Happily N'Ever After

Happily N'Ever After is a 2007 computer-animated film based on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. It is a Vanguard Animation production, released by Lionsgate Films.

Starring the voices of Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sigourney Weaver, George Carlin, Michael McShane, Andy Dick, Patrick Warburton and Wallace Shawn.

Released in theatres January 5 2007.

Tagline: The future looks Grimm.

Story
With the help of his lovable bumbling assistants, the Wizard is checking to make sure that all the fairy tales under his care are "on track" to have their traditional happy endings. The Wizard's job is to maintain the balance of good and evil in Fairy Tale Land. As we meet him, however, the Wiz is going to Scotland for a long overdue vacation. He is leaving the kingdom in the hands of his two assistants, the geeky Munk and the easily-bored Mambo. Cinderella (aka Ella) starts out a damsel in distress. She's your typical Prince dreamer. Her best friend at the palace is Rick, the palace dishwasher. Rick takes it upon himself to deliver the invitations to the royal ball to Ella. Ella visits Rick in the palace kitchen to borrow items she needs to complete her chores and to share her hopes of dancing with "him" (the Prince) tonight. Ella sees Rick only as a friend, but Rick secretly "likes" Ella, although he is too cool and proud to admit it. Rick can't really understand what Ella likes about the Prince. Rick's Three Amigos, the comic chefs in the palace kitchen, believe that Rick has a bad case of "Prince envy". The Prince does everything by the book. He wants it all to be perfect: perfect hair, perfect shirt, perfect everything. Tonight's the night he'll meet his Damsel. Tonight, however, things don't go as planned. Thanks to the assistants, Ella's evil stepmother, Frieda, is able for once to gain access to the Wizard's lair during the Prince's ball. While the boss is away, the wicked stepmother does play. Frieda manages to chase off the assistants and tip the scales of good and evil, causing a series of fairy tales to "go bad" and have comically unhappy endings. As for Ella, Frieda can't stand her hope and goodness. Frieda's goal is to put the "cinder" back in Cinderella. Tired of the status quo, an unholy alliance of bad guys led by Frieda takes on the good guys. Cinderella starts out romantic and dreamy, but when her own fairy tale takes a radical left turn she is forced to form and eventually lead a resistance group without a Prince Charming. Set against a backdrop of fractured fairy tales spinning wildly out of control, Ella and her unknown true love Rick ultimately must choose their own destinies in a world of happy endings gone awry. The race for control of the kingdom is on, and the power-mad Frieda, fuelled by a total disdain for goodness, is set to change the age-old storyline to "Happily N'Ever After."

Cast

 * Additional Voices by Lee Arenberg, John Cygan, Jennifer Darling, Debi Derryberry, Patti Deutsch, Shae D'Lyn, Andrew Dolan, Bill Farmer, Jack Fletcher, Roger L. Jackson, Sherry Lynn, Mickie McGowan, Laraine Newman, Jan Rabson, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jim Ward, April Winchell

Trivia

 * It is the fifth film that Gellar and Prinze Jr. appear together in, counting their role in the Scooby-Doo movie and its sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, as well as Gellar's cameo in She's All That. It is also the first completely animated film they are in together.
 * In one of the trailers, the music "New Arrival" from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride can be heard, even though the movie was made by Warner Bros.
 * This film was originally to be made in traditional animation, but after Shrek was released, the idea was scrapped.