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"HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER" (2007) (voices of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr.) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Minor Heavy *Mild Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Heavy None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild None Minor Mild Moderate QUICK TAKE: Animated Comedy: When her evil stepmother gains control of magic that threatens to change the outcome of well-known fairy tales, Cinderella and other such characters try to stop her from doing just that. PLOT: In Fairy Tale Land, the Wizard (voice of GEORGE CARLIN) controls the scales of good and evil. As long as they remain balanced, all of the fairy tales will proceed and finish as they always have. Yet, when the Wizard decides to go on vacation, his subordinates, Munk (voice of WALLACE SHAWN) and Mambo (voice of ANDY DICK), manage to goof up the balance. That eventually allows the control of the Wizard's magic to fall into the hands of Frieda (voice of SIGOURNEY WEAVER). She's the evil stepmother to Ella (voice of SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR), a.k.a. Cinderella, a handmaid who lives in the shadows of her mean stepsisters and pines for Prince Humperdink (voice of PATRICK WARBURTON), the dimwitted hero of the land. Unbeknownst to her, the Prince's servant, Rick (voice of FREDDIE PRINZE JR.), longs for her. When Frieda gains control of the magic and thus changes the course of all fairy tales, he sees it as his opportunity to save the day and thus impress Ella. But he and others must then contend with Frieda and her minions, including Rumplestiltskin (voice of MICHAEL McSHANE), the Big Bad Wolf, and other beasts and monsters, who are reveling in the changes and don't want things to return to the way they once were. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Younger kids just might, but older ones could think this is too juvenile for them. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some mild action and rude humor. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: It's debatable whether kids view animated characters (especially non-human ones) as role models, but here's a quick look at the major characters' characteristics. ELLA is the handmaid who must put up with her evil step-relatives, all while pining for the Prince, and not realizing Rick is the perfect guy for her. Seeing what Frieda has done, she sets out to find the Prince to make him save the day. RICK is the Prince's servant who longs for Ella, but can't make her see his worthiness until late in the film when he strives to save the day. FRIEDA is Ella's evil stepmother who usurps the Wizard's power and tilts the balance of good and evil in favor of the latter. MAMBO is the Wizard's more trustworthy assistant who tries but fails to keep Munk in line. MUNK is his cohort who causes all of the problems due to wanting to mix things up a bit. PRINCE HUMPERDINK is the dashing but dimwitted hero who blindly follows the guidelines in a prince handbook. THE WIZARD is the keeper of magic and protector of the balance between good and evil in their land who unwisely goes on vacation, thus leaving such control in the hands of his subordinates. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-rated, animated comedy. While no profanity is present, a number of colorful phrases are, as is some brief, but sexually related dialogue (although it will go over most kids' heads). Some cleavage is present, including from a voluptuous villainess who's drawn to be quite curvy and sexy in appearance. Violence includes characters striking others with magic beams or other items, some brief fighting, and various bits of cartoon-style, slapstick material. It's possible some of that, a few visuals, and various moments of potential peril might be unsettling or suspenseful for very young viewers, but it's unlikely any of that will have the same effect on older viewers. Various characters have bad attitudes, some crude humor is present, and there's the brief presence of alcohol. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see what look like beer kegs (tapped and lying horizontally) in the palace, and some of the evil creatures later tell Rick to join them for some mead (we don't see any actual drinking, although we hear a giant let out a loud and long belch). Rick makes a toast with a mug, but we don't see him or any of the monsters around him drinking. BLOOD/GORE Referring to the old glass half-full or half-empty bit, Rick (as the narrator) says that Munk probably peed in that glass. Frieda talks of Ella cleaning out a cat's sores (or something sounding like that -- not seen). We hear a baby fart, Frieda says it needs its diaper changed, and Rumplestiltskin makes a face when he looks there. Ella kisses a frog, but nothing happens (such as it turning into a prince) beyond a trail of slime between their lips. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Frieda has a bad attitude toward Ella (as do Ella's stepsisters) and then takes control of the Wizard's magical staff so that she can alter fairy tale endings and allow all of the evildoers to reign supreme. For those opposed to the presence and use of magic, that occurs in the film. In passing, Frieda purposefully kicks over Ella's scrub bucket. Rather than follow his instructions regarding maintain the fairy tales' status quo, Munk wants to mix it up and make things a little edgier (all of which eventually leads to Frieda gaining control of the Wizard's magic staff). Munk wants to make Repunzel go bald, have dandruff, or suffer from split ends. Frieda tells Rumplestiltskin that if he doesn't do something, she's going to feed the baby he's carrying to the crocodiles in the moat (not seen). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" might be unsettling or suspenseful to the youngest of viewers but probably to no one else. We see the menacing-looking shadow of Rumplestiltskin creeping up on a mother and her baby, and his appearance (and motive) might be unsettling for younger kids. He later gets the baby after the mother incorrectly guesses his name three times (younger kids may worry about the baby, but what follows is mostly comical). We briefly see the menacing-looking Big Bad Wolf in disguise in the grandmother's bed (a visual that might be unsettling for the youngest of kids). Ella, Mambo, and Munk appear nervous as they hear weird sounds in the woods, followed by a huge wolf bounding out and chasing them (they hide and elude the monster). Some scarecrow type assemblies outside the Seven Dwarfs' home might be unsettling or scary-looking to some kids. Various witches' motorized brooms have animal skull-like fronts. Frieda tells Rumplestiltskin that if he doesn't do something, she's going to feed the baby he's carrying to the crocodiles in the moat (not seen). Frieda causes the floor to fall out below Rick and Ella, with him dangling by one hand while holding Ella below him with the other. Frieda then slams the magic staff down onto his hand, but Munk rushes up and knocks Frieda down into the seemingly endless abyss below them, with Ella catching Munk before he disappears as well. With the magic staff, however, Frieda flies back up and shoots a magic beam out that hits Rick, wraps him up, and throws him back against a pillar, knocking him out. Ella then struggles with Frieda over that staff, eventually stomping down onto her foot, hitting her, and then pushing her back into a portal of sorts into which Frieda disappears for good. GUNS/WEAPONS Guards carry spears, the Prince rides off carrying a sword, and various miscellaneous characters carry battle-axes, mallets, clubs, and such. Some monsters throw knives and/or swords into a painting as sport. One of the Seven Dwarfs operates something akin to a hug Gatling gun that fires sharp diamonds at various fairy tale monsters (driving them back into the woods) as well as flying witches (one is hit, with her motorized broom smoking and going down like an old fighter plane). Magic beams are used to knock various characters back or around. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "A couple Hansels short of a Gretel," "Prince potato head," "Blondie McBiceps," "A royal pain in the butt," "The air-head formerly known as Prince," "(What a) Loser," "Shut up," "Salmonella" and "Mozzarella"(what the Fairy Godmother mistakenly calls Ella), "Know-it-all with a butt the size of a shopping mall," "C'mon, big-boy," "Little freak," "I like pumpkin," "It's time to party," "Dorky," "Jerk," "Prince envy," "Screw up" (verb), "Capeesh," "Shrimp," "Get out" (said as a reaction), "Those little freaks," "You're so wasting my time," "It's the big one," "Dang," "Eat this, Dwarfs," "Miss goody-two-slippers," "Kiss thy royal butt goodbye," "Happy endings are so yesterday," "Feed that already, you half-wit," "Wassup," "Kiss your little pumpkin goodbye" and "Uncle Rumpy." We hear a giant let out a loud and long belch. Some monsters throw knives and/or swords into a painting as sport. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful and heavily-dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY Frieda has an exaggeratedly curvy, hourglass figure covered in a skintight dress with a plunging neckline that shows abundant cleavage (covered in some sort of transparent material) whenever she's on the screen. One stepsister shows a little cleavage. When Rick says that Ella is just a friend, one chef suggestively says he knows what kind of friend Rick's talking about, and another suggestively says he needs a friend like that. Ella shows a little cleavage. Munk makes a slightly suggestive reference about Frieda using the term "momma" in it. We see what looks like the very top of a woodland creature's butt crack as his pants ride down a bit low. About her evening gown suddenly disappearing (from Frieda using magic to undo the Fairy Godmother's earlier spell), Ella tells Rick that she was dancing with the Prince when her dress disappeared, causing him to reply that's more information than he needed to know. A witch shows some cleavage. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Ella must contend with her stepmother and stepsisters being mean and condescending toward her. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT For those opposed to the presence and use of magic, that occurs in the film. Fairy tales. Ella thinking the Prince is the man for her and not realizing Rick is that person. Dealing with mean family members. VIOLENCE One stepsister yanks the other backwards by her hair (that turns out to be fake). In passing, Frieda purposefully kicks over Ella's scrub bucket. Frieda grabs the magical staff and ends up throwing Mambo and Munk out through a window on a magic carpet (they break through the glass). She then fires a magic beam from the staff that zaps the rug and catches it on fire, causing them to crash to the ground (we see them land hard, but they're later okay). Repunzel ends up being yanked out of her tower by her long hair, but safely lands in the pile of said hair on the ground. The Giant from "Jack and the Beanstalk" unknowingly steps on Jack who's then stuck on the bottom of his shoe as he lumbers along, eventually leaving Jack as flat as a pancake in a later scene. After Rumplestiltskin gets control of a baby, the toddler repeatedly bangs him on the head with his rattle. Some monsters throw knives and/or swords into a painting as sport. One of the Seven Dwarfs operates something akin to a hug Gatling gun that fires sharp diamonds at various fairy tale monsters (driving them back into the woods) as well as flying witches (one is hit, with her motorized broom smoking and going down like an old fighter plane). A magic beam from a flying witch knocks one dwarf back. Two witches combine their magic beams into one that hits a Seven Dwarfs' structure/weapon, knocking the top off it. Rick flies by on a witch's broom and knocks two witches aside. From a long distance, we see some hitting between some of the Seven Dwarfs and various monsters. Frieda fires a magic beam at Ella, Mambo, and Munk. Frieda flies by on a broom and grabs Ella. The Prince gives chase on horseback, but ends up smacking face-first into a giant log. Frieda fires magic energy beams at Ella, then again at her and Rick. Ella then knocks Frieda aside, with a magic beam blasting Mambo and Munk back against a wall. Frieda causes the floor to fall out below Rick and Ella, with him dangling by one hand while holding Ella below him with the other. Frieda then slams the magic staff down onto his hand, but Munk rushes up and knocks Frieda down into the seemingly endless abyss below them, with Ella catching Munk before he disappears as well. With the magic staff, however, Frieda flies back up and shoots a magic beam out that hits Rick, wraps him up, and throws him back against a pillar, knocking him out. Ella then struggles with Frieda over that staff, eventually stomping down onto her foot, hitting her, and then pushing her back into a portal of sorts into which Frieda disappears for good. Reviewed January 2, 2007 / Posted January 5, 2007

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