| Happily Ever After | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | John Howley |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Lou Scheimer |
| Starring | |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Frank Becker |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | First National Film Corp. |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 74 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.8 million[1] |
| Box office | $3.3 million[2] |
Happily Ever After (originally released asSnow White: The Adventure Continues in the Philippines)[3][Note 1] is a 1989animatedmusicalfantasy film directed by John Howley, and starring the voices ofDom DeLuise,Malcolm McDowell,Phyllis Diller,Zsa Zsa Gabor,Ed Asner,Sally Kellerman,Irene Cara,Carol Channing andTracey Ullman.[4] The film serves as a directsequel to theSnow 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 lateEvil Queen's vengeful brother, Lord Maliss. The plot replaces the Dwarfs with female cousins called the Dwarfelles, who aid Snow White against Maliss.
Happily Ever After is unrelated toFilmation's fellowA Snow White Christmas, a 1980 TV special in which continuity is deliberately and consequently ignored. Following extensive legal troubles withThe Walt Disney Company, it had a poor financial and critical reception following its wide release in 1993. Avideo game adaptation was released in 1994.
PrincessSnow White and her beloved the Prince prepare to get married following their victory over Snow White's witch stepmother, theEvil Queen. The Queen's brother, Lord Maliss, learns that she has died and vows to avenge her. Maliss takes control of the castle, turns the kingdom into a wasteland, and transforms himself into a dragon. In Maliss's absence, Scowl (an owl) proceeds to "train" Batso (a bat) in the ways of evil...an endeavor which goes nowhere because of Scowl's complete and utter ineptitude.
The next day, Snow White and the Prince are in the meadow picking flowers for their wedding when Maliss attacks them. Maliss subdues the Prince and captures him, while Snow White manages to flee into the woods and reaches the cottage of theSeven Dwarfs where she meets the Dwarfs' female cousins, the 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 assist in taking her to visitMother 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 do not learn. Maliss arrives 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 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, succeeding in capturing Snow White and taking her to his castle. The Dwarfelles follow them but can find no way into the castle...until Scowl and Batso, still hoping to prove themselves worthy of Maliss's employ, attempt to capture a Dwarfelle. The effort backfires miserably. With access to the castle, the Dwarfelles fend off Maliss' minions. At the same time, Snow White is reunited with the Prince, who she learns is Maliss in disguise. Maliss attempts to petrify Snow White, but is attacked by the Shadow Man, whom he overpowers and seemingly kills.
As Maliss tries 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 frees Snow White. Snow White takes advantage of a distraction by Thunderella to defeat Maliss by throwing the petrifying cloak on top of him. The Dwarfelles are restored to normal while Snow White mourns the Shadow Man, believing she has lost both him and the prince. The Shadow Man arrives and transforms into the Prince, who is revealed to have been cursed and transformed by Maliss.
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. Mother Nature takes on Batso and Scowl as her new apprentices. Scowl, who has stopped smoking and is able to breathe properly again, assures Batso that working for Mother Nature won't be so bad...until she proves to be more demanding with the pair than she ever was with the Dwarfelles. With Snow White and the Prince reunited, the two share a kiss and begin to live happily ever after.
All lyrics are written byStephanie Tyrell.
| No. | Title | Writer(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 |
The film's production commenced in 1986[5] and was done 60% overseas.[6] The American animation companyFilmation had previously developed a plan to create a series ofdirect-to-video sequels to fairy tales which become popular byDisney motion pictures, but onlyPinocchio and the Emperor of the Night andHappily Ever After were ever completed. The film's working titles includedThe Further Adventures of Snow White,Snow White: The Adventure Continues andSnow White in the Land of Doom.[7][8] Some early merchandise did use the titleSnow White in the Land of Doom.
However,Walt Disney Productions' chairmanJeffrey Katzenberg and spokesman Tom Deegan regarded the projects as "blatant rip-offs" of their properties.[9][10] This led to a lawsuit byThe Walt Disney Company in 1987 following the release ofEmperor of the Night.[9][11] Filmation thus promised their characters would not resemble those of the Disney incarnation,[12] and changed the title toSnow White and the Seven Dwarfelles[7] and eventuallyHappily Ever After.[13] They also replaced the Seven Dwarfs with female counterparts, the Dwarfelles.[13]
According to the film's producerLou Scheimer, black actressIrene 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 wasJoni 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 actorBasil Rathbone.[15]
Reportedly completed by 1988,[16] the film premiered in the Philippines on June 30, 1989 asSnow White: The Adventure Continues.[3] It was also released on November 10, 1989 in Italy asSnow White: And They Lived Happily Ever After and on June 20, 1990 in France asSnow White and the Haunted Castle. 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'sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs received a re-release.[19] The four-dayMemorial 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] In 1998, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission entered a civil enforcement judgment enjoining officers of First National Entertainment Corp. for issuing false and misleading revenue projections for Happily Ever After, improperly trading stock based on undisclosed information, and failing to meet required reporting obligations.[21][22]”
Happily Ever After was issued on VHS and LaserDisc byWorldvision and later on DVD (in an edit censoring some violence) by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. In 2007, BCI Eclipse released a storybook-themed DVD set withHappily Ever After,Journey Back to Oz, and another "Snow White" sequel film,A Snow White Christmas. This release contains the uncut 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 byUniversal Pictures throughDreamWorks Animation under their ownership ofDreamWorks Classics, which holds much of the Filmation catalog.[23]
Despite a substantial advertising campaign and having been expected to become "one of the biggest hits of the year,"Happily Ever After performedpoorly in the box office during its theatrical run.[12] Its domestic gross was only $3,299,382.[2]
It received generally negative reviews. According toStephen Holden ofThe 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 ofLos Angeles Times opined the characters (especially the Prince) were "bland" and called the film's songs "instantly forgettable."[25] Rita Kemple ofThe 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 ofEntertainment 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 classicSnow White "couldn't be more brutal."[29] The film currently has a 40% approval rating based on 10 reviews onRotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[30]Jerry Beck'sThe 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 ofSeattle Times opined that "this one's a cut above in the animation contest, deserving attention in the once-exclusive realm of Disney andDon Bluth. It almost, but not quite, escapes those nagging comparisons."[32] Ralph Novak ofPeople 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 ofSun-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]
An unreleasedNintendo Entertainment System video game was planned in 1991.[35][36] ASega game was also considered in 1993.[9] An eventualSuper Nintendo Entertainment System version was developed by ASC Games and released byImagitec Design four years later (and one year after the film's release) in 1994.
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