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
Producer: John H. Williams
Director: Paul J. Bolger
Screenwriter: Robert Moreland
Release Date: January 5, 2007
Happily N'Ever After - Official Synopsis
Inspired by the most beloved of fables, the animated feature HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER is a satirical retelling of the classic story of Cinderella.
Once upon a time in Fairy Tale Land, the age-old balance between good and evil has been thrown out of whack. Frieda, Cinderella’s power-mad stepmother (voiced by Sigourney Weaver), has formed an unholy alliance of evil to take on the good guys. With her own fairy tale spinning wildly out of control, Cinderella (a/k/a Ella – voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) is forced to shed her damsel-in-distress trappings in order to seize control of her own destiny and lead the resistance without her Prince Charming (Patrick Warburton).
In a world of happy endings gone wrong, the race for control of the kingdom is on, with the fate of the venerable storyline 'Happily N'Ever After' hanging in the balance.
Happily N'Ever After - Fun Facts for Parents and Kids
In the production notes for Happily N'Ever After, screenwriter Rob Moreland says that he incorporated elements from the Grimm Brothers’ classic fairy tales into the movie. The Brothers Grimm were German professors, Jakob Ludwig Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Karl Grimm, born in 1785 and 1786, who are known for their published works containing collections of fairy tales and folktales.
The Grimm brothers recorded stories that they heard from different people and storytellers, and most of those stories - like Cinderella, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood - became very well-known. In many cases though, today's versions of the classic tales have been altered to make them more child appropriate. Moreland says of Happily N'Ever After that, like the original Brothers Grimm stories, "There are a lot of surprises ... and I think our film captures that spirit of surprise and the twist on the familiar.”
*To learn more about the Brothers Grimm, visit the Grimm Brothers' Home Page.
Happily N'Ever After - DVD Special Features
- Audio commentary with director Paul J. Bolger
- Happily N’Ever After? – Alternate Ending
- Deleted Scenes: Lost in Fairy Tale Land
- 2 Featurettes: "Journey of the Characters in the Enchanted Forest" and "Creating the Happily Story: Bringing N’Ever After to Life"
- From Storyboard to Fairy Tale: A Comparison
- Games from the Department of Fairy Tale Security:
- Choose Your Own Fairy Tale Ending (DVD Only)
- Munk’s Fairy Tale Fix
- Mambo and Munk’s Magical Matchmaker
- Mambo’s memory Mix-Up (DVD Only)
- Create Your Own Witch’s Broom!