Happily Ever After (1989 film)

Last updated
Happily Ever After
HappilyEverAfterposter.jpg
Original film poster
Directed byJohn Howley
Written by
  • Robby London
  • Martha Moran
Produced by Lou Scheimer
Starring
Edited by
  • Joe Gall
  • Jeffrey C. Patch
  • Rick Gehr
Music byFrank Becker
Production
company
Distributed byFirst National Film Corp.
Release dates
  • June 30, 1989 (1989-06-30)(Philippines)
  • May 28, 1993 (1993-05-28)(United States)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6.8 million [1]
Box office$3.3 million [2]

Happily Ever After (originally released as Snow White: The Adventure Continues in the Philippines) [3] [Note 1] is a 1989 animated musical fantasy film directed by John Howley, and starring the voices of Dom DeLuise, Malcolm McDowell, Phyllis Diller, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ed Asner, Sally Kellerman, Irene Cara, Carol Channing and Tracey Ullman. [4] The film serves as a direct sequel to the Snow White fairy tale, wherein the titular heroine and the Prince are about to be married, but a new threat appears in the form of the late Evil Queen's vengeful brother, Lord Maliss. The plot replaces the Dwarfs with female cousins called the Dwarfelles, who aid Snow White against Maliss.

Contents

Happily Ever After is unrelated to Filmation's fellow A Snow White Christmas , a 1980 TV special in which continuity is deliberately and consequently ignored. Following extensive legal troubles with The Walt Disney Company, it had a poor financial and critical reception following its wide release in 1993. A video game adaptation was released in 1994.

Plot

The film begins with the kingdom now at peace as Princess Snow White and her beloved the Prince prepare to get married following their victory over Snow White's witch stepmother, the Evil Queen. Back at the Queen's castle, her animal minions rejoice as they celebrate her recent death and their newfound freedom by throwing a party for themselves when the Queen's brother and evil sorcerer, Lord Maliss, arrives there looking for his sister. Learning about the Queen's demise from the Looking Glass, he falls into rage and vows to avenge her by any means. Mallis transforms into a dragon and takes control of the castle, turning the area surrounding both the castle and the kingdom into a perilous wasteland. Afterwards, Scowl the owl starts training his bat friend, Batso, in the ways of evil.

The next day, Snow White and the Prince are in the meadow picking flowers for their wedding, when Maliss, in his dragon form, begins attacking Snow White and the Prince as they are traveling to the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs. Maliss subdues the Prince and captures him, while Snow White manages to flee into the woods and reaches the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs where she meets the Dwarfs' female cousins, the Seven "Dwarfelles": Muddy, Sunburn, Blossom, Marina, Critterina, Moonbeam, and Thunderella. Snow White also learns that the Dwarfs have left the cottage after they bought another mine in a different kingdom, but the Dwarfelles gladly assist in taking her to visit Mother Nature at Rainbow Falls.

Upon arriving at Rainbow Falls, Mother Nature holds Thunderella accountable for not being able to master her powers correctly, accuses the other Dwarfelles of improperly using their powers, and threatens to take them away as punishment if they don't learn. Maliss arrives unexpectedly and attacks them, but Mother Nature shoots him with lightning, causing him to crash and return to his human form. Before leaving, Maliss informs Snow White that the Prince is being held captive in his castle. Snow White and the Dwarfelles travel to Maliss' castle in the Realm of Doom, encountering a strange cloaked humanoid known as the Shadow Man, along the way. Maliss sends his one-horned wolves after the group and they manage to escape with the help of the Shadow Man.

Maliss is furious at this failure and transforms into his dragon form, finally succeeding in capturing Snow White and taking her to his castle. The Dwarfelles follow them and sneak into the castle, while fending off Maliss' minions, including Scowl and Batso. At the same time, Snow White is reunited with the Prince, who begins acting strangely and takes her through a secret passage to supposedly escape. Snow White not only realizes that he is not the real Prince, but he is actually Lord Maliss in disguise. Maliss attempts to throw a magical cloak on Snow White to petrify her into stone, but is attacked by the Shadow Man, whom he overpowers and seemingly kills.

As he tries again to petrify Snow White, the seven Dwarfelles arrive and attack him. They temporarily force him away from Snow White, but are petrified by Maliss. The only one unharmed is Thunderella, who finally gains control of her powers and frees Snow White. Snow White takes advantage of a distraction by Thunderella to defeat Maliss by throwing the petrifying cloak on top of him. He is then permanently petrified in mid-transition between his human and dragon forms. As the sun shines onto the castle, the Dwarfelles are restored back to normal while Snow White tearfully mourns the Shadow Man, believing that she has lost both him and the prince. Suddenly, the Shadow Man transforms into the Prince and awakens. He reveals that Maliss had cast a spell on him and he has been watching over Snow White during her journey.

Mother Nature decides to let the Dwarfelles keep their powers, having finally proven themselves by working together as one, and she allows them to attend Snow White's wedding. In the end, Mother Nature takes in the reformed Batso and Scowl to be trained as her new apprentices. In the process, Scowl has stopped smoking thanks to Sunburn and is able to breathe again. He then comments to Batso that working for Mother Nature would not be so bad. With Snow White and the Prince reunited with each other, the film ends as the two of them share a kiss and begin to live happily ever after.

Cast

Music

All lyrics are written by Stephanie Tyrell

No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."The Baddest" Ashley Hall Ed Asner  
2."Thunderella's Song" Richard Kerr Tracey Ullman  
3."Mother Nature's Song" Barry Mann Phyllis Diller  
4."Love Is the Reason"John Lewis Parker Irene Cara  

Production

The film's production commenced in 1986 [5] and was done 60% overseas. [6] The American animation company Filmation had previously developed a plan to create a series of direct-to-video sequels to popular Disney motion pictures, but only Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night and Happily Ever After were ever completed. The film's working titles included The Further Adventures of Snow White, Snow White: The Adventure Continues and Snow White in the Land of Doom. [7] [8] Some of its early merchandise did use the title Snow White in the Land of Doom.

However, Walt Disney Productions' chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg and spokesman Tom Deegan regarded the projects as "blatant rip-offs" of their properties. [9] [10] This led to a lawsuit by The Walt Disney Company in 1987 following the release of Emperor of the Night. [9] [11] Filmation thus promised their characters would not resemble those of the Disney incarnation, [12] and changed the title to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfelles [7] and eventually Happily Ever After. [13] They also replaced the Seven Dwarfs with female counterparts, the Dwarfelles. [13]

According to the film's producer Lou Scheimer, black actress Irene Cara's casting as Snow White was regarded by many (including Cara herself) at the time as strangely "colorblind". [7] Mother Nature's original actress was Joni Mitchell. [14] Scheimer also noted his version of Snow White as the story's actual heroine as it is she who rescues the prince in an inversion of the traditional version. [9] The character of Maliss was based on the actor Basil Rathbone. [15]

Release

Reportedly completed by 1988, [16] the film premiered in the Philippines on June 30, 1989 as Snow White: The Adventure Continues. [3] It was also released in 1990 in France as Snow White in the Land of Doom. Theatrical exhibition in the United States was intended sometime around late 1988 or early 1989; however, because Filmation shut down in 1989, [17] it didn't see a release in the US until May 28, 1993, [18] the same summer that Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs received a re-release. [19] The four-day Memorial Day weekend taking was $1.76 million, [20] $2.8 million after ten days and $3.2 million by the next month. [14] The release was preceded by a $10 million advertising campaign and a substantial merchandising effort from North American distributor First National Film Corp. [9] First National's bankruptcy followed just weeks after the film's failed premiere; [14] its President, Milton Verret, was found guilty of defrauding investors. [21] [22]

Home media

Happily Ever After was issued on VHS and LaserDisc by Worldvision and later on DVD (in an edit censoring some violence) by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. In 2007, BCI Eclipse released a storybook-themed DVD set with Happily Ever After, Journey Back to Oz , and another "Snow White" sequel film, A Snow White Christmas . This release contains the unedited version of the film, but due to it being taken from a PAL master copy, the film's speed and sound pitch are raised by 4%.

As of 2016, the rights to the film are owned by Universal Pictures through DreamWorks Animation under their ownership of DreamWorks Classics, which holds much of the Filmation catalog. [23]

Reception

Despite a substantial advertising campaign and having been expected to become "one of the biggest hits of the year," Happily Ever After performed poorly in the box office during its theatrical run. [12] Its domestic gross was only $3,299,382. [2]

It received generally negative reviews. According to Stephen Holden of The New York Times , "visually, Happily Ever After is mundane. The animation is jumpy, the settings flat, the colors pretty but less than enchanting. The movie's strongest element is its storytelling, which is not only imaginative but also clear and smoothly paced." [24] Kevin Thomas of Los Angeles Times opined the characters (especially the Prince) were "bland" and called the film's songs "instantly forgettable." [25] Rita Kemple of The Washington Post derided the "inane" humor attempts as well as "badly drawn characters" and their "clumsy" animation. [26] Desert News ' Chris Hicks similarly wrote: "Sadly, the animation here is weak, the gags even weaker and the story completely uninvolving." [27] Steve Daly of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a score of F and recommended to "give this Snow White the big kiss-off." [28] Chicago Tribune's Mark Caro wrote that the comparison with Disney's classic Snow White "couldn't be more brutal." [29] The film currently has a 40% approval rating based on 10 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.9/10. [30] Jerry Beck's The Animated Movie Guide gave it zero stars, citing a "rushed", look, convoluted plot, "mundane" action, mediocre animation, and "wasted" star voice cast, contrasting it with the "wit, charm, and heart" of the Disney film. [31]

Other reviews were more positive. Jeff Shannon of Seattle Times opined that "this one's a cut above in the animation contest, deserving attention in the once-exclusive realm of Disney and Don Bluth. It almost, but not quite, escapes those nagging comparisons." [32] Ralph Novak of People wrote that although "the animation is less sophisticated than the Disney standard," the story "moves nicely, though," with a "colorful" cast of voices. [33] Candice Russell of Sun-Sentinel called it "a sweet and likable film," crediting a screenplay "that avoids cuteness and sentimentality and remembers that kiddie fare is fun" and "a few charming songs adding to the merriment." [34]

Video game

An unreleased Nintendo Entertainment System video game was planned in 1991. [35] [36] A Sega game was also considered in 1993. [9] An eventual Super Nintendo Entertainment System version was developed by ASC Games and released by Imagitec Design four years later (and one year after the film's release) in 1994.

Notes

  1. Also known as Snow White: Happily Ever After and Happily Ever After: Snow White's Greatest Adventure.

Related Research Articles

<i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i> (1937 film) Animated Disney film

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it is the first animated feature film produced in the United States and the first cel animated feature film. The production was supervised by David Hand, and the film's sequences were directed by Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson, and Ben Sharpsteen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filmation</span> Former American production company

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and principal producers were Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow White</span> German fairy tale

"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection Grimms' Fairy Tales, numbered as Tale 53. The original German title was Sneewittchen; the modern spelling is Schneewittchen. The Grimms completed their final revision of the story in 1854, which can be found in the 1857 version of Grimms' Fairy Tales.

<i>Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs</i> 1943 film

Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs is a 1943 Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on January 16, 1943.

<i>Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas</i> 1997 film

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas is a 1997 direct-to-video animated Christmas musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the follow-up to Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast. The film sold 7.6 million VHS tapes in 1997. This is the first of two sequels to Beauty and the Beast that were released, with the other being Belle's Magical World (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evil Queen</span> Character in Snow White fairy tale by Brothers Grimm

The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen or just the Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm; similar stories exist worldwide. Other versions of the Queen appear in subsequent adaptations and continuations of the fairy tale, including novels and films. One particularly notable version is Disney's depiction, sometimes known as Queen Grimhilde. The character has also become an archetype that inspired unrelated works.

<i>Robin Hood</i> (1973 film) Disney film

Robin Hood is a 1973 American animated musical adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution. Produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it is based on the English folktale "Robin Hood". The story follows the adventures of Robin Hood, Little John, and the inhabitants of Nottingham as they fight against the excessive taxation of Prince John, and Robin Hood wins the hand of Maid Marian. The film features the voices of Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, Pat Buttram, Monica Evans, Terry-Thomas, Roger Miller, and Carole Shelley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Davis (animator)</span> American artist and animator (1913–2000)

Marc Fraser Davis was a prominent American artist and animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, the famed core animators of Disney animated films, and was revered for his knowledge and understanding of visual aesthetics. After his work on One Hundred and One Dalmatians he moved to Walt Disney Imagineering to work on rides for Disneyland and Walt Disney World before retiring in 1978.

<i>Happily NEver After</i> 2006 film

Happily N'Ever After is a 2006 animated fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Paul J. Bolger, produced by John H. Williams, and written by Rob Moreland. It is inspired by fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen and loosely based on the 1999 animated German television series Simsala Grimm. The title is the opposite of a stock phrase, happily ever after; the name is contracted with an apostrophe between the N and the E. The film stars the voices of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Andy Dick, Wallace Shawn, Patrick Warburton, George Carlin, and Sigourney Weaver. This film was one of Carlin's final works before he died.

<i>A Snow White Christmas</i> American TV series or program

A Snow White Christmas is a Christmas animated television special produced by Filmation and telecast December 19, 1980, on CBS. The special is a sequel to the fairy tale "Snow White", unrelated to Filmation's other sequel to "Snow White" titled Happily Ever After (1989), which ignores everything from this film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow White's Enchanted Wish</span> Dark ride at Disney theme parks

Snow White's Enchanted Wish is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris theme parks, and formerly at the Magic Kingdom. Located in Fantasyland, it is one of the few remaining attractions that was operational on Disneyland's opening day in 1955, although it has seen several different redesigns over its history. The ride's story is based on Disney's 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, their first animated feature film.

"Someday My Prince Will Come" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was written by Larry Morey (lyrics) & Frank Churchill (music), and performed by Adriana Caselotti. It was also featured in the 1979 stage adaptation of the 1937 animated musical movie. In AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, it was ranked the 19th greatest film song of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Dwarfs</span> Group of fictional characters in the fairy tale "Snow White"

The Seven Dwarfs are a group of seven fictional dwarfs that appear in the 1812 fairy tale Snow White by the Brothers Grimm and other renditions and adaptations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow White (Disney character)</span> Title character from Disneys 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White is a fictional character and a main character from Walt Disney Productions' first animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). She was originally voiced by Adriana Caselotti. The character of Snow White was derived from a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe with the best-known version being the 1812 tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.

<i>Snow White: The Sequel</i> 2007 film directed by Picha

Snow White: The Sequel - is a 2007 Belgian/French/British adult animated comedy film directed by Picha. It is based on the fairy tale of Snow White and intended as a sequel to Disney's classic animated adaptation. However, like all of Picha's cartoons, the film is actually a sex comedy featuring a lot of bawdy jokes and sex scenes.

<i>Snow White: Happily Ever After</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Snow White: Happily Ever After is a North America-exclusive video game that was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was targeted for female video game players. It is based on the 1989 animated Filmation film Happily Ever After, and not the 1937 Disney film. A Sega Genesis version was planned but never released.

<i>The Goddess of Spring</i> 1934 American film

The Goddess of Spring is a 9-minute Silly Symphonies animated Disney short film. The Symphony is imbued with operatic themes and is often cited as melodramatic. It was released in 1934, and its production was important to the future development of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animation. Each Silly Symphony was a technological marvel at the time and proceeded to further advancements in the animation industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evil Queen (Disney)</span> Fictional character by Disney

The Evil Queen, also known as the Wicked Queen, Queen Grimhilde, or just the Queen, is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Productions' first animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and remains a villain character in their extended Snow White franchise. She is based on the Evil Queen character from the 1812 German fairy tale "Snow White".

Snow White is a Disney media franchise that began in 1937 with the theatrical release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is based on the 1812 fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

<i>Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs</i> 2019 film by Sung-ho Hong

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, known in Korean as simply Red Shoes, is a 2019 English-language South Korean animated fantasy film produced by Locus Corporation. It is based on the 1812 German-language fairy tale "Snow White" by the Brothers Grimm, and its name is derived from the 1845 Danish fairy tale The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen. The film features the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Claflin, Gina Gershon, Patrick Warburton, and Jim Rash.

References

  1. Scott, Vernon (June 1, 1990). "Did Snow White Live 'Happy Ever After'?" The Daily Gazette .
  2. 1 2 "Happily Ever After (1993)". Box Office Mojo. 1993-06-18. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  3. 1 2 "Opens Today". Manila Standard . Kagitingan Publications, Inc. June 30, 1989. p. 29. Retrieved January 6, 2021. Listen To DWKC 93.9 FM, The Official Radio Station
  4. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 182. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. McCall, Douglas L. (2015). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. McFarland. ISBN   9781476609669.
  6. "Production Is Less Animated at Filmation Studio". Los Angeles Times. 1988-01-01. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  7. 1 2 3 Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (2012). Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows Publishing. ISBN   9781605490441.
  8. Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   978-1-55783-671-7.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "A Snow White For The '90s - Orlando Sentinel". Articles.orlandosentinel.com. 1993-05-27. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  10. Harmetz, Aljean; Times, Special to The New York (1985-05-01). "Video Alters Economics of Movie Animation". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  11. Walt Disney Productions v. Filmation Associates, vol. 628, February 20, 1986, p. 871, retrieved 2019-05-18
  12. 1 2 "Non-Disney 'Snow White' Sequel Has Unhappy Box-Office Opening". Apnewsarchive.com. 1993-06-01. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  13. 1 2 SNOW WHITE REVISITED: THE QUEEN'S DEAD, BUT CONFLICT ISN'T BANISHED, Dayton Daily News, May 28, 1993.
  14. 1 2 3 "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  15. "Happily Ever After". Variety. 1990-01-01. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  16. "Someday the Film Will Come". Los Angeles Times. 1993-05-17. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  17. "Group W sells Filmation". Broadcasting, February 13, 1989, pg. 94
  18. "Snow White through the years - Timelines - Los Angeles Times". Timelines.latimes.com.s3-website-us-west-1.amazonaws.com. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  19. Bates, James (1993-05-17). "Someday the Film Will Come". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  20. Snow White sequel opens on a sad note, Lodi News-Sentinel, June 2, 1993.
  21. Norris, Floyd (1995-06-28). "S.E.C. Charges Distributor Defrauded Film's Investors". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  22. "SEC News Digest" (PDF). www.sec.gov. 1998-07-27.
  23. "Comcast's NBCUniversal buys DreamWorks Animation in $3.8-billion deal". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  24. Holden, Stephen (1993-05-29). "Review/Film; 56 Years Later, More of Snow White". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  25. Thomas, Kevin (1993-05-28). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Happily Ever After': Sadly Disappointing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  26. Rita Kempley, Happily Ever After’, The Washington Post, May 29, 1993
  27. "Film review: Happily Ever After". DeseretNews.com. 1993-05-28. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  28. Steve Daly, Happily Ever After Archived 2014-03-07 at the Wayback Machine , Entertainment Weekly, Jun 04, 1993.
  29. Mark Caro (1993-05-31). "Dwarfed By The Real Thing - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  30. "Happily Ever After". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media . Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  31. Beck, Jerry (2005-10-28). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. ISBN   978-1-56976-222-6.
  32. Shannon, Jeff (1993-05-28). "Entertainment & the Arts | Snow White Cartoon Nice To Look At But Too Preachy | Seattle Times Newspaper". Community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  33. Novak, Ralph. "Picks and Pans Review: Happily Ever After". People.com. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  34. CANDICE RUSSELL, Film Writer (1993-06-02). "Feature Takes Children Beyond Happy Ending Of 'Snow White' - Sun Sentinel". Articles.sun-sentinel.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  35. Happily Ever After (Unreleased), 1991, retrieved 2019-05-18
  36. "Nintendo Player – A Not-For-Profit Classic Gaming Fansite - Happily Ever After (Unreleased, Nintendo Entertainment System)". www.nintendoplayer.com. Retrieved 2019-05-18.