"Into the Woods" release date on December 25 stars Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp as unlikely fairy tale characters.

An impressive cast topbills "Into the Woods" release date come Christmas, with a fairy tale that departs from the usual "happily ever after" catch phrase of children's stories.

Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp heads the list of actors tapped for the movie, in the roles of familiar fairy tale characters. The "Into the Woods" trailer also offers a sample of the mood of the film, which falls in line with the trend of gloom-and-doom adaptations like "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Red Riding Hood," and "Maleficent."

Entertainment Weekly offers more reveals for the film, highlighting characters on alternate covers of this week's issue. The film is adapted from the Tony Award-winning musical by James Lapine, of Stephen Sondheim's work. Expectation for the film is high, considering the A-list ensemble, and there's even buzz of a run for the Oscars.

The film ties in characters from the Grimm fairy tales, revolving around a childless couple's effort to break a witch's spell by collecting charmed items. The synopsis hints the story isn't meant to offer naive, happy endings, though.

"What begins as a lively irreverent fantasy musical eventually becomes a meaningful tale about responsibility, the problems that come from wishes, and the legacy that we leave our children."

Director Rob Marshall's works included several disappointments, and "The Pirates of the Caribbean" series were arguably made-to-order projects in comparison to "Chicago." Marshall takes a risk with a Christmas Day offering that may or may not be received well by the holiday crowds.

"I didn't want this to look like a cartoon world. It's not sunny, sunny, sunny-we wanted a sense of danger."

"Into the Woods" release date runs over the 2014 Christmas holidays, and distributed by Disney Studios (cinemablend.com).