It’s not uncommon to hear people say, “The real world is not a fairy tale.” Although it may sound like a cliché, the statement is actually true in so many ways. Life can be challenging at times, but a tough lesson that many people must learn is how to deal with reality.

Each new day has its ups, its downs, and difficulties that all people must inevitably face. For example, people might have to cope with the stresses associated with daily life, such as going to work, helping family, and accepting the fact that the real world is not a magical “La La Land.” Some parents might not want to even teach fairy tales to their children because fantasy is oftentimes too unrealistic (especially if they want to prepare their young ones to face reality for what it is). However, fairy tales can actually teach powerful life lessons based on how readers and film lovers view and interpret those fantasy elements while also remaining in touch with the real world. 

Into the Woods is a seminal Broadway classic created by the legendary Stephen Sondheim, who is also well-known for West Side Story and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. That is one of the main reasons why the film adaptation of Into the Woods (2014) from Disney is such an interesting motion picture given the fact that Disney films have received criticism from their departures from reality. Into the Woods has received acclaim for being a more realistic and modern fairy tale because past Disney films, including the ones that Walt Disney personally produced (such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty), have been criticized for being superficial and for “sugarcoating” reality instead of teaching audiences about how to accept the bleak aspects of life itself. Into the Woods essentially encourages its audiences to face challenges through independence and determination instead of being passive and submissive.

Just like the original Broadway musical, the film opens with a prologue that details the different fairy tale characters within the film as well as their own personal wishes. For example, the baker and his wife hope to have a child, Cinderella hopes to attend the festival, and Jack hopes to have his cow supply milk for himself and his starving mother. Part of the reason why their lives are all interconnected is partially because the witch (played by Meryl Streep) orders the baker and his wife to gather popular fairy tale objects associated with iconic stories, such as the cape of Little Red Riding Hood and the cow that Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk” owns.

The opening prologue is such a powerful 15-minute sequence, and it is a really nice introduction to this modern fairy tale. The items that the baker and his wife have to gather suggest the universal fact that all people are connected to each other, especially since the lives of the different fairy tale characters intertwine as the film progresses. The final chorus that is sung at the end of the prologue sets the tone for the rest of the film because it reveals how each character has to deal with his/her own personal challenges in order to go “into the woods” (both metaphorically and literally) with the hope of having their wishes come true.

Spoiler Alert!

After the 15-minute prologue, Into the Woods details how the interactions between each fairy tale figure impact one another while also giving them a sense of humanness. Part of the reason why this film and musical are so different from other literary and film classics is its unique blend of realism and fantasy. For example, Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) asks herself if she really does love her prince during the song “On the Steps of the Palace.” Throughout the film, the choices that the characters make all affect one another, which suggest that all people in the real world are interconnected, and that their choices really do matter. That is one of the reasons why Into the Woods is such a unique film—it makes fairy tales realistic instead of fantastic.

Nearly two-thirds into the film, the song “Your Fault” also reveals how each character is flawed and susceptible to error, which is in contrast to the supposedly idealized versions of these characters in their original and respective fairy tales. During this complex musical number, the baker blames Jack, Jack blames the baker back, and then each character blames one another until they all agree that the witch is the cause of all of the conflicts that make up the plot of the film.

The witch then feels provoked and subsequently sings the climactic song “Last Midnight,” which is a very pivotal moment in the film. As Meryl Streep’s frustrated character expresses anger against the baker and his father, she exclaims, “You’re all liars and thieves like his father / Like his son will be too / Oh why bother?!”  The witch feels provoked by the fact that she cannot deal with the people around her, and that there are forces beyond her control in spite of her magical capabilities. The witch then throws away the beans that supposedly created all of the conflicts presented during the prologue. 

Unfortunately, the witch does get punished for “[losing] the beans again,” but this time, with self-destruction instead of simply turning old. As the other fairy tale characters feel shocked and confused by what they just saw in front of them, they feel hopeless and lost, especially since there is “a giant in [their] midst.”

While experiencing a sense of depression and loneliness, they all sing the song “No One is Alone” to help them cope with the grim reality around them. Cinderella sings to Little Red Riding Hood with the words, “Mother cannot guide you” to reveal that this little girl must eventually become an adult since youth does not last forever. Even with that harsh reality, Cinderella still comforts Little Red Riding Hood with the words, “Still you’re not alone.” 

As the song progresses, each fairy tale character comforts and reassures one another that they can face life’s challenges by facing them together. They must also “honor their mistakes / Everybody makes / One another’s terrible mistakes.” Some people in the real world believe that fairy tales represent perfection, but Into the Woods suggest that supposedly idealized characters are actually just as flawed and as human as people in the real world.

Just like fairy tales, and other tales told to children, Into the Woods has a powerful moral—“Be careful what you wish for.” Each character has to learn that their actions and choices all come with their own unique consequences (which could be either good, bad, or a mixture of both) depending on how they view the repercussions on the choices that they make.

Into the Woods suggests that the choices that people make in the real world must be chosen with caution if they want to achieve a sense of happiness and fulfillment in a world filled with variety, diversity, and (unfortunately) the bleakness of reality. Hopefully, this film (and the original Broadway musical) can encourage audiences to venture “into the woods” with the hope of achieving their own “happily ever afters” even with the challenges that they must inevitably face. Just remember: Do not fear going “into the woods” (pun intended)!