Genre: Animated
Age range: 6 years +
Runtime: Approx. 70 minutes
Happily N'Ever After 2 - Overview
Munk and Mambo, guardians over the scale that balances good and evil, are at it again in Happily N'Ever After 2. The movie does not continue the Cinderella story from the first movie though, instead, Munk and Mambo mettle in the Snow White story this time.
Snow White's kind and caring mother dies when she is young, but Snow White grows up into a typical, self-centered teenager. All about going out with her friends and having a good time, Snow White fails to see the meaning and value her life could have. A chance meeting with Sir Peter reminds her of her mother's goodness, but it isn't until an evil impostor set to marry her father and become queen gets Snow White ousted from the kingdom that she realizes her best quality -- the innate desire to help others that was so important her mother. Snow White experiences a change of heart, but will it last? and will it be enough to save her father and return to the castle?
Happily N'Ever After 2 - Guide Review
While Happily N'Ever After conveys a very strong and positive theme about the importance of helping others, the delivery is a bit shaky. The animation is not quite as good as it was in the original movie, and the story is lacking -- not to mention there are a few elements that may be disturbing to kids, or parents.
In the movie, we see Snow White's kind and good-hearted mother cough, and she dies soon after. We then see Snow White crying by her coffin. Children may be disturbed by these scenes and by the impostor who magically transforms herself to look just like Snow White's mother and tries to marry the King.
The movie shows Snow White and her friends place great emphasis on physical appearance. They talk about fashion and beauty, and we see Snow White applying make-up. Snow White and her friends also use some language that parents might not appreciate kids imitating. Snow White tells her father, "Curfews are so lame. Do you want me to look like a loser?" Also, Little Red Riding Hood tells a wolf, "Bite me." In another scene, Snow White talks about her friend's "junk in the trunk" (meaning her bottom).
Snow White does learn the lesson that "the mirror only tells half the story," and that true beauty lies within. She also gains an understanding of the joy that comes from helping others. Kids will likely enjoy the movie, especially little girls who love princesses, for the socializing teenage divas and the hip-hopish music, but the movie is certainly not a perfect fairy tale.
Happily N'Ever After 2 - Talk About the Movie
- Why do Snow White and her friends place so much emphasis on beauty? Is that the way it is in the real world? What does her mother mean when she says that the mirror only tells half the story?
- Why does Snow White say that true beauty can be found in helping others? Why is it so important to help others?
