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Ghost Canyon

'Strange Magic'
(Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Maya Rudolf, Alfred Molina, et al / DVD / NR / 2015 / Touchstone Pictures)

Overview: 'STRANGE MAGIC' is a music-filled fairy tale about finding true love in the unlikeliest of places. This magical adventure features a host of colorful characters, including a princess who has sworn off love, a dubious villain, a slightly nutty Sugar Plum Fairy, a tenacious elf, a mischievous imp, and a knight who is no Prince Charming.

DVD Verdict: Watching 'Strange Magic,' it's easy to see why aAccording 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).

Phew, but you get the point, especially if you devote your time to this incredible new movie, as from the hands of George Lucas himself, 'Strange Magic' is a good as they come in this genre. 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) the plot, musicality and characters are significantly above the average animation, with a well-balanced socially and politically conscious theme.

The main theme of the story is that true love should be based on the inner person and not their outer looks ie: Don't judge a book by it's cover. Evan plays a fairy princess that is getting married to Sam, a vane prince that just wants the power and prestige of the position, and he seems to be more in love with his self than he is with Evan. Alan is the evil looking-he looks like a cross between a praying mantis and a cockroach- bog king that runs the dark kingdom next door to the fairies. I did say evil looking, because once you get to know him, there is more beneath the surface than there first appears. Kristin is the sugar plum fairy that makes magic love potions that are sought after by most of the main characters, for one reason or another.

There are plenty of good jokes and a little a cheesiness (the good kind). Is everyone going to like it? No, it's definitely not going to sit well with people who hate musicals and a little sappiness, but overall it's a pretty likable movie. Ergo, if you have a chance to see it I recommend giving it a shot. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Feature of:

Magical Mash Up -- Outtakes, Tests And Melodies

www.StrangeMagicMovie.com





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