The trailer for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” the live-action reimagining of the studio’s animated musical classic, debuted on Sunday night during the Oscars.
Two of the film’s stars, Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, introduced the trailer on ABC’s live broadcast of the 95th Annual Academy Awards. “The Little Mermaid,” helmed by visionary filmmaker Rob Marshall, opens exclusively in theaters nationwide May 26, 2023.
“The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
The film stars singer and actress Halle Bailey (“grown-ish”) as Ariel; Jonah Hauer-King (“A Dog’s Way Home”) as Prince Eric; Tony Award® winner Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”) as the voice of Sebastian; Awkwafina (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) as the voice of Scuttle; Jacob Tremblay (“Luca”) as the voice of Flounder; Noma Dumezweni (“Mary Poppins Returns”) as Queen Selina; Art Malik (“Homeland”) as Sir Grimsby; with Oscar® winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) as King Triton; and two-time Academy Award® nominee Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “Bridesmaids”) as Ursula.
“The Little Mermaid” is directed by Oscar® nominee Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Mary Poppins Returns”)with a screenplay by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee (“Life of Pi,” “Finding Neverland”). The songs feature music from multiple Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin”) and lyrics by Howard Ashman, and new lyrics by three-time Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film is produced by two-time Emmy® winner Marc Platt (“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” “Grease Live!”), Miranda, two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca (“Tony Bennett: An American Classic”), and Rob Marshall, with Jeffrey Silver (“The Lion King”) serving as executive producer.
With the big year-end holidays just days away, many are rushing out of town to be with loved ones, which makes it a perfect time for the movies to ponder that age-old question, “Can you really go home again?”. In other words, can you recapture the wonder and general magic of our childhood years? The Disney Studios certainly hope that’s possible, for they’ve got a lot riding (financially and artistically) on a sequel to their founder’s last great box office triumph (certainly “Uncle” Walt’s biggest “mainly” live action hit). But wait, you may ask, didn’t that celebrated “man from Marceline Missouri” pass away in 1966? Exactly, and this classic hit theatres two years before that, even inspiring a “making of” docudrama five years ago, SAVING MR. BANKS. So, can this icon, a different sort of soaring super-heroine, save filmgoers from the holiday flick doldrums (so many of the end of the year films are “downers”)? Well, as fans across the globe will learn when MARY POPPINS RETURNS, she’s still practically perfect in every way.
The first person greeting us at the start of this tale is not Bert the chimney sweep, but Jack the lamp-lighter (Lin-Manuel Miranda) who rides his bike around dawn in the still darkened streets of London, though part of the darkness might be the fact that the city is in the throes of “The Great Slump” (in the states we called it a “Depression”). Yes, a lot has changed in the 25 years since we last visited Cherry Tree Lane. The Banks family still occupies a lovely home there, not far from the punctual Admiral Boom (David Warner), but it’s Michael (Ben Whitshaw) that’s the head of the household. He has three children of his own, ten-year-old Anabel (Pixie Davies), eight-year-old John (Nathanael Saleh), and six-year-old little Georgie (Joel Dawson), but no wife since she passed away fairly recently. Luckily Michael’s sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) helps out whenever possible, between protesting corruption and serving at the soup kitchen (some call her a “union organizer”, but she’sd no doubt prefer “defender of the downtrodden). Plus there’s long-time cook/housekeeper Ellen (Julie Walters) who seems more like part of the family. Unfortunately, Michael’s artistic aspirations have not been fruitful, so he has taken out a loan from the bank where his father worked, the old Fidelity Fiduciary (he’s a part-time clerk there). And now the loan is almost due and the bank will take the house in just a few days unless it’s paid in full. The sympathetic (seemingly) new bank manager, Mr. Wilkins (Colin Firth) insists that he’ll give them until midnight on that Friday. Oh, but didn’t Grandpa’ George buy bank stock notes? As they frantically look through the attic, Michael tosses out an old kite. The wind picks it up and takes it to the park where the children are playing. Lil’ Georgie grabs the string and is almost pulled into the sky until Jack rescues him and pulls at the kite. Suddenly the line goes slack, the clouds part to reveal that a woman floating by means of an umbrella is now holding the kite. It is the Banks’ former nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt). She takes the trio home to a very surprised Michael and Jane (“You’ve not aged a day!”). Though they cannot pay her, Mary insists on taking charge of the three children. They then embark on a series of magical, musical adventures as the elder Bankses struggle to save the old house from foreclosure, something Mary’s magic cannot forestall. Or can it?
The main question in the minds of most fans of the character is how Ms. Blunt stacks up to the Oscar-winning performance of Julie Andrews in the original. The short answer is very well, with Blunt putting a similar but different spin on her. Yes, Mary’s still a tough taskmaster and stickler for order, but Blunt delights as she shows us her mischevious, fun-loving side, such as when she joins the kids for a “dive” into the bathtub, and later as she demures before going into a big musical number before a very appreciative animal audience. For that sprightly song, Mary drops the prim and proper to be a bit, well, bawdy as she doffs a derby and twirls a cane. Mere moments later she’s the ultimate caregiver, so soothing and warm as she helps the children cope with their recent loss (the ballad “The Place Where Lost Things Go”). And as we heard in her role recently in INTO THE WOODS, Blunt has a most lovely singing voice. The same can be said of her frequent dance partner here, Miranda, who has taken over the Bert functions (it’s explained that Jack was an apprentice to Bert, and waved to little Jane from the rooftops). Best known for rapping in the Broadway smash “Hamilton”, Miranda even gets to indulge in a bit of the same during that earlier mentioned number with Blunt. Later he keeps up expertly as the leader of the “Leeries” (lamplighters) in the energetic (exhausting really) “Trip a Little Light Fantastic”. Unfortunately, the Jack character can be a little cloying to the point of preciousness as he seems to condescend to the kids (always on the verge of a wink), and he appears to grab screen time away from Mary. And who in the make-up department thought the “five o’clock shadow” effect didn’t look like a child’s “hobo” Halloween outfit (either grow some stubble or be clean-shaven, really)?
Yes, it’s basically the Mary and Jack show, but the supporting cast gets many chances to shine. From a dramatic standpoint, Whishaw is the story’s bruised, almost broken heart. Life has truly pummeled him, and like his papa, Mary needs to “save” him and remind him of life’s joys. We see all this through Whishaw’s sad, sunken eyes which show a spark as Mary enters his lofe once more. Though not as tragic as her brother, Mortimer is excellent as the grown empathetic sis who seems to have never forgotten those sweet moments of generosity. Plus she has some lovely moments with Jack, as the hint of romance makes Jane’s bubbly attitude return. Firth oozes silky menace as the duplicitous money-lender, going from sweet (around Michael) to sour on a dime (if his mustache weren’t pencil-thin he’s be twirling it as he thinks of taking the house). Warner’s a loveable old crank as the time-obsessed neighbor. Blunt’s frequent film co-star Meryl Streep shows up for a song and dance as Mary’s wacky, repair-shop owner Cousin Topsy. Sporting a bright red flapper wig and doing a Fanny Brice-style Old World accent, her “Turning Turtle” number is a bit of forced whimsy that grinds the plot to a halt, though Streep, as usual, gives her utmost effort. Another screen veteran, Angela Landsbury, works much better as the Balloon Lady as she sings a spirited rendition of the very catchy final tune “Nowhere to Go But Up”. Oh, the new trio of Banks kids are pretty great, very natural and endearing. But they’re not nearly as adorable as the film’s scene-stealer Navckid Keyd, whose number at the bank office is a real “show stopper”. This fella’s going places, even with that tongue-twisting moniker.
Movie musical vet Rob Marshall (CHICAGO, INTO THE WOODS) keeps the story moving along at a fairly brisk pace, making its over two-hour running time almost breeze by (despite the “Turtle” number and the endless stunt cyclers). And there’s plenty of good-natured humor in the script he co-wrote with David Magee and John DeLuca (based on the characters and stories created by P.L. Travers) which recalls many of the “story beats” of the original without being an exact “carbon copy”. The same could be said somewhat with the original songs and score by Marc Shaiman (with a lyric assist from Scott Wittman) which evoke bits of the iconic score by “The Boys”, as Disney called the Sherman Brothers (try and watch the superb documentary THE BOYS for some great insight into the 1964 film) while having a distinct sprightly, hummable energy and offering a familiar formula (“Step in Time”=”Trip a Little Light Fantastic”,”I Love to Laugh”=”Turning Turtle”, and so on). Time will tell if they’ll have the staying power of Robert and Richard’s melodies (my bet is on the infectious “A Cover is Not the Book” and “Can You Imagine That?”). And big big kudos to Mr. Marshall on insisting that the animated sequence (the highpoint of the original for me) be produced in “hand-drawn” 2D rather than computer-aided 3D (though tech helped with shadows and mixing in the live actors). The line work on the pastel-attired menagerie is delicate, almost “whispy” as though lightly brushed on ceramic as opposed to heavier scratchy lines of the first film. The audience of “The Royal Doughton Music Hall” is a delight that suddenly turns dark and full of danger as a cartoon wolf behaves more like one of the human predators. The whole film greatly benefits from the very talented craftspeople led by production designer John Myhre and photographed with dazzling skill by Dion Beebe with great use of real UK locales (the first film was shot entirely on Hollywood sound stages). So, did the filmmakers “go home again”. For the most part, they’ve produced a most happy “homecoming”. Remembering that 2013 “behind the scenes” film, I’d surmise that “Uncle” Walt would have a grand ole’ time with this while Mrs. Travers would be fairly irritated (too much use of the red color for one thing). With so much discord and darkness filling the news these days, audiences should find a much welcome escape by revisiting the magic when MARY POPPINS RETURNS.
Production on MARY POPPINS RETURNS, the all new sequel to Disney’s 1964 film “Mary Poppins,” has commenced at Shepperton Studios.
The film, which stars Emily Blunt (“The Girl on the Train,” “Into the Woods”) and Emmy, GRAMMY and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) and is directed and produced by Oscar nominee, Emmy and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall (“Into the Woods,” “Chicago”), is scheduled for release December 25, 2018.
The film also stars: Ben Whishaw (“Spectre”), Emily Mortimer (“Hugo”) and Julie Walters (“Harry Potter” films) with Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”) and Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”).
In addition, Dick Van Dyke plays Mr. Dawes Jr., the chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, which is now run by William Weatherall Wilkins (Firth).
MARY POPPINS RETURNS introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), Nathanael Saleh (“Game of Thrones”) and newcomer Joel Dawson.
The film is produced by Marshall, Emmy® winner and Golden Globe® nominee John DeLuca (“Chicago”) and Oscar® andTony® nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Marc Platt (“La La Land”).
The screenplay is by Oscar nominee David Magee (“Life of Pi”) based on The Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers with Oscar nominee and Tony winner Marc Shaiman (“Hairspray”) and Emmy nominee and Tony winner Scott Wittman (“Hairspray”) writing all new songs with Shaiman composing an original score.
Amongst Marshall’s award-winning creative team are Oscar®-winning director of photography Dion Beebe, ASC ACS (“Memoirs of a Geisha”); two-time Oscar-winning production designer John Myhre (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Chicago”); three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell (“The Young Victoria,” “The Aviator,” “Shakespeare in Love”); Oscar-winning hair and make-up designer Peter Swords King (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”); Oscar-winning set decorator Gordon Sim (“Chicago”); Oscar-winning production sound mixer Simon Hayes (“Les Misérables”); and Emmy® nominated editor Wyatt Smith (“Doctor Strange,” “Into the Woods”). The film is choreographed by Marshall and DeLuca with Joey Pizzi (“Chicago”) serving as co-choreographer.
MARY POPPINS RETURNS is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep).
PL Travers first introduced the world to the no-nonsense nanny in her 1934 book “Mary Poppins,” which Disney adapted for the screen and released in August, 1964.
The film, which was directed by Robert Stevenson and starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, was the top-grossing film of that year and nominated for 13 Oscars, winning five.
However, the subsequent adventures of Mary Poppins remained only on the pages of PL Travers’ seven additional books, which she published between 1935 and 1988.
Golden Globe Award® winner Emily Blunt (“Into the Woods,” the upcoming “Girl on the Train”) and Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “In the Heights”) are set to star in MARY POPPINS RETURNS, a sequel to the studio’s 1964 classic, MARY POPPINS, which will be released on December 25, 2018.
Reuniting the director and producing team behind Disney’s hit film musical INTO THE WOODS, the film will be directed by Oscar® nominee, Emmy® and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall and produced by Marshall, Emmy winner and Golden Globe® nominee John DeLuca and Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award® nominee and Golden Globe winner Marc Platt. The screenplay will be written by Oscar nominee David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by P.L. Travers, with Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner Marc Shaiman composing an all-new score and Shaiman and Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner Scott Wittman writing original songs.
Blunt has been cast as Mary Poppins and Miranda will play a new character, a street lamplighter named Jack. Drawing from the wealth of material in P.L. Travers’ seven additional novels, the story will take place in Depression-era London (when the books were originally written) and follows a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, who, along with Michael’s three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be asked by Disney to bring P.L. Travers’ further adventures to the screen. The iconic original film means so much to me personally, and I look forward to creating an original movie musical that can bring Mary Poppins, and her message that childlike wonder can be found in even the most challenging of times, to a whole new generation,” says Marshall.
P.L. Travers introduced the world to the no-nonsense nanny in her 1934 book “Mary Poppins,” which Disney adapted for the screen and released in August, 1964. The film, which was directed by Robert Stevenson and starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, won five Academy Awards®, including Best Actress for Andrews. However, the subsequent adventures of Mary Poppins remained only on the pages of P.L. Travers’ seven additional books, which she published between 1935 and 1988.
Once upon a time, in a far off land called San Diego in the year 1986, a composer by the name Stephen Sondheim wrote a musical with fellow writer James Lapine. A year later it would debut on Broadway and went on to gain praise from audiences and critics alike, eventually receiving 10 Tony Award nominations and taking home 3 statues. INTO THE WOODS is a twisty take on the classic fairy tales that we’ve grown up with. Several stories are intertwined so that Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel (just to name a few) are now living in the same universe. It’s a clever concept that might not seem as forward thinking today by some newer audiences especially considering all the shared universe discussions that make up the Marvel films. But once upon a time, this quirky show with beautiful compositions and memorable characters ignited excitement in audiences pining for something new. In 2014, I’m not sure the film adaptation under the direction of Rob Marshall will function the same way, but it still works as an entertaining family-friendly film for the holiday season.
As I previously mentioned, INTO THE WOODS opens with a number of classic characters from your favorite timeless fairy tales. Little red riding hood is off to grandmother’s house, Jack has to sell his favorite (dried-up) cow Milky White to provide for his mother, Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) longs to escape the confines of her chores, and the baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are told by an evil witch (Meryl Streep) that she has placed a curse on their family so that they will never be able to have kids unless they acquire four ingredients to concoct a potion to lift the curse. What must they find? A cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. And from there several stories are set in motion in a musical adventure that takes everyone on a journey that may not end “happily ever after.”
INTO THE WOODS is going to divide audiences almost as sharply as the first and second acts stand apart from one another. While the first half frolics cheerfully through the woods with the help of some light laughs and Sondheim’s rich operatic compositions, the second half takes a post-modern turn that will leave many scratching their heads and wishing that they were back in the carefree tone of the first half. Those that are familiar with the stage production obviously won’t be as surprised by the darker and more complicated second half. For me the shift works even if the second half wears out its welcome pretty quickly.
What helps make the long musical affair all worth while is the extremely talented cast director Rob Marshall has assembled. Of course much of the praise will go to Streep’s wicked turn as a witch with a vindictive streak – and a few streaks of grey in her hair to match some appropriately hideous make-up effects. Her character fits right in line with Disney’s recent love of evil but sympathetic villainess roles following Elsa in FROZEN and the title character in MALEFICENT. Even Johnny Depp in what is basically a glorified cameo as the big bad wolf fits appropriately into the cast. His main musical number where he serenades Little Red Riding Hood can occasionally come off as creepy and borderline pedophiliac depending on the stage performance, but here, Depp plays the sly and cunning creature in a way that is both charming and devilish – like a Looney Tunes character come to life. Who shines the most though is both Corden and Blunt as the baking couple on a mission. Their chemistry ignites the screen and gives the film some much-needed warmth and heart amid some drab costumes and murky art direction. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a pitch-perfect moment of comic-gold in the form of the song “Agony” sung by Cinderella’s Prince (Chris Pine) and Rapunzel’s Prince. What starts out as a silly competition between the two men, erupts into an over-the-top spoof of masculinity and storybook heroes.
INTO THE WOODS soars when it focuses on the music and character development. The multiple stories occasionally slow down the film, and the fact that some aren’t entirely given a clear resolution speak to how overstuffed it often feels. It’s interesting to see Disney embrace a project that dabbles in the subversive and not so happily-ever-after (some late in the game deaths might surprise you), but Marshall glides over these darker moments so fast in order to move to the next musical number that you practically forget about them. INTO THE WOODS twists and turns so often that it might be hard for those unfamiliar with the musical to follow, and yet, the frequently charming tone and familiar characters will surely make this not-so-typical fairy tale a hit for Disney princes and princesses both young and old.
INTO THE WOODS finally hits theaters on Christmas Day and WAMG has your passes to see it first!
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 (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 & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.
Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” helms the film, which is based on the Tony®-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win passes (Good for 2) to the advance screening of INTO THE WOODS on Thursday, December 18th at 7PM in the St. Louis area. We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
What are the 4 items the baker and his wife need to bring to the witch to reverse the curse?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWERS AND EMAIL ADDRESS IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
Tune-In TONIGHT at 6:30pm PST to a livestream Q&A with the cast and filmmakers of Disney’s INTO THE WOODS. The event will include a first-look at an exclusive featurette from the film.
The Q&A will include the film’s stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, director Rob Marshall, and screenwriter James Lapine.
Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Johnny Depp and Chris Pine, 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.
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 Tony-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics.
Walt Disney Records is set to release the Into the Woods original motion picture soundtrack and the Into the WoodsDeluxe Edition on December 16, 2014.Into the Woods features 20 songs from the film and the 2-disc Into the WoodsDeluxe Edition also includes score. Both versions are available for pre-order now.
The film will be released in theaters December 25, 2014.
“Into the Woods” premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987, at the Martin Beck Theatre. The production, which ran for 764 performances, won Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical. Among other awards, the musical received five Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical. “Into the Woods” has been produced around the world, including a 1988 U.S. tour, a 1990 West End production and Broadway and London revivals, in addition to a PBS television production and a 10-year-anniversary concert.
The big-screen adaptation welcomes songs from the stage musical, including “Finale/Children Will Listen,” “Giants in the Sky,” “On the Steps of the Palace,” “No One Is Alone” and “Agony,” among others.
Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and Johnny Depp, “Into the Woods” is a modern twist on several beloved 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.
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 musical stage production by legendary eight-time Tony, Grammy and Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and Tony winner James Lapine, who also wrote the screenplay. The film was produced by John DeLuca, Marshall, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall.
The Into the Woods track list follows:
1. “Prologue: Into the Woods” – Company 2. “Cinderella at the Grave” – Cinderella’s Mother 3. “Hello, Little Girl” – Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood 4. “I Know Things Now”– Little Red Riding Hood 5. “A Very Nice Prince” – Cinderella, Baker’s Wife 6. “Giants in the Sky” – Jack 7. “Agony” – Cinderella’s Prince, Rapunzel’s Prince 8. “It Takes Two” – Baker’s Wife, Baker 9. “Stay With Me” – Witch 10. “On the Steps of the Palace” – Cinderella 11. “Careful My Toe” – Stepmother, Florinda, Lucinda 12. “Ever After” (Instrumental)
13. “Witch’s Lament” – Witch 14. “Any Moment” – Cinderella’s Prince, Baker’s Wife 15. “Moments in the Woods” – Baker’s Wife 16. “Your Fault” –Jack, Baker, Little Red Riding Hood, Witch, Cinderella 17. “Last Midnight” – Witch 18. “No One Is Alone” – Cinderella, Baker, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack 19. “Finale/Children Will Listen (Part 1)” – Baker, Baker’s Wife, Witch, Company 20. “Finale/Children Will Listen (Part 2)” – Company
The Into the Woods soundtrack, 2-disc Deluxe Edition and the digital Deluxe Edition soundtrack are set for release from Walt Disney Records on December 16, 2014. The albums are available for pre-order now:
For more information on Walt Disney Records’ releases, like us on Facebook.com/ disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic. To purchase Disney music, visit the online store at www.disneymusicstore.com. For more information on “Into the Woods,” like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyIntoTheWoods and follow on Twitter: @IntoThe Woods.
Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Johnny Depp and Chris Pine, 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.
In the new featurette, director Rob Marshall, composer Stephen Sondheim, along with the cast, discuss the making of the Disney’s upcoming film.
The big-screen adaptation welcomes songs from the stage musical, including “Children Will Listen,” “Giants in the Sky,” “On the Steps of the Palace,” “No One Is Alone” and “Agony,” among others.
“Into The Woods” premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987, at the Martin Beck Theatre. The production, which ran for 764 performances, won Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical. Among other awards, the musical received five Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical.
“Into the Woods” has been produced around the world, including a 1988 U.S. tour, a 1990 West End production and Broadway and London revivals, in addition to a television production, DVD recording and a 10-year-anniversary concert.
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.
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 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.
Check out INTO THE WOODS on four exclusive Entertainment Weekly Holiday Preview covers with the inside feature they call “An exclusive look at this winter’s most wickedly beautiful film” which includes interviews with the filmmakers and cast as well as photos.
EW.com debuts the featurette “A look inside INTO THE WOODS” with additional interviews and new film footage.
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.
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 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 opens in theaters December 25, 2014.
