ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS: 1. Synopsis Inspired by the most beloved of fables, the animated feature HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER is a satirical retelling of the classic story of Cinderella. 2. Abote the Production The world of fairy tales has always been a place where good prevails over evil. Cinderella, for all of her suffering at the hands of her Stepmother, finds herself marrying the Prince; and Sleeping Beauty, following days of slumber brought on by an evil fairy, is awakened with a kiss by her true love. 3. Fairy Tales Give Us All the Basic Human Archetypes While developing the story for HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER, screenwriter Rob Moreland incorporated elements from the Grimm Brothers’ classic fairy tales, which he found to have a visceral power all their own. 4. Fairy Tales Give Us All the Basic Human Archetypes: An Interview with the Screenwriter Rob Moreland While developing the story for HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER, screenwriter Rob Moreland incorporated elements from the Grimm Brothers’ classic fairy tales, which he found to have a visceral power all their own. 'Fairy tales give us all the basic human archetypes we find in movies and classic stories,' says Moreland. 5. Being the Anti Hero and Relentlessly, Irredeemably Wicked: An Interview with Freddy Prinze Jr. and Sigourney Weaver 'The great thing about Rick is that he's the anti-hero. He tries to fly under the radar, and is very reluctant to fight the good fight,' says Prinze, Jr. 'But he has these leadership qualities, and when push comes to shove he makes the right decision.' 6. Most Important Thing is Personality: A Talk with Director Paul J. Bolger and his Team Director Paul J. Bolger videotaped the voice sessions, and in some cases, he used the footage as reference for the animated characters. 'Sarah Michelle Gellar was used quite a bit for Ella: the way she moved, some of her facial expressions,' he says. 7. The Mandate: Change From 2D to 3D HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER began life as a 2D feature film project, with 97 characters and 44 locations. But as production began, the 3D CGI revolution had taken over the marketplace and it quickly became clear that major markets, from Europe to Asia to the U.S., were only considering 3D films for theatrical release.

Most Important Thing is Personality: A Talk with Director Paul J. Bolger and his Team

Director Paul J. Bolger videotaped the voice sessions, and in some cases, he used the footage as reference for the animated characters. “Sarah Michelle Gellar was used quite a bit for Ella: the way she moved, some of her facial expressions,” he says. “We never copied anything exactly, but sometimes the actor’s faces provided us with a launching point.”

With the vocal performances finished, Bolger and his animation team were faced with the daunting task of designing over a hundred different characters, twenty of which were human. Says executive producer Rainer Soehnlein, “It’s the first time that I know of that a movie has taken on that kind of challenge. We had to tread the fine line between creating characters that were as realistic and human as possible, yet still stylistically unique and cartoon-like.”

“The most important thing for me was the personality of the characters, not just the look,” adds Bolger. “What do they think about, how do they react, how do they walk, how do they talk? Sometimes we turned to real life figures. For instance, we wanted Ella to have short hair and an appealing set of mannerisms, so we used Audrey Hepburn as a model.”

With the help of production designer Deane Taylor, Bolger and his animation team worked hard to develop a unique and cohesive look for the animation. Citing the Art Nouveau/Modernist architect Antoni Gaudi as one of many sources of inspiration, Bolger decided there would be no straight lines in the movie. “Deane and I decided that the feel of the world would be like a theme park. There’s a handmade quality about this world, in the lighting, the staging, everything,” he says. “The same for the characters. They're slightly caricatured. It's very organic and very rooted in classic fairy tale book illustration.”

Says Deane Taylor, “We’ve got elements of everything in there from THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI to some of the modern classics. All the colors are rich, almost edible. They’re very much part of the cinematic choreography.”

“A lot of the CGI movies that we see tend to have an over-animated feel,” adds animation director Dina Athanassiou. “HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER has a more classic look. Our approach was to create very clear, direct performances. There are some nice, subtle performances from Frieda and Rick and Ella. Broader characters like the Prince we made more cartoony. Then you have Munk and Mambo, and the dwarves, and the witches, who are even broader still, and lend themselves more to the Warner Brothers/MGM style of animation from the 1930s and 40s.”

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The Mandate: Change From 2D to 3D
HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER began life as a 2D feature film project, with 97 characters and 44 locations. But as production began, the 3D CGI revolution had taken over the marketplace and it quickly became clear that major markets, from Europe to Asia to the U.S., were only considering 3D films for theatrical release.