“HAPPILY N’Ever After” is a 2006 animated fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Paul J. Bolger, produced by John H. Williams, and written by Rob Moreland. It is inspired by the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, and is loosely based on the 1999 German animated television series “Simsala Grimm.”
The title is a playful inversion of the stock phrase “happily ever after,” with the word contracted using an apostrophe between the “N” and the “E.” The film features the voices of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Andy Dick, Wallace Shawn, Patrick Warburton, George Carlin, and Sigourney Weaver. It also marks one of Carlin’s final performances before his death in 2008.
I am old-fashioned. For many years, I have loved collecting old magazine and newspaper clippings. Can you imagine what my office looks like?
Anyway, in a very old issue of the Philadelphia News, columnist Larry Fields once confessed: “I lead a life of wine, women, and song (by the way, a wonderful waltz by Johann Strauss!) — it’s cheaper than petrol, food, and rent!” Mmmhhh…
Some marriages are made in heaven. You know some? I do. The best of the rest are down-to-earth — perhaps like yours. As for me, I was blessed to celebrate my 42nd wedding anniversary last March 2025.
Maybe you remember this line: “Then the prince swept the lovely young maiden into his arms and carried her home to his castle. And they lived happily ever after!” Indeed, they did. Meanwhile, I have met several couples who would say: happily never after!
What I would like to see is an independent study of all these “happily-ever-after” marriages — say, seven years later. Or even earlier, considering the so-called tricky seventh year might arrive much sooner… perhaps even in the first.
The truth is, life is not made up of the continual highs we experience during the early stages of courtship. Of course, many would say that flirting is fun, and that exciting spark feels endless. But after a while, our system needs rest. Sooner or later, we all enter the second stage — and married life begins to need a fresh coat of paint.
Suddenly, your partner prefers watching sports channels day and night, falls asleep while you’re sharing your innermost thoughts, and even forgets your anniversary — once, maybe twice. Still, remember this: you have earned each other’s acceptance, even if it sometimes comes with a sense of gloom. And that acceptance should never be undervalued.
Then reality sets in. The house needs cleaning, countless things must be organized, and your partner looks just as tired and bored as you feel. The logical question arises: “Is this it? Was that all there was?”
And then, just as suddenly, you reach the third stage — and begin to understand why the ups and downs are worth it. Maybe we men no longer say how beautiful she looks, and instead grumble about how long she takes to get ready. Yet, in quieter ways, we show care — like taking out the garbage without being asked.
No marriage is blissful all the time — but it can be pretty good most of the time. When we endure arguments, money worries, children’s problems, and even the slow creep of midlife crises, we must accept that a relationship is not a constant celebration.
Because in the end, the fundamental reason for marriage outlasts the chaos of everyday life: we love each other. And that, to me, is what “happily ever after” truly means.
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