Disney has announced that they will release the Lucasfilm animated movie Strange Magic January 23, 2015. The film was in production when Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 and is based on a story idea from George Lucas, who is an executive producer on the film.
The movie is described as a madcap fairy-tale musical inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with popular songs from the past six decades used to help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies, imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. It’s the feature directorial debut for Gary Rydstrom, a veteran movie sound designer, long thought to be the best in the business. Rydstrom co-wrote the script with David Berenbaum (Elf) and Irene Mecchi (Brave, The Lion King). The film includes an extensive voice cast including Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Evan Rachel Wood, Maya Rudolph, and Alfred Molina.
This is the first movie from Lucasfilm released through Disney, though it will be released under the Touchstone Pictures banner. Lucasfilm’s previous animation experience includes Rango, the recently cancelled animated show Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Star War Rebels, which currently airs on Disney’s cable channel, Disney XD.