Now Playing - Into the Woods

This review took me a while to get around to. I saw Into the Woods when I was in Michigan for Christmas, wrote the draft of this review, then promptly lost the draft. Because I'm a derp.
This movie has some pacing problems. The first half rushed by at breakneck speed and didn't slow down until the second half, when the movie hit its stride. The first part could have easily been a half hour longer to give the audience a chance to know the characters better and the movie would not have suffered. Maybe if they had been given a little more development, I would have cared about the fate of Cinderella's mother and stepsisters. I can normally tolerate comic relief characters, but those three had absolutely no purpose. They didn't do anything to contribute to the story, and their parts dragged on far too long. I think the film makers were just trying to get their money's worth out of Christine Baranski (the evil stepmother), and they really didn't need to.
Along with seeing too much of some characters, others weren't given the attention they needed. Suffering from this oversight the most were the princes, played by Chris Pine (Cinderalla's Prince) and Billy Magnussen (Rapunzel's Prince). They had one spectacularly hammy, melodramatic song together and Chris Pine had the best line in the movie - "I was raised to be charming, not sincere."
That's telling, not showing! That kind of line is the laziest type of storytelling. Give me a flashback, give me a few minutes in the castle, show me how that line is true or don't include it!
Despite a few flaws, I really liked this movie. I love musicals. When I'm not in a movie theater (I do have SOME tact) musicals become an interactive experience. I sing along, usually loudly. And among my favorite musicals is Tim Burton's Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which is why another of my favorite characters was Little Red Riding Hood's wolf. I saw a lot of similarities between Johnny Depp's performances in Sweeny Todd and Into the Woods. I found myself humming "These Are My Friends" from Sweeny Todd during his one musical sequence. I wish Johnny Depp had had a little more screen time.
The two child actors in the movie, Lilla Crawford (Little Red Riding Hood) and Daniel Huttlestone (Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk) were phenomenal. Usually it's hit or miss with kids in a movie, but these two turned out solid performances. I especially liked Crawford's duet with Depp. Lesser actors would have gotten lost and overshadowed by Depp, but Crawford didn't.
The only character I didn't understand at all was Cinderella (played by Anna Kendrick). She was likable enough, but I didn't really buy her motivations.She could have bailed on her stepmother anytime she wanted, and I really don't know why she would stay. But I have that issue with pretty much any Cinderella, and unlike your normal Cinderella, she has magic of her own. The one time I was completely on her side was when she dumped her prince after he chested on her. But then, who marries a guy they've only known for three days?
The rest of the characters, the songs and the overall story were well done. Meryl Streep (the witch), James Corden (the baker) and Emily Blunt (the baker's wife) all turned out solid performances. I just wish I had gotten to know them better, Which brings me back to my first, and biggest, problem with this film - the pacing was dreadful.
Disney normally does musicals well and this one is no exception. The music was catchy, there were no huge plot holes, and it turned out to be a good movie. I just think it could have easily been a half hour longer and not suffered at all.