The Magic Riddle
Encyclopedia
The Magic Riddle is a 1991
Australia
n animated feature film directed and written by Yoram Gross
. The film's plot features elements of famous fairytales including Cinderella
, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
, Little Red Riding Hood
and Pinocchio
. Robyn Moore provides the voice of Cindy.
, lives with her widowed stepmother and two stepsisters, Bertha and Ertha. Cindy is forced to do all of the housework and is effectively a servant. The widow hates Cindy because when her Grandfather died, he hid his will, and the widow knows it bequeaths all the family inheritance to Cindy. The widow purposely keeps Cindy busy so that she will never find the will, giving the widow time to find it first.
A young man named Philip, who is their neighbor, returns from his studies and is enchanted by Cindy. The widow, however, wants him to marry Bertha.
One night, Cindy falls asleep before finishing her chores. Unknown to her, an old lady sneaks into the house and finishes her chores for her. Ertha encounters the old lady, who reveals that she is Cindy's Grandmother. Ertha agrees to keep Grandmother's visit a secret. The same thing happens the following night, but the widow wakes up and chases Cindy's Grandmother out of the house. Ertha, who witnessed everything, tells Cindy about Grandmother's visit.
The widow asks her magic mirror
for advice, and it shows her a salesman disguise. The widow visits Grandmother's house in the woods, and tricks the old lady, who is sent to the Castle of a Hundred Doors, from which there is no escape.
Cindy, dressed in a red riding hood
, tries to find her way to Grandmother's house. On the way, Cindy meets a wolf who advises her to walk slowly to avoid danger. When Cindy finally arrives at the house, she is shocked when her "Grandmother" turns out to be the wolf. After Cindy runs away in fear, the wolf removes its mask, revealing that it was the widow.
Cindy sits by a lake, telling her hopes to an ugly duckling
, unaware that Philip is listening. Philip eventually reveals himself and gives her a ring as a token. Later, Bertha scares away their farm's pigs
and blames Cindy. Cindy runs back to Grandmother's house, and there she discovers seven wooden dwarfs and the wooden puppet Pinocchio
. They come alive when she kisses them, and they tell her that widow took Grandmother away.
The widow decides to lure Cindy back to the house by holding a ball. Cindy learns about the ball and decides to go, as it is a chance to see Philip again. The dwarfs make Cindy a white dress, Pinocchio lets her borrow his shoes, and they create a swan
-shaped sleigh, as well as a crown
and mask
out of snow. They warn her that the mask will melt at midnight, so she has to leave before then.
At the ball, the widow keeps an eye out for Cindy. Philip is at first forced to dance with Bertha, but when Cindy arrives, he quickly turns his attention to her. Ertha has her own romance when she dances with Pinocchio. When the clock strikes 12, Cindy's disguise melts away and she is forced to run away, with her friends the dwarfs and Pinocchio quickly following. When the widow mocks Ertha for wanting to find Pinocchio, Ertha retaliates by telling Philip that Cindy can be found at Grandmother's house. He heads out to find her.
The widow asks her magic mirror for help, and it shows her a disguise: a pointed hat, a nose that looks like Pinocchio's and an apple. The widow arrives at Grandmother's house in the disguise, claiming to be Pinocchio's mother. The widow hypnotizes Cindy to fall asleep, and in the commotion the widow falls in a well.
The seven dwarfs, Philip and Pinocchio all end up hearing cries for help at the Castle of a Hundred Doors. When Pinocchio enters, one of his shoes is caught on a nail and starts to unravel. After some time Grandmother is found everyone is able to group up, and follow the trail left by Pinocchio's shoe.
When they arrive back at the cottage, Cindy is woken up. Grandmother tells her that Grandfather left her everything in his will, and that the answer is hidden in his magic riddle, a poem which ends with: "Only Pinocchio knows". It turns out that the will is inside Pinocchio's nose. Grandmother reads the will, confirming that all of Grandfather's possessions go to Cindy.
Cindy and Philip's wedding
is held at what used to be the widow's house. After the celebrations, the dwarfs turn back into wood. But when Ertha kisses Pinocchio, he comes back to life to be with her.
The credits roll as the song "Ordinary Miracles" is sung by Julie Anthony.
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n animated feature film directed and written by Yoram Gross
Yoram Gross
Yoram Gross is an Australian producer of children’s and family entertainment. The company is best known for producing Blinky Bill and Dot and the Kangaroo.- History :...
. The film's plot features elements of famous fairytales including Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
, Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
and Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
. Robyn Moore provides the voice of Cindy.
Plot
Cindy, short for CinderellaCinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
, lives with her widowed stepmother and two stepsisters, Bertha and Ertha. Cindy is forced to do all of the housework and is effectively a servant. The widow hates Cindy because when her Grandfather died, he hid his will, and the widow knows it bequeaths all the family inheritance to Cindy. The widow purposely keeps Cindy busy so that she will never find the will, giving the widow time to find it first.
A young man named Philip, who is their neighbor, returns from his studies and is enchanted by Cindy. The widow, however, wants him to marry Bertha.
One night, Cindy falls asleep before finishing her chores. Unknown to her, an old lady sneaks into the house and finishes her chores for her. Ertha encounters the old lady, who reveals that she is Cindy's Grandmother. Ertha agrees to keep Grandmother's visit a secret. The same thing happens the following night, but the widow wakes up and chases Cindy's Grandmother out of the house. Ertha, who witnessed everything, tells Cindy about Grandmother's visit.
The widow asks her magic mirror
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
for advice, and it shows her a salesman disguise. The widow visits Grandmother's house in the woods, and tricks the old lady, who is sent to the Castle of a Hundred Doors, from which there is no escape.
Cindy, dressed in a red riding hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
, tries to find her way to Grandmother's house. On the way, Cindy meets a wolf who advises her to walk slowly to avoid danger. When Cindy finally arrives at the house, she is shocked when her "Grandmother" turns out to be the wolf. After Cindy runs away in fear, the wolf removes its mask, revealing that it was the widow.
Cindy sits by a lake, telling her hopes to an ugly duckling
The Ugly Duckling
"The Ugly Duckling" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen . The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse from his neighbors until, much to his delight , he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all...
, unaware that Philip is listening. Philip eventually reveals himself and gives her a ring as a token. Later, Bertha scares away their farm's pigs
Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs is a fairy tale featuring anthropomorphic animals. Printed versions date back to the 1840s, but the story itself is thought to be much older...
and blames Cindy. Cindy runs back to Grandmother's house, and there she discovers seven wooden dwarfs and the wooden puppet Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
. They come alive when she kisses them, and they tell her that widow took Grandmother away.
The widow decides to lure Cindy back to the house by holding a ball. Cindy learns about the ball and decides to go, as it is a chance to see Philip again. The dwarfs make Cindy a white dress, Pinocchio lets her borrow his shoes, and they create a swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
-shaped sleigh, as well as a crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
and mask
Mask
A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...
out of snow. They warn her that the mask will melt at midnight, so she has to leave before then.
At the ball, the widow keeps an eye out for Cindy. Philip is at first forced to dance with Bertha, but when Cindy arrives, he quickly turns his attention to her. Ertha has her own romance when she dances with Pinocchio. When the clock strikes 12, Cindy's disguise melts away and she is forced to run away, with her friends the dwarfs and Pinocchio quickly following. When the widow mocks Ertha for wanting to find Pinocchio, Ertha retaliates by telling Philip that Cindy can be found at Grandmother's house. He heads out to find her.
The widow asks her magic mirror for help, and it shows her a disguise: a pointed hat, a nose that looks like Pinocchio's and an apple. The widow arrives at Grandmother's house in the disguise, claiming to be Pinocchio's mother. The widow hypnotizes Cindy to fall asleep, and in the commotion the widow falls in a well.
The seven dwarfs, Philip and Pinocchio all end up hearing cries for help at the Castle of a Hundred Doors. When Pinocchio enters, one of his shoes is caught on a nail and starts to unravel. After some time Grandmother is found everyone is able to group up, and follow the trail left by Pinocchio's shoe.
When they arrive back at the cottage, Cindy is woken up. Grandmother tells her that Grandfather left her everything in his will, and that the answer is hidden in his magic riddle, a poem which ends with: "Only Pinocchio knows". It turns out that the will is inside Pinocchio's nose. Grandmother reads the will, confirming that all of Grandfather's possessions go to Cindy.
Cindy and Philip's wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
is held at what used to be the widow's house. After the celebrations, the dwarfs turn back into wood. But when Ertha kisses Pinocchio, he comes back to life to be with her.
The credits roll as the song "Ordinary Miracles" is sung by Julie Anthony.
Soundtrack
Tracklisting:- "Ordinary Miracles" (by Julie Anthony)
- "When I Was Just A Little Girl"
- "I Will Find The Will"
- "Mean Mean Mean"
- "My Darling Daughters"
- "Sisters Sisters"
- "Cindy Do It Now"
- "Try Not To Cry So"
- "Pig Song"
- "Oh Silver Bright Reflection"
- "Grandma Dear Grandma"
- "Now How Did It Go"
- "Girl In The Snow White Dress"
- "I'm Alive"
- "Cinderella's Wedding Day"
- "Instrumental Score Excerpts".