Mirror Mirror (film)

In narration, the very beautiful but wicked enchantress, the Evil Queen, insists that this is her story: she had married the widower king, who one day left to fight a great evil that had invaded the land, but never returned. The Queen rules in his absence, while confining her young stepdaughter Princess Snow White, to the palace.

Ten years later, Snow White is now a young woman who desires to explore the kingdom and decides to sneak out. Walking through the forest, she meets the visiting Prince Alcott of Valencia and his valet, Runbock, who has been robbed by a band of dwarfs; she and Alcott are instantly smitten with each other. Snow White arrives in the town and finds the people are destitute due to the Queen's heavy taxation.

Meanwhile, the Queen is introduced to Alcott and is also smitten. She decides to marry him for his wealth to solve the kingdom's financial troubles and throws a ball to woo him. Unbeknownst to her, Snow White secretly attends, planning to ask Alcott to help her regain her throne and restore the kingdom. The Queen spots them dancing and orders her manservant, Brighton, to take Snow White into the forest and feed her to a monster known as "the Beast."

Showing deep care and concern for Snow White, Brighton spares her and requests that she run away from the Beast, before the latter collapses at the dwarfs' hideout. The dwarfs take her in and introduce themselves as Will Grimm, Butcher, Wolf, Napoleon, Half Pint, Grub, and Chuck. When Brighton collects more taxes levied by the Queen to pay for her expensive parties, the dwarfs rob him. Snow White takes the money and returns it to the townspeople, crediting the dwarfs, whom the people hail as heroes.

The Queen informs Alcott that Snow White is dead. When he hears that the bandits have robbed Brighton, he goes after them. In the forest, he discovers that Snow White is in league with the dwarfs, who have trained her in combat. Both believing each other to be in the wrong, Snow White and Alcott duel. He returns, defeated, and informs the Queen that Snow White was the dwarfs' leader and is alive.

The Queen enters her Mirror House to consult her reflection, the Mirror Queen. She has her temporarily turn Brighton into a cockroach as punishment for his betrayal and deception and requests a love potion to make Alcott fall in love with her, the same one she once used on Snow White's father. It turns out to be a 'puppy love' potion, however, and Alcott becomes devoted to her like a puppy. Because of this, he agrees to marry her. Using dark magic, the Mirror Queen attacks Snow White and the dwarfs with two giant marionettes, but she defeats them by cutting their strings.

On the day of her wedding, the Queen arrives to find that Snow White and the dwarfs have raided the party and abducted Alcott. For her inability to handle bandits and for lying about Snow White's death, the aristocrats demand for her to be deposed. Back in the hideout, Snow White breaks the spell on Alcott with true love's kiss.

Snow White encounters the Queen, who sends the Beast after her. It manages to catch her, but hesitates in killing her. Snow White sees the Beast wearing a necklace with a moon charm on it similar to the Queen's, and cuts it off, breaking the curse and restoring the Beast to its true form: her father. The Queen then ages rapidly, and the Mirror Queen asks if she's ready to know the price for using dark magic.

Grateful to Alcott for his assistance, the King agrees to let him marry his daughter. At their wedding, an old hag appears and offers Snow White an apple as a wedding gift. Snow White accepts it and is about to bite it, but then realizes the hag is the Queen. She cuts a piece from the apple with her father's dagger and hands it to her. The Queen accepts defeat and takes the apple as The Mirror Queen affirms it was Snow White's story after all before the Mirror House shatters. Snow White, Alcott, the King, and the dwarfs live happily ever after.

• Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen Clementianna, Snow White's insecure stepmother.
• Lily Collins as Snow White, the Queen's stepdaughter.
• Armie Hammer as Alcott, the Prince of Valencia.
• Nathan Lane as Brighton, the Queen's executive bootlicker.
• Mare Winningham as Margaret, the royal baker who was Snow White's friend since childhood.
• Michael Lerner as the Baron, an elite member of the kingdom who is often recommended for the Queen to get engaged to.
• Sean Bean as the King, the father of Snow White, who went missing.

Other cast members include:

• Robert Emms as Charles Renbock, Prince Alcott's faithful valet and confidant.
• Danny Woodburn as Will Grimm, the leader of the Seven Dwarfs named after the Brothers Grimm.
• Martin Klebba as Butcher, a dwarf who used to work as a butcher.
• Mark Povinelli as Half Pint, a dwarf who has a crush on Snow White.
• Jordan Prentice as Napoleon, a dwarf who wears a hat similar to Napoleon's.
• Sebastian Saraceno as Wolf, a dwarf in a wolf-skin cape.
• Joey Gnoffo as Grub, a dwarf who is always eating.
• Ronald Lee Clark as Chuckles, a dwarf who chuckles a lot.
• Lisa Roberts Gillan as Mirror Queen, the reflection of the Queen who is much wiser, kinder, and somewhat younger than her.
• Frank Welker as the voice of the Beast, a chimeric creature with a lion-like head, the antlers of a deer, chicken leg-like arms, the wings of an eagle, and the body and tail of a snake with a tail-claw at the end of the tail.
• Alex Ivanovici as the town's magistrate that collects the taxes for Brighton.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Roberts was the first to be cast, because very early on Tarsem Singh wanted an Evil Queen with whom audiences could relate. He stated that in the film, the queen is not evil, but rather insecure. He also suggested that the Queen's true ugliness may be revealed at the very end of the film.{{cite web|last=Bibbiani|first=William|title=EXCLUSIVE: Tarsem Singh Reveals 'Snow White' Plot Details!|url=http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/177133-exclusive-tarsem-singh-reveals-snow-white-plot-details|work=CraveOnline|access-date=April 2, 2012|date=October 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231111603/http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/177133-exclusive-tarsem-singh-reveals-snow-white-plot-details|archive-date=December 31, 2011|url-status=dead}} Originally Saoirse Ronan was considered for the role of Snow White but the age difference between her and Armie Hammer was too large (he was 25 and she was 17). Felicity Jones was offered the part but turned it down.{{cite web|last=Grant|first=Olly|title=Felicity Jones: rising star|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8668333/Felicity-Jones-rising-star.html|work=The Telegraph|access-date=January 17, 2012|date=July 31, 2011|archive-date=August 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802022849/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8668333/Felicity-Jones-rising-star.html|url-status=live}} Collins was eventually cast in the role.{{cite web|author=Alison Schwartz, Kristin Luna|title=Lily Collins 'So Excited' to Play Snow White Opposite Julia Roberts|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20478906,00.html|work=People|access-date=April 2, 2012|date=April 2, 2011|archive-date=June 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608111720/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20478906,00.html|url-status=dead}} Collins said in an interview that her casting happened in 24 hours after she met Tarsem Singh and read for him.{{cite web|title=Lily Collins Is Hollywood's Latest 'go To' Girl|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4t9SFCg7co|agency=Associated Press|publisher=Youtube|access-date=April 2, 2012|date=June 1, 2011|archive-date=June 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605045816/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4t9SFCg7co&feature=youtu.be|url-status=live}} Hammer was cast as the prince who is at first drawn towards the Queen and then towards Snow White. He beat out James McAvoy and Alex Pettyfer for the role.

Filming for Mirror Mirror began on June 20, 2011, in Montreal, Quebec, under the working title Untitled Snow White Project.{{cite web|title=Relativity starts shooting its 'Snow White' on Monday|url=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2011/06/relativity-starts-shooting-its-snow-white-on-monday.html|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=April 2, 2012|date=June 15, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818220146/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2011/06/relativity-starts-shooting-its-snow-white-on-monday.html|archive-date=August 18, 2011}} Production on the film wrapped in mid-September.{{cite web|last=Maison|first=Jordan|title='Mirror Mirror' The Official Title of Tarsem Singh's Snow White Movie|url=http://www.themoviepool.com/audience/newsroom/item/1679-mirror-mirror-the-official-title-of-tarsem-singhs-snow-white-movie.html|publisher=themoviepool.com|access-date=April 2, 2012|date=November 4, 2011|archive-date=April 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425032029/http://www.themoviepool.com/audience/newsroom/item/1679-mirror-mirror-the-official-title-of-tarsem-singhs-snow-white-movie.html|url-status=dead}} The film was officially titled Mirror Mirror on November 4, 2011. The first trailer was released on November 30, 2011, in partnership with Relativity Media and Trailer Park.{{cite web|url=http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/mirrormirror/|title=Mirror Mirror – Movie Trailers – iTunes|publisher=Apple Inc.|website=trailers.apple.com|access-date=2011-12-01|archive-date=2011-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203222147/http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/mirrormirror/|url-status=live}} The teaser poster was released the same day. Mirror Mirror was the last film which Tarsem's regular costume designer, Eiko Ishioka, worked on before her death. The visual effects were designed by Tom Wood and executed by Wayne Brinton, Tim Carras, Sébastien Moreau and Amanda Dyar. Relativity Media announced the movie's final cost as being $85 million, though an article in the Los Angeles Times said the true budget was closer to $100 million.{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/03/box-office-hunger-games-dominate-again.html|title=Movie Projector: 'The Hunger Games' to dominate box office – again|first=Amy|last=Kaufman|work=Los Angeles Times|date=2012-03-29|access-date=March 30, 2012|archive-date=2012-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330075345/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/03/box-office-hunger-games-dominate-again.html|url-status=live}}

The song "I Believe in Love" was originally written in 1970 by Nina Hart, a singer-song writer and stage and TV actress (then working at New York City music-publishing company, Golden Bough Productions.) The song was one of several written by Hart for director Miloš Forman to consider for his film Taking Off. She performed the song in Forman's film, playing a character at an audition; Hart's recording was a hit in Italy and was later covered by Iranian singer Googoosh. Tarsem Singh—who was unaware that it had previously been used in a film—chose the song for the Bollywood-style musical finale of Mirror Mirror because his daughter had enjoyed the song when he had played it for her the previous year.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/mirror-mirror-song-i-believe-in-love_n_1387609.html|title='Mirror Mirror' Song Mystery: The Missing Woman Behind 'I Believe in Love'|first=Katie|last=Calautti|work=Huffington Post|date=August 16, 2017|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=August 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817135807/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/mirror-mirror-song-i-believe-in-love_n_1387609.html|url-status=live}}

• I Believe In Love (Mirror Mirror Mix) – Performed by Lily Collins
• All Music – Written and composed by Alan Menken

The film was released in theaters on March 30, 2012. Home media distribution was handled by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, now a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. {{cite magazine|last=Beard|first=Lanford|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/01/26/mirror-mirror-release-delay-march-30/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|title='Mirror Mirror' release delayed two weeks as new trailer hits the Internet|access-date=March 29, 2012|archive-date=January 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129030740/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/01/26/mirror-mirror-release-delay-march-30/|url-status=live}}

{{Anchor|Critics|Critical response}}

The film received generally mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 49% with an average score of 5.60/10 based on reviews from 198 critics. The site's general consensus is that "Like most of Tarsem Singh's films, Mirror Mirror is undeniably beautiful – but its treatment of the age-old Snow White fable lacks enough depth or originality to set it apart from the countless other adaptations of the tale."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mirror_mirror_2012/|title=Mirror Mirror (2012)|work=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=February 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202152016/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mirror_mirror_2012|url-status=live}} On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, it has an average score of 46 from the 34 reviews, which indicates "Mixed or average reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mirror-mirror|title=Mirror Mirror|work=Metacritic|publisher=CNET Networks|access-date=March 30, 2012|archive-date=March 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329052152/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/mirror-mirror|url-status=live}}

Roger Ebert gave it 2.5 out of 4 stars and said: "It is a sumptuous fantasy for the eyes and a pinball game for the mind, as story elements collide and roll around bumping into each other. This is not a faithful retelling of the versions by the Brothers Grimm or Walt Disney, but neither is it a satire, nor much of a story in its own right. But it's great to look at. If there's a major difference from the earlier versions, it's how this one has beefed-up roles for the seven dwarves, who here seem to be a merry band in search of Robin Hood. Nor do I recall earlier battles with a giant winged griffin." Ebert concluded his review by saying: "All of this is in place and looks great, but the dialogue is rather flat, the movie sort of boring, and there's not much energy in the two places it should really be felt: Between the Queen and Snow White, and between Snow and the Prince. The story is a listless tale that moves at a stately pace through settings that could have supported fireworks. Indeed, the characters who seem to care the most about each other are the dwarfs".{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mirror-mirror-2012|title=She's so vain she thinks this fable's about her|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=March 28, 2012|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=May 18, 2024}}

Robbie Collin from British newspaper The Telegraph gave the film four stars describing it as "an exuberantly charming fairy story that owes as much to the gnarled folk tale illustrations of Arthur Rackham as the stagey, saturated lunacy of that half-loved, half-feared East German fantasy The Singing Ringing Tree. It's a Grimm piece of work, but far from a grim one: without rehashing the seminal Disney animated version, it radiates gorgeousness and good humour with a near-nuclear intensity." Collin praised costume designer Eiko Ishioka's work, saying "every outfit in Mirror Mirror is a masterpiece". He concluded the film is "the opposite of Tim Burton's brash, chaotic, dispiritingly popular Alice in Wonderland: here, the artistry of the cast and crew leaps off the screen, not 3D computer graphics."{{cite web|last=Collin|first=Robbie|title=Mirror, Mirror – review|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9175658/Mirror-Mirror-review.html|work=The Telegraph|access-date=March 30, 2012|date=March 30, 2012|archive-date=December 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229042635/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9175658/Mirror-Mirror-review.html|url-status=live}}

On its opening day, Mirror Mirror made $5.8 million, coming in at the No. 3 spot behind The Hunger Games and Wrath of the Titans.{{cite web|last=Subers|first=Ray|title=Friday Report: 'Hunger Games' Easily Tops 'Wrath,' 'Mirror'|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3405|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 2, 2012|date=March 31, 2012|archive-date=April 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404004852/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3405|url-status=live}} For its opening weekend, the film earned $18.1 million while holding onto the No. 3 spot at the box office.{{cite web|first=Ray|last=Subers|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3406&p=.htm|title=Weekend Report: 'Wrath,' 'Mirror' No Match for 'Hunger Games'|website=Box Office Mojo|date=April 1, 2012|access-date=April 2, 2012|archive-date=April 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403235135/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3406&p=.htm|url-status=live}} During its theatrical run, Mirror Mirror grossed $64.9 million in North America and $118.1 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $183 million.

Mirror Mirror was released on DVD and Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on June 26, 2012.

{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}

{{Portal|Film}}

• Grimm's Snow White, another 2012 film based on the tale of Snow White.
• Snow White and the Huntsman, another 2012 film based on the tale of Snow White that was released after this film.
• Blancanieves, a Spanish film also released on 2012 based on the tale of Snow White.
• Snow White: A Deadly Summer, an horror film also released on 2012 based on the tale of Snow White.

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|1667353}}
• {{Mojo title|untitledsnowwhite}}
• {{Metacritic film}}
• {{Rotten-tomatoes|mirror_mirror_2012}}
• [http://vimeo.com/43195919 Opening Sequence Animation]

{{Tarsem Singh}}

{{Snow White}}

Category:2012 films

Category:2012 fantasy films

Category:2012 romantic comedy films

Category:2010s adventure comedy films

Category:2010s fantasy comedy films

Category:2010s fantasy adventure films

Category:2010s children's comedy films

Category:2010s children's fantasy films

Category:American adventure comedy films

Category:American fantasy adventure films

Category:American fantasy comedy films

Category:American romantic comedy films

Category:American children's comedy films

Category:American children's fantasy films

Category:Films about dwarfs

Category:Films about royalty

Category:Films about witchcraft

Category:Films based on Snow White

Category:Films directed by Tarsem Singh

Category:Films scored by Alan Menken

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Category:Films using motion capture

Category:Relativity Media films

Category:2010s English-language films

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Category:Films with screenplays by Jason Keller (playwright)

Category:English-language romantic comedy films

Category:English-language fantasy adventure films

Category:English-language fantasy comedy films