Disney has released a new trailer for Into The Woods, its upcoming adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s fairy tale-themed musical. It’s big on moody shots of forests (one might even say woods) and of stars like Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine staring off meaningfully into the distance. And yet, it’s surprisingly short on singing—perhaps as part of a ploy by producers to get people who are otherwise disinclined toward musicals into the theater, after which even they will be swept away by the magic of song.
Into The Woods is directed by Rob Marshall, who cut his teeth on musical adaptations like Chicago, and stars Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep, who once chewed on some Swedish pop songs. The stage musical has hit its share of speed bumps on its way to the big screen, including an aborted attempt in the early ’90s to make a movie that would have starred Steve Martin, Danny DeVito, and Cher as assorted fairy-tale creatures. Audiences can decide whether they prefer the Kendrick and Pine version when it opens this Christmas.