Bad marketing, good movie: Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs

Before you read the article, please be noted that it will contain spoilers of the movie Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs so please proceed with caution.

Introduction

Does the name and the girl from the banner look familiar to you? If so, you might have seen the banner of the movie that said "What if Snow White was no longer beautiful......" with a skinny and chubby lady beside each other.

Controversy

The 2019 movie, Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs received major backlash back in 2017 for allegedly sending a fat-shaming message towards its audience by marketing this banner. The amount of criticism rose when the American plus-size model, Tess Holiday, slams the poster for body-shaming. The film was lambasted so harshly that the production company instantly terminated the campaign and issued an apology.

"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 (in the form of a Cannes billboard and a trailer) 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. " - Sujin Hwang from Locus Corporation.

After a period of time, organizations that are aimed at promoting good messaging in entertainment for families commented that Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs is "loaded with valuable lessons for children and adults" and "promotes body image and self-acceptance, while confronting stereotypes." Even the lead actress, Chloe Grace Moretz, was "appalled and angry" by how the banner was marketed because she felt it did not reflect the film's actual message.

“I have now fully reviewed the marketing for ‘Red Shoes. I am just as appalled and angry as everyone else, this wasn’t approved by me or my team. Please know I have let the producers of the film know. I lent my voice to a beautiful script that I hope you will all see in its entirety.” - Chloe Grace Moretz

What is "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs"?

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs is an English-language film that was produced by a South Korean art CGI animation and VFX technology studio called Locus Corporation along with their counterpart Sidus Animation Studios. The movie is a retelling of the German fairytale Snow White by the famous German retellers, the Brothers Grimms. On the other hand, the name was founded thanks to the Danish fairytale The Red Shoes. Voice actors Chloe Grace Moretz, Sam Claflin, Gina Gershon, Patrick Warburton as well as Jim Rash were featured to voice the characters.

The Plot

Once upon a time, there a heroic group of princes named the Fearless 7. They were cursed by a fairy princess and transformed into dwarfs after assuming that she was a witch. To break the curse, each member of the Fearless 7 must receive a kiss from a stunning beauty. A year after the incident, the disappearance of individuals, including King White himself occurred after his kingdom was taken over by his wife Regina. She attempts to fabricate a pair of magical red shoes in order to maintain her youth but failed. On the same day, King White's daughter discovered the pair of her stepmother's magical heels and wore them, which transformed her body into a gorgeous, slender figure. After she was caught red-handed, Regina attacks Snow White but successfully fled the kingdom.

Coincidentally, Snow White met the F7 in their home. Meanwhile, Regina made a deal with the selfish Prince Average to find her. In hopes of winning her heart, all members of the Fearless 7 came to her aid of searching for her father. Everyone desperately tries to impress Snow White by showing off their talents together with their charms but were rejected each time. On the following day, Snow White managed to take off her heels before Merlin, a member of the F7 rescues her from Prince Average's guards. Despite her efforts to remove the shoes, Snow White grows close and was willing to present her true colors to him. The bout-to-be lovers shared multiple affectionate moments, especially when facing challenges together.

One day, during Snow White and Merlin's hike back home, they, at last, managed to share a kiss. Unfortunately, it did not break Merlin's curse and the couple was interrupted by three frightening wooden bears. Merlin victoriously defeated them but was dragged underwater with one of the monsters. Later, Snow White finally reveals her chubby form to Merlin after rescuing him. In the meantime, Regina found out that Snow White was the culprit who stole her heels. She later decides to hunt Snow White down herself. Back to Snow White, she explains her frustrations about her kingdom as well as admitting that Merlin probably would not have lent her a hand if she did not wear the shoes. The awkward conversation between the pair led to Merlin feeling ashamed as they part their ways.

In the midst of her sorrow stroll, Snow White was kidnaped by Regina after she triumphantly lured her into a trap. Luckily, Merlin witnessed the occurrence and as a result, quickly jumps into action. At the castle, Regina forces a vulnerable Snow White to eat her apple, but Snow White turns down the offer. Therefore, Regina threatens to murder a captured Merlin if she refuses once more. This time, she complies and slowly transforms into an apple time. On the other hand, Merlin was gibed by Regina's magic mirror before the other members of the F7 came in just in the nick of time.

Jack remains in the room to shatter the mirror as the rest of the members escape to the outdoors. Like the wind, Merlin hurries to the magic tree chamber to cease Regina by charging at her, resulting in both him as well as Regina falling off the castle tower. Utilizing every ounce of his strength, Merlin uses his magic to electrocute himself and Regina, sacrificing himself in the process. This caused King White, the three wooden bear children, and the kingdom's curse to be lifted. Snow White had a touching reunion with her father before realizing Merlin's sacrifice. As Merlin concluded his final words during their last meeting, Snow White gave him one last kiss. This time, however, Snow White successfully broke the curse and revived Merlin. The star-crossed lovers promised to accept perfections and imperfections which they lived happily ever after.

My Thoughts

If the movie Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs is approved by positive messaging organizations as well as the actress herself, so is it actually worth watching? To answer that, my reply is a big fat yes! The film is ethical and treasures the importance of body acceptance. The disappointing marketing flop had led to the downfall of this well-animated, well-voiced, virtuous movie, making it both underrated and wasted.

The film's storyline was outstandingly well-put and easily understandable. Although it perhaps seems a bit rushed, the movie overall was not confusing nor complicated. The character development of the main protagonists was very smooth and adequate, especially Merlin. Despite Regina being a basic movie antagonist, she did manage to steal the show and stand out in the crowd.

As for the voice acting, the voice actor who stole my heart was Merlin's actor - Sam Clafin. His English accent suits Merlin's character flawlessly! Frankly speaking, there is no other actor in the studio that would perfectly match Merlin's cocky, vain as well as charismatic personality. While watching the movie, I cannot stop myself from being a simp to Merlin's voice as to how much an ideal fit their voices are for both actor and character. Moving on, we have the animation. Oh boy, I do not even know what to say, I am speechless. The only two words I am willing to offer are - par excellent. The action, the landscapes, the structures, the facial features, and even the tiniest details, are all dashing to the eye. I could not help myself to say "By golly, this is spectacular," in front of my laptop screen.

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs were recommended by movie review Youtuber Saberspark as he gave it 80% out of 100%. Furthermore, Google users even offered a 4.8 rating on google. Desperate fans of the film were striving to redeem the film's reputation. Not to mention they made creative fanart of the characters. Additionally, a large number of viewers were even begging Sidus Animation Studios and Locus Corporation to create a sequel of the movie.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this film to parents who have children that are struggling with body image issues or body acceptance such as me. As a movie geek myself, this experience of watching a movie definitely hits close to home. To sum up, I am sure that you would enjoy this family-friendly, action-packed, and righteous film.