One of several taglines for this lacklustre fairy-tale effort is, “Don’t let your hair down. Don’t go to the ball. Don’t visit grandma.” An unkind reviewer might add, “And don’t see this movie if Hoodwinked is in stock” to the list.
Taking Shrek as its benchmark, Happily... comes up severely wanting, a perfectly workable premise - a princess leads the resistance movement against her wicked stepmother - hamstrung by lazy plotting and limp dialogue that ill-serves a solid voice cast. It looks good, but lacks the essential wit, sophistication and invention to make it fly. In a word: Grimm.