Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs is a new version of the classic Snow White story. This new story is the modern version of todays princess. 

Here is the synopsis of the film: 

Chloë Grace Moretz (Bolt, Inside Out), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games series), Gina Gershon (TV’s “Riverdale”), Patrick Warburton (TV’s “Family Guy,” The Emperor’s New Groove), and Jim Rash (TV’s “Community”) lend their vocal talents to this humorous and heartwarming retelling of the Snow White fable, only this time it’s the princess who must save the prince(s) – all seven of them! This family-friendly film has “a strong body-positive theme that emphasizes the beauty of characters of all shapes and sizes” (Common Sense Media), and received the Dove Seal of Approval for All Ages.

This outrageous fairy tale spoof starts as Snow White steals a pair of red shoes that transform her into a princess. Meanwhile, a witch’s curse turns seven brave princes into dwarfs, forcing them to seek out the princess, hoping for a kiss to break their spell. Together, they must face Snow White’s wicked stepmother – who will stop at nothing to get her precious shoes back – and, along the way, learn that true beauty lies within!

Jaime Maestro was the animation director of Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs. He is the founder and creative director of La Tribu Animation studio in Valencia, Spain. His 20 years of experience has made his name be known as an animation director in Europe. Maestro has won several awards including at Annecy Festival and Premios Goya. He was also pre-selected for an Oscar and a SIGGRAPH finalist. 

I had a Zoom conversation with Jaime Maestro and he explained in more detail what his job is and how he participated with creating Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs. On the personal note, shares what he thinks of this modern tale as a father of two daughters. 

This Zoom interview was conducted in Spanish. Below is the translation.

 Nancy Tapia: Well welcome Jaime.

Jaime Maestro: Hi, how are you?

Nancy Tapia: Good, so we are going to talk about Red Shoes and Seven Dwarfs. Which in Spanish would be…

Jaime Maestro: In Spanish it would be “Zapatos Rojos y los Siete Enanitos”, or the seven trolls, depends on the place haha..

Nancy Tapia: How did you get involved in this project?

Jaime Maestro: Well, this came as we had just started La Tribu and finished Animal Crackers when we got the proposal from Dream Team. It’s one of those that you can’t say no. Dream Team is like a legend in Disney. And when they work with Disney, you either work with them or you wait for them to leave Disney. In this case, it was like that. They had the production set up and they had a small gap of about 25 minutes that they needed help with to finish the movie, and that is when we came in to help them out.

Nancy Tapia: Which part of the movie did you work on?

Jaime Maestro: We did 25 minutes of animation, in sequences. It wasn’t like from minute one to minute twenty-five but we worked on the beginning, the end. I like to say that the best animation in the movie, is ours, haha

Nancy Tapia: Haha…Tell me, as the animation director what exactly is your job?

Jaime Maestro: Well, great question. In fact, when I was little, I remember seeing in Disney movies and the director title in animated movies and I would say, “Director of what? They don’t direct anything in animation. There are no actors, there is no one to direct.” But yes, there is so much work, so much to do. In this case, there is the animated film director and then the animation director. The animated film director imagines, has a global vision of the film. The animation director helps the film director so that the animation of the characters is coherent, has the qualities that the director is asking for. Let’s say it’s someone much more experienced in that field. That helps as an actor director in a real-life film, that make sure that the acting of the character in a sequence is the same, or that keeps character throughout the film. It brings a continuity in the performance of the character.

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Nancy Tapia: Of the 25 minutes that you worked on, which scene was the favorite?

Jaime Maestro: Well, let’s see, those 25 minutes gave room for very varied scenes. It was great that they could count on us not to fill-in spaces, but to really work on difficult things. Many times when you see animation you think that the most difficult part is the characterization or complex acrobatics, like a flip and then a kick. That is fun and you have a great time working on that when doing animation. But the most complex part is usually the most subtle. When you have to reach the audience on an emotional level, like making them cry or making them laugh. Especially making them cry, that is the most difficult part in animation. And there is a moment in the movie when, well the people that have watched the film would know You get your sentimental side worked up.

Nancy Tapia: What is that sentimental part that you were in charge of?

Jaime Maestro: Well, I don’t want to spoil it, I want people to see it. But to keep a countenance look or a tear roll down. It’s something so subtle, that you have to do it well so that it’s credible. Especially so it can bring forth emotion and there are parts in the movie towards the end where there is a little more emotion.

Nancy Tapia: What do you think of this version of the story? Being a more realistic take of Snow White, don’t you think?

Jaime Maestro: For me it’s the version necessary for today. It touches on several topics that are important. On one side you have female empowerment, which is great, for those of us that have daughters. I think it’s great that they are not waiting for a prince charming to come rescue them, but that they take charge of their own lives and they can rescue themselves or even rescue the prince charming. And in that sense, the movie touches on that which I think is very interesting. Another topic which is the most evident, which is judging people based on their physical appearances. And break away that obsession about beauty and the selfie, look how handsome or gorgeous this person looks. Oh there’s too much fat or a little belly on this one, etc. I think that we should keep that away from children. Not only from children, but also from adults who are the ones who teach the little ones.

Nancy Tapia: That’s true! And also what I like about this movie is that it not only looks at it from a female point of view, but also a masculine.

Jaime Maestro: Exactly. Exactly.

Nancy Tapia: Yeah, so it’s aimed for both for boys and girls

Jaime Maestro: Of course! I think that nowadays there is a trend to break away from that stereotype that this is for boys and this is for girls. Because at the end of the day, it’s something that can be very harmful for both boys and girls. That has a lot to do with each personality. Everyone has their own likes, and what one likes doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, we are who we are. If we are extroverts or introverts, it has more to do with how a person is. I think that in this way in this movie boys can be taught some things.

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Nancy Tapia: To conclude. What are some projects that you are working on?

Jaime Maestro: We just finished working on a film called Wish Dragon from Sony Pictures Animation. I don’t really know when it will be released, maybe by the end of the year. It all depends on the release dates due to COVID. But yes, our part of the project is done, we were part of the animation. And in the next couple of months we are starting our own first film of La Tribu and we are looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I really have to bite my tongue because I can’t say who we are working with and what it is about, but I’m convinced that it will be something to talk about.

Nancy Tapia: Well, best wishes and I do hope we can talk in the future about it, when you can talk about this new film

Jaime Maestro: Thank you very much.

Nancy Tapia: Good luck! And thanks for your time. 

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs is out in Digital and On Demand. Available on Blu-ray and DVD today!

This interview was translated by Susana Yañez

Source: LRM Online Exclusive