Strange Magic

What’s it about:

Bog King (Alan Cumming) leader of the Dark Forest hates the notion of love and has ordered the destruction of all primroses, which are an essential ingredient of love potions. However, when he meets Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood), a feisty fairy princess whose heart was broken by a philandering fiance, he begins to change his mind. Meanwhile, an elf named Sunny (Elijah Kelley) makes his way to the Dark Forest to collect enough primrose petals for a potion of his own.

What we thought:

If you ever longed for a movie with all the persistent life lessons that a Disney fairy tale has to offer, along with messy visuals, and enough karaoke song covers that could fill half the season of Glee then you might want to treat yourself to this strange (excuse the pun) animated movie that is, Strange Magic.

Well-known director George Lucas (Star Wars and Indiana Jones) came up with the story but you clearly would not say with the look, feel, or sound of the movie. Lucas was inspired by Shakespeare Midsummer’s night dream, where the mix up of a love potion is the basis for the storyline.

The story follows the romantic misadventures of two tiny, spirited princesses in the magical fairy kingdom, where Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood) and her younger sister Dawn live in an idyllic flower paradise. Marianne celebrates her upcoming marriage to the dashing and of course arrogant, Roland. Can’t help falling in love starts the first of many pop rock songs by artists ranging from The Doors to Lady Gaga.

When she catches Roland cheating on her, Marianne sings a different tune, transforming into this Goth girl with an aggressive punk attitude, the now independent feminist takes on the heroine role.

Basically, the film uses existing songs to pretty much voice every scene in the film. And just when you think one song is done, bam it hits you in the face with another one.

Of course at the end, the classic Beauty and the Beast formula is taught, where love is not about the exterior but the inside of a person. And this is where the wicked Bog King (Alan Cumming) plays an ill-tempered grasshopper that hates love.

Good lesson to share, but the way the film gets there is very odd.

Besides the weird plot and karaoke singing, the actual animation of the film is unattractive, if the point was to introduce old songs to the new generation, I guess the mission is accomplished.

Strange Magic is like a musical jukebox so heavily song laden that it never quite fits in with the plot.

Like most modern animated movies, it’s okay to look at, and if you don’t have demanding kids they might enjoy it, but there isn’t much there.