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Happily N’ever After — he said, she said — dvd movie review — early!

by Chris and Kris ⋅ April 29, 2007 ⋅ Comment now ⋅ Subscribe RSS

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dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW . Happily N'ever After SHE-SAID
The story of Cinderella has got to be one of the most replicated and remade romantic fairytales. I actually never saw the Disney classic, but I had the read aloud/along storybook/recording. Like most girls, I thought her dress was keen (the animals made it for her!). Unlike most girls, I thought the notion of waiting for someone to rescue you was absurd. Happily N’ever After attempts to skim that route, allowing a tough-talking bobbed brunette named Ella (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) to grasp the reins.

I kind of missed Disney’s “be kind to animals” aspect, but because that previous innocent Cinderella is so engrained, it doesn’t take much to sympathize with the revamped version. Chores are incessantly dumped upon her, she doesn’t get to go to the Royal Ball. Her Fairy Godmother appears, this time even more ditzy. She gets a fancy dress that looks like a layer cake (ugh) and heads off to the fancy Ball. The Prince falls in love with her and she’s on top of the world. But her evil stepmother (Sigourney Weaver) thwarts her romance by taking over the Department of Fairytale Security, tipping the Head Wizard’s (George Carlin) Good/Evil scales towards the dark side. That means all fairytales dip towards an unlikely unhappy ending.

Why would the Head Wizard allow this to happen? He’s actually on vacation and had left the responsibility to Munk and Mambo, a pig and a cat (I thought he looked more like a bat or like dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW . Happily N'ever After Lilo’s Stich) respectively. Munk/Monk is the dutiful one (Wallace Shawn, the “inconceivable!” guy from the Princess Bride) and Mambo is his opposite (voiced by Andy Dick), but you probably guessed that from their names. Clearly, they are not the heroes and must find help. Thankfully, Ella has a secret admirer named Rick (Freddy Prinze, Jr), a lowly servant of the dopey by-the-book Prince Humperdink, who goes out of his way to save the day. Ella proves herself rather finicky, soon falling in love with Rick. It’s a little Will Turner/Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean).

Okay, so that’s pretty much how the story goes. It’s a reimaging that’s bold without being too brash. What kept me watching Happily N’ever After is the striking 3D animation by the BAF Berlin Animation Film company and special effects master Mr. X. It is colorful without being overly saturated with a grand attention to detail with fabric fuzziness and fluttering shirt collars. The vibrant smoke puffs trailing behind the witches’ motorized brooms are just perfectly fluffy. There was also a cute Ghostbusters like scene where all the evil creatures in Fairytale Land were being summoned. The Seven Dwarves (this time they’re militant sort of rednecks with one actually named Cletus) scenes prove awesome CGI camera angles and action. It’s also really cool that they included a splash of dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW . Happily N'ever After original They Might Be Giants songs. A few “parental guidance warning” points (it’s rated PG, not G): the chefs babbling brief raunchy rants, the busty stepmother (shaped like Jessica Rabbit), and girl punching girl, but come on, Disney killed deer in a fire.

HE-SAID
The DVD.

Lions Gate presents Happily N’ever After in a 16×9 Anamorphic transfer with 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound. It’s clean. It’s clear. It’s everything you would expect from a mainstream DVD company.

Before starting the film the viewer is presented with a question whose answer will determine whether Good or Evil menus are loaded. There’s no real difference in functionality for these. They just have different graphics and voice overs.

Extras include an alternate ending, deleted scenes, a boatload of kids trailers, and the Department of Fairy Tale security, a series of 5 games ranging from choose your own adventure tales to “spot the difference” memory games. For kids these will probably provide a good deal of enjoyment.

For adults (and animation students) the disc also presents a series of featurettes dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW . Happily N'ever After concerning the animation process, from character design to final lighting effects.
A lot of this consists of interviews with director Paul Bolger, who actually divulges some interesting information about the character designs. For example, Ella’s costume is based on the Irish flag.

Lastly, the disc has a commentary track featuring Paul Bolger. Bolger is fairly subdued, and sometimes silent, but he gives a lot of information regarding the animation process. Again, if you’ve any interest in animation this will most likely be a blast to listen to.

In closing, Lion’s gate has a solid little disc. There’s a lot for kids to keep busy with, and a good amount of educational material for CG animation enthusiasts.

Happily N’ever After DVD release date: May 1, 2007.

About the Authors

dreamlogic.net -- CHRIS NELSON and KRIS KOBAYASHI-NELSON

Chris Nelson and Kris Kobayashi-Nelson are the proud co-founders of dreamlogic.net. The adventurous soulmates occasionally take a break from ghost hunting, spelunking, programming, to view some killer flicks.