The Seventh Dwarf Parent Guide

The Seventh Dwarf is a German production featuring a blend of fairytales and familiar characters. Despite the title, the story is more about Sleeping Beauty than Snow White.

Princess Rose (voiced by Peyton List in the English language version) is about to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. That is a significant event because at the stroke of midnight she will be freed from a curse placed upon her by the evil Dellamorta when she was just a baby. (You know the one that says she will prick her finger and fall into an enchanted sleep for 100 years…) In honor of the big day everyone in the kingdom (except the sorceress, of course) has been invited – including the dwarfs.

Perhaps better called the seven stooges, the well-intentioned but not very bright midget men get tricked into bringing the wicked witch to the party and then blunder their way into causing Princess Rose to meet her slumbering fate. Although still more bumbling allows them to avoid being put in the same frozen stupor as the heir apparent and the rest of her guests (Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood etc.), the septet begins to feel bad about the havoc they have inadvertently caused. With heroic resolve Bobo, the youngest of the group, announces that he will save the Princess. Sharing the guilt, the other six agree to help him with his quest.

Knowing that true love’s kiss can undo the spell, the plan is to find Jack—the kitchen boy that holds Rose’s heart. Rumor has it that he is imprisoned in Dellamorta’s dungeon, which is guarded by her trusty dragon (voiced by Norm MacDonald). Too naïve to be as frightened as they should be, the dwarfs set off on the dangerous journey.

Much of what happens next is very predictable. There are villains, monsters and magic. There are slapstick antics. And there is not much plot. Still, there are a few surprises—they just aren’t very welcomed ones. Some of the depicted violence and moments of peril may be too frightening for young children (like when a boy is chained in a dungeon next to a skeleton, a menacing fire-breathing creature makes threats and a depressed soul contemplates suicide). The animators make the unusual artistic decision to draw Dellamorta scantily clad (occasionally revealing more anatomy than seems necessary, especially in a children’s movie) and a male walrus character shows off large nipples. And the production includes an assortment of awkward, rather uninspired musical numbers, including rap and tap dancing.

Added to this strange mix are nods to various other films (such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park and The Matrix). I suspect this is an attempt to amuse older audiences. The younger crowd is undoubtedly supposed to benefit from messages of friendship, teamwork and responsibility. Sadly, audiences are likely to feel they have already seen this idea before (take Shrek, Puss in Boots and Hoodwinked for example), and done better. So, while the inclusion of these themes may be appreciated, there likely just isn’t enough sugar here to make swallowing the rest of The Seventh Dwarf’s shortcomings enjoyable for either old or young.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.