Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs


Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs is a 2019 South Korean animated fantasy film produced by Locus Corporation. It is based on the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and its name from the Danish fairy tale Red Shoes.

Plot

On Fairy Tale Island, a group of heroic princes known as the Fearless Seven save a Fairy Princess from a dragon. But once they see her green face, they believe she is a witch and attack her. To teach them a lesson, she curses them to turn into green dwarfs whenever people look at them. In order to break the curse, they must get a kiss from "the most beautiful woman in the world", which they doubt will ever happen due to their new looks.
A year later, in the kingdom of King White, the evil witch Queen Regina takes over after marrying the king and people begin to disappear, including the king himself. Regina uses a magic apple tree to try each day to create a pair of magic red shoes that provide eternal youth and beauty, but continually fails. Snow, the overweight but very strong and kind daughter of King White returns to the castle to search for clues about her father's whereabouts. She happens to find the newest pair of magic shoes and puts them on. This pair of shoes finally works, and the shoes transform her into a beautiful, thin, stereotypical-looking princess. Regina confronts and attacks her, unaware that the woman is Snow. Snow White flees from her stepmother on a stolen broomstick, and the magic tree dies. Following a message from her father, she goes to find the Fearless Seven.
Snow crash lands at the Seven's home and they are all immediately infatuated with her, and are surprised when she says she likes them in spite of their appearances. They decide to help her find her father, hoping to win her heart and a curse-breaking kiss. That night, thinking she saw her father, Snow runs into the forest and encounters a giant wooden bunny but the Fearless Seven save her and capture it. The triplets invent a giant wooden robot in the process.
The next day, following advice from her Magic Mirror, Regina hires the selfish and pathetic Prince Average to find "the woman with the red shoes", with the promise that she will be his date to his birthday party. Red Shoes and Arthur go to "Golden Goose Avenue" to distribute posters of King White. Merlin, who has been assigned to stay behind and watch over the captured bunny, manages to befriend it and rides it to join them. Snow briefly takes the shoes off and Merlin uses his magic lightning cards to save her from Average's bullying guards, but because he does not recognize her she decides to keep the shoes on. When they return home, Average arrives with an army to force Red Shoes to be his date. The Seven rescue her and drive the invaders away. Red Shoes grows especially close to Merlin and says she likes him the way he is regardless of his appearance, telling him that, to her, he is Merlin whether her eyes are open or closed. She decides to show him her real self but they realize she can no longer remove the shoes. When Average and his two henchmen return empty-handed, Regina gives them magic apples that turn them into monstrous wooden bears.
In the morning, Red Shoes and Merlin use the broomstick to make the triplets' robot fly and drop posters over Golden Goose Avenue, but Merlin begins to daydream about kissing Red Shoes and they crash. As they wander by a river together, Snow confesses her feelings for Merlin and they kiss. Merlin is shocked and confused to find that the kiss did not work and his curse has not broken. Suddenly, Average and his henchmen - now large, wooden monsters - appear and attack. Merlin convinces Snow to run and not look at him, as he is stronger and more agile in prince form, and defeats the monsters. But one monster grabs him and they fall into the river. Red Shoes jumps in to save him, but he is trapped under a large boulder, which she cannot move. She removes the shoes, allowing her to use her real body's strength to save Merlin. Three wooden bear cubs and the bunny come to help. Regina, finally learning Snow's identity, decides to find her herself.
Snow finally reveals her true name and the truth about her father and Regina to Merlin. Merlin is now unsure about Snow's appearance. Snow informs Merlin that she knows he and the others only helped her because "Red Shoes" was so beautiful, and that Merlin probably wouldn't have offered if she had looked like her real self. Ashamed, Merlin leaves and Snow puts the red shoes back on, deciding she is better off wearing them and lamenting that Merlin likes the shoes more than he likes her. Merlin, after having a talk with his self conscience, realizes that Snow liked him for being himself, dwarf form and all, and decides to rescue her. After a sad walk, Snow finds Merlin, who offers her an apple to remove the shoes. But he is revealed to be Regina in disguise, who then captures her stepdaughter before Merlin and the wooden animals can help. Merlin rides the bunny to the kingdom after sending the bears to fetch the others and make more lightning cards for him. The bunny knows a hidden passage and Merlin sneaks into the castle.
Regina, tries to force Snow to eat a magic apple. When Snow refuses, Regina reveals that Merlin has been captured, and threatens to kill him if Snow does not comply. Snow bites into the apple and begins to turn into a new apple tree capable of producing a new pair of magic shoes and Merlin is taken back to the Mirror. The Mirror taunts Merlin by explaining that Snow will die when Regina takes the shoes from the tree. Merlin manages to break free of the Mirror's grasp and tries to fight off the Mirror and escape to rescue Snow, but he is captured once again. Before the Mirror can kill him, the rest of the Fearless Seven and wooden animals burst in to help. A battle ensues and they are able to destroy the Mirror. Merlin, nearly running out of time before Snow dies, sacrifices himself to save her, pushing Regina off a ledge of the castle and electrocuting them both in a great explosion of lightning. The bunny suddenly changes back into King White, the bears turn into human children and Snow reunites with her father. Everyone grieves over Merlin but the triplets save him. He tells Snow that she is "the most beautiful woman in the world, whether eyes are open or closed" and dies in her arms. Snow tearfully gives him one last kiss, which breaks the curse and restores his life. They accept each other's appearances and everyone celebrates, while Arthur wonders "who that girl is".
In the end credits, Snow and Merlin marry and the other princes find their own "unusual looking" girlfriends. The Fairy Princess fishes Prince Average out of the river. When he is rude to her, she curses him with the same curse she used on the Seven, turning him into another green dwarf.

Cast

Additionally, Ava Kolker, Asher Blinkoff, and Juju Journey Brener have cameo voice roles as the Wooden Bears.

Reception

Critical reception

The movie gained a mostly negative reception from critics, but was still able to attract a small audience of the target demographic that adores it.

Fat shaming controversy

A marketing campaign for the film revealed at the 2017 Cannes Marche du Film was criticized by critics and audiences for alleged fat shaming. Chloe Grace Moretz, who portrayed Snow/Red Shoes, stated she was "appalled" by the marketing that she felt it did not reflect the actual film's message. The production company immediately terminated the campaign and issued and apology, stating:
As the producer of the theatrical animated film "Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs," now in production, Locus Corporation wishes to apologize regarding the first elements of our marketing campaign which we realize has had the opposite effect from that which was intended. That advertising campaign is being terminated. Our film, a family comedy, carries a message designed to challenge social prejudices related to standards of physical beauty in society by emphasizing the importance of inner beauty. We appreciate and are grateful for the constructive criticism of those who brought this to our attention. We sincerely regret any embarrassment or dissatisfaction this mistaken advertising has caused to any of the individual artists or companies involved with the production of future distribution of the film, none of whom had any involvement with creating or approving the now discontinued advertising campaign.