I was not prepared for Strange Magic. I had only just finished watching the first episode of Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a show I found so visually repulsive and obnoxious that I couldn't bring myself to watch anymore. In need of a palette cleanser, I switched on to a random channel and saw this movie instead. At least Dark Crystal had a very talented and imaginative production. Strange Magic manages to be even more ugly and annoying, without all that effort. When I later learned that George Lucas wrote the story, it suddenly made sense; Lucas conceived of this film as a "Star Wars for girls", which now makes me wonder which he hated more, Star Wars or girls.
Strange Magic is a CGI animated jukebox musical romance that is loosely inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream. The story is about two competing, woodland fairy courts. On one side is Princess Marianne, a tomboy who finds herself quickly put off the idea of marriage and romance. The other side has Bog King, who also happens to be an incel. There's a forest full of other characters, and due to some bullshit involving errant love potions, we end up with love quadrangles, the threat of fairy war, and nigh endless singing.
A big problem, though certainly not the biggest, is the visual style of the movie. Bog King is supposed to be ugly, but he's far less off putting than most the uncanny valley/barbie cast. The worst character is Sunny, who looks like someone tried to make a troll doll version of Martin Lawrence and Guy Fieri's love child. With characters and aesthetics this unpleasant, it wasn't long before I was hoping for someone to crush the fairy forest, Ferngully style.
The biggest problem is in fact the music. It's a fairly eclectic mix of 60s-90s pop and rock, meaning the movie is guaranteed to fuck up at least one song you like. Whilst the cast don't sing out of tune, they don't really sing in tune either. It's this bland, souless cover that subtracts any of the passion or joy from the originals. It's likely that Lucas had the actors held at gunpoint the entire recording session. Unless you find yourself in a similar circumstances to them, I do not recommend you watch this film.
Proof That George Lucas CAN Make Worse Films
I was not prepared for Strange Magic. I had only just finished watching the first episode of Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a show I found so visually repulsive and obnoxious that I couldn't bring myself to watch anymore. In need of a palette cleanser, I switched on to a random channel and saw this movie instead. At least Dark Crystal had a very talented and imaginative production. Strange Magic manages to be even more ugly and annoying, without all that effort. When I later learned that George Lucas wrote the story, it suddenly made sense; Lucas conceived of this film as a "Star Wars for girls", which now makes me wonder which he hated more, Star Wars or girls.
Strange Magic is a CGI animated jukebox musical romance that is loosely inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream. The story is about two competing, woodland fairy courts. On one side is Princess Marianne, a tomboy who finds herself quickly put off the idea of marriage and romance. The other side has Bog King, who also happens to be an incel. There's a forest full of other characters, and due to some bullshit involving errant love potions, we end up with love quadrangles, the threat of fairy war, and nigh endless singing.
A big problem, though certainly not the biggest, is the visual style of the movie. Bog King is supposed to be ugly, but he's far less off putting than most the uncanny valley/barbie cast. The worst character is Sunny, who looks like someone tried to make a troll doll version of Martin Lawrence and Guy Fieri's love child. With characters and aesthetics this unpleasant, it wasn't long before I was hoping for someone to crush the fairy forest, Ferngully style.
The biggest problem is in fact the music. It's a fairly eclectic mix of 60s-90s pop and rock, meaning the movie is guaranteed to fuck up at least one song you like. Whilst the cast don't sing out of tune, they don't really sing in tune either. It's this bland, souless cover that subtracts any of the passion or joy from the originals. It's likely that Lucas had the actors held at gunpoint the entire recording session. Unless you find yourself in a similar circumstances to them, I do not recommend you watch this film.