Happy When it was Over

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is one of the greatest animated movies of all time. "Happily Ever After," the sequel that came more than half a century later, is one of the worst. Picking up where the last movie left off, this movie begins with Snow White picking flowers with her Prince on the way to invite the Seven Dwarfs to their wedding. In the middle of this idyllic scene, the prince is snatched away by a dragon, who is a transformation of the wicked queen's brother. Determined to avenge his sister's death, he carries the prince off and begins to plan his capture of Snow White.

Meanwhile, a distraught Snow White makes her way to the home of the Seven Dwarfs, only to find that they have left. In their place are their female cousins, the Seven Dwarfelles. Each has been given a special gift by Mother Nature, but they bicker so much that they end up doing more harm than good with their powers. They soon agree to join Snow White on her quest to rescue her beloved, hampered by Mother Nature's threatened revocation of the Dwarfelles' powers, an ornery owl and his timid bat sidekick determined to deliver the women to the enemy, and a mysterious creature lurking in the shadows.

Famous voices and a classic story do not bail this movie out. It sinks where the original soared. Of course, this is not Disney. Everyone familiar with the Disney movie is sure to be annoyed by the obvious differences in the characters -- mainly in Snow White. If this is your first experience with Snow White, maybe you won't care so much. An extremely obnoxious villain and a heroine with a voice like nails on a chalkboard do not help this movie. Neither do the stilted dialogue and largely forgettable songs.

There are a few bright spots in this movie: the owl (played by Ed Asner) and the bat provide some genuine comic relief, and the magic mirror is mildly entertaining. Unfortunately, that's about it. Another warning: For some inexplicable reason, toddlers seem to love this movie. If you buy it, they will want to watch it over and over and over until they finally tire of it...at which point you will be on the verge of kicking a hole in the tv. All in all, this movie is a disastrous attempt to capitalize on a classic story. If you want classic, stick with the original.