Many movies are about fairytales and changing the stories for a modern audience. Several media and movies try a different approach in creating a new story if events changed just a little. There are also several adaptations about Cinderella in a modern setting or the stories taking a unique twist. Happily N’ever After explores this side of fairytales with a twist of its own: what if characters could change their stories and destinies?
One of the movie’s strengths is how it explores the possibility of how characters manage their fates. The overlying message about taking charge of their stories and doing what they like doing is powerful. What if characters were aware of their fates and tried to change it? What if the characters defied their roles in the tale and want to make a change?
It is a fitting message to show in this movie, especially when we see that the Wizard overlooks all the stories. He lives in a high tower close to the prince’s castle (how does no one notice this?)
“Happily N’ever After” has Cinderella’s evil stepmother Freida take over the tower and rounds up the bad guys and gets them to help her in their goal for their own happily ever afters. Frieda also forces Monk and Mambo, two of the Wizard's assistants, out of the tower and takes control of the castle. With the prince out searching for his fair maiden, she easily accomplished that. So Frieda rallies the bad guys and tells them they deserve their happy endings. And with the Wizard’s staff, they can make it happen.
It shows especially in the message in the scene where Monk and Mambo tell Ella about her happily ever after, where she marries the prince. Ella, dissatisfied, asks if all she does is marry the prince. Monk asks her what she was expecting and Ella replies, “I don’t know. Maybe more.”
Mambo enters with the most inspiring quote of all. “I say happy endings are boring. Just think about what you want and go for it.”
This quotation is the movie directly telling us we do not have to follow a specific code or guidelines just because we have to or someone tells you to. Throughout the movie, the prince relies on his booklet to tell him what to do. And even though Ella’s dress transformed back into her maid outfit, the prince did not recognize her and set out to find the maiden who looks like the one in the book.
The prince acts as a foil in the movie so we can see that not everyone is aware of the external influence of the castle. And the characters may not have the depth or personality to act on their own accord. Some characters like Rick, the prince’s only servant, are aware of the influence and wishes that things could be different.
Rick in particular also wants to get his own story. In particular, he is in love with Ella and knows that she is in love with the prince. He seems aware that Ella has a destiny to marry the prince. It is a part of her tale and his fate is serving the prince. Rick tries a few times to get Ella to see that the prince is not an ideal husband, but Ella does not share his perspective.
In the middle of the movie, we see him accepting his role in the story, reluctantly. He says, "I'm finding Ella's prince for her. This was the last thing I wanted to do, but we both knew how the story had to end." When he says that, he is referring to Ella's story, how she will get a happy ending and his life will remain the same. Here the audience can emphasize with Rick and live a happily ending with Ella.
“Happily N’ever After” may be a simple movie with a basic plot and a character cast, but there is a message that communicates a deeper meaning in this movie. A meaning I think gets overlooked. It shows a need for openminded stories that invite fairytale characters to act on their own.
However, there are parts of the movie that feel like it could use more originality, especially for the primary setting of the world called “Fairytale Land.” A Wizard controlling everyone’s lives seem odd, especially when the Wizard does that for an unknown reason. He literally plays the role of a god and has his assistants carry them out. But he has good intentions as he ensures the characters have their happy endings, so long as the story is about them. An enormous book of fairytales and the scales ensures there is a balance of good and bad events. The Wizard has assistants who carry out his tasks and ensure the stories go by the book.
This leads to the first con I have with the story. All characters in their fairytales repeat the same story. We do not know if they repeat the cycle or if the book foretells what their future will be like. They do not explain the world it is unclear and it. It is a little confusing if you think too much about that.
Overall, Happily N’ever After is an enjoyable movie. It takes a new direction we have seen in a lot of fairy tale movies. Fairytales are becoming a prominent way of retelling a story. And Happily Never After tells that story in its own style. I should mention that the movie is not perfect by any means, but it is nice to breathe in a fresh perspective of how alternate ways fairytales can proceed.
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