Strange Magic, the fantastical love story from George Lucas delivers a rocking soundtrack (chosen by George himself) and some predicable life lessons. Everyone wants to find true love. It happens when you least expect it but it feels wonderful when you do. Love can be strange, magical but when it’s not forever it can be heartbreaking. Particularly when you are a teenager. I remember being devastated when love wasn’t reciprocated as a kid (ohhh the drama!). The pain was almost unbearable.
There are two worlds in Strange Magic- the happy-floral Fairy Kingdom side and the Dark (really dark) Forest side. We meet love-struck fairy-princess Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood) who is preparing for her wedding with the kingdom stud, Roland (Sam Palladio). She doubts her self early on. Does Roland love her as much as she loves him? She discovers that no, he’s a two-timer and had an agenda. Marianne writes off love, turns into a warrior princess as well as a helicopter parent to her younger sister, Dawn (Meredith Anne Bull), who happens to be boy crazy. Little does Dawn know that her true love is “little” and right under her nose!
Over in the Dark Forest, Bog King (Alan Cummings) has also written off love. His only goal is to abolish it…forever! He’s captured the infamous Sugar Plum Fairy (Kristin Chenoweth), creator of a powerful love-potion that eventually turns the kingdoms upside down. Life lesson alert, true love comes from within, not from a bottle. We learn that the Bog King is a victim of heartbreak. He’s a mama’s boy who really is a softie behind his hard shell.
So what happens when the warrior princess Marianne and grumpy Bog King get together? That you will have to find out when you see the movie this weekend.
I watched the screening of Strange Magic at Skywalker Sound. Lucasfilm flexed their muscles by showing off their lighting techniques which blew my mind. The sounds and animation work are absolutely stunning. The voice over work is well done. My favorite was Alan Cumming as Bog King, I love the Scottish accent and boy can he belt out a song. Elijah Kelly does a nice job bringing his character Sunny to life especially when he sings Three Little Birds and Say Hey.
The movie does live up to it’s name with strange characters sprinkled with magical visuals and fabulous songs. There were some lulls in the movie plus it’s not as funny as I would liked it to have been. I do appreciate the message it give’s to young girls about infatuation vs true love and that girls are just as tough as boys. Looks like George managed to get in a ‘light-saber’/sword fight that will dazzle boys and girls. Oh, and the sneaky bunny is one of my favorite characters, he’s kinda trippy and is obsessed with that love potion.
Strange Magic is Rated PG and is in theaters now!
* I attended an all-expense paid trip hosted by Touchstone Pictures and Lucasfilms. Opinions are my own.
