The 10th Kingdom

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The 10th Kingdom

DVD cover for The 10th Kingdom
Directed by David Carson
Herbert Wise
Produced by Robert Halmi Sr.
Robert Halmi Jr.
Written by Simon Moore
Starring Kimberly Williams
Scott Cohen
John Larroquette

Daniel Lapaine
Dianne Wiest
Distributed by Hallmark Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment
Release date(s) 1999 UK - 2000 US
Running time Approx. Running Feature Time 417 minutes
Language English
IMDb profile

The 10th Kingdom was written by screenplay writer Simon Moore. It depicts the adventures of a young girl and her father after they are thrown from Manhattan and into a fantasy world through a magical mirror. The 10th Kingdom first aired on SkyOne in 1999 in the UK. Following the UK airing, the 6.95 hour Hallmark Entertainment mini-series was aired by NBC in 2000 in the US. The mini-series was shown in five separate episodes.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

As The 10th Kingdom begins, Prince Wendell prepares to visit the Evil Queen at a state prison. Unfortunately, his visit goes awry when the Evil Queen escapes from her cell with help from Relish, the Troll King. Relish is attempting to break his children (Blabberwort, Burly, and Bluebell) out of jail when the Evil Queen mesmerizes him, causing him to let her out of her cell. Once the Evil Queen escapes, she uses magic to force Prince Wendell to switch bodies with her dog. She intends to kill the real prince, but he escapes though an old traveling mirror to the "10th Kingdom" (our dimension). Virginia Lewis, a New York waitress and the daughter of a single father (Tony Lewis), subsequently finds Prince Wendell (the dog) and together with her father, follows Wendell to another world: the "Nine Kingdoms", each ruled by descendants of major fairy tale stories, The Five Women Who Changed History: "Snow White, Cinderella, Queen Riding Hood, Gretel the Great and The Lady Rapunzel". The Queen has sent a half man/half wolf to track down Prince Wendell, and so begins Wolf's chase of Virginia and Tony.

Meanwhile, the Evil Queen primps her Dog Prince to take the place of Prince Wendell, ruler of the 4th Kingdom. Tony is trapped in the prison with the real Prince, while Virginia is kidnapped by the Trolls. Wolf eventually saves her and the two develop a hesitant friendship as they team up to save Tony. The Queen launches her plot to bring down the House of (Snow) White. She uses the magic mirrors that once belonged to the Evil Stepmother from the Snow White fairy tale to chase down Virginia, her biggest threat.

Virginia, Tony, the Prince and Wolf are finally brought together, and the four start their journey to regain the mirror that has trapped them in the Nine Kingdoms. Wolf is torn between his feelings for Virginia and his "loyalty" to the Queen. He also must fight against his instincts as a wolf - including his desire to eat raw flesh.

The four travel throughout the Nine Kingdoms and face many trials first seen in fairy tales, including growing Rapunzel's long hair, entering a shepherding contest against Little Bo Peep (Sally Peep) and dealing with the troubles of King Midas' Golden Touch (from the Golden River Goldfish).

As Virginia gets closer to her goal, she realizes that the Queen is her long lost mother, who after abandoning her family and trying to drown Virginia, traveled to the Nine Kingdoms and became the apprentice to Snow White's Evil Stepmother. In the end, Virginia is forced to kill the Queen in self defense using a poison comb. She and Wolf return to Manhattan (after learning she is pregnant with his "wolf-cub"). Tony decides to stay in the Nine Kingdoms in order to avoid the trouble he left behind in the real world.

[edit] The Nine Kingdoms

The First Kingdom The First Kingdom is ruled by Queen Cinderella I, and is the oldest and most wealthy of the Ten Kingdoms. The citizens are snobbish and romantic, falling in love and marrying at an alarming rate. Chronic divorces have led to an abundance of wicked step-siblings. This Kingdom is conservative, old-fashioned and the closest to the traditional fairy world of princes and princesses. Queen Cinderella I is still alive, but barely.... Official color: Pale blue.

The Second Kingdom The Second Kingdom is a land of wild forests and is overrun by dreaded wolves. It is full of pie makers, cooks, and gingerbread cottages. Queen Riding Hood III rules the North and Gretel the Great rules the South. Civil wars have left the kingdom short of males and dominated by adolescent girls and their grandmothers. Official color: Brown.

The Third Kingdom The Third Kingdom is ruled by trolls and giants. This is the place where Jack originally planted all the beanstalks. The ever-growing beanstalks have sucked all the life from the earth and created a desolate kingdom where nothing grows. The giants live in the clouds and are a dying species due to alcoholism and low fertility. The trolls rule this barren land at ground level. It is a large, run-down kingdom where a military-style government rules. Their complete lack of interest in farming, along with having a small slave population, make the trolls reliant on aggression and thieving to survive. Trolls have an obsession with shoes and fine leather. Military color: Yellow.

The Fourth Kingdom The Fourth Kingdom is where Snow White was born and became Queen. Prince Wendell is the current ruler, although he is still in Snow White's Shadow. He is an orphan whose parents were both poisoned by the evil Queen. This Kingdom is located in the center of the lands, bordered by all the other kingdoms and is thus of immense strategic importance. Official color: Green.

The Fifth Kingdom The Naked Emperor VI reigns over the Fifth Kingdom. Excess, gluttony, and bombast are rampant. Nudism has run wild and is compulsory in many provinces. The social calendars of the fat and greedy residents are dominated by beer and sausage festivals. Deceit and corruption are common. Official color: Purple.

The Sixth Kingdom The Sixth Kingdom was once ruled by Queen Rapunzel. The entire population, including Sleeping Beauty, is now asleep, under a hundred-year spell that no one can break. The kingdom is surrounded by a giant thorn wall. Spells, magic traps, and puzzles deter all but the most clever of travelers from entering. Official color: Pink.

The Seventh Kingdom Olaf the Elf King is the monarch of the Seventh Kingdom. This kingdom is entirely invisible except at dawn and dusk. Most elves are sexy, elven girls and boys with tiny wings. They live by the edge of great lakes and are semi-magical creatures of darkness and intrigue, neither friendly nor hostile by nature. Official colors: All colors of the rainbow.

The Eighth Kingdom The Eighth Kingdom is ruled by the Ice Queen. The land is all snow and ice; full of cruelty, danger and death. There are fishing towns in the fjords of the South, but the North is wilder. The people there are isolationists and very hostile to outsiders. They have strong beliefs in animal spirituality and magic. The Ice Queen wishes to rule all Nine Kingdoms and this territory's aggressive tactics make it a threat to political stability. Official color: White.

The Ninth Kingdom Dwarves dominate the Ninth Kingdom. It is a whole world of mines and tunnels that run beneath all the other kingdoms. The dwarves are makers of magic mirrors and are suspicious of all others. They are the bankers of the Nine Kingdoms, the only residence above ground being a tiny, but very wealthy banking town. They have a strong alliance with the Fourth Kingdom because of their devotion to the late Snow White, who is buried in the caves of Dragon Mountain.

The Tenth Kingdom All who dwell in any of the Nine Kingdoms have heard tales of the mythical Tenth Kingdom. The troll children come through the mirror to find themselves in New York and proclaim the myth to be no more. It is a land of great technology, large citizen pride, and over-population. It is part of a larger, sprawling kingdom known as the United States of America.

[edit] Video Release and Novel

[edit] Video Release

The 10th Kingdom was released by Hallmark Entertainment and Artisan Entertainment (now Lions Gate Entertainment) on VHS then later on DVD which have both since gone out of print. The DVD was relased in 2 and 3 disc set versions. Although out of print most video stores carry the entire series mostly on DVD. Special features include "The Making Of An Epic", hosted by John Laroquette.

[edit] Novel

The novel was published based on an early version of the script. It was written by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith, under the name Kathryn Wesley. Few differences exist between the novel and the finished film, mainly conversations and minor details, however the novel is incredibly true to the film. For a number of years it was available in a package with the full VHS series and the soundtrack but has since gone out of print.

[edit] Related Topic

[edit] Sequel

The mini-series ambiguous ending ("This is the end of the first book of the 10th Kingdom") led to much talk of a sequel. Due to the low ratings of the original airing, reluctance by Hallmark Entertainment (the original distributor) to produce a sequel led to massive fan campaigns in hopes to urge the production of a sequel. Screenplay writer Simon Moore remains in close contact with fans sharing his ideas and expressed interest in continuing the series. [1]

[edit] Cast & Characters

Main Characters:

[edit] Heroes

[edit] Villains

[edit] Secondary and Minor Characters

Secondary Characters - New York (the 10th kingdom)

  • James Carroll Jordan as Mr. Murray
  • Dylan Bell as son or Mr. Murray
  • Deborah Sheridan-Taylor as Candy Fritzsimmons
  • Moira Lister as Grandmother
  • Katherine Hogarth as wife of Mr. Murray
  • Gudrun Ure as mother of Mr. Murray
  • Johnny Myers as Hank Murray - relative of Mr. Murray
  • Sheila Steafel as Dr. Marian
  • William Marsh as SWAT Team Member
  • Nigel Whitmey as SWAT Team Member
  • Leon Herbert as SWAT Team Member

Nine Kingdom Secondary Characters - Snow White Memorial Prison

Secondary Characters - The Disenchanted Forest/Thousand Mile Forest:

  • Adam Levy as Gypsy
  • Paul Sax as Fiddle-playing Gypsy
  • Vince De Cicco as Accordion-playing Gypsy
  • Eve Pearce as The Gypsy Queen
  • Michael McCarthy as Gypsy
  • James Cosmo as Juliet the Blind Woodsman

Secondary Characters - Little Lamb Village:

  • Lucy Punch as Sally Peep
  • Gabrielle Lloyd as Barbara Peep
  • Natasha Collins as Betty Peep
  • Liz May Brice as Mary Ramley
  • Craig Purnell as Filbert Peep
  • Edward Woodall as Fairfax Peep
  • Peter Vaughan as Wilfred Peep
  • Calum MacPherson as The Village Idiot
  • Frank Middlemass as Little Lamb Village Judge
  • Richard Syms as Defeated Farmer
  • Jacqueline Tong as Farmer's Wife
  • Bruce McGregor as Distraught Farmer
  • Caroline Hayes as Shepherdess
  • Helen Latham as Shepherdess

Secondary Characters - Kissing Town:

Royalty and Nobility of the Nine Kingdoms:

  • Robert Hardy as Chancellor Griswold, a member of Prince/King Wendell's council
  • Aden Gillett as Viscount Lansky, a member of Prince/King Wendell's council, killed by The Huntsman
  • William Osborne as Lord Rupert, a member of Prince/King Wendell's council, personally organized Wendell's Coronation Ball
  • Kim Thomson as Queen Red Riding Hood III - Queen of the Northern Territories of the 2nd Kingdom and the Granddaughter of Queen Red Riding Hood I
  • Lucy Whybrow as Leaf Fall the Elf Queen
  • Christopher Crooks as Olaf the Elf King (credited as Chris Crooks)
  • Camryn Manheim as Snow White - the late Queen of the 4th Kingdom, one of the 'Five Women Who Changed History' in the Nine Kingdoms, Grandmother of Prince/King Wendell Winston Walter White (now a Fairy godmother)
  • Ann-Margret as Queen Cinderella
  • Tim Dry as the Naked Emperor's Nephew, current Emperor of the 5th Kingdom
  • Edward Purver as a Royal Page
  • Antonia Corrigan as Elf Girl
  • Aoife Thompson as Elf Girl
  • Charlotte Morris as Elf Girl
  • Christine Fernando as Elf Girl
  • Jeremy Swift as Coronation Ball Guest
  • Mary Roscoe as Coronation Ball Guest

Minor Characters:

  • Jeffrey Wickham as Giles
  • Bob Curtiss as Kissing Town News Vendor
  • Kate Robbins as the voice of the Singing Ring

[edit] Special Features

  • Production Notes
  • The Making of The 10th Kingdom - hosted by John Larroquette
  • Cast and Crew Information
  • About the Characters
  • Search for the Hidden 10th Kingdom (easter egg)
  • Outtakes

[edit] External links

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Other T10K Cast Member Movies

List of Movies appearing cast members from The 10th Kingdom:

[edit] Similar Movies

List of Movies with similar themes:

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