By now you've probably figured out that some of your favorite Disney movies are actually fairy tales inspired by the original Grimm brothers stories. A lot of times, the sing-a-long versions that have been so close to our hearts are much more cheery adaptations of some seriously wicked tales, most of which were considered not appropriate for kids when they first came out in the early 1800s. Not sure about you, but as an adult, I sometimes wish someone would retell the Grimm stories much more accurately.
Every now and then a movie or TV show comes along that tries to do so (Snow White and the Huntsman, Maleficent, Hansel & Gretel [2002], Once Upon a Time, to name a few), and this Christmas, we'll get a little closer with Into The Woods. Perhaps the most arresting aspect of this new film (out Christmas Day) isn't terror or gore, but hauntingly stunning visuals. The movie (starring Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, and an electric blue-haired singing and totally glam Meryl Streep) pulls plots from classic fairy tales like Cinderella (a European folk tale originally published in 1697), Little Red Riding Hood (whose origins date back to 10th century France), and Rapunzel (by the brothers' Grimm)—all of which seem to fall more into the realm of a cautionary tale than one with a happy ending.
At the end of Into the Woods, though, chances are good that you will find both. The film provides the perfect tale for cozying up to this winter, featuring dark and unknown woods, a big bad wolf, roads less taken (and sometimes haunted), and a little bit of magic—the perfect recipe to leave you feeling a lot like a brother's Grimm story does: spooked and enchanted.
