Strange Magic (2015)

Goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion.

Director:

Gary Rydstrom

Writers:

David Berenbaum (screenplay), Irene Mecchi (screenplay)

Stars:

Evan Rachel Wood, Elijah Kelley, Kristin Chenoweth

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alan Cumming	...	Bog King (voice)
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Marianne (voice)
Elijah Kelley	...	Sunny (voice)
Meredith Anne Bull	...	Dawn (voice)
Sam Palladio	...	Roland (voice)
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Sugar Plum Fairy (voice)
Alfred Molina	...	Fairy King (voice)
Maya Rudolph	...	Griselda (voice)
Bob Einstein	...	Stuff (voice)
Peter Stormare	...	Thang (voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson	...	Brutus (voice)
Llou Johnson	...	Pare (voice)
Robbie Daymond	...	Fairy Cronies (voice)
Brenda Chapman	...	Imp (voice)
Tony Cox	...	Plum Elf (voice)

Storyline

"Strange Magic," a new animated film, is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion.

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Plot Keywords:

fairy | imp | bigotry | mother son relationship | jukebox musical | 

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Taglines:

They're as different as night and day. But sometimes even enemies just need a little magic.

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some action and scary images

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Primrose

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,504,441 (USA) (23 January 2015)

Gross:

$12,427,046 (USA) (10 April 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmbox, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Lucasfilm Animation Singapore

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director Gary Rydstrom, the film is inspired by William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (a romantic comedy involving misunderstandings and cross-purposes between different races), the fairytales "The Ugly Duckling" and "Beauty and the Beast", and the films American Graffiti (1973) (an anthology of stories) and Labyrinth (1986) (a quest undertaken by a female protagonist to save a sibling).

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Quotes

Dawn: I love you!
Bog King: But I'm evil!

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Crazy Credits

End of credit scene: Thang is listening as the mushrooms pass on information. He shares that information with the audience: "Tea Blend" (as in "The End").

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Connections

Featured in Animation Lookback: Top 4 Best & Worst Animated Films of 2015 (2016)

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Soundtracks

I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
Written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam
Performed by Marius De Vries

User Reviews

nuanced rock opera that works across all age groups

was somewhat trepidatious and admit going for the kids, not expecting much. have been seriously invested in the kids' cinematic education for 25+ years and as a result, seen an wide-ranging spectrum for the juvenile set. fantastic visuals, not your run of the mill animation by a long shot. subtle,intelligent humor, simple, streamlined story, and unapologetic, not-so-typical versions of the female/male leads. all of which takes a gracious back seat to the star of this film: the music. for anyone who's managed to incorporate the last several decades worth of music into their everyday lives, all of it will prove to be one long sing-a- long. for those unfamiliar, no worries: the songs are strong enough to stand on their own and the fact that they've been chosen to fit the moment is just a bonus. very pleasantly surprised and will become part of the Permanent Library