Happily N’Ever After

Introduction:

As the story begins, we are introduced to the idea that the Wizard controls all of the fairy tales and maintain the balance of good and evil in Fairy Tale Land. With the help of his assistants, the Wizard is checking to make sure that all the fairy tales under his care are “on track” to have their traditional happy endings. As we meet him, however, the Wizard is leaving for Scotland for a long-overdue vacation. He leaves the kingdom in the hands of his two assistants, the uptight Munk and the decidedly goofy Mambo.

Ella (better known as Cinderella) starts out a damsel in distress, dreaming of the Prince who will sweep her off her feet. Her best friend at the palace is Rick, the palace dishwasher. Rick takes it upon himself to deliver the invitations to the royal ball to Ella. Ella visits Rick in the palace kitchen to borrow items she needs to complete her chores and to share her hopes of dancing with “him” (the Prince) tonight. Ella sees Rick only as a friend, but Rick secretly loves Ella, although he is too cool and proud to admit it. Rick can’t really understand what Ella likes about the Prince. Rick’s Three Amigos, the comic chefs in the palace kitchen, believe that Rick has a bad case of “Prince envy”. The Prince does everything by the book. He wants it all to be perfect: perfect hair, perfect shirt, perfect everything (he even put on perfect underwear). He plans to meet his Damsel at the ball.