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Happily N'Ever After 2: Snow White (NR)

common sense media says

Harmless but charmless tale of Snow White as a teen.

parents & educators say
  • 33% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say sexual content is an issue
See all 9 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that early in the movie Snow White's beautiful, good-hearted mother dies. One cough and seconds later, her eyes close and she's dead. Snow White weeps and grieves by the coffin. The traditional poisoned apple is no longer "poison." It has been modified so that taking "the bite" now makes Snow White rude and selfish. The evil step-mother-to-be tries to get rid of Snow White, but there is never any serious threat. All of the action is cartoony: clouds of smoke, explosions, pratfalls. No one is injured.

Positive messages: Message is "True beauty comes from helping others." Rudeness, selfishness, and shallowness are all seen as negative traits; compassion, helpfulness, and generosity are seen as positive traits. The movie says that even the worst villains can be guided toward better values and behavior.  
Positive role models: Characters change for the better. Snow in particular starts out as materialistic and then learns what true beauty and wealth are. Traditionally white characters are now depicted as multi-ethnic.
Violence & scariness: It's all cartoon action: falls, explosions, clouds of green smoke, noisy crashes. Evil queen threatens to "kill" Snow White. Sir Peter takes an explosion-hit for Snow White, but recovers immediately.
Sexy stuff: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Happily N'Ever After 2: Snow White

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about what Snow White learns about herself.
  • How do the filmmakers show that Snow White and her friends are more modern than the traditional storybook characters?
  • Lady Vain has a different outcome from the wicked stepmother in the original tale of Snow White: do you think it's possible for someone that bad to change?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In this sequel to Happily N'Ever After, the filmmakers have turned to traditional favorite princess Snow White and turned her into a typical teenager. "Snow," as her father the King calls her, loves clothes, makeup, clubbing, shopping, and hanging out with her friends (a multi-ethnic trio of Bo Peep, Goldilocks, and Red Riding Hood). Her father, worried about his daughter's self-centered ways, sets out to find her a mother. But his good intentions blind him to the true nature of the two-faced Lady Vain whom he decides to marry. Snow White joins with her friends from Fairytale Land, including the Seven Dwarfs, the Three Pigs, as well as newcomers Munk and Mambo from the original, as she rescues her father, the kingdom, and herself from the clutches of the evil Lady Vain. Along the way "Snow" learns an important lesson about the real meaning of beauty.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER 2 is basically a harmless entry into the direct-to-DVD stock of children's fare. Unfortunately, it's also a charmless entry. The message is good, but it's delivered in a heavy-handed, obvious way. Many elements of the traditional Snow White tale have been changed, some with an eye toward minimizing the scariest parts and broadening the ethnic flavor that's more desirous today, but it all takes the "bite" out of a very beloved story.

The animation, the story, and the songs are all unexceptional and appear to be put together on a shoestring budget. There are a few clever and funny moments, but none of the wonderful detail, subtlety of character, or memorable music necessary to make it fresh and distinctive.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Boyd Kirkland, Steven E. Gordon
Cast: Christine Lakin, Kate Higgins, Keith Ferguson
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 70 minutes
DVD release: March 24, 2009
MPAA Rating: NR
This review was written by Renee Schonfeld
 
 

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What parents & educators say

9
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 33% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say sexual content is an issue
  • 33% say they noticed product placement
Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

jennyhumphery
teen, 15 years old
17
 
Individuality!
What I didn't like was that the king kept on saying your mother , your mother , your mother! Snow White is an individual not her motherand she should be treated like an indivual.Also she should be herself not what her father wants to be. Snow may be a princess but she should be her own person . This movie is a kids movie so that is why I set the age so low.
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helped me decide (11) | had useful details (10) | read my mind (10)
churchgirl9870
adult
2
 
IF I COULD GIVE IT NO STARS I WOULD!!
TERRIBLE MOVIE!!! THIS MOVIE HAS SO MANY OCCULT MESSAGES IN IT!! THEY THROW UP THE DEVIL SIGN A LOT IN THIS MOVIE!! EVERYTHING WAS AGAINST JESUS IN THIS MOVIE! WAKE UP CHRISTIANS OUT THERE!!
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helped me decide (11) | had useful details (9) | read my mind (8)
aml212
parent of 9 and 11 year old
11
 
Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood, Bo Peep, and Snow White are shallow, vain, selfish late-teen celebutantes. The king, Snow White's father, lets her walk all over him. If you enjoy constant teachable moments about how not to behave (both "children" and adults), this movie is full of them. Snow White eventually learns her lesson -- she's not "all that," and happiness can be found in serving others instead of herself -- but it's too little, too late. The formulas fall flat, and there aren't enough laughs to make up for the disappointing characters and plot.
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helped me decide (8) | had useful details (8) | read my mind (11)
BlueRocks360
kid, 13 years old
4
 
What?
The movie wasn't that sucessful the first time. And this is just a rip off of Shrek.
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DonkeyKongGirl
kid, 13 years old
10
 
This movie is not good. First off with concerns. Snow White is a teenager and is more into being fashionable than being warm-hearted. She begs her dad to go to a party, and he says before morning. She parties until morning. What does this teach kids? (No good, that's what.) Besides this, the movie just isn't good. It's boring and sleepy. And one question - why is it called Happily Never After? Is it trying to tell kids there are no such things as happy endings?
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hunter98
kid, 13 years old
17
 
i wish i could give this minus 5
no 1 should watch this sound changes all the time many bad things i cant name them all but 1 thing is the charecters look like they are still in editing dont buy this movie
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helped me decide (7) | had useful details (8) | read my mind (8)
JH32
teen, 15 years old
2
 
it is a horrible movie they should not have made the movie. Horrible animation.
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helped me decide (6) | had useful details (7) | read my mind (9)
The USB Store
parent
14
 
A PIMP IN THE MOVIE!
The skinny cat looking guy is dressed as a pimp (SEX), snow white is way to skinny(UNHEALTHY SELF IMAGE) and she uses a cell phone(PRODUCT PLACEMENT).
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helped me decide (7) | had useful details (7) | read my mind (5)
Regularshow7
kid, 11 years old
2
 
The story of how I knew this movie was bad.
WARNING:This is lenghty.One day,after I got Netflix on the Wii,I decided to watch this movie since I never saw it.Turns out,this movie was worst than the first.First off,the animation was really bad.It looked like it was made that the characters moved in big ways every frame.First frame:arm is pointed at the ceiling.Next frame:arm is pointed at the ground.This is really just the sequel to a bad ripoff of Shrek.Makes sense since this was made by the producer of Shrek and Shrek 2.I think that's why people may have been excited about this film.Someone that came up for ideas of this film and the first must've thought that if he got the producer of Shrek and it's succeser to produce the film,it'd attract people to see this cruddy film.I hate people like that.This reminds me of Doogal,which was worst.Doogal was badly animated and there was HORRIBLE lip syncing(for kids and parents who don't know what that means,it means how people's voices match up with the mouth movements of the character).Though,Doogal didn't have a sequel and it didn't have that many famous voice actors.In the end,this movie is trash and is a terrible movie overall.No wonder I'm selling Happily N'Ever After 1 at the yard sale at my house.
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