7 Dwarves – Men Alone in the Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 7 Dwarves – Men Alone With Their Wood |
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German theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Sven Unterwaldt Jr. |
| Produced by | Bernd Eilert, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid, Otto Waalkes, Douglas Welbat |
| Written by | Bernd Eilert, Sven Unterwaldt Jr., Otto Waalkes (novel) |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Joja Wendt |
| Cinematography | Jo Heim |
| Editing by | Julia von Frihling |
| Release date(s) | 28 October 2004 |
| Running time | 91 minutes (PAL-DVD version) |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
7 Dwarves – Men Alone In the Woods (German: 7 Zwerge – Männer allein im Wald) is a funny German movie from 2004. It was created by Otto Waalkes. The film tells a new version of the classic fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, by the Brothers Grimm.
This movie was very popular in Germany. In 2004, it was the second most-watched film in German cinemas. Almost 7 million people went to see it! It's also one of the most successful German films ever made in Germany.
Contents
The Story of the Seven Dwarves
The movie starts with Little Red Riding Hood. She is picking flowers and decides to go into a dark forest called Unterwaldt. One of the dwarves, Bubi, sees her. Another dwarf, Tschakko, who is dressed as a bear, surprises Bubi. The dwarves have a rule: they are not allowed to look at women. Because Tschakko broke this rule, he gets a funny punishment: squirrels tickle his feet!
The Dwarves' Rules and a Big Visitor
The dwarves are having a meeting when a very tall person named Ralphie shows up. He wants to join "the seven dwarves." But the dwarves tell him no, because "there are already seven dwarves." They send Ralphie away. The dwarves then decide to make it harder for women to enter their forest. Instead of blowing up a bridge, they just put up a sign. The sign clearly says that women are not allowed to pass.
Snow White's Escape
Meanwhile, the ghost in the queen's magic mirror tells her that someone named Snow White is even more beautiful than she is. The queen gets angry. She calls her hunter, who was supposed to get rid of Snow White a long time ago. It turns out the hunter took Snow White to an orphanage instead.
At the orphanage, Snow White is still playing with her dolls. The mirror's ghost appears in her dollhouse mirror. It warns Snow White that people are looking for her. Snow White quickly runs away. The hunter and his dog, Brutus, try to find her. But they lose her trail and go back to the castle. The hunter lies to the queen, saying Brutus got rid of Snow White.
Snow White Meets the Dwarves
When the dwarves return to their cottage, they find Snow White sleeping there. At first, they want her to leave. But Snow White suggests they divide the house so everyone has space. The dwarves change their minds. They thought dwarves had to be very small, but Snow White helps them see that being a dwarf is more about how you live than your height. Ralphie tries again to join them, but they still say no because "there are already seven dwarves."
Why the Dwarves Dislike Women
Snow White soon learns why the dwarves prefer to be alone. Sunny and Cloudy were once kicked out of a school play by their female teacher. Speedy once tried to climb Rapunzel's long hair, but she cut it, and he had a big fall. Tschakko doesn't like to fight women. Cookie once made vegetarian food that his mother didn't enjoy. Brumboss starts to tell his story, but he doesn't get very far.
The Queen's Plan and a Surprise
The queen asks her magic mirror again and finds out Snow White is still alive! She gets very angry and locks the hunter in a dungeon. The queen then disguises herself and goes to find Snow White.
The dwarves are busy planning a surprise 18th birthday party for Snow White. But the queen kidnaps Snow White! The dwarves search for her and only find the queen's crown. They take their horse and ride to the castle. When they get there, they realize Brummboss is missing.
Snow White is in the dungeon. Brummboss, disguised as a priest, visits her. He finally tells her why he has strong feelings about women. He explains that his wife and child were said to have passed away a long time ago. Brummboss, who was a king, gave up his crown. The person who helped with the birth took the crown and became the new queen. This was because the law said whoever wore the crown was the ruler.
Brummboss, still in disguise, takes Snow White to a high platform. Just before something bad happens, Brummboss reveals his true identity. He is the king who disappeared 18 years ago, and he is also Snow White's father! He puts the crown on his head and becomes king again.
A New Seventh Dwarf
The other dwarves return to their cottage. Now there are only six of them. So, Ralphie is finally chosen to be the seventh dwarf! The dwarves decide they won't help women anymore. But this promise doesn't last long. Little Red Riding Hood soon knocks on their door, asking for help because she is lost in the woods.
Meet the Cast
- Boris Aljinovic as Cloudy
- Tom Gerhardt as Wache (Guard)
- Cosma Shiva Hagen as Snow White
- Nina Hagen as The Queen
- Norbert Heisterkamp as Ralfie
- Heinz Hoenig as Brummboss
- Mavie Hörbiger as Little Red Riding Hood
- Rüdiger Hoffmann as The Mirror on the Wall
- Markus Majowski as Cookie
- Mirco Nontschew as Tschakko
- Hans Werner Olm as Spliss
- Harald Schmidt as The Best Jester Candidate
- Ralf Schmitz as Sunny
- Helge Schneider as The White Helge
- Martin Schneider as Speedy
- Atze Schröder as the Jester
- Hilmi Sözer as the Guard
- Christian Tramitz as the Hunter
- Otto Waalkes as Bubi
Awards and Recognition
- 2004: Platinum Box Office Germany Award (This award is for movies that sell a lot of tickets in Germany.)
- 2005: The German Comedy Award (Deutscher Comedypreis) for best comedic film (This award celebrates the best funny movie.)
- 2005: Goldene Leinwand mit Stern (This is a special German film award for very successful movies.)
What Came Next
A sequel to the original film was released on October 26, 2006. It was called 7 Zwerge – Der Wald ist nicht genug ("Seven Dwarves - The Forest Is Not Enough"). Most of the main actors returned for this movie. However, Markus Majowski couldn't be in it because of other work. Gustav Peter Wöhler took his place.
Later, on September 25, 2014, an animated movie called The 7th Dwarf was shown in cinemas. The actors from the live-action films voiced their characters in this cartoon version.
