HAPPILY NEVER AFTER

US/Germany, 2007, 85 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Sarah Michelle Geller, Freddie Prinze Jr, George Carlin, Andy Dick, Wallace Shawn.
Directed by Paul J. Bolger and Yvette Kaplan.

A good idea, an inventive idea – but the execution!

The straightforward animation makes for clear communication but the dialogue and the voices are truly offputting. The screenplay is of the slang American kind (the ‘you gotta act smart this time’, ‘I wanna do somethin’ variety – or lack thereof). Much of it would not get a pass in an English language course. It is a too contemporary, lazy screenplay. And the delivery matches it. While Andy Dick and Wallace Shawn voicing two assistants to the Wizard get the humour and delivery right, as does George Carlin as the Wizard and Patrick Warburton as the vainly preening Prince Charming, the others do not. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinz sound as if they have just come from their latest Scooby Doo film, conventional American goodies. The worst offender is Sigourney Weaver as the evil stepmother whose voice is strident and her delivery and maniacal laughter madly over-the-top screeching.

As was noted, the idea is not bad. What if the familiar stories had an unhappy ending? The evil stepmother does her best to achieve this, especially with the Cinderella story. But, she didn’t count on an extra character who is not in the books, the servant and laundry man, Rick, who works for the Prince but is in love with Ella and saves her as she is pursued by wolves, monsters, trolls and Sigourney Weaver.

The 2006 Hoodwink’d, an amusing variation on the Red Riding Hood tale, showed what can really be done if you are going to spoof happy endings.

1.The impact of the film? For adults? For children? Familiarity with fairy tales? Enjoyment of the spoof?

2.The animation, computer-generated, familiar styles? Clear and bold? The voices, particularly American, the strident voices? The language, the bad grammar, careless English – for fun, or just careless?

3.The title? Explanations? The spoof on happy endings?

4.The focus on the wizard, the various stories, the introduction to the familiar Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel …? Cinderella? The books, the text, the formula? Everything the same? The possibility for change?

5.The wizard, his control of the stories? His decision to go to Scotland? Changing into the kilt? His absence? His return and being assured everything was alright?

6.Mambo and Monk, small, mischievous, tipping the balance? Their meeting with Cinderella, assisting her on her quest, jokes, slapstick situations? The final heroism? Reassurance?

7.The stepmother? As voiced by Sigourney Weaver? Shrill and strident? Her wanting control? Unhappy endings? The Cinderella set-up, the ugly sisters, the invitation to the ball? The preparations, giving Cinderella too much to do? The ball itself? The prince, her plans? Her antagonism? Her intervention – like a wicked witch? Her presence, dominance, pursuing Cinderella, pursuing Rick? The build-up to the final confrontation, her falling into the cauldron, her having the wand? The final destruction? The credits sequence and seeing her with the walruses at the North Pole?

8.Ella, the Cinderella figure, invitation to the ball, wanting to marry the prince? Her taking Rick for granted? Going to the ball, the dance, losing her slipper? Her being pursued in the forest? Meeting Mambo and Monk? The prince and his vanity? Rick and his continued help, heroism, her falling in love with him? The final confrontation, the adventures, her being saved?

9.Rick, the voice-over, his not being in the fairy tales, his doing the laundry, serving the prince? His love for Ella? His wanting to be the hero, helping her through the woods, the various adventures and dangers? The fights? The final heroism – getting into the palace past the wolves and monsters? The happy ending?

10.The prince, his vanity? Riding the horse, exercising? His expectations of happy endings? The pursuit, his fall from the horse – and the character of the horse and its laughter? His finally helping Rick?

11.The various villains, monsters, the wolves? Their working together, the pursuit of Ella? The confrontations with Rick, his defeating them? Their being destroyed?

12.The supporting characters, the fairytale characters? The trolls? The troll with the baby and his being with the wicked stepmother? His changing sides at the end?

13.How clever the story? The variations on the happy ending theme? Was the execution successful? Visually, verbally, thematically?