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Until the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy this movie was the most complex fantasy ever attempted. In some ways the story does ramble, but the intricate elements are woven together so coherently that they smoothly fit into the quest undertaken by the principal characters.
Virginia and Tony Lewis (Kimberly Williams and John Larroquette) live in a New York apartment. One day a dog enters Virginia's life. However, the dog is not just any ordinary dog, but Prince Wendell (Daniel Lapaine) changed into a dog by an evil Queen (Dianne Wiest). Soon trolls enter the story along with magic, and the story begins.

Virginia and Tony travel through a magic mirror into the land of the nine kingdoms (with New York being the 10th kingdom. It takes Virginia and Tony little time to realize that the world they have entered has very different rules from their own. Their goal is to find a mirror that will allow them to travel back to their own world, and the quest for the mirror forms the heart of the story.

Along the way both Virginia and Tony, but most especially Virginia, are on a voyage of discovery about themselves. Through a series of vignettes they learn the history of the nine kingdoms, and learn there are mysteries related to that history. One of the most startling revelations is that Virginia and Tony are somehow involved in the nine kingdoms, but it's not until we get well into the movie that we understand the nature of their involvement.

The plot is generally coherent and I had little trouble keeping track of the parallel stories. I admit that there were a few things that confused me when I watched the story in its original television debut, but my confusion was cleared up by watching the DVD version without the commercials and all in one 7+ hour sitting.

The acting talent in this movie is phenomenal. Rutger Hauer plays the Queen's woodsman, with his own poignant story. Warwick Davis is Acorn, a criminal with a tongue-in-cheek character. Ed O'Neil is perfect as Relish the Troll King. Scott Cohen as Wolf took a little getting used to, but once I realized how he fit into the story I enjoyed his antics and characterization. Camryn Manheim makes an interesting Snow White. Ann-Margret brings class to Queen Cinderella. This list is but a fraction of the cast possible by the epic nature of this movie.

The story is an adult fairy tale. There is violence in the movie as well as a number of intense scenes that are likely inappropriate for children below the age of 7 or 8. However, for everyone else this movie is fun and complicated. If you enjoy fantasy, and you can be open-minded about how fantasy is approached, this movie could be perfect for you.