Review of Strange Magic (2015) by Dawn Y — 19 Aug 2015

"With terrible songs, irritating characters and a boring story, "Strange Magic" is awful magic from George Lucas".

DVD Movie Review: Strange Magic.

Date Viewed: May 26 2015.

Directed By Gary Rydstrom.

Screenplay By David Berenbaum, Irene Mecchi and Gary Rydstrom, Story By George Lucas.

Featuring the voices of Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Alfred Molina, Maya Rudolph, Elijah Kelley, Meredith Anne Bull, Peter Stormare, Bob Einstein, Sam Palladio, Robbie Daymond, Kevin Michael Richardson, Brenda Chapman and Tony Cox.

"Strange Magic" is one of those movies where you feel like watching one of your bad dreams come to life on purpose by movie executives who hate you so much. The major surprise about "Strange Magic" is that it was produced and co-written by George Lucas. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! No, John Boehner we are not kidding around, George Lucas was a creative force on this animated wasteland. Not only is it an animated fantasy, it's also a musical filled with some of the worst musical numbers since the dreadful remake of "Annie" last year.

The movie is set in a magical realm divided between the land of fairies and light and the land of bog creatures who like living in the dark. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that "Strange Magic" is a love story as well. Really? This movie doesn't have a heart at all. The main character of this story is Marianne (voiced by Evan Rachel Wood), a fairy princess who is about to get married to the charming and handsome Roland (voiced by Sam Palladio). When she discovers him kissing another fairy, she breaks down in tears and vows to never fall in love again. Meanwhile, her sister, Dawn (voiced by Meredith Anne Bull) is distraught about going to the Spring Ball because she doesn't have anyone to go out with her. Dawn's best friend, Sunny (voiced by Elijah Kelley) has a crush on her but the obstacle that's getting in the way of their relationship is that he is an elf.

The bad guy in the picture is the evil Bog King (voiced by Alan Cumming), he has no love for fairies as he has the Sugar Plum Fairy (voiced by Kristin Chenoweth) held prisoner in his gigantic tree tower? I don't know what it is. Here are the many problems with the Bog King, he looks like a cockroach, he's not very menacing and he speaks like a Scotsman. After the Bog King enters the fairy realm and kidnaps Dawn, he orders the fairy kingdom to bring the love potion to him by Moon Down if not he will hurt Dawn.

The movie's tagline on the poster says, "Everyone Deserves To Be Loved". Really movie? Everybody? You think the idiots on Fox News deserve to be loved too? HELL NO! "Strange Magic" marks the directoral debut of Gary Rydstrom who won multiple Academy Awards for his Sound Effects for blockbusters such as "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", "Jurassic Park" and "Saving Private Ryan". He failed to bring true magic to this dreadfully boring story. "Strange Magic" is awful magic from George Lucas, what were you thinking of?

"Strange Magic" was also inspired by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and I bet that old William rolled over his grave when he heard the news that the creator of "Star Wars" was making an ugly animated musical based on one of his treasured plays.