Get Ready For “Strange Magic” [UPDATED]

We tend to think of Disney magic not being “strange”, but that doesn’t mean that it could happen! Today, it happened with the announcement of the entertainment company’s new film.

“Strange Magic” is a new CGI animated musical film produced by the now Disney-owned Lucasfilm, Ltd. and will feature an original story by Star Wars creator himself Mr. George Lucas. That story’s synopsis was also disclosed in the announcement:

“Strange Magic” is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion.

The voice cast was also announced and features top TV, film, and Broadway stars like Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, and Alfred Molina. The film’s pop music will be led by Marius de Vries who is known for his work on the landmark film musical “Moulin Rouge”. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and Industrial Light & Magic, which created the CGI animation for 2011’s Academy Award®-winning film “Rango,” will bring to life the fanciful forest setting turned upside down with world-class animation and visual effects.

It’s the first time we’ve seen something fresh from Lucasfilm, let alone something new from Geroge Lucas himself, and we won’t have to wait long until we see what else these Jedi-filmmakers have to offer the world.

The movie itself was kept very secret until today’s surprise (albeit strange) announcement as most films that are to be released in the next year and even beyond are typically announced publicly already. Still, “Strange Magic” is set to hit theaters a little more than two months from now on January 23, 2015.

UPDATE 11/21: Here’s the first trailer!

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Will you be watching “Strange Magic” when it comes to theaters? What are you expecting from it? Do you think Lucasfilm should just stick to expanding their current popular franchises like “Star Wars”? Tell us in the comments!