ABSTRACT
Into the Woods (ITW) nearly made it onto the silver screen as early as 1997: Columbia Pictures was about to greenlight the project when a change in studio executives at the beginning of the year led the film company to put the project in turnaround. By the time the film was shelved, Sondheim already had composed two new songs, a different opening and another duet for the Baker and his wife called 'Rainbows'. Rob Marshall has stated repeatedly that he first thought of adapting ITW for the screen when he watched US President Barack Obama address the nation on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with the words 'You are not alone'. Brutal punishments and death are part of many a fairy tale, but the film adaptation of ITW incorporates them so off-handedly and arbitrarily. They seem unnecessary irritations, unwarranted by the plot, which mainly serve to undercut the audience's enjoyment of what often resembles a traditional Disney family film.
