Happily N'Ever After trailer
preview for upcoming Lionsgate animated film
The first trailer for upcoming Lionsgate animated movie Happily N'Ever After is now online. And it ain't good, people.
(Source: www.animated-news.com)
Hmm, it appears we have a new wrinkle on the Great CG Animation Glut. Now that wisecracking animals no longer seem to be the big cash cow (pun intended) the animation studios were hoping for, we've now come to the "twisted fairy tale" style of animated movie.
Of course, the originator of this was DreamWorks' highly profitable Shrek franchise. While the first Shrek movie did well enough to warrant a sequel, Shrek 2 warmed accountants' little shriveled hearts by raking in a colossal $436 million at the North American box office. The first film to jump on that bandwagon was Village Roadshow/Weinstein Company's modest hit, Hoodwinked! which showed that there was still plenty of gold in them thar Shrek hills.
Enter Lionsgate's Happily N'Ever After. The premise? When an evil stepmother (Sigourney Weaver) decides to interfere with the marriage of a princess (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her lunkheaded prince (Patrick Warburton), the aforementioned princess must enlist the aid of a dishwasher (Freddy Prinze Jr., natch) and various comedic creatures to ensure a happily ever after.
A post-modern spoof on fairy tales? Where have we seen this before? This flick even goes so far as to state that it's "from the producers of Shrek." Unfortunately, if the trailer is any indication, Happily N'Ever After isn't going to have the same impact as that beloved series. The animation is definitely sub-standard: somewhere around Hoodwinked and Doogal territory. The voice cast is impressive: along with Weaver and Warburton is Andy Dick and George Carlin, some good names there. But will they be enough to elevate what looks like just another riff on fractured fairy tales?
Off-hand, I'd say Happily N'Ever After will become another victim of the Great Animation Glut. You can check out the trailer over here.
