FRANCO 1

We’re Not Out of the Woods, Yet!

An Analysis of the Disney Adaptation of the Into the Woods Musical

Gabriella Franco

Simon Fraser University

HUM 330

Dr. Jason Brown

Into the Woods is a plucky musical written by James Lapine and turned into a musical by
Stephen Sondheim in 1986-1987. The musical investigates the fairytale forest and its bewitching powers
by utilizing many of the fairytale characters that many of us recognize. After this production was turned
into a musical for the stage, Disney adopted the project in 2014 and James Lapine and Rob Marshall
turned it into a high-budget Disney creation. While my experience with the musical on stage provided a
deeper meaning and cheeky humour to many of the scenes, Disney had an all-star cast that brought in
an eager audience. The evil witch archetypal character is played by none other than the great Meryl
Streep. The beloved Cinderella is played by the perfect-pitched Anna Kendrick, and her suitor, Prince
Charming, is played by Chris Pine. Lilla Crawford gives a stunning performance as Little Red Riding Hood,
who encounters Johnny Depp who plays the Big Bad Wolf (or Wolf W. Wolf). Billy Magnussen, also a
writer and composer, plays the prince who pines after the femme fatale Rapunzel, played by Mackenzie
Mauzy. James Cordon and Emily Blunt play the Baker and the “Baker’s Wife” who play crucial roles in
this intricate satirical story.

The story itself is based off the Grimm’s Brother’s adaptations of German folklore. Lapine’s
interpretation of the themes of these fairytales, specifically the white-washed, bigoted erasure of the
original fairytales, which may not have contained the sexist and purely patriarchal narratives. There is
illustrative mockery of these narratives, evident in the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and character interactions.
the widely femme-favored song “Agony” preformed by the princes is a great example of Lapine’s ability
to retain thematic presence while shooting daggers at the antiquated tropes. The story contains
allegories for real-life troubles that we as humans face, like rapacious predators and their influence on
little girls, women’s lack of agency, poor parenting, and projecting responsibility on others. All the
characters pursue unique storylines, but all end up in the woods, and all are forced to learn a lesson
through the influence of the forest. The purpose of this production seems to be to cultivating a message
dressed in comedy and music. As LRR sings in the opening number, “I have no fear, nor no one should.
The woods are just trees, the trees are just wood” (Disney).

However, in this case, the forest possesses its own agency. This forest acts as a “moral
landscape” as well as an agent of chaos. The characters must come face-to-face with their weaknesses,
and in this delightfully different rendition of the stories, a metamorphosis takes place, not just within
the characters but within the portrait of their social undertakings. The reverence that should be taken
 FRANCO 2

with this endeavor echoes John Muir when he said, “I enter the swamp as a sacred place.” As one
should, because the forest as a whole can feel when something is amiss. Some trees emit phytonicides,
literally disinfect their immediate environment. Some send electrical signals, some even emit specific
scents to protect the balance. Some forests require fire to flourish, and the “hero’s” journey that the
characters face is emblematic of a cruel and devastating fire. A fire that brings nourishment and life to
the environment. But the hearty healthy life of a forest, this disruption, this chaos brings diversity and
richer life over time. The balance that is arrives is a slow-moving process. In Into the Woods, the
characters circumvent their moral landscapes, with some characters undergoing a moral
metamorphosis.

The moral landscape upon which the characters wrestle their demons

It is evident that the exploration of an agent of chaos while circumventing one’s own