{"id":12041,"date":"2024-05-17T14:18:18","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T21:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/?p=12041"},"modified":"2024-05-17T14:23:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T21:23:51","slug":"princess-halle-and-the-jester-wow-but-wow-this-is-not-a-once-upon-a-time-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/2024\/princess-halle-and-the-jester-wow-but-wow-this-is-not-a-once-upon-a-time-movie\/","title":{"rendered":"Princess Halle and the Jester * Wow, But Wow! This Is Not A \u201cOnce Upon A Time&#8221; Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"232\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHallePoster.jpg?resize=232%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12044\" style=\"width:120px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHallePoster.jpg?resize=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1 232w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHallePoster.jpg?w=612&amp;ssl=1 612w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>When goblins attack and capture the king, a young princess and a poor jester must avenge her father and battler the evil stepmother who has taken over the throne. This film uses cutting edge technology can make a new IP with real humans and in a sustainable way. The feature-length film is the first in a planned trilogy and uses breakthrough technologies to meld action, romance, and fairytales into a completely new and unique world that is both modern and timeless. The extensive, photorealistic digital world immerses the viewer in a hyper real experience with cutting-edge virtual sets, procedural AI, CGI creatures, and digital doubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ryan M. comments, \u201cWow, but wow! <em>Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> is such an interesting film \u2013 with all the CGI. It is so interesting and funny with lots of dramatic action. It has everything you can think of in a film and it is not a \u201conce upon a time&#8221; movie. It&#8217;s action royal \u2013 a kind of movie I just love.\u201d Eshaan M. adds, \u201cThe plot of <em>Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> really makes it stand out from any other action\/fantasy film. It\u2019s somewhere between <em>Lord of the Rings <\/em>and a kids\u2019 show like <em>Sophia the First<\/em>. Halle\u2019s character is well built out, and we see her evolve and mature mentally and emotionally throughout the film.\u201d See their full reviews below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Princess Halle and The Jester<br>By Ryan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. Age 10<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-GIYnP-nNe8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.a.a.jpg?resize=300%2C168&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12048\" style=\"width:220px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Wow, but wow! <em>Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> is such an interesting film \u2013 with all the CGI. It is so interesting and funny with lots of dramatic action. It has everything you can think of in a film and it is not a \u201conce upon a time&#8221; movie. It&#8217;s action royal \u2013 a kind of movie I just love. This movie tells you all about fairy tales. It doesn&#8217;t have to end with a royal wedding. This movie ends unlike any royal fairy tale movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The storyline follows a kingdom that is attacked by an army of goblins and their king (Byron Herlong) is kidnapped and turned into stone. The young princess Halle (Emma Duchesneau) runs away with the jester Henri (Duncan Novak) and he brings her to his hometown. Afterwards she wants to return but the guards take her away and then kill Henri\u2019s grandpa (Geoffrey Lyons). Together they fight the evil goblin queen, Priscilla (Rachel Stacy).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.png?resize=300%2C169&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12042\" style=\"width:220px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The film\u2019s CGI is so good, especially how the dragon looks. It begins as cute, small and harmless, and then they make it big and ready to fly across the world. The animator deserves a lot of credit for his work which is very good. The costume makes Henri look like a villager and the dress for the princess makes her look royal \u2013 the necklace looks like an actual gem. The hair and makeup artist (Justine Sylvie) outdid herself, making the princess\u2019s hair look very regal. The lead animator (Kieth Lee) gives the dragon very bright colors, but it still looks realistic. I just love this film. It has a royal fairy tale movie genre and its executed so well. There is one thing that bugged me \u2013\u00a0 when they are fighting the goblin queen, the princess Halle hits a wall and falls in pain, but there was no sound. That is weird.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.e.e.jpg?resize=480%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12045\" style=\"width:220px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.e.e.jpg?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.e.e.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The message is that not all fairy tales end with a happy royal marriage like in this film.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I give<em> Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> 4.4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. <em>Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> releases on VOD and streaming on May 21, 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Princess Halle and The Jester<br>By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 18<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perfect for fans of fantasy, <em>Princess Halle and The Jester<\/em> tells an elaborate and exquisite tale replete with action, drama and unconventional twists. It&#8217;s a good watch despite stilted scriptwriting and performances, and some rough CGI.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3jv7L7Foylo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.B.jpg?resize=300%2C169&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12047\" style=\"width:220px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.B.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.B.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.B.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.b.B.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The film follows Princess Halle (Emma Duchesneau), a teen royal reeling from the loss of her mother. At the coronation of her stepmother Queen Priscilla (Rachel Stacy), the new queen, goblins attack the castle and capture Halle\u2019s father King Victor (Byron Herlong), taking him to a faraway land. She must save her father and restore balance to the kingdom while also fighting her stepmother\u2019s allegations that she conspired with the goblins to steal her father\u2019s throne.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plot of <em>Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> really makes it stand out from any other action\/fantasy film. It\u2019s somewhere between <em>Lord of the Rings <\/em>and a kids\u2019 show like <em>Sophia the First<\/em>. Halle\u2019s character is well built out, and we see her evolve and mature mentally and emotionally throughout the film. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"128\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.c.png?resize=300%2C128&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043\" style=\"width:220px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.c.png?resize=300%2C128&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.c.png?resize=768%2C326&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.c.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I also love the jester, Henri (Duncan Novak), who acts as Halle\u2019s sidekick; he was given such a positive and supportive role, and he plays it with conviction. There are some instances where <em>Princess Halle and the Jester <\/em>is let down by its budget<em>. <\/em>The CGI looks antiquated and basic. In many scenes \u2013 one where a dragon takes King Victor away and another where the characters pass through otherworldly groves and forests \u2013 the heavy usage of green screens and artificial graphics is evident. The backgrounds and characters are roughly rendered, and you can see the individual frames of some of the motion animations. Other technical elements could have been refined, too. The camerawork is awkward at times, with diagonal panning and some untimely cuts. But the film is lifted by performances by the supporting cast, who give it their all, and a well-written script. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.d.d.jpg?resize=300%2C169&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12046\" style=\"width:220px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.d.d.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.d.d.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.d.d.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PrincessHalle.d.d.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The dialogue writing is nicely done; it\u2019s crafted more like a work of theater than a film in some parts, which makes sense, since the action can be broken up into three acts, like a stage play. Justine Sylvie aces the costumes and hair and makeup, one element of the film I really love.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> promotes fighting for justice and preserving your internal sense of goodness and kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I give <em>Princess Halle and the Jester<\/em> 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. The film releases on May 21, 2024 on demand and on Apple and Amazon streaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XDUasaJ_ZAw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When goblins attack and capture the king, a young princess and a poor jester must avenge her father and battler the evil stepmother who has taken over the throne. This film uses cutting edge technology can make a new IP with real humans and in a sustainable way. The feature-length film is the first in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9,4949],"tags":[7708,1783,7701,164,7705,7706,7702,7699,7709,7704,7703,7707,1166,7698,7700,7710,2379],"class_list":["post-12041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-news","category-feature-film","tag-adarn-westbeld","tag-by-kids-for-kids","tag-byron-herlong","tag-cgi","tag-cgi-animation","tag-christopher-lombardi","tag-duncan-novak","tag-emma-duchesneau","tag-geoffrey-lyons","tag-goblins","tag-justin-sylvie","tag-mary-lombardi","tag-movie-reviews","tag-princess-halle-and-the-jester","tag-rachel-stacy","tag-sejal-mehta","tag-vision-films"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paS5I2-38d","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12041"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12054,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041\/revisions\/12054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}