Secret Magic Control Agency

Secret Magic Control Agency (also known as Hansel & Gretel) is a 2021 English-language Russian computer-animated spy fantasy adventure comedy family film. The film is produced by Wizart Animation, CTB Film Company and QED International. Written by Analisa LaBianco, Vladimir Nikolaev, Jeffery Spencer, Aleksey Tsitsilin and Alexey Zamyslov and directed by Aleksey Tsitsilin, the film is based on the story "Hansel and Gretel" by Brothers Grimm. 
The film was released on 18 March 2021 in Russia by Sony Pictures Productions and Releasing (SPPR). Netflix acquired global rights to the film and released it on 25 March 2021 on the streaming service. The film performed well at the streaming rankings for Netflix reaching the top ten global viewership charts in the first week of its release. The film received generally positive reviews from critics especially noting the animation. 
Plot.
In a fantasy kingdom all magic is regulated by the Secret Magic Control Agency. A few days before the King's birthday, the King is abducted by sentient food enchanted with black magic. To keep the rest of the kingdom out of panic and chaos, the Prime Minister agrees to keep the abduction confidential and have the S.M.C.A. investigate. The agency assigned Agent Gretel to follow a ringmaster, but when Gretel finds he abducted magical creatures, he ends up as a false lead. She frees the creatures and she's given a special necklace from a mermaid and a feather from a phoenix. She is later assigned by Agent Stepmother along with Hansel, Gretel's disowned brother to track down the missing King, believing Hansel could use his magical abilities and knowledge of thievery for the mission, unaware that he is simply a con artist with no real magical abilities.
The mission starts as they identify a local pastry shop has a pantry behind a fireplace with sentient baked goods in it. Furthermore, Gretel discovers a potion room within the pantry, which includes a beaker of enchanted vanilla extract. Hansel and Gretel are turned into children after an ill-fated chase with a dog-shaped cookie destroyed the potion room. Unable to get help from the S.M.C.A., as no one believes that the children are Hansel and Gretel, they seek the assistance of Baba Yaga, a witch rumored to eat children. They learn that the enchanted vanilla extract came from the swamplands.
After escaping from Baba Yaga's, the siblings find their way to the swamplands, where mermaids live. However, the Lake Witch, Queen of the Mermaids, mistakes them for spies for Ilvira, the witch of the Gingerbread House and the former chef of the King. They are sparred from being turned into fish when her daughter recognizes Gretel as the one who saved her from a previous altercation. Hansel and Gretel discover that the mermaids have imprisoned more of Ilvira's goons. No one is able to get any information from the cookies because they speak in gibberish. Gretel frees the goons. The cookies lead them to Ilvira's secret Gingerbread House and ultimately to the kidnapped King. Ilvira managed to feed the King cookies infused with a love potion to force him to marry her, which would make her Queen. She captures the children and sends them into the cake-like oven.
In the oven, Hansel and Gretel argue with each other; Gretel is disappointed in her brother's occupation as a con artist while Hansel is saddened that Gretel prioritized her career as an agent over her own family. Hansel reveals to Gretel that while their parents did advocate for their children to be honest, their jobs as agents for the S.M.C.A. were not enough to fund Gretel's education and that Hansel had given up his chance at an honest life to pay for Gretel's tuition, which he told Gretel was a scholarship from the King. Gretel realizes how much Hansel had sacrificed for her. They both reconcile and escape the oven.
The siblings prepare an antidote with the phoenix feather from earlier on and head off to the wedding on a dragon statue, following the beacons Hansel left behind throughout their journey. Gretel manages to give the King the antidote but the marriage gets sealed before they could stop Ilvira. Everyone else in attendance are under Ilvira's control, having also eaten her love potion-infused cookies. Before Gretel could pour the antidote into Ilvira's cookie-making machine, Ilvira takes the antidote back and shoves the children into the batter to be baked into cookies. However, using a gadget of S.M.C.A. equipment Hansel stole from the agency earlier, Hansel and Gretel manage to escape and get the antidote back, dropping Ilvira into the cookie batter. She gets blasted into the air and lands on a doughnut Kolobok that attacked Hansel and Gretel earlier.
Having saved the King and the kingdom from Ilvira, Gretel is awarded the title of "Best Agent" by the S.M.C.A. and Hansel is given an official license to perform magic, which he declines since he is incapable of using real magic. Gretel decides to work with her brother on all of her future assignments.
Concept.
Animated film.
Within the context of the adaptations of the source material "Hansel and Gretel", the creators of the film is adapting a 2021 animated Brother Grimm's fairy tale. They chose the gingerbread house fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" as their focal point for their script that will be based on an animated film. 
However the animated version will not be limited to plot collisions, locations, and characters from the original literary source. The characters Hansel and Gretel in the film will be much more active than in the fairy tale who will become participants in comic situations. The creators of the film stated the production will be based on three components - an entertaining story for all audiences, high-quality animation, and well-produced visual effects and background. They noted the "Hansel and Gretel" fairy tale has parental qualities associated with the story that revolves around the siblings Hansel and Gretel. The film's main audience will be the family.
The creators of the film did accept the original story has elements of horror. They retold the archetypal horror tale in a way that it can be appealing to all the audience by adding elements of comedy. Director Aleksey Tsitsilin remarked the film won't be a remake, "We wanted not to remake, but to rethink. Leave the logic of the narrative and string some additional details. The story begins to play with new colors, it becomes different, but at the same time you realize that it is all the same "Hansel and Gretel"."
Production.
Adaptations from source material.
The German folklorists Brothers Grimm's collection of fairy tales compiled in "Grimm's Fairy Tales" (1812) has influenced world culture. According to the creators of the film for over two centuries, "Hansel and Gretel" has been adapted into feature films in many countries such as South Korea, Japan, Germany, and the United States.
The first adaptation was in Germany by opera composer Engelbert Humperdinck who decided to adapt a series of entertaining verses into a full opera, "Hänsel und Gretel" that was performed in the German Empire on 23 December 1893. The music was in the style of German folk songs. The opera was written to unearth the humor and comedy behind Grimm's fairy tale. 
In 1954 three films released in the United States, Germany, West Germany based on the fairy tale. The United States version, "" was the nation's first non-Disney animated film produced by company RKO Pictures that was reviewed as a Technicolor production built in the Machine Age. In the same year, Germany released "Hänsel und Gretel" directed by Walter Janssen. The film was described from a review at University of Düsseldorf as a post-war reinterpretation of the fairy tale suitable for viewing for all audiences. In West Germany, Fritz Genschow released "Hänsel und Gretel", a family film interpretation of the fairy tale. Director Tim Burton's first live-action production was "Hansel and Gretel" that was lost ever since it showed only once in Disney Channel in 1983.
Development.
In 2018, the press service of Wizart Animation revealed plans for a "Hansel and Gretel" film. According to research from Wizart Animation, no recently made major animated film about "Hansel and Gretel" has been released. Disney released "Children in the Thicket" in 1932 and the animated musical "Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy" was released in 1954. In context to their previous films, Wizart Animation is focusing on story integrity and humor. On 6 November 2019 American Film Market, the studio revealed the exclusive poster and preliminary collection of artwork for the film "Hansel and Gretel." Wizart Animation has experience in adapting 19th century fairy tales for the film industry that was featured in their "The Snow Queen" films. It is intended they will utilize their inspiration and knowledge from their previous series to adapt a story from the globally recognized brand known as Brothers Grimm fairy tales. 
At the 2019 MIPCOM in Cannes, Wizart Animation showcased a preview of "Hansel and Gretel". The events were part of the "mipcom News" magazine. On 13 October 2019, a presentation of domestic animation projects was held at MIPJunior. Presented by Evgenia Markova, an official representative of the international markets MIPCOM, MIPJunior, and MIPTV, new material for "Hansel and Gretel" was featured. 
Wizart Animation founded a production pact with American-based film production studio QED International. As a major international distributor under the parent company Media Content Capital, QED has managed to release such critical films as "District 9". The company has also produced films with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both companies agreed to creatively bolster the prospects for an international distribution collaboration.
Yuri Moskvin, producer for Wizart, was in attendance as the managers from both sides signed a production pact. The arrangement is intended for high quality distribution. Sasha Shapiro of QED, stated: “We have been looking into both investment possibilities and creative expansion within the family/kids’ genre, and I believe that Wizart has all necessary potentials we have been looking for.” The collaboration is one of Wizart Animation's first time entering into American film market.
Netflix acquired global rights to the film in 2019. The deal occurred when the film was presented for the first time to the professional community at the Marche du Film film market in Cannes. Together with Expocontent, a presentation of the project was organized under the Made in Russia brand. The presentation featured a catalog of the film's international voice acting produced in part through subsidies provided by the Ministry of Economic Development and the REC. Netflix buyers particularly liked the film and negotiations with the platform continued at subsequent film markets organized by ROSKINO and culminated in a global deal and agreement on a one-time release of the film in March 2021.
At the September 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the 2020 EFM film market in Berlin, the film was presented. At the 2020 Miami Kidscreen Summit, "Hansel and Gretel" was presented.
Scriptwriting.
While the original fairy tale is historically known for the different horror films adaptations, the writers took a different route and based an adaptation of the fairy tale within the genres of comedy and film family. The adaptation was created in a way to be in the template used by Brothers Grimm from their fairy tales that had both horror and comedy.
For years the script was in development. The scriptwriters stated adapting the classic European fairy tale was complicated, since it had only two settings, a gingerbread house and a dense forest. However the opportunity was one of the script writing team's creative challenges. More than 57 script variants were written. One scenario involved a father and his children living in a forest. One day, he is kidnapped by a witch, and the children go in search of him. They fall into a trap, and they have to serve an evil sorceress. At the same time, the children develop a plan to save themselves and save their father. The authors then explored the concept of the super-agent school where the troublemakers Hansel and Gretel enroll in. By the final script, the idea of a spy movie with super-agents was finalized. One of the ways the writers formulated ideas was to go on real missions so they could be "in the shoes" of the characters.
The scriptwriters focused on character development. In the final version of the script, the main characters turn into children. The concept allowed them to completely transform some of the darker undertones in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale into a suitable scenario. The film emphasized the detective component, revolving the story around the story's main setting, the Secret Magic Control Agency. The scriptwriters reviewed films from the "James Bond" series, "Kingsman", as well as Soviet Union 1968 spy film "The Diamond Arm". 
The writers intend to keep the main characters Hansel, Gretel, and Gingerbread House sorceress intact while expanding the magic forest and Gingerbread House settings. They noted the scale at which they developed the fairy tale universe is intended to keep the knowledgeable viewers of the fairy tale engaged. The idea of creating a Magical Security Agency opened up new directions for film production. The script turned into a global story with references to elements from other cultures including Baba Yaga, the antagonist fantasy grandmother character of Slavic mythology, the Frog Princess, mermaids on branches, seven-league boots, mermaids and a whole host of magical artifacts taken from different stories. The Slavic gingerbread mythological character Kolobok became a major character in the film. The interior design of Secret Magic Control Agency was inspired by the architecture of Hogwarts.
Themes.
Fantasy elements became cosmopolitan as Pushkin's fairy tales combined with western European fantasy. The plot conflict revolves around the villain Ilvira. The writers explored Ilvira's cooking concept of love and sweets with cookies, cupcakes, and candy. The concept of a megalomaniac whose cooking of cookies and cupcakes poses a threat to the government was once explained in Vladimir Lenin's thesis in 1917. During the time of the Soviet Union, the political scientist hypothesized what would happen in a scenario in where the chef takes control of the government, "Every cook must learn to manage the state ()." Through the prism of comedy and drama, the authors explained the archaic thesis in a fun script of bureaucratic intrigue and its associated culinary power struggles. The villain Ilvira became the cook of the thesis who was developed and refined to become a caricature of the American actress of the sixties Marilyn Monroe.
Themes addressed in the film include family relationships, their importance and especially the family bond between siblings, even if they are sometimes incompatible with each other, as in the case of brother and sister Hansel and Gretel. In the film, the conflict develops as a family split caused by the school's admission system. The siblings' side story reveals that they are torn apart when Gretel becomes a valiant student at the Secret Magic Control Agency studying on a government scholarship. On the contrary, Hansel makes ends meet with deception. The film is framed as a mission, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of both main characters, Hansel and Gretel. The film combines incompatible elements of Gretel's bureaucratic secret intelligence skills acquired at the ministry of magic with Hansel's skills in illusion and deception to find the right balance and explain to the audience the concept of reconciliation and ultimately the fulfillment of family.
One of the main themes of the original fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" is the concept of sibling loyalties. Brothers Grimm described how the siblings affected by poverty and parental loss grew up to trust and be loyal with each other. The film explores the concept of kinship. The concept is described when super-agent sister Gretel and rogue brother Hansel must find common ground to rescue the King by affirming their sibling loyalty. 
Animation.
The quality of the animation in the film was considered to be pioneering and of an advanced level and took about three years to develop. The animation translated the storyboards which were first drawn in pencil into 3D. It was noted that more than 60 thousand frames were drawn in sync with the music. The episodes were changed more than thirty times. About fifteen departments worked on the film and each frame moved according to the principle of a conveyor belt system. Animation for the film was considerably influenced by works from leading artists. The gingerbread house was based on the work of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. The animators were influenced by director Tim Burton's ability to transform horror elements to charming characters featured in such films as the stop-motion animated film "Corpse Bride." The studio's computer farm specification for the film is said to be 3000 processor cores. The film was a game changer for the animation studio, as it is said to be Russia's first three-dimensional animated film made with the studio's own 3D lighting editor. The studio used all the tools available to increase the character depth of the climax at the royal square to about 1200 characters.
The film is based on a new animation special effects system, the animation studio itself engineered. The system is based on the studio's own pipeline. The graphics technology will avail of new special effects and facial and skeleton setup which they intend to share with other independent studios in the future.
Music.
The score for "Secret Magic Control Agency" is composed by Gabriel Hays"." The composer noted writing music for the genres of spy and fantasy required more reflection because the music would contrast with each other. Additionally this area of music is generally unexplored. Using the "fun, whimsy, and heart" classical characters Hansel and Gretel as a template, the music was able to meld the fantasy with the spy genre. Composer Gabriel Hays noted the creative component of the score started with initial excerpts from piano recordings. Thereafter three main cues for the film were created including the "Secret Magic Control Agency" that became the ideal representation of the concept of the fusion of spy and fantasy elements. The other main cues were "Back at the SMCA" and "Here's Looking at You Not Kid" in which the latter cue is an evocative symphony describing the characters Hansel and Gretel transforming back to their original form.
Release.
Theatrical and streaming.
The release of the fairy tale animation movie "Secret Magic Control Agency" was confirmed by the press service of Sony Pictures on 27 January 2021. The press emphasized the audience will be able to comprehend a new look to the classic fairy tale of Brothers Grimm. The fantasy spy film will involve espionage conceptualized by the Department of Magical Security. The film will explain the effects of fraud and the concept of gentleman thief conceptualized by the character Hansel. The character Gretel is described as the leading spy for the Secret Magic Control Agency.
"Secret Magic Control Agency" released in Russia through Sony Pictures Productions and Releasing on 18 March 2021. The Netflix team promoted and localized the film for international distribution. On 25 March 2021, the movie released under the Netflix Original brand.
Reception.
Streaming analysis.
According to streaming aggregator FlixPatrol, in the first week of release the film topped the global viewership charts of the streaming platform Netflix. On 27 March 2021, a few days after the film began streaming in Netflix it went to the top ten charts worldwide. The film became the second most popular film in Netflix as it overcame and bypassed the ratings of Hollywood and worldwide blockbusters that included "Fast and Furious". In the United States the "Hansel and Gretel" film became third most popular film seen in the Movies section and top sixth overall. In the United Kingdom the film reached the sixth position in rankings. In Germany the film reached third position and tenth overall. Overall on that day it was the top film in countries of Greece, Denmark, Finland, Cyprus, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg and Jamaica.
On 28 March 2021, "Secret Magic Control Agency" was second in rankings worldwide. In the US where it was released it moved up to second most popular film in the Movies section and top fourth overall. The film maintained its previous lead in the Scandinavian nations and Greece while the film moved up the top position in France. Previously at second position the film has managed to surpass many major films for the best film in the Movies section and top third overall. In Germany the film continued to be at the second position. The film also attained top position in Poland and Brazil.
According to a "IndieWire" report, by 29 March 2021 the film in Netflix went to Number 2 position in rankings. In the US the streaming rankings were the same as the previous day. In France the film continued to maintain the lead at first place in Movies section and third overall. On 30 March 2021 the film was second in worldwide rankings. In Netherlands the film "De Geheime Dienst voor Magie" started from third in rankings in the end of March to top overall for one day on 2 April 2021.
"Secret Magic Control Agency" broke its own record from March in Netflix during the opening month of April. "Secret Magic Control Agency" managed to become the top rated movie in the Netflix platform for two days subsequently after which it went to second in rankings after "Sky High" (2020) was released.
The film has received significant coverage in Mexico and France. In the first week of release, in Mexico the film is one of the top watched film. The film was part of the top ten listings in the Netflix Spanish catalogue. According to FlixPatrol, in the first week of release the film was the most watched in Netflix for five days in a row in France. "EcranLarge" report from France noted ""Hansel and Gretel, Secret Agents" is shaping up to be another successful cartoon on Netflix, available since March 25." In Philippines and Greece the film was part of the compilation of recommended shows to watch in Netflix. In the second week of April the film continues to be in the top ten rankings in Netflix in certain countries. The film could become one of the Top 25 most popular movies in Netflix in 2021 whose total points now stand at 67. The film is continuing to maintain the record of being in the top ten rankings in France in April. According to Nielsen ratings, "Secret Magic Control Agency" is the sixth highest video on demand program watched in United States. For the week of March 29-April 4, Nielsen calculated the film to rise to the second highest most watched movie in the country. Overall the film became the tenth most popular film in April in Netflix. 
Box office.
The budget for the film is approximately $5-7 million. "Secret Magic Control Agency" opened in the Russian box office in fifth place in its debut on Thursday 18 March 2021. It earned about two million rubles in the opening and had a forecast earning of 30 million rubles in its first weekend. The highest ranking the film held was at fifth place on 18 March 2021. "Nobody" also premiered alongside the film that became a hit, topping weekend box office. After the weekend, "Secret Magic Control Agency" was trailing Warner Bros' "Tom & Jerry" ($8 million) while leading its parallel release animated feature "". In the first weekend the film registered in 1534 cinema. However due to the high box office of Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" ($15 million) that released in early March, "Secret Magic Control Agency" was sixth in rankings. By April the film descended into seventh place. The film's final collection was 80.8 million (~$1 million). According to analysts, the high competition such as those from Disney was one reason for the low start. However the film managed to become the fifth highest grossing Russian release in March 2021. In Kazakhstan, the film became the second highest rated film after "Raya and the Last Dragon" in March 2021.
Critical response.
Russian-speaking critics note the film is aimed at children, but is an entertainer for adults as well. Boris Grishin stated for a review in Kino Mail, the film is suitable for adults also, "A fascinating, dynamic, witty cartoon, a real adventure detective, whose intrigue will be interesting even for adults to follow. So for family viewing - a really good option. Ksenia Reutova for the review in "Kinoafisha" wrote notes in terms of the pace and action of the script: “From all these scraps, the authors of the animated film manage to weave a canvas that looks quite soundly. The threads do not stick out, the action does not sag.”
Common Sense Media review says the film is ideal for siblings who may want to "learn about each other and themselves in the process of working together to save the kingdom." The film also focuses on character development when "the siblings argue then come to some realizations and a new understanding of each other and their shared history, offers a bit of depth and a nice contrast to the nonstop action." Lights! Camera! Mom! review states, "A royal kidnapping is nothing new, but taking familiar characters like Hansel and Gretel and writing a completely new background story creates a great family film."
Critics have affirmed the score for the film is a spectacle. ABC Entertainment review pointed out the music has "grandiose symphonic sweeps that we’ve come to expect from other feel-good family films." UnificationFrance review noted, "The music of Brad Joseph Breeck and Gabriel Hays is fun to listen to." Common Sense Media states, "the action is often set to inspirational music."
Cam's Eye View reviews states in terms of animation, "Animation-wise, it looks solid! It's still not up to par with most animated features from this or the previous decade, but you can tell from their first film to their most recent that Wizart is getting better at their craft." The review pointed out the story could be even more compelling if the script had "proper execution." The animation quality crescendoed at the final set pieces that was noted by the review from The Upcoming: "the art and animation is beautiful and is Pixar-like in its finish." A Netflix review at Blockbuster01.com by Shimato stated the Japanese dub for Gretel by Rie Kugimiya is commendable: "This work is worth seeing by itself." Furthermore the review pointed out the main premise of "two people who have been estranged for a long time" who must "cooperate [and] inevitably, the lost bond between the brothers and sisters returns" was exemplary character development.
Robledo Milani wrote for Papo de Cinema review that the confidential organization Secret Magic Control Agency is "more like a police force whose aim is not to regulate, but to curb magical practices." The reviewer's impression from the film is that in context to the other "Hansel and Gretel" adaptations such as ""João and Maria: Witch Hunters" (2013) or "Maria and João: The Tale Of Witches" (2020), which invested in adrenaline or terror", "Secret Magic Control Agency" "starts from a more original principle, although less ambitious." "Corriere della Sera" newspaper review observes the heroes Hansel and Gretel begins the story in precarious situations, "they have lost their roots as vanished prisoners of the dark forces of the forest." However as the film progresses the film resonates with the audience: "Theirs is a digital journey, full of quotes ranging from classic cartoon to the most recent post-modern reinterpretations. The heart of the film however only beats when it accelerates to the spy story plane: that's where in the end the virtues and vices of lively, simpleton pop cinema come to light."
Unification review from France by Isabelle Arnaud noted "Aleksey Tsitsilin's direction is superb" through which the film's staging "does not give the impression that 1h45 has passed." With a four and a half stars out of five stars Arnaud noted the screenplay "presents in an original way the characters from the books of the brothers Grimm." Tooncanoe review stated the film is a "rollicking spy adventure that gives enough winks and nods to the original to keep the inspiration from feeling like an afterthought." The review particularly like the "fun denouement with the Brothers Grimm themselves" that was intended to remind the audience the original creators of the fairy tale but also was framed to "hang on a small lampshade on the overall secrecy of the [Secret Magic Control Agency]."