User reviews

If you look at the statistics of IMDb votes, you will find that Strange Magic unfortunately falls into the category of "either you love it or hate it" - very few in-betweeners.

From a graphical animation viewpoint it is superb, with well thought out details backed by a lot of hard work. For adult viewers who like animations (like me of course!) the plot, musicality and characters are significantly above the average animation, with a well-balanced socially and politically conscious theme.

The immense flake it has got in the media and the "hate it" viewers are totally unwarranted. Its main problem is the strong disconnect between its actual adult theme and characterization, vs the way it is portrayed and marketed as a family animation - a sort of fairy tale mummy bring kiddies to - and you can see many of the complainers fall directly into this category.

In other words, it 'looks like' animation for kids, but the plot and dialogue is totally way too adult.... which is exactly what keeps it interesting for me! Kudos to Mr Lucas for doing this - just too bad the real target market segment of "adults who like fairy tale animation" is just too small for it to make any commercial impact. But... thanks all the same!

This movie is awesome, I freaking love it. Yeah it's cliche, predictable and corny - but that's the whole idea, in fact it's so corny, so predictable and so cliche that it's awesome! I'm not good at reviews, I never will be, but seriously all the down votes - I had to write something. This is not the best movie ever, not the greatest either, but it is awesome. Just watch it, you'll know what I mean - at least if you're in to the cult movies thing.

Strange Magic is a not an animated film for kids, more directed to teens and adults. This is an odd film, a mix of The Princes Bride meets Tim Burton's world and they sing Moulin Rouge style.

The main virtues of the film are, beyond the beautiful animation and character design, the quirkiness of it. To me, the most important thing in movies that are derivative an predictable like this one is the sense of humour and the message conveyed. Strange Magic was funny to me, and found myself laughing more than once. The message if is not new, but important to recall it, there is a lid for every pot, love comes in all colors and shapes, and love happens between people who are, a priori, very different and even opposite. The film is unpretentious, and the familiar soundtrack will keep you (or at least me) singing along.

The cast does a good job at providing the characters with their voice and songs. I especially liked Allan Cumming as Bog King and Elijah Kelly as Sunny.

There is strange magic in this film, because from the known and predictable we get something magic, perhaps just hocus-pocus, and a freaky love story. I think this is one of those movies you really like or dislike, nothing in between. I did find it very enjoyable, but I had no expectations about it, so that always helps.

I read the reviews and watched the trailer with my 6 y/o daughter before going to see it, so I wasn't expecting much. I was happily surprised and frankly, I liked it! It isn't Pixar, by far, but the animation wasn't bad at all. The characters weren't cheesy, and the animators did well to give them a full range of emotion. The voice actors did pretty well, though a lot of the music were the characters singing short covers of hits that didn't play all that well. Still, my daughter never noticed or complained. The background of the forests was done quite well too, especially the dark forest and black castle. The plot was a bit predictable, but the humor was there for both adults and children, and several times the entire audience laughed at the jokes. It's a kids movie, after all, but what was not to like? Not a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon.

I was worried that a few of the parts would be too scary for my daughter, but overall she liked it too. Of course, it ends with a happy ending for everybody. Can't beat that.

I won't be first on the list to buy this, but if I see it in the $5 bin at Walmart, I will buy it. Like I said, I liked it.

Simply put; the movie would have been so much better, with much less singing. I liked it, but had to mute it multiple times. I liked the plot, I liked where it took place. I looked forward to Strange Magic, I even paid to rent it when it first came out. Unfortunately shortly after starting the movie I was already cringing and dreading the next moment they would break out in song, (and it never took long) They would get out very few lines in between either singing small (a least) if not large portions of a song. I thought I was going to like it, I wanted to like it, and I would have liked it, (once again) if not for all the unnecessary and obnoxious singing. To be honest; I have nothing against musicals, if that's your take from this, you're mistaken, it's specific to the overkill of singing in this movie.

Movie posters have a lot of power. Sure, a theatrical trailer or TV commercial may be more exciting, but you're likely to see a movie's poster more often than its trailer. Good or bad, accurate or misleading, the movie poster is the image that probably comes to mind first when you think of a movie, and it's probably what you'll be looking at when you approach your local multiplex' box office to buy a movie ticket. I say all that to say this – I probably would've seen "Strange Magic" (PG, 1:39) sooner if the poster had made the movie look more inviting. Yeah, the poster tells us "Everyone Deserves to Be Loved" (to which I reply, "Here,Here!"), but if you're going to make your point by placing only the ugly characters in your movie on the poster and putting the ugliest of the ugly (even if they have only minor roles in the actual film) front and center, expect to turn some people off. I mean, if the moral of the story is that I'm supposed to love the ugliest creatures around me… you're going to have to ease me into that mess. Don't just hit me with all that up front!

Nevertheless, I'm glad that I finally did see the movie.

In this film's animated fairy tale world, there are two kingdoms, as the movie's intro says, "side by side, but worlds apart." The Fairy Kingdom is inhabited by happy and attractive fairies and elves and is always bright and sunny. The Dark Forest… isn't. This is where ugly imps, trolls and flying insects live. And it's where love goes to die. Literally. The Dark Forest's ruler, the Bog King (voiced by Alan Cumming), believes that love rots and causes disorder, which leads to chaos. Love is banned. (Sounds like someone has some serious personal issues!) He has even imprisoned the Sugar Plum Fairy (Kristin Chenoweth), the only one who can take the pedals of the primrose plants which grow on the border of the two kingdoms and make them into a magical love potion. But that's not why she has been detained. Her imprisonment is more political in nature. It seems that she knows something about the Bog King that he would rather not see posted to Facebook… or whatever social media they have in the Dark Forest. There are issues with the concept and practice of love on the other side of the primrose path as well. The Fairy Kingdom is ruled by a good king, a benevolent despot who just wants his two daughters to find love – with a fairy good match, especially since their husbands could be king someday. Alas, the king's older daughter, Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood) has broken off her engagement with the very eligible and handsome (and he knows it!) Roland (Sam Palladio) and has sworn off love forever. Marianne's younger sister, Dawn (Meredith Anne Bull) has the opposite problem. She seems to fall in love with every Tom, Dick and Fairy, but is worried that no one will love her. What she fails to notice is that her best friend, an elf named Sunny (Elijah Kelley), has a little thing for her. Through much of the movie, Roland is trying to win back Marianne's love (and the crown, the kingdom and the army that would come with marrying her) and Dawn continues to be oblivious to Sunny's affections.

Of course, you can't keep love down forever. Contact is made with the Sugar Plum Fairy on the inside so she can whip up another batch of that love potion and maybe solve some of those problems in Fairy Land. But you gotta be careful with that stuff. Taking a page from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", whoever ingests the potion (whether on purpose or by accident) will fall in love with whomever they see next (whether he or she was the intended target of those chemically-induced affections or not). As Tone Loc would say, you have to watch out for the "Funky Cold Medina"! (That Medina's a monster, y'all.) And, now, since I've mentioned a song from the 1980s, it's a good time to note that much of this movie's action and dialog play out in song. Audience members will hear pop and rock music from the 1960s to the present day from artists as diverse as Elvis, The Doors, Heart and Kelly Clarkson. Just based on the title of the movie and the storyline, you can probably guess what some of those songs would be. In fact, the choreography of some of the scenes to these songs almost makes this movie seem like a rock opera.

"Strange Magic" is a very creative, well-orchestrated film that got a bum rap from most of the so-called "professional critics". First off, the animation is simply amazing. George Lucas (who came up with the story and served as executive producer) used his visual effects and animation company, Industrial Light and Magic, to maximum effect. You can clearly see every freckle on Sunny's adorable cheeks and every bump and stray hair on the Bog King's pointy chin. The animation is so good that I often felt like I was watching a 3-D movie! I just wish so much of the film didn't have to take place in the Dark (and depressing) Forest and that the ugly creatures didn't have to be quite so ugly, or, for that matter, the fairies quite so skinny and disproportionate. As great as the quality of the animation was, the way the characters were drawn was a bit distracting. The story is good, but sometimes felt like it was trying to do too much. Although, the music did tie things together nicely and made the movie more entertaining. And this IS an entertaining movie. It's too bad that more critics didn't agree – and that the movie poster probably turned off some moviegoers. "B+"

I absolutely love this film, but I'll admit it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Pretty much non-stop singing through the first half and some odd song placement can be a bit jarring to some people. Overall though, it's a very cute and BEAUTIFULLY animated film with some great humor, on point voice acting, and top notch singing. Off beat in the best of ways with very memorable characters that really make the movie. I LOOOOVE Bog King and Marianne and their interactions with each other. Just weird enough to be a cult classic, in my opinion. Definitely worth a shot, if you have an hour and a half to spare some day. You may just love it!

I just discovered this movie on Disney+ for the first time today. My two year old was intrigued by the picture so instead of the Baymax series (totally recommend btw, it's adorable) for the 100th time, I clicked on this. He was enthralled for a good hour, which has NEVER happened with a tv show or movie. It's an interesting little film. The visuals are cool and the music is fun. It's not Oscar caliber or anything, and not nearly as funny as something like Shrek, but it's got its laugh out loud moments. Overall, cool movie that got me some solid snuggle time with my normally never still toddler, so it's a win for me!

What went through Lucas' mind when he concocted the script for this film? I expected so much more originality from him than what was delivered. This film so desperately wants to be an old school Disney movie. I hated hearing all the radio pop songs redone, it would have been a bit less torturous if the soundtrack was more original. The main characters in this "film" look grotesque, I mean a real eyesore! I could not stand all the singing. It was overkill. I needed some more dialogue in-between but they didn't give the viewers enough room to breathe, it was an onslaught of melodic torture that seemed endless. You cannot create something this bad by mistake. It must be carried out with great precision and intent. Avoid this abomination at all costs!

"Strange Magic" is a fun, entertaining musical. If you watch the film without expecting "Hamilton" out of it, you would be well pleased.

All too often, fun, children's movies fall victim to stinging reviews from jaded movie critics who expect "Taxi Driver" from children's fairy tales. The initial negative critical reception of "Strange Magic" is a perfect example of how such mismatched critical expectation can wreak havoc on a perfectly entertaining movie.

With a colorful, over-the-top cast of characters with ticklish absurdity, and seamlessly integrated pop-rock karaoke performances, "Strange Magic" is an entertaining oddball sketch of the early millennial spirit wrapped into "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The film is a crowd pleasing cult classic in the spirit of "Willow."

I don't know why so many people slate this movie. Yeah it's got a few stereotypes or things that have been done before but what movie has not. The animation is good, the songs mmhhhh not so good, probably ok for a kid. In the end just like Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story etc beauty is only skin deep and it's what's inside that counts. It's worth a watch.

So at 1830 on a Saturday night I stuck this film on for my 3 year old daughter thinking it would keep her amused for 30 minutes before bed. Turns out it kept me, my wife and my 11 year old daughter entertained too! We sat as a family and all thoroughly enjoyed this strange, funny, and charming film. Some great subtle comedy which made us adults laugh. Plenty for the younger ones to enjoy with bright beautiful animation, fairies, fantastic songs, and a scene stealing bad guy in the Bog King. Kristin Chenoweth brilliant as always as the Sugar Plum Fairy. No prizes for guessing what the first thing on the TV was Sunday morning.....

So this is what George Lucas is doing post Star Wars.

First off, the animation is as excellent as I'd expect coming from Lucas films. The character designed was fantastic. I specially loved the look of the Black forest were the would be antagonist lives and the Fairies, overall.

The story starts off weak but ends strong despite its mediocrity. It's no Disney formula but it works. An ensemble cast of characters try to use a love position to make the ones they love, love them back, and of course they learn that love does not come in a bottle, but how they learned this was very unique (in certain places)

I did not like the use of unoriginal songs. I understand why they did it from a business point of view, because of the popularity of things like Glee, but I feel it's lazy not writing your own songs and I hope this is not a new trend for animated films, Especially in animated films which, thanks to the Disney formula, we expect original content with the music composition instead of ripping off contemporary songs. That is the one place were we should not shun away from what Disney is doing.

Overall, an impressive animated film by Lucafilm made unimaginative by covering other people's songs.

First, comment on one star ratings. I can see where children under the age of six (6) or so might not be as captivated as they would be for PBS style kids' programming: expecting simple graphics and age readability appropriate dialogue such as few syllables; short sentences; concrete familiar references; simple, not abstract concepts. Add to this mix some scary visuals. Also, some of the songs are teen and above. So … Second, for all ages (except above mentioned) the blend of straight dialogue with pop music (some oldies; some newer) dialogue to move the story forward was artfully blended. Admittedly I didn't quite get it in the beginning, but I was able to overcome some of my dumbness and learned to appreciate it. The singing vocal quality from the voice actors was surprisingly good. Third, computer hardware and graphics' programs continue to evolve and are producing scaringly realistic animations: surfaces, modeling, mattes, compositing naturalistic movement. Kudos to all involved. Fourth, the film's messages of seeing in a new way; looking under the surface; love - all make the film worth watching just for that reason.

In the neighboring kingdoms of the Dark Forest and Fairy Kingdom, the boarder is marked with primroses, a key ingredient in the love potions. Eldest Fairy Kingdom princess Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood) prepares to wed Roland (Sam Palladio) only to find that Roland has been unfaithful to her which results in Marianne calling off the wedding and denouncing love. Meanwhile, Sunny (Elijah Kelley) an elf and friend of the younger princess Dawn (Meredith Anne Bull) secretly has a crush on Dawn which is unreciprocated. The Fairy King (Alfred Molina) concerned for his two daughters attempts to persuade Marianne to take back Roland to no avail, while keeping the impetuously romantic whims of Dawn in check. With Roland's efforts to win back Marianne met with failure, Roland enlists the unsuspecting assistance of lovelorn Sunny by nudging him towards the creation of a love potion by venturing into the Dark Forest with a primrose petal to enlist the help of the captive Sugar Plum Fairy (Kristin Chenoweth) who is held captive by the Bog King (Alan Cumming) following a past incident involving the potion that left the Bog King soured in matters regarding love. While Sunny successfully obtains the potion, the potion is soon stolen by a mischievous imp intent of spreading the potion everywhere it can. When the Bog King learns a potion has been created he kidnaps Dawn to ransom the love potion with the intention of destroying it, unaware that Dawn has been exposed to the potion and fallen madly in love with Bog. Meanwhile Marianne sets out to rescue Dawn, while Roland assumes control of an army, and Sunny attempts to reclaim the potion.

Beginning development in the late 90s or early 2000s, Strange Magic was George Lucas' attempt by his words to make "Star Wars for girls" with the intention being to make a Beauty and the Beast type story where the beast doesn't change at the end and inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream by way of the soundtrack to American Graffiti. Going through a lengthy development process even alongside the Star Wars Prequels, the film was well into production by the time Disney bought Lucasfilm with very little input from Disney going forward. The movie was the first Lucasfilm projected released under the studio's Disney ownership and released in the January dumping ground of 2015 where it scored the worst opening for an animated film opening at over 3,000 screens with critical reception being equally dismal. The movie was quietly forgotten, but is it THAT bad?

Watching the trailer Disney cut together for this movie, it gives the impression the film will be like one of those all too numerous Shrek knock-offs that John H. Williams squirts out with minimal effort every few years featuring "hip" pop culture references, a pop song rich soundtrack, and ironic spins on fairy tale tropes. In a way I suppose there's some truth to that, but the trailer or sidesteps the Moulin Rouge esque aspects of the film in it being a jukebox musical featuring songs ranging from Elvis Presley to Lady Gaga. Like most Jukebox musicals there are points where the songs really fit, and other points where it's cringey and pandering particularly when it comes to Elijah Kelley's Sunny whose cringey exchanges such as "shake your booty" are featured prominently in the trailer. In terms of narrative, the movie's opening act is very rushed with characters changing on a dime, and multiple characters all with different motivations and set-ups. Marianne in particular starts off the movie as a carefree Disney-like princess and then following the revelation Roland is unfaithful to her does a complete 180 on her character becoming a "warrior princess" archetype renouncing love and all things related to it. This in turn leads to another major sticking point with the movie, Alfred Molina's Fairy King whose motivations as a character are massively confused with him trying to push Marianne back to Roland who the king knows (or should know) is an unfaithful womanizer who only loves himself and power while also wanting to keep his younger daughter Dawn from ANY sort of suitors or romantic inclinations. The movie has many of the issues that have dogged George Lucas' post 1989 career with clunky dialogue, overly broad and juvenile humor, and basically feeling like a first draft without any outside revision, but that's not to say there's nothing here of value.

Once the movie gets to the halfway point roughly 45 minutes in, the movie actually finds more focus with Alan Cumming's The Bog King given greater presence and his establishment in the earlier part of the movie as a seemingly generic fairy tale antagonist is contrasted against Dawn's potion fueled mad infatuation with him for comic effect that actually really works. Even the Jukebox musical format is better incorporated in the second half with the songs better matched with the situation and animation especially with Dawn's running joke of singing "Sugar Pie Honeybunch" to Bog King, and a combination fight/musical number between Marianne and Bog King that's not only entertaining on its own but serves as an unconventional "meet cute" establishing the burgeoning relationship between the two characters and finally giving the film some semblance of focus and an emotional core. Granted this focus means that the other competing plot threads of Sunny's infatuation with Dawn, Roland's quest for power by using the potion on Marianne, and the Fairy King learning not to dictate the course of his daughter's affairs are mostly resolved in what feels like a rushed "cliff notes" approach, down to the fact the King plainly announces what he's learned (only for it to be undermined for comedic effect).

The movie is the feature directing debut of Academy Award winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom who's known for his solid sound work on films from the likes of James Cameron and Steven Spielberg, as well as directing the English language voice dubs for several Hayao Miyazaki films. Rydstrom has directed in animation before, notably the dialogueless Pixar short film Lifted and the Toy Story short film Hawaiian Vacation both of which are enjoyable if not particularly substantive animated shorts. Strange Magic feels like a first attempt at something major, and it's unmistakably directed by someone from a sound/music background as it feels like the movie's primary focus is in showing off the soundtrack and remixes of songs rather than creating a world where they make any sort of sense. Some of the design work is really top notch, especially with The Bog King whose design in combination with Alan Cummings delivery makes him the best character in the movie. But other parts feel a bit rougher particularly with the fairies and elves who's designs do fall into the uncanny valley every so often.

Strange Magic certainly earns its name as it is "strange" and there is "magic", but it's hard to quantify how successful it is at either of those things. The movie's first half is a confusing directionless mess, but it nearly redeems itself with a strong second half where the focus shift to Bog King and Marianne creates an engaging dynamic. The humor is very broad and plays to a pretty base level with flatulence jokes, puns, and mugging aplenty, and the soundtrack has a wide range of new and classic tunes that have been remixed with many very well done and others quite cringe inducing. I can't say Strange Magic is good, but it's got way to much drive and passion for me to dismiss either. Strange Magic has some fantastic scenes amongst a plethora base humor and ham fisted dialogue, but the stuff that's good is almost good enough to redeem those issues. I can't guarantee you'll like Strange Magic, but I can guarantee you'll remember it. Good points and bad, Strange Magic doesn't strictly speaking "work", but it's not forgettable either.