Disney, Movie

Have You Ventured “Into The Woods”?

Into the Woods

Have you been to the movies to see “Into The Woods” yet? This movie is getting great reviews and it is one that I am looking forward to seeing once I can get to the movies again. In the meantime I have a new featurette and some interesting Filmmaking notes about the movie to share with you.

FILMMAKING FACTS

  • Production on “Into the Woods” began in September, 2013 at Shepperton Studios and on locations throughout England.

  • Stephen Sondheim has received eight Tony® Awards, more than any other composer in history. He has won seven times: Best Music and Best Lyrics for “Company” (1971); and Best Score for “Follies” (1972), “A Little Night Music” (1973), “Sweeney Todd” (1979), “Into the Woods” (1988) and “Passion” (1994). His eighth honor was a 2008 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

  • The foundation of the Woods set, built on Stage H at Shepperton Studios, was made up of 2,000 tons of soil, over 600 ferns, acres and acres of ivy and countless pallets of moss and turf.

  • 95 percent of the trees used on the Woods set were real trees, which included 30-foot pine trees and hundreds of 25-foot oak tree branches, the leaves of which had to be removed and replaced with artificial ones (so they would last longer). The remaining five percent were full-sized whimsical trees constructed from plaster.

  • There were four cows cast to play Milky-White. Their names were Tug, Diamond, Two Fold and Pearl.

  • Rapunzel’s hair in the film is 20 feet long. The braid is made from real hair and weighs almost six pounds.

  • The music for the film was pre-recorded over a two-week period at Angel Studios in London with a 56-piece orchestra, composed of some of the best musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic.

Learn more about Into the Woods.

INTO THE WOODS
DISNEY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyIntoTheWoods
Twitter: @DisneyPictures

U.S. Release Date: December 25, 2014

Cast: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski and Johnny Depp. Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Frances de la Tour, Simon Russell Beale, Richard Glover, Joanna Riding, Annette Crosbie.

Director: Rob Marshall
Producers: Rob Marshall, John DeLuca, Marc Platt, Callum McDougall
Screenplay by: James Lapine
Based on the musical play by: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

“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 & 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 Marshall, John DeLuca, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall, “Into the Woods” will be released in theaters Dec. 25, 2014.

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, 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.

Notes:

  • Into the Woods” premiered on Broadway on Nov. 5, 1987, at the Martin Beck Theatre. The production, which ran for 764 performances, won Tony® Awards for best score, best book 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, Broadway and London revivals, in addition to a television production, DVD recording and a 10-year-anniversary concert.

  • 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.

  • The award-winning production team includes Dion Beebe (“Collateral,” “Chicago,” “Nine”), Oscar® winner for the Marshall-helmed “Memoirs of a Geisha,” as director of photography. Dennis Gassner (“Skyfall,” “Quantum of Solace”), who won his own Oscar for “Bugsy,” serves as production designer, and three-time Oscar winner Colleen Atwood (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Chicago,” “Alice In Wonderland”) is costume designer.