Happily Ever After (1989)

Because of the circumstances surrounding its release, "Happily Ever After" has a reputation as a cheap knockoff of the Walt Disney feature film, a lazy cashgrab relying on the original's good name. And while I won't argue that this sort of thing wasn't the executives' reasoning... watching "Happily Ever After" is a far more pleasant experience than you'd think.Of course, the animation can't hope to match the theatrical wonder of the 1937 classic, but it's actually pretty solid. There's never an off-model frame and the characters are rarely static; some of the character animation is also lively and, if not exactly Disney-quality, at least the sort of thing you'd see in a Don Bluth film. I'm thinking especially of Lord Maliss, Mother Nature and Snow White. There are also some nice effects, such as lightning, sprinkled through the feature. It's direct-to-video, but it's *good* direct-to-video; I daresay it's better than *some* of what Disney themselves have put out over the years.Naturally, Filmation could only skirt towards Disney's iconic designs, and perhaps the different appearance of Snow White and co. may be off-putting to some, but in truth, those designs *work*. Sure, Prince Florian is now a red-head, but... who cares, really? The design for Snow White in particular manages to be both pretty and original without straying *too* jarringly from the classic look. The only real downside here might be the Magic Mirror (inexplicably voiced by Dom DeLouise of all people), who feels like a badly-done parody of the original. The new characters aren't too bad either. Lord Maliss isn't exactly a complex villain, nor does he have the most original design in the book, but Malcom McDowell's acting is delightful in an over-the-top, Corey-Burton-as-Captain-Hook sort of way, and there's no denying his evil powers are, to put it simply, "way cool". The Dwarfelles may have the tackiest name in the history of animation, but they are actually engaging in their own way, and far from being just genderbent versions of the original Dwarfs; tying them to different elements and making them the apprentices of a personified Mother Nature is an... off-the-wall idea, to be sure, but not actually a bad one. It's entertaining. Scowl the Owl and Batso are decent comic relief on the villains' side, though they feel more like Iago than like Queen Grimhilde's Norman the Raven in the original.That's really the best thing to say about "Happily Ever After": for all that it curries favor based on the original's fanbase, it's not a lazy retread of the original. The plot and scenes (despite one or two echo, like Snow's run through the Black Forest) are quite original, not a thinly disguised remake. That's not to say it's the best plot ever, but it's engaging and will definitely keep kids watching, though aspects of it are predictable for adults. The big flaw of "Happily Ever After" is neither in its visual nor plot, but in the soundtrack. Some of the acting is fine or even great (Irene Cara is a surprisingly great Snow White, and I've already mentioned McDowdell as Lord Maliss), but some of it on incidental characters is weaker; and most glaringly... god, the *music*. I didn't come in expecting another "Someday, My Prince Will Come", of course; but it is just about the blandest, most 90's-esque *mess* imaginable. Consider that Scowl the Owl has a rap number of a villain song. Yes. A RAP NUMBER. I kid thee not. To make matters worse, these songs are poorly segued into the story, with characters talking one moment and then suddenly, abruptly breaking into (terrible) singing. Did I mention the singing was terrible? Because yup, it is.Tracey Ullman's Thunderella sounds cute and nice when talking, but her lack of singing skill turns what might simply have been a *mediocre* song into an awful experience to sit through. As for the instrumental music playing behind non-singing scenes, it's similarly bland and uninspired, though rarely distracting.Still, a poor soundtrack is not enough to make a movie bad. It's no Disney Classic, but I'd definitely take "Happily Ever After" over a lot of Disney's own direct-to-DVD sequels (such as "Belle's Magical World" and "The Fox and the Hound II"). If you like the original "Snow White", or fairy-tale-type animation in general, I'd recommend you give it a watch... though you shouldn't come in with too high expectations.

When I first saw this film, I thought it was okay. After a couple of of more watches, my mind is still the same. Could it be better? Yes. Is it that bad as most say? No, I don't think so. In fact, half of me felt attach to this film more than Disney. Yeah, some of the animation is cheesy, only 2 out of the 4 songs on here are memorable, but it is good. I like the somewhat "dark" atmosphere that was put up near the end, brings such suspense. I also did like how this Snow White, in terms of appearance and character. She is both an action girl while having a soft quality to her still. At most, this is a film that is a family movie, not meant to be taken too seriously, but very enjoyable for kids and adults. Give it a try.

I can still remember the day I got this movie. I was five years old and at my grandmother's house when my mom and my older cousin, Shane, came to pick me up. My favorite cousin had a present for me, Happily Ever After. He knew I loved fairy tales && that I was a Princess. The movie instantly became a favorite of mine. I admit, I watched it way more that the original Snow White. True, its not Disney in any way, but it still is magical. So what if the animation isn't top-notch? When you're a child, none of that matters. The songs are amazing. I still remember the lyrics to the song that plays as the credits start: ""You can do magic with your own two hands You can touch the clouds right where you stand You can see a rainbow every place you turn Deep in the night a flame still burns Total original You're one of a kind You got the heart and you got the mind No, it wont be easy But u give it a try Reach for the power way deep inside Love is the reason and love is the light So keep on believing all through the night The suns always shining bright just above the rain Your dreams will have wings and they'll fly And love is the reason Love is the reason Love is the reason why"Most movies of fairy tales show you the struggles to reach the happy ending, but always leave you wondering about what happens during the happily ever after. The same-named movie, shows you what happens. Once you find the prince, its not always easy, you still have to fight for love sometimes. I really enjoyed the characters. Thunderella && Scowl were my favorite. And I really love that Snow White had longer hair. =]I'm 19 years old now, almost 20; to this day I still own and love Happily Ever After.

This was a fun movie when I was young. There were a lot of things I liked about this one, even if it is often considered a lousy film. One thing that really bothers me (and has bothered me since I was like 6 or something) is the prince. Who on earth could fall for that pansy! geez. The Dwarfelles are the most adorable magical pint-sized ladies ever (especially Moonbeam!). On it's own it's a pretty cool kid's movie. I liked the songs, even if some consider them lame. I recently popped it into the good ol' VCR to watch out of boredom and nostalgia. I sang along with every song. I could still remember all the words....It's just when compared to the Disney movie it runs into problems. The movie varies too much from Disney to be considered a sequel, and most people forget that, and reject this film for that reason. If Disney had intended on a sequel they would have made one. It's cute and stuffed to bursting with morals! It is a bit on the cheesy side, but who doesn't like a little cheese?