“Into the Woods” opened in theaters on Christmas Day, and I give it four out of five stars.

Despite only being out for a short amount of time, the movie has already been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards.

Emily Blunt has received a nomination for Best Actress, Meryl Streep has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and the picture itself is up for Best Picture as a comedy/musical.

This fantastic movie brings together all the fairy tales from our childhood, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood.

The story was adapted into film from the popular Broadway musical of the same name. For this reason, the movie appeals to young and mature audiences alike.

Before I saw this movie, I was a little apprehensive about the musical aspect of the film. However, after watching the film, I have realized that, when done right, musicals can be quite entertaining instead of cheesy or annoying.

“Into the Woods” tells the story of a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who are desperate for a child of their own. Just when it seems as though they will never have a child, a witch (Meryl Streep) tells them that she will give them a child if they acquire some objects for her.

This quest acquaints them with familiar characters such as Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy). These characters make the film even more lovable for those of us who grew up hearing their stories and idolized them because of their heroism.

They make it easier to love Blunt’s foreign character and her husband.

It is easy to see why the film has been highly acclaimed by critics everywhere and nominated for multiple awards.

The director of this movie, Rob Marshall, did a superb job telling this story. He made the right choice in choosing actors who could both become a character and carry a tune.

That being said, at times I felt as though the songs in the movie were more than a little repetitive. Although, with the outstanding voices the songs were bearable and, at times, catchy.

Marshall also made the plot, which could have been confusing, easy to follow by adding narration at key points where the story jumped from one place to another.

While Marshall certainly played a huge part in making the movie a cinematic success, the movie would have been a disaster without the right actors to become the characters.

Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen added their own touch of comedy into the roles of the egocentric and determined princes. There is one scene in particular where I feel they struck comedy gold, and if you see the movie you will know just what I am talking about.

Streep was enchanting as the evil witch, and she added depth to the character, which makes you question if everything really is as black and white as fairy tales would have you believe.

Throughout the movie you see glimpses of her humanity and even kindness.

The catchy songs, incredible actors, great plot, and a clever director make this movie one of the best of the year.

It is certainly one of my favorite fairy tales.