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There have been some bad animated movies over the years, but the thing about animated movies is…well, the process of making them can literally lead to the decision to “go back to the drawing board.” This is something that makes animated movies unique. Alternatively, the animation software, or something else. The computer-animated visuals in the film “Strange Magic,” which was directed by Gary Rydstrom and executive produced by George Lucas (who was also responsible for coming up with the concept and developing the story), are not to blame for the film’s problems. Although it did throw me off a little bit that the faces of a couple of the main male characters appear to have been patterned after those of Hayden Christensen and Adam Duritz (you know, the guy from Counting Crows), I still enjoyed the movie. I would guess that the problem with the movie’s dramaturgy is at least partially to blame for the uncomfortable nature of watching it.
To wit, “Strange Magic” is essentially a jukebox musical that is so song-laden that it is practically an operetta, and the songs are so eclectic that they never quite fit into the movie’s flying-insect world, which is divided into dark and light forests. In addition, the movie’s plot is centered on a love triangle between the protagonist, who is a jukebox singer, and the villain, who is a magician. (Despite popular belief that Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was the source of inspiration for this film’s plot, it is merely a rehashing of the play’s love-potion-mix-up plot device.) The movie starts off on a positive note as butterfly princess Marianne, played by Evan Rachel Wood, and ambitious groom-to-be Roland sing a sweet duet of “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” (Sam Palladio). Marianne gives her rendition of “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” after it is discovered that Roland is actually a rat, but the lyrics are changed so that they no longer include the phrase “he’ll never phone ya” because, as everyone knows, there are no telephones in the magical insect elf forests.
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Soon enough, there is a lovesick Munchkin-type elf (this is the one that looks like Adam Duritz), who sings Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” (also known as “Every Little Thing”) to Marianne’s sister Dawn, and there is a flying swordfight set to Heart’s “Barracuda” (which is not sung, thankfully), and the whole thing is making me squirm in a way that has me thinking
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It just so happens that this aspect of the movie is directly attributable to Lucas. He built the scenario (which happens to include, among some incidental bits, a direct reprise of the light-saber-practice-while-blindfolded scene from what I will never stop calling “Star Wars”) around the various lyrics of favorite songs from every era, ranging from “Love Is Strange” to “Crazy In Love.” It just so happens that this aspect of the movie is directly attributable Approximately in the middle of the movie, a Munchkin-type elf enters the dark forest in order to seek a love potion from the Sugar Plum Fairy (it’s complicated, as they say), and he is given a semi-runaround by an albino rat that is referred to as a “imp.” When I was watching the movie, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “It’s not every movie about which one can say, ‘the best thing in it was the albino rat.'” when, close to an hour into the film, something strange occurred: as spunky Marianne found herself somehow drawn to the dark forest’s heretofore appalling Bog King (who introduces himself by singing Elvis’ “Trouble,” oy vey; not really a song that its multi-talented voicer Alan Cumming has the qualities to really sell), the film took an unexpected turn for the worse.
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At this point, the movie starts to get into its stride, and the scene in which the two characters fly around the newly-illuminated dark forest singing the title song (yes, the ELO number) is spectacularly engaging. Sadly, it is not quite enough to pull the movie into anything even remotely approaching the territory of being fully recommendable. You could take a chance on it if you are a serious animator with children who are not particularly demanding on your time.
For more personality quizzes check this: Do You Believe Quiz.
