George Lucas might have sold off Lucasfilm for a hefty $4 billion, but that doesn’t mean his creative output has ceased. Prior to unloading Lucasfilm onto Disney, the iconic filmmaker had begun work on an animated musical feature loosely based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Touted to be a “madcap fairy tale,” Strange Magic was only very recently revealed to the world. With its release date coming up fast, the first trailer has now dropped, courtesy of Yahoo!
For his first full-length feature, Oscar-winning director Gary Rydstrom has assembled a starry cast to provide vocal talents for his crew of goblins, elves and fairies. Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Alfred Molina, Peter Stormare, Sam Palladio, Meredith Anne Bull and Elijah Kelley all make ‘appearances’ in this first preview.
Taking a glance at this first footage, the Shrek-inspired vibe suggests it’s being aimed at a younger market. However, there’s a plenty of quippy gags peppered throughout to appeal to those over the age of five. Plus, as the bulk of the songs are hoisted from the last six decades, it’s clear the studio are intending to nestle in a handful of nods for adult audiences.
Strange Magic opens in theatres on January 23rd, 2015.
“Strange Magic,” a new animated film from Lucasfilm Ltd., will be released by Touchstone Pictures on January 23, 2015. “Strange Magic” is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and Industrial Light & Magic, which created the CGI animation for 2011’s Academy Award®-winning film “Rango,” bring to life the fanciful forest turned upside down with world-class animation and visual effects.
