"Strange Magic" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"Strange Magic (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What if a fairy-tale love potion spilled into a jukebox? Strange Magic answers with wall-to-wall covers — doo-wop to grunge — stitched into a pop-opera about seeing past appearances. It’s an unabashed sings-everything animated romance set on the border between the sunny Fairy Kingdom and the thorny Dark Forest.

George Lucas conceived it as a musical love letter; director Gary Rydstrom leans into diegetic performances and quick-cut medleys. Cast vocals (Evan Rachel Wood, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Elijah Kelley and more) carry familiar hits while the editing treats hooks like dialogue. The effect: a family film that plays like a mix CD passed between enemies-to-lovers.

Genres & themes in phases — island pop and Motown = optimism and crush energy (“Three Little Birds,” “I Can’t Help Myself”); classic ballads re-forged as armor (“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” becomes Marianne’s warrior vow); crunchy classic-rock for the Bog King’s shell (“Mistreated”); heartland rock for a duel-as-duet (“Straight On”); psychedelic glow for the finale’s title track (“Strange Magic”). Marketing teases add modern pop (“Crazy in Love,” a march-styled “Bad Romance”) to telegraph scale and mischief.

How It Was Made

Lucas seeded the story years earlier, aiming for a music-driven fairy romance. Rydstrom (a legendary sound designer) directed; Marius de Vries served as musical director/supervisor, helping choose, arrange, and interweave the catalog songs around character beats and edit rhythms. Buena Vista Records released the official album in January 2015, with a CD following in February.

Tracks & Scenes

“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” (performed by Evan Rachel Wood)

Where it plays:

Early act — immediately after Marianne catches Roland cheating on their wedding day, she slashes her gown, straps on leather, and belts this as a battle creed. Cut as a montage of training and shutting the door on romance (diegetic-style staging with pop-video energy).

Why it matters:

Flips a Burt Bacharach breakup into a heroine’s vow; it seeds the film’s thesis that songs can be shields.

“Three Little Birds” (Elijah Kelley & Meredith Anne Bull)

Where it plays:

Morning-sun sequence of Sunny and Dawn — hummingbirds, flower-paths, zero worries — before the potion quest derails everything. Non-diegetic, but cut to movement and glances.

Why it matters:

Establishes baseline joy so later chaos (love-potion misfires) reads as true disruption.

“C’mon Marianne / Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” (Sam Palladio & Evan Rachel Wood)

Where it plays:

Roland tries to swagger back into Marianne’s life; the medley slices between his slick pleas and her steel. The mashup structure lets the edit volley POVs like dialogue.

Why it matters:

Comic counterpoint — his bluster vs. her boundaries — and a clever name-pun gag with “Marianne.”

“Trouble” (Alan Cumming)

Where it plays:

Bog King’s entrance and rule-setting in the Dark Forest: thorns close, goblins scatter, and the message is simple — no love potions here. Half-snarl, half-swing.

Why it matters:

Character stamp. It sells his hard line on love and the law across the border.

“Love Is Strange” (Kristin Chenoweth)

Where it plays:

In captivity, Sugar Plum Fairy coos the title phrase as bargaining and commentary — a wink at the plot’s potion-mad crushes.

Why it matters:

Turns a 1950s hit into ironic narration from the one creature who understands love’s mechanics.

“Mistreated” (Alan Cumming)

Where it plays:

Mid-film snarl as the Bog King seizes Dawn amid the potion scramble. Percussion stomps as troops close ranks; the number bleeds into chase action.

Why it matters:

Reveals the wound beneath the bark — his history with love, and why he overcorrects into control.

“I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” (Meredith Anne Bull)

Where it plays:

A potion-zapped Dawn goes starry-eyed; the Motown bounce becomes a gag runner as she fixates on the first face she sees.

Why it matters:

Shows the potion’s rules in action — desire without discernment — and sets up Sunny’s dilemma.

“Say Hey (I Love You)” (Elijah Kelley)

Where it plays:

Sunny’s open-hearted stride through the Dark Forest — dancing past danger with optimism while hunting for the potion.

Why it matters:

Tags Sunny as the film’s pulse — earnest, kinetic, and impossible to squash.

“Straight On” (Evan Rachel Wood & Alan Cumming)

Where it plays:

“Duel-duet” in the Dark Forest — Marianne storms the lair; the Bog King parries. Sparks, steel, flirtation, and Heart’s groove. Diegetic staging meets musical fencing.

Why it matters:

It’s the pivot: enemies discover they like each other’s fire.

“Strange Magic” (Evan Rachel Wood & Alan Cumming)

Where it plays:

Climactic confession and post-battle celebration. The title song blooms into a lantern-lit duet — families watching, borders easing.

Why it matters:

Payoff for the film’s “see the real person” theme; an ELO classic re-imagined as two voices finding the same note.

Trailer / non-album cues

Where they play:

Marketing beats deploy “Crazy in Love” and a “Bad Romance” chorus (the latter becomes an in-film march for invading forces). Instrumental “People Are Strange” colors the mushroom rumor-network in the forest.

Why they matter:

They broaden the palette beyond the retail album and underline how arrangement changes twist meaning for jokes and world-building.

Notes & Trivia

• Lucas picked songs to function like American Graffiti — pre-existing hits that double as narrative voiceover.
• The retail album is a compact 13-track set; several film moments (e.g., the “Bad Romance” march, instrumental “People Are Strange”) aren’t on the OST.
• Marius de Vries (of Moulin Rouge! and La La Land fame) supervised/arranged the music and also appears on one cue.
• “Straight On” was promoted with an official “duel-duet” clip — part fight choreography, part flirtation demo.

Music–Story Links

• Marianne’s “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” recasts a breakup standard as self-reliance — character armor in song form.
• The Bog King’s “Mistreated” is a gruff boundary line; when he later softens, the harmonic language follows.
• “Straight On” is verbal sparring set to a groove; by the end of the number, their rhythms sync.
• “Strange Magic” seals the thesis: love based on truth, not glamour — the melody lands only once both see clearly.

Reception & Quotes

Reviews were mixed on the film but consistently fixated on the all-cover soundtrack’s chutzpah. Fans of jukebox storytelling found unexpected charm; skeptics wanted a steadier flow between eras and genres.

“A fairy-world jukebox musical… simple ideas sprinkled with fairy dust.” — Richard Crouse

“Lucas filled it with his favorite songs… a love story about substance over appearance.” — WIRED interview

Availability: The official album (Strange Magic: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) released digitally January 2015 (CD followed in February). It’s widely available on major streamers.

Interesting Facts

• Lucas initially temped the film with Beatles songs — ultimately too pricey to license in full.
• The OST’s performances are all cast vocals; the radio-hit originals are referenced, not used outright.
• “Love Is Strange” gives the Sugar Plum Fairy a sly narrator voice — half spell, half wink.
• U.S. release landed January 23, 2015; Greece and U.K. trailers rolled out later with localized materials.
• A few soundtrack sites catalog more songs than the album carries — they’re referencing all on-screen snippets and marketing cuts.

Technical Info

• Title: Strange Magic (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2015
• Type: Animated film soundtrack — jukebox musical (cast performances)
• Created by: Story & production conception by George Lucas; directed by Gary Rydstrom
• Musical direction / supervision: Marius de Vries
• Label: Buena Vista Records (digital Jan 20, 2015; physical Feb 17, 2015)
• Key featured numbers (album): “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “Three Little Birds,” “Trouble,” “Love Is Strange,” “Mistreated,” “Straight On,” “Strange Magic”
• Not on album (in film/marketing): “Bad Romance” (march motif), instrumental “People Are Strange,” trailer-used “Crazy in Love”

Questions & Answers

Is this a cover-song album or original score?

Cover-song album. The film is a jukebox musical performed by the voice cast; arrangements were tailored to scenes.

Who shaped the song choices and arrangements?

George Lucas proposed the concept and many picks; musical director Marius de Vries supervised selection, arranging, and integration.

Why are some songs in the movie but missing from the album?

Rights and album scope — brief cues (e.g., “Bad Romance” march, instrumental “People Are Strange”) weren’t included on the retail OST.

What’s the big enemies-to-lovers duet?

“Straight On” serves as a flirt-fight, and “Strange Magic” caps their confession.

Does the trailer music match the album?

Not always. Marketing used additional pop to signal energy; the album focuses on cast performances.

Key Contributors

Entity	Relation
George Lucas	Creator — conceived story and song-score approach
Gary Rydstrom	Director — staged numbers and sound design
Marius de Vries	Musical Director/Supervisor — song selection, arrangements
Evan Rachel Wood	Performer — Marianne; leads “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” finale duets
Alan Cumming	Performer — Bog King; leads “Trouble,” “Mistreated,” duets
Kristin Chenoweth	Performer — Sugar Plum Fairy; “Love Is Strange”
Elijah Kelley	Performer — Sunny; “Say Hey (I Love You),” “Three Little Birds”
Meredith Anne Bull	Performer — Dawn; “I Can’t Help Myself,” ensemble medleys
Buena Vista Records	Label — released the official soundtrack

Sources: Buena Vista Records release notes; official album pages on Apple/Spotify/Amazon; Wikipedia (film & music sections); interview features with Gary Rydstrom; WIRED profile; Richard Crouse review; IMDb soundtrack list; promotional clips for “duel-duet” and finale.

Someone will say, "Another cartoon tale", but we object: rarely a cartoon would be interesting to watch not only to children. Well, we also may say, that the Pixar studio has long won the hearts of audiences of all ages. Since this is musical cartoon, there are plenty of songs – from the first minute to the very end. Characters separately please us, especially those that should repel. The main villain – the Swamp King – turned out to be surprisingly creepy and attractive at the same time. Not very reverent attitude of creators to drawing the background can be considered as the downside, making the cartoon look a little "cheap", but it does not put a cross on it. Besides that, the drawing of acting persons, and the details of their images – clothes, wings, hair, hats, socks and other – looks very natural. Of course, most of the songs devoted to love, what is said even in the name: Can't Help Falling In Love or Love Is Strange from Kristin Chenoweth, who reminds us even before listening that it's still a pretty sweet story with the inevitable happy ending. Anyway, songs about feelings don’t sound like wistful ballads. Only one Mistreated by Alan Cumming costs a lot. The creators have tried to make a variety of activities and the presence of the girls with a radically different characters, and a variety of small touching animals of woods and villain who rocks, and plus – very pretty jokes which go every two replicas, albeit with various degrees of success. This cartoon, as well as the soundtrack to it, is necessary to be watched not only in the company of siblings, but also alone, having a stock of cozy set of something tasty and warm. The tale has undergone with some changes, has become not so cloying, but has not lost its attractiveness.

November, 27th 2025

Strange Magic on the Web: IMDb, Wikipedia

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