Just a few days ago, we offered an exclusive glimpse into our unforgettable tour of the legendary Skywalker Ranch, a place where cinematic dreams are born and nurtured. Today, we’re taking you even deeper into the heart of filmmaking with an extraordinary highlight: our candid interview with the visionary Executive Producer and Creator of ‘Strange Magic’, George Lucas himself.
Yes, you read that right – the George Lucas. It remains a moment etched in memory, a privilege to sit down with a true icon, an innovator whose creative genius has shaped generations of storytellers and film enthusiasts. As the mastermind behind some of the most beloved franchises in cinema history, George Lucas has always been driven by a unique blend of passion and pioneering spirit. This time, his focus was on ‘Strange Magic’, a film deeply rooted in his profound love for music and the timeless art of musicals.
A Dream Realized: An Audience with George Lucas at Skywalker Ranch
Our interview took place in the hallowed grounds of Skywalker Ranch, specifically within the magnificent Stag Theater. This experience alone was nothing short of surreal. Mere moments before the interview, we had the incredible opportunity to screen ‘Strange Magic’ in this very theater – a state-of-the-art cinematic masterpiece custom-built by Lucas himself. To watch a film alongside its creator, George Lucas, in such an intimately grand setting felt like stepping into a waking dream. The air was charged with anticipation, and the realization that we were sharing this moment with one of the greatest minds in entertainment was utterly breathtaking. It was a stark reminder that sometimes, the most extraordinary dreams do come true.
The Genesis of ‘Strange Magic’: A Decade-Spanning Musical Vision
During our conversation, George Lucas revealed that the conceptual seeds for ‘Strange Magic’ were planted over 15 years prior to its release. This wasn’t a project conceived overnight but a long-gestating passion that stemmed from his lifelong affinity for music and the enchanting world of musicals. He articulated a clear desire to merge his deep appreciation for musical narratives with his discerning taste for exceptional music, creating a cinematic experience that resonated with his artistic soul.
For Lucas, ‘Strange Magic’ represented a unique opportunity to truly “get his hands dirty” again, to immerse himself fully in every intricate detail of the filmmaking process. After spearheading colossal franchises, he sought a return to a more personal, hands-on approach to storytelling, allowing him to infuse every frame with his individual vision and creative energy. It was a refreshing perspective from a filmmaker synonymous with epic scale, highlighting his enduring commitment to the craft at every level.
The Heart of the Story: Unpacking the Nuances of Love
One word resonated throughout our entire interview, echoing Lucas’s profound conviction: “Love.” This singular concept emerges as the undeniable cornerstone of ‘Strange Magic’ and served as the primary wellspring of George Lucas’s passion for bringing this film to life. His love for music, his love for cinema, and fundamentally, his fervent belief in creating a story that underscores a universal truth: everyone, without exception, deserves to be loved.
Beyond this universal message, Lucas aimed to meticulously dissect the complexities of romantic relationships, drawing a crucial distinction between fleeting infatuation and the enduring power of true, authentic love. He stressed the importance of discerning between superficial attraction and a deeper, more meaningful connection. His message was clear: you don’t aspire to be married to a mere infatuation; rather, the goal is to share your life with your true soulmate, a partner with whom you share an intrinsic bond. The film, he explained, serves as a poignant reminder that the perfect match isn’t always the person who appears most conventionally attractive or popular on the surface. Instead, it’s the individual with whom you discover the deepest commonalities and profound understanding beneath the superficial layers.
George Lucas’s Personal Reflections: A Testament to True Connection
In a rare and remarkably candid moment, George Lucas delved into his own personal journey, sharing insights into his relationships, his marriage, and the joy of his then-18-month-old baby girl. His openness and honesty were truly disarming, offering a powerful real-world parallel to the themes explored in ‘Strange Magic’. He illustrated how true love often defies expectations, arriving in forms one might least anticipate. Below is a poignant excerpt from our conversation, highlighting his incredible sincerity:
No it’s never gonna happen to me, I just will never find anybody, and I found somebody who doesn’t look at all like me, doesn’t, you know, I’m a 60’s radical, government unhappy, Wall Street-hating, person from San Francisco, and I ended up meeting a woman who’s a head of a big investment management firm who’s on Wall Street who doesn’t look like me, doesn’t you know? Is the last person you would figure would fall in love with the bald king and or I’d fall in love with her since I am not into princesses.
But ..a beautiful princess too actually.
Yeah, now I got a princess and I got a little princess. And my other princesses who have gone on to bigger and better things but so as time went on it became more meaningful to me because I realized that in the end, like with my wife and stuff, we fell in love because we were exactly alike inside. You know, it’s like the movie, you know first you say well, I hate this stuff, well that’s interest, you know?
It surprised you! You realize that you have so much in common that you would never have thought of on the surface, and it’s the same thing again. Like Roland (character in Strange Magic) which is, you know the classic pretty boy and, you know that story has been told over and over and over again but at the same time it needs to be retold.
Lucas’s anecdote powerfully underscored the film’s central tenet: that genuine connection transcends superficial differences and often blossoms in the most unexpected pairings. His experience with his wife, finding deep compatibility despite outward contrasts, mirrored the very essence of ‘Strange Magic’s’ narrative, emphasizing that internal alignment is the true foundation of lasting love. He pointed to characters like Roland, the “classic pretty boy,” to highlight the age-old narrative of judging by appearances, and stressed the necessity of retelling this story for every new generation.
An Enduring Message for Every Generation: The Power of Real Love and Bravery
What truly resonated during our interview was George Lucas’s palpable authenticity and genuine caring. His love for his family radiated as he spoke, creating an atmosphere of warmth and sincerity. His passion extended beyond personal anecdotes; it encompassed a profound desire to craft stories that possess timeless relevance, capable of transcending multiple generations. He believes firmly that the fundamental narrative of true love must be continually shared and reinforced, ensuring that its importance is never lost.
Lucas emphasized the critical need to prevent younger generations from “slipping through the cracks,” urging us to continuously remind children, especially young girls, of their inherent strength and the courage they possess. ‘Strange Magic’ is, in many ways, an empowering fable, designed to instill a sense of bravery and self-worth in its young audience. He underscored that children need to grow up understanding that love is not just a fairytale but a complex, powerful force that requires courage, honesty, and a willingness to look beyond the obvious.
Cinema as a Life Teacher: George Lucas’s Philosophy
George Lucas articulated a powerful philosophy regarding the role of film in children’s lives. He firmly believes that movies serve as invaluable tools for teaching crucial life lessons, fostering understanding about friendship, navigating complex emotions, and comprehending the broader world around them. This conviction underlies much of his work, including ‘Strange Magic’, which is rich with allegorical depth and relatable challenges.
To me adolescence is a key period in a child’s life, and to make movies that say look, these are the issues, they may seem obvious to us ’cause we’ve been through it, maybe your parents have told you about this, maybe they haven’t but you need to know the story of why you have friendships and what a friendship means, why there are things in the world that are bigger than you are, why, you know your complicated feelings with your parents and all these kinds of things are not unusual, they’re not just you, this is something that everybody goes through. ~George Lucas
His words highlight the importance of cinema as a guide during the tumultuous period of adolescence, offering relatable narratives that validate young people’s experiences and help them process universal truths about growing up. Lucas aims for his films to be more than just entertainment; he envisions them as comforting mirrors, reflecting the shared human experience and gently guiding young viewers through life’s inevitable complexities.
The Musical Tapestry of ‘Strange Magic’: Over 100 Songs in Contention
Here’s a delightful tidbit about ‘Strange Magic’ that underscores George Lucas’s profound musical sensibility: the initial selection process for the soundtrack began with a staggering pool of over 100 potential songs! Lucas confessed that, given the freedom, he could easily have crafted a five-hour musical, a testament to his expansive vision and encyclopedic knowledge of popular music. However, practical considerations, as with any film production, necessitated difficult choices.
GEORGE LUCAS: Well things like you know, you could go to the Beatles catalog and anything that’s got love in the title is something we had in there. And All You Need Is Love, All, you know? But again there’s a real world and that real world, this is a relatively inexpensive movie, small, very small, and so, just like American Graffiti I couldn’t afford to put Elvis Presley in there. So I didn’t but I survived you know, it’s like everything else you have to kinda be strong, be brave and sometimes trim some of the things you really love.
His reference to the Beatles’ catalog and the iconic “All You Need Is Love” perfectly illustrates his initial ambitious scope. Yet, he also acknowledged the practical constraints of filmmaking, drawing a parallel to his earlier masterpiece, ‘American Graffiti’, where budget limitations similarly forced him to make difficult decisions regarding song inclusion. This insight reveals the meticulous curation behind ‘Strange Magic’s’ soundtrack, a process of brave choices and creative compromises to ensure the music perfectly served the narrative and emotional arc of the film, even if it meant letting go of some personal favorites.
“I Can’t Help Falling In Love”: A Song That Defines a Life and a Film
When pressed about his favorite song in ‘Strange Magic’, George Lucas immediately cited “I Can’t Help Falling In Love” as the standout. This iconic track not only serves as the film’s opening song but was also the very first piece of music selected for the movie. The story Lucas shared about its significance was truly captivating, weaving together personal history and artistic inspiration.
You know it’s, again, I grew up under the tutelage of Elvis, and my wife says I still have that pompous pompadour. But at the same time, you know, it’s been recorded several times, each time it’s recorded it’s better and better, and it to me was the inspiration to say this is what this movie’s about. You know, wise men say only fools fall in love.
In my experience with love as I was dating for those 20 years, I was with some, I had some girlfriends who I knew weren’t right, I knew were I would say high maintenance, difficult, all the things you don’t want. Yet I fell in love with them.
And ultimately the only thing I can say is there’s no accounting for love, it’s just no matter how rational you think you’re being, you say well I’ll never do that, you do it.
Yeah it didn’t last but we both tried, we, neither one of us wanted to fall in love and we both did and we knew that ultimately it wasn’t gonna actually work, but you try anyway.
Lucas’s connection to “I Can’t Help Falling In Love” runs deep, rooted in his appreciation for Elvis Presley and the song’s evolving interpretations over time. More profoundly, he saw in its lyrics the very essence of ‘Strange Magic’ – the irrational, often unpredictable, nature of love. He candidly shared experiences from his twenty years of dating, recounting relationships where, despite knowing intellectually that they weren’t ideal, he still found himself falling in love. This raw honesty about the illogical yet irresistible pull of affection perfectly encapsulated the film’s exploration of love’s powerful, sometimes perplexing, grip on the human heart. It’s a testament to the film’s message that love, in its purest form, defies reason and often calls us to take a leap of faith.
A Lasting Impression: George Lucas’s Legacy of Love and Storytelling
As our interview concluded, I found myself sitting in quiet awe, processing the profound experience. To have interviewed George Lucas, a filmmaker whose works have profoundly influenced my generation and countless others, was an honor I never dared to dream of. He was not only insightful and deeply creative but also surprisingly funny, remarkably open, and genuinely comfortable in sharing his personal perspectives. His passion for storytelling was matched only by the visible love he held for his family, a warmth that permeated the entire conversation.
His vision for ‘Strange Magic’ is a testament to his enduring belief in the power of stories to convey universal truths. This enchanting musical fantasy, which premiered on January 23, 2015, offers an amazing cinematic journey for the entire family, weaving together humor, heart, and unforgettable music. Stay tuned later this week, as we’ll be sharing even more insights, including our interview with Elijah Kelley, who voices the character Sunny in the movie, along with our comprehensive review of ‘Strange Magic’. This film serves as another remarkable chapter in George Lucas’s unparalleled cinematic legacy, inviting audiences to believe in a love that is truly magical.