Strange Magic

This movie is awesome, I freaking love it. Yeah it's cliche, predictable and corny - but that's the whole idea, in fact it's so corny, so predictable and so cliche that it's awesome! I'm not good at reviews, I never will be, but seriously all the down votes - I had to write something. This is not the best movie ever, not the greatest either, but it is awesome. Just watch it, you'll know what I mean - at least if you're in to the cult movies thing.

Strange Magic is a not an animated film for kids, more directed to teens and adults. This is an odd film, a mix of The Princes Bride meets Tim Burton's world and they sing Moulin Rouge style.

The main virtues of the film are, beyond the beautiful animation and character design, the quirkiness of it. To me, the most important thing in movies that are derivative an predictable like this one is the sense of humour and the message conveyed. Strange Magic was funny to me, and found myself laughing more than once. The message if is not new, but important to recall it, there is a lid for every pot, love comes in all colors and shapes, and love happens between people who are, a priori, very different and even opposite. The film is unpretentious, and the familiar soundtrack will keep you (or at least me) singing along.

The cast does a good job at providing the characters with their voice and songs. I especially liked Allan Cumming as Bog King and Elijah Kelly as Sunny.

There is strange magic in this film, because from the known and predictable we get something magic, perhaps just hocus-pocus, and a freaky love story. I think this is one of those movies you really like or dislike, nothing in between. I did find it very enjoyable, but I had no expectations about it, so that always helps.

And unfortunately the music is all pervasive.

They had a good cast, made good characters, and had a solid plot.

And then they ruied it with their musical score.

None of the songs fit the mood of the movie and rarely even fit the scene they are sung in. It is a square peg in a round hole. The renditions are campy renditions of 70s and 80s songs in the public domain.

They would have been much better off without the musical singing in the first place. Take the pixar route just use background music when necessary (and they do at some points, and it works).

If they absolutely had to they should have made their own musical scores, at least then it would have fit the scenes better, but I maintain that this movie would have been much better without music entirely.

Cutting down, parsing, and/or eliminating those scenes would have cut the movie time but that's not a bad thing with this being an hour and 40 minutes (that's on the long side for an animated kids movie).

First, comment on one star ratings. I can see where children under the age of six (6) or so might not be as captivated as they would be for PBS style kids' programming: expecting simple graphics and age readability appropriate dialogue such as few syllables; short sentences; concrete familiar references; simple, not abstract concepts. Add to this mix some scary visuals. Also, some of the songs are teen and above. So … Second, for all ages (except above mentioned) the blend of straight dialogue with pop music (some oldies; some newer) dialogue to move the story forward was artfully blended. Admittedly I didn't quite get it in the beginning, but I was able to overcome some of my dumbness and learned to appreciate it. The singing vocal quality from the voice actors was surprisingly good. Third, computer hardware and graphics' programs continue to evolve and are producing scaringly realistic animations: surfaces, modeling, mattes, compositing naturalistic movement. Kudos to all involved. Fourth, the film's messages of seeing in a new way; looking under the surface; love - all make the film worth watching just for that reason.

"Strange Magic" is a fun, entertaining musical. If you watch the film without expecting "Hamilton" out of it, you would be well pleased.

All too often, fun, children's movies fall victim to stinging reviews from jaded movie critics who expect "Taxi Driver" from children's fairy tales. The initial negative critical reception of "Strange Magic" is a perfect example of how such mismatched critical expectation can wreak havoc on a perfectly entertaining movie.

With a colorful, over-the-top cast of characters with ticklish absurdity, and seamlessly integrated pop-rock karaoke performances, "Strange Magic" is an entertaining oddball sketch of the early millennial spirit wrapped into "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The film is a crowd pleasing cult classic in the spirit of "Willow."