Sep 15, 2020

Korean special "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" arrives in the US on Friday

The Korean animated feature Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs is expanding into North America with a digital release (AppleTV, Amazon, and other digital and on demand platforms) this Friday, September 18, followed by Blu-ray and dvd on Sept. 22 through Lionsgate.

In the fairy tale spoof, Snow White steals a pair of red shoes that transform her into a princess, while a witch's curse turns seven princes into dwarfs, forcing them to seek out the princess, hoping for a kiss to break their spell.

Produced by Locus Corporation through its animation production arm, Sidus Animation Studios, its makers claim that Red Shoes is the most widely-distributed wholly-Korean-produced animated feature, with distribution secured in over 123 territories around the world. The film has grossed over $10 million USD throughout its theatrical run, and recently spent two weeks atop Spain's box office, where it bested Disney-Pixar's Onward.

Directed by Sung-ho Hong (Egg-Cola: A Miracle in the Desert), the film also boasts some familiar names from the U.S. animation industry, in particular Sang-jin Kim (a.k.a. Jin Kim; Tangled, Frozen, Moana), who served as character designer and animation director on Red Shoes, and Mulan director Tony Bancroft, who directed the film's voice recordings.

The voice cast features Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Claflin, Gina Gershon, Patrick Warburton, and Jim Rash; Geoff Zanelli (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Into the West) scored the film.

The film was ensnared in controversy back in 2017 after Twitter users accused the film's marketing campaign of bodyshaming. The filmmakers promptly apologized for the advertising campaign, which they said “had the opposite effect from that which was intended.” Their apology appears to have been genuine, as the film itself has been notably free of the criticisms that were leveled at its marketing campaign.