Strange Magic (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Strange Magic
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gary Rydstrom
Produced by	Mark S. Miller
Screenplay by	David Berenbaum Irene Mecchi Gary Rydstrom
Story by	George Lucas
Starring	Alan Cumming Evan Rachel Wood Kristin Chenoweth Maya Rudolph Sam Palladio Alfred Molina
Music by	Marius de Vries
Editing by	Chris Plummer
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date(s)	January 23, 2015 (2015-01-23)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$70–100 million
Money made	$13.6 million

Strange Magic is a 2015 American computer-animated musical fantasy film. It was directed by Gary Rydstrom and produced by Lucasfilm. The animation was done by Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light & Magic.

The story for the film was created by George Lucas. It was inspired by William Shakespeare's famous play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The movie features the voices of actors like Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, and Alfred Molina. The music was composed by Marius de Vries and includes many popular songs.

George Lucas worked on this movie idea for 15 years before it was made. It was the first time he wrote a film story that wasn't part of the Star Wars or Indiana Jones series since 1994. The film came out in the United States on January 23, 2015. It was distributed by Touchstone Pictures. This made it the first Lucasfilm movie released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures after Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012.

Critics generally did not like the film. They often criticized its story, jokes, and songs. However, many people praised its animation. The movie did not make much money, earning only $13.6 million worldwide. It lost about $40–50 million. Strange Magic is the only movie from Lucasfilm Animation that is not part of the Star Wars universe.

Plot Summary

The story of Strange Magic takes place in a magical world. This world is split into two main areas: a bright land of fairies and light, and a dark forest where bog creatures live. Special primrose flowers grow along the border between these two lands. These flowers are very important because they are used to make love potions.

The Fairy Kingdom

In the fairy kingdom, there is a princess named Marianne. She is supposed to marry a handsome warrior named Roland. But on their wedding day, Marianne sees Roland kissing another fairy. This makes her very upset, and she decides she will never fall in love again.

In the dark forest, the Bog King feels the same way about love. He doesn't believe in it, even though his kind mother, Griselda, tries to convince him otherwise.

Dawn's Desire for Love

Later, Marianne's younger sister, Dawn, is very excited about the upcoming Spring Ball. She hopes to meet someone special there. Her best friend, Sunny, is an elf who secretly likes Dawn. He tries to cheer her up with a song. During this, they are almost eaten by a giant lizard. Luckily, Marianne, who is now a tough fighter, saves them.

Sunny accidentally falls into the dark forest. He finds a primrose petal and hides it as he quickly leaves the forest.

The Love Potion Plan

At the ball, Roland tries to get Marianne to marry him again, but she refuses and embarrasses him. He then meets Sunny and tricks him. Roland convinces Sunny to go back into the dark forest. He wants Sunny to find the Sugar Plum Fairy. She was captured by the Bog King years ago and is the only one who can make a love potion.

Sunny uses the petal he found earlier. With the help of a curious imp, he goes into the Bog King's castle. He finds the Sugar Plum Fairy and promises to free her if she makes the love potion.

Chaos and Capture

As they try to escape, the Bog King wakes up. He manages to catch the Sugar Plum Fairy again, but Sunny gets away. The imp follows Sunny. The Bog King becomes very angry when he learns that Sunny has a vial of love potion.

Sunny returns to the ball and tries to spray Dawn with the love potion during his song. But the Bog King suddenly appears and stops the party. He captures Dawn just as she gets sprayed by the potion. The imp then steals the potion and starts spraying it all over the forest. The Bog King tells everyone to bring the potion back to him by moon-down, or he will hurt Dawn. Marianne ignores her father's orders and flies off to save her sister. Her father gives Roland a small army to go to the Bog King's castle on foot.

Marianne and the Bog King

Meanwhile, because of the potion, Dawn falls in love with the Bog King. To keep his sanity, the Bog King has her locked up. Marianne arrives and fights with the Bog King to get her sister back. As they talk, they start to realize they have things in common.

They ask the Sugar Plum Fairy for a way to break the potion's spell. She explains that true love can undo the potion. She tells a story about how the Bog King once fell in love with someone else in the forest. He used the potion on her, but she still left him because she was in love with someone else. As Marianne and the Bog King spend more time together, they start to like each other. Only Griselda, the Bog King's mother, notices this growing attraction.

The Final Battle

Sunny gets the potion back from the imp and gives it to Roland as they march to the castle. The Bog King sees this and thinks Marianne set him up. This breaks his heart again, and he leaves her stuck in a spider web. She escapes and joins the battle happening at the castle. Sunny frees the Sugar Plum Fairy, Dawn, and all the love-struck forest creatures that the imp had sprayed with the potion.

During the escape, the Bog King seems to sacrifice himself. He holds open the mouth of his den so everyone can get out. But he survives, and Marianne is relieved. Sunny finally tells Dawn how he truly feels. Dawn feels the same way, and they kiss. This breaks the love potion's spell on her, much to her father's surprise. Roland then sprays Marianne with the love potion. She pretends to fall in love with him, but then punches him and sends him falling into a chasm. He gets hit by the love potion himself.

Finally, with encouragement from Dawn and Griselda, the Bog King and Marianne admit their feelings for each other and kiss.

After the credits, Roland is shown to have fallen in love with an ugly insect because of the potion. Also, the mushroom communication line, which spreads messages like a game of 'telephone,' ends with the funny message "Tea Blend."

Cast

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack includes many new versions of popular pop and classic rock songs. George Lucas chose these songs for the movie. The soundtrack was released by Buena Vista Records on January 20, 2015. A physical CD version came out on February 17, 2015.

See also

In Spanish: Strange Magic (película) para niños