Happily N'ever After (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: George Carlin, John Di Maggio, Andy Dick, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lisa KaplanDirector: Paul J. Bolger, Yvette Kaplan
Studio: Lionsgate
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release: May 1st 2007
Buy DVD:
DVD Review
With the success of Shrek, more irreverent animated fairy tales (like Hoodwinked) were inevitable. Unfortunately, the original blockbuster set the bar so high--for characterization, humor, and heart--that other such 'toons are sure to seem redundant. Neither as clever nor as intricately rendered as the tale of the great green ogre, Happily N'Ever After is no exception. That said, small children may find it easier to follow, i.e. no Matrix references. As with the live-action Ella Enchanted, the CGI-animated story revolves around a downtrodden lass named Ella (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Her full name, naturally, is Cinderella. The man of her dreams is pea-brained Prince Humperdink (Patrick Warburton). Little does she know that royal dishwasher Rick (Freddie Prinze Jr., Gellar's real-life husband) has his eye on her. When the Wizard (George Carlin) goes off on a golfing vacation, he leaves bumbling assistants Munk (Wallace Shawn) and Mambo (Andy Dick) in charge. In no time at all, they get into a scuffle, and Ella's evil stepmother, Frieda (Sigourney Weaver), swoops in to take control of Fairy Tale Land. Her first order of business: Let the bad guys win. Consequently, Sleeping Beauty continues to doze, the Seven Dwarves wind up in jail, etc. Ella joins forces with Rick to set things right. Along the way, she realizes that the lowly lad has more princely qualities than the actual prince, and Frieda's reign turns out to be shorter than intended. It's not a bad idea, but the movie drags and the tunes are unmemorable. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
User Reviews
Not Happy!! with Never after - Rating: 2/5
I am a teacher and often use movies to enchance the classroom experience. I felt this really lacked substance and would not very helpful in the classroom. Even my 7 year old niece seem somewhat bored with it.It does have a few funny moments but definitely not a good choice for viewing. There are many much better choices on the market. Definitely wish I had not wasted my money.
A few good ideas DON'T make a good movie... - Rating: 1/5
Lack of sophisticated animation, flat voices, underdeveloped storyline, and one-dimensional characters. Blah.
The movie is only good for one thing: if your kids are sick and running to the bathroom to throw up, but want something to watch before the NyQuil takes effect.
Happily N'Ever Purchase - Rating: 2/5
Coming after the first Shrek and other fairytale-warping movies like Hoodwinked, this one is a dreary bore, with horrible animation, a bad storyline, and an unforgivable lack of imagination. It's about Cinderella and her stepmother, and the handsome prince and the royal dishwasher, but overall, it's a washout.
(To the tune of Déjà vu by Dionne Warwick)
This is inane
All they did was steal some shows
Without shame
Seeing this one's
Like others you've seen before
Not long ago
How can this be?
We just did Shrek one more time
Didn't we?
Feels like a clone
With a plot you've come to know
Long ago
Déjà vu
Could this be the worst thing that you'll view?
Might be true
Déjà vu
Could this be the one that really blew?
Say adieu
They keep remembering scenes
They keep dismembering scenes
Déjà vu
This is unkind
They have wasted all my time
And my rhyme
Looking at this
Time seemed more than what they showed
What a load!
Close this page now
You don't have to buy this one
Bad, and how
Somewhere before
You've seen ones that didn't bore
Or make you snore
Deja vu
Could this be the worst thing that you'll view?
Might be true
Déjà vu
Would this be the one that really blew?
Yes, it do!!!
Amanda Richards, June 23, 2007
Boringly ever after - Rating: 1/5
I usually wait two days after watching a DVD before writing its review. Unfortunately for this movie, I saw Shrek 3 at the theater the day after watching this on DVD. The storylines are eerily similar, however the execution of this movie was much worse. The plot of this movie is simple; Cinderalla's evil stepmother leads an uprising of villians and villianesses to take over Fairy Tale Land. Prince Charming's manservant and Cinderalla lead the good guys and win the day for all.
The animation of this movie was ok; not smoothflowing like traditional cartoons, and not pure CGI realism like Pixar movies. The music was plain and forgettable. The comedy was downright sloppy and unfunny. And the dialogue ranged from simple to stupid. I would recommend against spending the time or money for this DVD.
Wowww..... that was soooo slooooooww...... - Rating: 2/5
A really boring movie. I just can't get over how excited I was to see it and how great the previews looked... but how utterly slow and boring it was. It had the narrative quality of, "Emperor's New Groove" and the plot of "Cinderella III: Twist in Time." All about a kitchen boy who loves Cinderella but never gets his limelight or the girl... but Cinderella's evil stepmother twists fate around while trying to change the balance of good and evil... and kitchen boy ends up getting the girl in the end. The wit was slow, the humor was slow, even the movements of the characters were slow paced! I had a hard time staying interested at all. My 3 yr old and 1 yr old did enjoy watching the movie though. So, it obviously has enough cartoon interest for small children. If it hadn't been for the little ones being interested - I would have shut the DVD off OR there was the option of shoving a sharp stick in my eye to keep from watching it... the movie was just that riveting... not.
In summary, I hated it.
