With its loudly trumpeted message of “be careful what you wish for”, Rob Marshall’s stagey version of Stephen Sondheim’s fairy tale mash-up musical is toe-tapping good fun.

Not aided by the two-part structure in which the respective tales run their traditional course and then fall apart, our time in the woods does feel a bit laborious at times.

The cast are so likeable, however, that it’s easy to overlook this fact. Chris Pine, as the not-so-charming Prince, is hysterical, while Meryl Streep makes her usual flamboyant turn and James Corden handles the heart of the film with ease.

Though it’s fairly pedestrian in places, the songs in Into the Woods are so delightful and well executed that it’s a risk that seems to have paid off handsomely for Disney.

RATING: 3/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, James Corden

DIRECTOR: Rob Marshall

WRITERS: James Lapine & Stephen Sondheim

SYNOPSIS: In order to reverse a curse inflicted by a witch, a childless baker and his wife enter the woods to find four magical items from fairy tale characters.