nostalgic notes: [ 1 ] ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

why ever after high shouldn’t have gotten canceled

𐙚⋆.˚ What is EAH? 𐙚⋆.˚

Ever After High (EAH) is a 2013 cartoon marketed towards kids that follows fairytale characters' sons and daughters as they embark on journeys and figure out if they want to take over their generational role in their respective stories.

At the beginning, there are two sides, the royals, and everybody else. The royals included everybody from the royal families, such as the children of Snow white, Cinderella, Sleeping beauty, etc. 

Legacy Day is when the students step up to the Storybook of Legends, which contains everybody's fairytale or story, and they sign their names pledging to follow in their parents' footsteps and fulfill their rightful destiny. 

Now, you can see how this causes some issues considering not just the royals attend here. The children of The Evil Queen, The Cheshire Cat, Maleficent and more attend here as well.

What about their destiny? They don’t exactly ride off into the sunset with their prince charming like the royals do… I mean most villains die at the end of their fairytale.

Now, the universal agreement is that everybody signs their name no matter what. It’s how it’s always been. The villains must come to peace with the jagged path that lies ahead of them…or do they?

One of our protagonists, Raven Queen, Daughter of the Evil Queen, challenges this notion and refuses to sign herself away to a life of misery, kickstarting a divide in the student body and putting a screeching halt to tradition (with one of the best scenes of the series in my opinion).

Obviously, this choice does not come without backlash. The royals are understandably upset, their happily ever after is no longer guaranteed, since it’s contingent upon the villains of their stories following their path. Ravens decision, however, creates a new side. 

The rebels. 

The rebels are people who agree with Raven and want to choose their own destiny, while the royals include not just the royal families, but anybody who agrees with Apple and thinks destiny should be confined to the book. 

The sides are pretty split with mostly the heroes/princesses as royals and villains/antagonists as rebels, but there are some overlaps. 

For example, Kitty Cheshire is the daughter of the Cheshire cat. She would traditionally be considered a rebel since her parent is a villain, but throughout the series she makes it very clear she is eager to follow in her mom's footsteps in creating mischief. This would categorize her as a royal.

Then there's Briar Rose, daughter of Sleeping Beauty, one of the most well known princesses. However, as time goes on, Briar realizes she doesn't want to waste her life sleeping away and instead wants to do her own thing, thus making her a rebel despite her protagonist mom.

These overlaps serve to make the series complex and further individualize each character with their own motives and goals instead of falling victim to a generalized supporting cast.

𐙚⋆.˚ What makes this show special ? 𐙚⋆.˚

Firstly, the show's concept itself is creative. I mean I don't know about you, but I can only think of two other shows that deal with the sons and daughters of beloved fictional characters.

Not only does the concept allow for almost an infinite number of characters to be added to the universe and really be fleshed out in their own unique way, it also isn't just a surface level show for kids.

The show has 4 seasons and 1 special on Netflix, although I've heard there are more filler episodes and such over on YouTube. I would love to explain the seasons, but I don’t want to spoil anything major, since the show is so exceptional even in its plot.

It's full of unexpected twists and turns, so I'd recommend going in blind !

Mattel is known for their creative and intricate character designs, and they definitely pulled out all the stops for this series as well.

The students of EAH have stunning and sophisticated outfits, most of them thematically tying in with their fairytale. They always love to make a fashion statement by including layering, headpieces, and beautiful hairstyles to match. The designs are very reminiscent of other Mattel shows like Monster High, especially when you look at the shoes. 

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The world building for the series is incredible. The author has made it so that it is almost infinitely expandable with portals and magic wells, while the animators have illustrated such alluring and whimsical settings to create an immersive experience for the audience.

EAH even has a Monster High crossover where a character from the monster high universe crosses over into EAH, fabulously enriching the lore and storyline even more without feeling clunky.

The show also has a unique version of breaking the fourth wall. Instead of characters speaking to the audience, some of them can speak and hear the narrators of the series. It’s especially clever as the narrators can help the characters with their quests (though they try not to meddle since that's not their job) and this detail undoubtedly sets this series apart from others.

𐙚⋆.˚ Why did EAH get canceled ? 𐙚⋆.˚

We can all turn to Disney for this one ! With the release of Descendants, Mattel believed that the franchise was no longer profitable and couldn't compete with the popularity the Descendants movies brought. Afterall they were similar in concept and had more notable actors and characters.

The show has seven books written by Suzanne Selfors and it also has a doll/toy line by Mattel to partner with the animated series. I myself owned an EAH secret journal, the ones that required a spoken password. It was designed to look like the storybook of legends with a key and all, and when opened it played the theme song for the show.

𐙚⋆.˚ My take 𐙚⋆.˚

Canceling this was an ENORMOUS mistake, not only because it’s a marvelous show that's special to me, but because of the valuable lesson it taught to younger audiences about choosing your own path and emphasizing that your life is in your hands.

You should fight for yourself, much like Raven. You shouldn't have to be miserable for the rest of your life just because some book is telling you to, or you feel the need to follow in others' footsteps.

Your destiny is your own, your choices are your own, you are what you make yourself. Your decisions can change your life, and maybe even the world. 

This is why I think EAH isn't just a kids' show. I think its themes are very relevant in today's world for all age groups.

Everybody feels like they have to pick a career that makes them money over what they're passionate about, and many end up miserable. People around the world make difficult decisions regarding the next stage of their life every single day.

This show is not only whimsical and fun, it also has heartwarming characters and uplifting motivational themes that everybody can enjoy.

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