Happily N'Ever After (2007) - Movie Review for Parents

Happily, I'll Never Have to Sit Through This One Again

MPAA Rating: PG, for some mild action and rude humor
Genre: Family/Comedy/Computer Animated
Runtime: Approx. 87 minutes
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sigourney Weaver, Freddie Prinze Jr., George Carlin, Wallace Shawn, Andy Dick
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: January 5, 2007

Happily N'Ever After - Guide Review

In Fairy Tale Land, where many recognizable fairy tale stories seem to be playing out over and over again, a wizard (voiced by George Carlin) carefully watches over the scale that balances good and evil. He goes on vacation one day though, and leaves his assistants, Munk (voiced by Wallace Shawn) and Mambo (voiced by Andy Dick) in charge. That is when the "happily ever after's" begin to unravel.

As Munk and Mambo fight over the magic staff and ball, a famous fairy tale is playing out right outside. Frieda (voiced by Sigourney Weaver), Cinderella's (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) evil stepmother, is on her way to the ball with her two ugly daughters, when she hears Munk and Mambo discussing the fate of Fairy Tale Land. Deciding to take fate into her own hands, she finds the goofy duo and steals the magic staff.

Now, with all the forces of fairy tale evil behind her, Frieda tips the scales and ruins Cinderella's destined date with the prince (voiced by Patrick Warburton). Cinderella (who goes by "Ella") is heart-broken, but the castle dishwasher, Rick (voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr.), couldn't be happier. He knows the prince is a fool, and he offers to help Ella get the kingdom back to normal. Unfortunately, she is convinced the prince can save the day, and she sets out to find him.

Cinderella meets up with Munk and Mambo, but the desperate threesome soon find themselves in trouble. Rick swoops in and saves the day. Finally, Cinderella realizes who the true prince is, but her epiphany may have come a little too late.

The fairy tale gone wrong gone right again story has been told many times before, and told much better. The movie feels like a rip off of several popular 2006 movies, and presents nothing new to justify itself. Beyond the colorful animation, Happily N'Ever After has very little to offer children or their parents.

Happily N'Ever After - Note to Parents

Happily N'Ever After contains some scenes that may be intense or frightening for very young children. Several "bad guys" such as wolves, trolls, and a giant are shown, but are not animated in a way that makes them terribly scary. In some scenes, Frieda uses the magic staff to hurt Cinderella. We see Ella fall to her knees, but no type of injury is shown.

Other elements of the film that could be concerning to parents involve disrespectful attitudes and phrases that kids might repeat. The word "butt" is used at least twice, and in one noisy scene, one character makes reference to taking "the mother down," referring to the evil step-mother. Also, Frieda wears a crazy dress that reveals an inordinate amount of purple fabric-covered cleavage.

Happily N'Ever After - Content Overview

The following lists some of the most prominent examples of possibly offensive content in the movie (may contain spoilers):

Violence (Moderate)
- Once she obtains the staff, Frieda fires magic at several characters in an attempt to harm them.
- Some evildoers are shown with knives and swords and they are throwing them at a picture of the prince on a wall.
- The Seven Dwarfs have a fortress from which they can operate a machine that throws sharp, hard diamonds at the enemies.
- Frieda captures Ella and takes her to her tower, where she threatens Ella and uses her staff to hurt her.
- In a fight with Ella and Rick, Frieda causes the floor to crumble beneath them, and they hang by the edge with a fiery pit below. Frieda later falls into the pit, but it turns out that she is unharmed.

Sex/Nudity (Mild)
- Frieda and some of the other female characters show cleavage.
- When talking with Rick, three chefs laugh when he tells them that Ella is just a friend. One chef says that he "needs a friend like that."

Profanity (None)

Alcohol/Drugs (None)
- Rick and some other characters are shown with mugs and Rick makes a toast.

Bad/Disrespectful Behavior (Heavy)
- Frieda hates Ella because she is kind and good. Frieda wants to ruin all of the happy endings in Fairy Tale Land.
- The wolves and other antagonists want to do evil things like "eat little girls" (the Big Bad Wolf) and steal babies (Rumpelstiltskin).
- Munk wants to disobey the wizard and tip the scales to shake things up a bit.

Scary Scenes (Mild)
- The scenes listed under "Violence" may be scary or unsettling to children.
- Wolves and witches chase Ella, Munk and Mambo through the woods.
- Frieda chases and captures Ella. She threatens to get rid of her, but Rick comes in just in time. Rick and Ella fight with Frieda, and Rick falls to the ground and does not wake up for a while.

Sad/Unsettling Scenes (Mild)
- The step-mother and her daughters are cruel to Ella and talk condescendingly to her.

Happily N'Ever After - Topics to Talk About

• Ella thinks that she is in love with the Prince, even though she has never met him. Why would she feel this way? How could perceptions of people we know of or stars we see on television be similarly mistaken?