I can't remember how I first learned of "Into the Woods", quite possibly sifting through the Broadway section at a music store back in the day.
Also back in the day, someone set up a theater going group in DC. You could meet up, have dinner with folks, and then go to a show.
A community theater staged "Into the Woods" downtown at a church. I joined the group and we dined, and watched the show. I still remember the actress who played Little Red Riding Hood.
It was, like smaller productions often are, perfect but still there are so many things that watching it live bring to the experience, even when you've heard Bernadette Peters sing the show.
The movie version is kind of a mish mash to me, some people are chewing scenery and some people are very earnest. But there are delights within it.
Mr. Sondheim had other works, but that is the one that spoke to me the most. As others have said, there are giants in the sky.