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5. Like Bruce Almighty and other movies and stories, Happily N'Ever After imagines godlike power falling into the hands of lesser beings. What, if anything, do such stories tell us?

The Family Corner

Happily Never After is rated PG for some mild action and rude humor. Mildly subversive humor includes such gags as Jack getting squashed flat when the giant accidentally steps on him and the Wolf being served "Red Riding Hood ribs" and the like (though no characters are shown being prepared as meals). Frieda's appearance is exaggeratedly sexy.

Photos © Copyright Lions Gate

© Steven D. Greydanus subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

If you're considering taking the family to see Happily N'Ever After, think again. Film critics are urging moviegoers to "Just say never."

The movie looks primitive compared to most CGI animation, and worse, it packs in almost every cartoon-feature cliché, from the relentless pop culture references to the annoying, wisecracking sidekicks, to the fairy-tale revisionism of the Shrek series. It's hard to believe such a shoddy piece of work would draw the participation of talents like Sigourney Weaver and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) says, "The script bounces along acceptably on decent throwaway gags and one-liners that will make kids laugh, and may get occasional chuckles from adults. But the story stalls, and never recovers." He adds, "Perhaps a hero doesn't have to be anyone special—perhaps he can be an ordinary guy, without extraordinary courage or skill in battle. Fine. Even so, shouldn't a hero at least be committed to the cause of good? When evil bad guys start taking over the world, starting with the castle you work at, does a hero just shrug and go to work for the new administration?"

Bob Hoose (Plugged In) says, "Happily N'Ever After tries to be more than just another twist on a story we've all seen in a thousand renditions. … Unfortunately, its creators don't do much to break the animated fairy tale mold. They barely live up to it. … And so, Happily N'Ever After ends up being much less than it aspired to be … and a touch more than a lot of families will care to handle."

Jenn Wright (Past the Popcorn) says, "Robert Moreland's writing is rather unremarkable, and perhaps made more so (meaning evenless remarkable) by its delivery. … I felt that the movie would have made a more appropriate TV special than a full-length cinematic release. While the funky little reworking of the fairy tale is kind of fun and light-hearted, the writing, the characterizations, and the animation simply don't stand up well in a theater setting."

Mainstream critics are wishing they'd n'ever seen it.

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