Red Shoes And The Seven Dwarfs

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a really charming, if not a little cheesy, animated feature that takes a really strong spin on a popular fairytale. I would give Red Shoes And The Seven Dwarfs a 6/10.

Red Shoes And The Seven Dwarfs follows Snow White, a young princess who steals the magical artefact her step-mother has been crafting, in order to discover the truth about the disappearance of her father. However, upon donning the shoes Snow White discovers her physical appearance is changed, making her appear to be beautiful to anyone who sets eyes upon her. Now she has to rely on the help of some famed adventurers-turned-trolls and her own wits to find her father and restore balance to the kingdom.I think this film handles it's own theme very well; it can be a very simple delivery at times but the message is so clear and really well explored. The film explores how appearance is often judged at face value, that we often make snap decisions about a person by how they look. Throughout the film Snow White struggles with the fact that she is 'accepted' because the shoes have made her full-on Disney Princess beautiful, rather than her normal size and shape in which she feels more herself. Likewise, the Princes believe that they are no longer as noble or heroic because of their hideous appearance as cursed trolls. The film really illustrates accepting people for who they are and how they look extremely convincingly. I also found the fantasy setting in this to be very fun and quirky, it almost bent the rules on a fairytale world in a way that was reminiscent of Shrek. The animation style was basic for the most part but the action sequences looked pretty good and the style was quirky is nothing else.

Chloe Grace Moretz, who voiced Snow White, does a stellar job of leading this animated cast; Moretz's character felt really confident in her ability yet explored and lent a voice to her insecurities about her appearance really powerfully. Patrick Warburton, who voiced the Magic Mirror, has a very dry barbed wit to his famous magical role; Warburton's comedy enhances scenes with the main antagonist while his ability to threaten marks him as a genuinely interesting minor antagonist. Jim Rash, who voiced Prince Average, is another comedic antagonist who really runs through the best possible line delivery for his role; a character who is wimpy yet entirely self-absorbed and desperate to be seen as a truly impressive figure - this is a villain who was really fitting for Red Shoes.

However, the best performance came from Gina Gershon, who voiced Regina. Despite being woefully underutilised in the film, Gershon is almost consistently stealing the scenes she is in. A lot of performers tend to lay into the melodrama when they take on an animated villain role, but this wicked queen didn't feel like that. Gershon built a voice that had a sinister edge and really radiated power, you felt like she commanded your attention. More than that, she played well to the more manipulative aspects of the role. The scene in which she twists Prince Average (Rash) to her side is well played, with a lot of coaxing but a veiled threat behind every statement. I also think it was nice hearing Gershon lend herself to a bit of back and forth dialogue with some of the other antagonists, the role felt she had a bit of wit to her which broke expectations somewhat.

I think tis film had a lot of charm and a powerful message, yet it never manages to punch above its weight and make itself known as a seriously memorable animated feature. The film sets up the core concept really well but then proceeds to not really handle the main storyline very strongly. The search for Snow White's father never really seems that important, and the Princes trying to reverse their curse is a series of pretty generic comedic mishaps. The film steers towards a driving theme which it explores thoroughly but the rest of the plot, the actual meat of the piece is quite scant. I never really connected with the side characters and the antagonist of the film is shelved for incredibly long periods of time. The unfortunate thing is, this film has a lot to say but doesn't know how to say it or present it in a succinct and well-paced manner. The animation for the film has some strong moments but there are a lot of scenes that are ruined by a basic design palette or slow motion visuals; and the background animations in particular lack detail. The soundtrack for the film belts a lot of emotional pop pieces but the tracks really don't lend a very unique sound to the feature.

Sam Claflin, who voiced Merlin, flounders as the leading male protagonist; Claflin's approach to voice acting seems to be playing everything up and hoping that by embracing a more melodramatic approach something quirky and comedic will develop. Simon Kassianides, who voiced Arthur, doesn't seem interested in presenting his role as anything more than the burly knight; Kassianides bellows and evokes self-praise but it's nothing we haven't seen before from this type of role. Frederik Hamel, who voiced Jack, is this very smug and shallow role who you never really care much for; the role of Jack is quite pampered and particular but is only good for a punchline. Nolan North, who voiced Hans and King White, had one of the most forgettable princes in the Hans role; while North's rather bland narration as the King didn't carry exposition along well. Frank Todaro, who voiced Pino, Noki and Kio, was in charge of delivering the oddball roles that were there to be laughed at; Todaro's roles waited in the wings and did their best to illicit a laugh without much success. Ava Kolker, Asher Blinkoff and Juju Journey Brenner, who voiced the Wooden Bears, were a lesson learnt in why child performers didn't always make great voice actors; the young talent here really struggles and their roles often bring the quality of the scenes they're in down by a lot.