see the graphic will make up for that.  A little. :) (You may still need to right click "view image in new tab" and then click the little magnifying glass to make it zoom to size, or you can also drag it onto your desktop to view but it should at least be the correct size when you do this time).