Travel INTO THE WOODS for some fairy tales with these animated character posters

Once upon a time (1987 to be exact), in a magical land far, far away (Hey, Broadway is quite the distance from Cape Town, and there are lots of people on fairy dust!) there was a very successful stage play by Stephen Sondheim that threw all the famous and not-s0-famous characters from your favourite fairy tales all into one singing and dancing production. And it was a gigantic hit, being reproduced several times over the next few decades and winning more golden awards than you can find in a giant’s cloudy castle.

Of course this meant that the folks in Hollywood decided to a big screen movie adaptation of it, with Rob Marshall – he of that other award-winning adaptation of, well, the award-winning Chicago – placed at the helm. True to form, and the stage production’s pedigree, Marshall has assembled a seriously A-list cast, some of whom we’ve glimpsed in the film’s first trailer. Now, thanks to Huffington Post, we get a bit of a better look at them with this series of cool animated character posters.

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

Into The Woods stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, and Billy Magnussen, and opens internationally on December 25, 2014.

Last Updated: November 6, 2014