Happily N'Ever After

Happily N'Ever After

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul J. Bolger
Produced by John H. Williams
Written by Rob Moreland
Story by Rob Moreland
Based on The Fairy Tales
by Brothers Grimm
and Hans Christian Andersen
Starring
Narrated by Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Music by Paul Buckley
Cinematography David Dulac
Edited by Ringo Hess
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date
  • January 5, 2007 (2007-01-05)
Running time
 87 minutes
Country
Language English
Budget $47 million[2]
Box office $38 million[2]

Happily N'Ever After is a 2007 German-American computer-animated fantasy family film directed by Paul J. Bolger, produced by John H. Williams, written by Rob Moreland and based on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. The title is the opposite of a stock phrase, happily ever after; the name is contracted with an apostrophe between the N and the E. The film stars the voices of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Andy Dick, Wallace Shawn, Patrick Warburton, Sigourney Weaver, and George Carlin in his final film appearance. The film was theatrically released on January 5, 2007 by Lionsgate, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 1, 2007 by Roadshow Entertainment. The film earned $38 million on a $47 million budget. A direct-to-video sequel, Happily N'Ever After 2: Snow White Another Bite @ the Apple, was released on March 24, 2009.

Plot

The story begins with the idea that the Wizard (George Carlin) controls all of the fairy tales and maintains the balance of good and evil in Fairy Tale Land. With the help of his assistants the uptight Munk (Wallace Shawn) and the decidedly goofy Mambo (Andy Dick), the Wizard is checking to make sure that all the fairy tales under his care are "on track" to have their traditional happy endings. As we meet him however, the Wizard is leaving for Scotland for a long-overdue vacation. He leaves the kingdom in the hands of Munk and Mambo.

Ella is a girl who is better known as Cinderella (Sarah Michelle Gellar). She lives as a servant to her step family, dreams of the Prince (Patrick Warburton) who will sweep her off her feet. Her best friend at the palace is Rick (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), the palace dishwasher. Rick takes it upon himself to deliver the invitations to the royal ball to Ella. Ella sees Rick only as a friend, but Rick secretly loves Ella, although he is too cool and proud to admit it. Rick can't really understand what Ella likes about the Prince. Rick's Three Amigos, the comic chefs (all voiced by Phil Proctor, Rob Paulsen and Tom Kenny) in the palace kitchen, believe that Rick has a bad case of "Prince envy". The Prince does everything by the book, and plans to meet his maiden at the ball.

However, things don't go as planned at the ball. Thanks to the assistants, Ella's evil stepmother, Frieda (Sigourney Weaver) gains access to the Wizard's lair during the Prince's ball. She manages to chase off Munk and Mambo and tip the scales of good and evil, causing a series of fairy tales to go wrong and have unhappy endings, including Jack getting stepped on by the Giant (John DiMaggio) yet surviving, Rumpelstiltskin (Michael McShane) winning his bet with the miller's daughter (Jill Talley) and taking her baby, and the unseen demise of Little Red Riding Hood. She summons an army of Trolls, witches (Tress MacNeille and Jill Talley), three Big Bad Wolves (Jon Polito and Tom Kenny), the Giant (John DiMaggio), and Rumpelstiltskin to her castle. Ella finds out and escapes to the woods where she meets Munk and Mambo. The trio set out to find the prince who has goes looking for his maiden (not knowing it was actually Ella) in hopes that he will defeat Frieda and save the day.

Together, they flee to the Seven Dwarfs (all played by Tom Kenny and John DiMaggio) home. Witches and trolls led by The Ice Queen attack them. The Seven Dwarfs hold off the trolls, while they flee with the help of Rick who had stolen a flying broom. Frieda decides to go after Ella herself. She succeeds in capturing her and returns to the palace, with Rick, Munk and Mambo in pursuit. Frieda tortures Ella because if the story had run its course she would have married the prince while Frieda would never get anywhere in life. Rick, Munk, and Mambo slip into the castle and attack Frieda. During the fight, Frieda generates a pit in the floor. Mambo knocks her in, but she uses her staff to fly back up again. After a short battle, in which Rick takes a blast meant for Ella and falls into a deep sleep, Frieda creates a portal by accident. Ella knocks Frieda back and punches her into the portal. Rick awakes from the spell and he and Ella kiss, finally admitting their feelings for each other.

Ella and her true love Rick decide to choose their destinies in a world of happy endings and get married. Rumpelstiltskin has shown throughout the movie that he has come to care for the baby and the miller's daughter lets him stay in the castle as the baby's nanny. The Wizard returns from vacation where he wasn't told about what happened while he was away.

In the final scene, Frieda is shown trapped in the Arctic surrounded by elephant seals.

Cast

Amigos voiced by Tom Kenny, Rob Paulsen, and Philip Proctor. Dwarves voiced by John DiMaggio and Tom Kenny. Stepsisters voiced by Kath Soucie and Jill Talley. Witches voiced by Tress MacNeille and Jill Talley. Two out of the three Big Bad Wolves are voiced by Tom Kenny and Jon Polito. Trolls voiced by Tom Kenny and John DiMaggio. Additional voices by Lee Arenberg, John Cygan, Robert Bergen, Jennifer Darling, Debi Derryberry, Patti Deutsch, Shae D'Lyn, Andrew Dolan, Bill Farmer, Jack Fletcher, Roger L. Jackson, Sherry Lynn, Mickie McGowan, Natalie Nassar, Laraine Newman, Jan Rabson, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jim Ward and April Winchell.

Soundtrack

Happily N'Ever After
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released 2007
Recorded 2007
Genre Film soundtrack
Label Lionsgate Music and Publishing
Producer Jay Faires

Release

The film was theatrically released on January 5, 2007 by Lionsgate and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 1, 2007 by Roadshow Entertainment.

Critical reception and box office

Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Andy Dick were praised by critics for their performances in the film.

The film opened #6 behind Dreamgirls, Freedom Writers, Children of Men, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Night at the Museum, which was at its third week at the #1 position. The film made $6,608,244 during its opening weekend. The film made a total of $15,589,393 at the US box office and $15,300,096 foreign, grossing a worldwide total of only $30,889,489, on a $47 million budget. By August 2010, the movie has grossed $38,085,778 worldwide, making it a box office letdown in the processes.[2] It made $16,666,054 in DVD sales in the United States.[2] Rotten Tomatoes reports that 4% of 79 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review. The critical consensus is: "Happily N'Ever After has none of the moxy, edge or postmodern wit of the other fairy-tales-gone-haywire CG movie it so blatantly rips off."[3]

Awards

Award Category Nominee Result
Artios Award Best Animated Voice-Over Feature Casting Ruth Lambert Nominated

Sequel

A direct-to-video sequel, Happily N'Ever After 2: Snow White Another Bite @ the Apple, was released on March 24, 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 "HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER (2006)". British Film Institute. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Happily N'Ever After Office Data". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Happily N'ever After". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
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