Happily N'Ever After
Paul J Bolger, Yvette Kaplan
What keeps one watching a movie when the plot is a no-brainer? The answer is not to be found in this leaden piece of animation, which pretends to subvert the notion of happily ever after in fairy tales. Shrek did it first and did it much better.Ella (short for Cinderella) is supposed to be a spunky update of the original but she still needs a man to save the day. So much for progress. The heroine and hero are bland, the sidekicks forgettable and it is the villains who make the most impact. Ultimately, there is just no magic in this tale.
(ST)