Disney Into The Woods – Con and Maddy’s Questions for the UK Press Conference!!!
Why is the happy ending not the happy ending as the giant attacks and people die? Con age 7
Rob Marshall (Director) – Because it explores the consequences of wishes. All these people go out to get their happy endings at all costs – any cost. And then there are things that happen because of that.
Jack does get his gold so he and his mother can eat. But he’s killed the giant in the process. So the lady giant comes down to seek revenge.
There’s an amazing song ‘Your Fault’ – which is extraordinary when you hear it because it’s the whole film up to that point. The truth is it’s like the full circle because it keeps pointing at who’s fault it was. The giant wife wouldn’t have come down if there wasn’t a second bean stalk and that wouldn’t have happened if the bakers wife hadn’t taken that bean and then if Cinderella hadn’t have thrown that bean – it wouldn’t have planted. What it says is it’s all grey – there’s no black or white. And that’s what the film says.
In the beautiful song ‘No one is alone’ – the Baker and Cinderella say to the children, you decide what’s right, you decide what’s good.
And that’s really the message of the piece. And so that’s what happens – what’s beautiful about the piece us that it explores what happens after ‘Happily Ever After’. And reveals it becomes more like real life. Things don’t happen exactly the way they’re meant to happen. Sometimes you loose people too early half way through the wood. And how do you move forward?
And that’s the message of the piece – how you move forward together.
Meryl Streep (Witch) – It’s a Disney message, because the film that marked my life as a seven year old was ‘Bambi’. And the mother dies in like the first five minutes. That’s a unhappy beginning. Yet life goes on.
I think my daughter – who is 22 and doesn’t really watch musicals. I showed her the film and she watched it very seriously. And I thought she hates it, she hates it. And at the end she said I love everything about this film and after the world falls down and there are all those little things in the air. Debris – in the Forrest. It reminded me of when we lived in New York and I was in the Fifth Grade and 9/11 rehabbed. She went to school and her bus stop was at the World Trade Centre at 8:20 in the morning.
She didn’t come home for a day and a half because they wouldn’t let people into Manhattan. But she remembered that time and that was her immediate association watching this film.
Children know bad stuff happens and I think that ultimately those little pots keep the family together in the end. And that’s very good news for humanity.
What’s your favourite fairy tale? Maddy age 12
Anna Kendrick (Cinderella) – I wasn’t read Fairy Tales Per se. I mean I was read bed time stories but they were……I’ve mentioned this to a couple of people. Only one persons known it. Maybe it’s kind of an American thing – but the Berenstain Bears.
James Corden (The Baker) – Even the Americans don’t know it (laughs)
Anna Kendrick – But those are little stories about life lesson and it’s about sharing and forgiveness. I remember particularly reading the story about Brother Bear doing someone mean – but Sister Bear forgives him. And I didn’t like being read that story.
So they would read me these stories to show me that family life is not that easy. So it really wasn’t the over simplified version of things – they tried to read me books with life lessons that I didn’t appreciate. I would have preferred Fairy Tales.
James Corden – I always remember finding them a little bit scary. Maybe because at school they started with Hansel and Gretel. Which I think might be the darkest story you could ever read a child. Where a women locks them in a cage and then he puts a twig through as his finger.
I haven’t read my son many. – but I was having this discussion with someone today and I said I find them a bit scary. And he said ‘yeah, but they always end so well’. And I said yeah but that’s the best thing that Stephen Sondheim done with this is say these Fairy Tales that tell you it’s ok. I don’t think it’s a particularly healthy thing to tell children – this notion of Happily Ever After will excise for ever and that will be your life. I think it’s a wonderful thing in this film that in the song ‘No One is Alone’ – where they’re talking to the young children. Saying – Giants can be good and Witches can be right. You decide what is good. You decide what’s right. Which I’ve always sort of taken as essentially someone saying, which I think is a really positive message for children. Whatever your life is and whatever your circumstance – screw ups are coming your way. You can’t deny it. The screw ups are coming for you!
And in those moment when you feel like that. When life takes those tones – you’re gonna feel like you’re completely on your own in the world. You’re gonna feel completely alone. But you won’t be and you’re not – because no one is.
And that’s made me think about the things I want to read to my children.
Although we are currently reading a book called BaBar’s American Adventure. Where he gets to Los Angeles we go to my son (In a high pitch voice) ‘AMAZING!’
Into The Woods Cake!!!
Disney Into The Woods in Cinemas 9/1/14 – Review CLICK HERE!!!
