It's a classic tale: seven dwarfs befriend a beautiful maiden and try to save her from a deadly magical curse. By travelling through time. With a suicidal dragon. Wait... what? If you think you know the story of the seven dwarfs, think again. At first glance The 7th Dwarf, a computer-animated German film with English dialogue, seems like one of those cheap Disney knock-offs from the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, it's a clever-looking fairy-tale mash-up in the self-aware spirit of Shrek. Out go Snow White and Dopey, in comes Bobo, the youngest dwarf, who accidentally pricks the finger of Princess Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty), sending the entire kingdom into a 100-year slumber. Only by travelling to the future with their fire-breathing friend can our diminutive heroes hope to put things right. Worth a look for its fresh spin on an overly familiar tale.
lcairney@thenational.ae