Here’s something of a surprise – an animated film from a well-known company (Lucasfilm) based on an idea by a well-known filmmaker (George Lucas) that has somehow made it as far as two months from release without much exposure at all. Prepare, then, for Strange Magic.
Based on a story by Lucas, turned into a script by legendary sound designer and director of Pixar short **Lifted, **Gary Rydstrom, alongside Irene Mecchi and David Berenbaum, Strange Magic is described as a fairy tale inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There will be a musical element too, as songs from the last 60 years help to bring to life the story of a cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps who are all trying to get hold of a magic potion.
Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Sam Palladio, Alfred Molina and Peter Stomare are on tap as the voices for the film, which the company will release in US cinemas on January 23 next year. Presumably a trailer will follow soon, especially if they want anyone to know this is coming.
This also represents a new project for Brenda Chapman, who moved to the film after being removed from Pixar’s Brave. She consulted on the film to help with script problems, but her name doesn’t appear in the final roster.