"Have courage and be kind".
Ella (Lily James) is a young woman living on the advice of her late mother's last words, "have courage and be kind". When her father remarries, the ultimate thing she wants is his happiness. Ella's father passes while out on a trip, leaving Ella with her stepmother, Lady Tremaine (Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett) and her stepsisters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drizella (Sophie McShera). Ella is mistreated and abused by her stepfamily, eventually garnering the nickname "Cinderella" from waking up with ashes all over her one morning. Will Ella get a happy ending to this story?
And the answer obviously is, of course she will! However, unlike recent Disney fairy tales such as Maleficent, Brave and Frozen, which twist their fairy tale endings, Cinderella remains true to its' original source material (the original fairy tale by Charles Perrault and the 1950 Disney animated classic). It stays traditional. And, considering all the revisionist versions of fairy tales being told lately, that is extremely refreshing. Screenwriter Chris Weitz gives the well-known story a slightly mature, yet self-respectful and thoughtful update. There are a few gentle mockeries of the tale here and there (i.e. someone saying they will live "unhappily ever after"), but they actually come across as entertaining additions to the script, rather than fracturing the story itself.
The cast does the characters justice. Lily James, in addition to her physical beauty, makes a fine Cinderella. She is emotionally sincere, witty, and she depicts the kindness and selflessness traits of the character with grace. She may not be able to sing as well as the silky-smooth Ilene Woods from the original (though she does do a solid job with the end credits rendition of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes"), but, then again, this movie isn't a musical.
Getting top-billing (but not getting as much time on screen), Cate Blanchett gives a very solid performance as the Stepmother. She isn't quite as magnetic as Angelina Jolie was in Maleficent (her goat bleating-like laugh can be annoying) and she may ham it up a little too much at times, but she definitely throws herself into this role. Towards the end, in a confrontation with Cinderella, Blanchett gives the classic villainess a surprising bit of depth (kudos here to Weitz on this decision too), and shows in that scene alone why she is an Oscar winner.
Richard Madden fits well as the prince. In addition to the look factor (my grandmother thought he was "cute"), he brings an appreciable amount of genteel kindness to the character. Derek Jacobi brings heart and emotion to the King, while Hayley Atwell goes outside her comfort zone (she is nearly unrecognizable) to bring Cinderella's loving mother to life in a brief role. Helena Bonham Carter makes a memorable fairy godmother. Hilarious, sweet-natured, and appropriately kooky, she brings a much-needed bit of fun to the ride (and she delivers a memorable rendition of "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" during the end credits).
The visuals are perhaps the best part of this extravaganza. The ball is mesmerizing and extremely inviting. The production design, from Ella's family farm (reminiscent of Babe somewhat, especially towards the beginning) to the town marketplace to the palace, is all crafted superbly. Sandy Powell's costume design may get an Oscar next year, as the costumes are stunning and booming with colorful flair. From Cinderella's lavish gown to the Stepmother's darker-colored, more daring style, every piece here works. There are some solid visual effects, but they (wisely) take a back-seat to the elegant set design and costumes. Patrick Doyle's music score is magical and beautiful. The cinematography is subtle and nice, with some great views of the English countryside.
I also really liked the messages of kindness and courage in the face of adversity, being yourself, as well as the importance of forgiveness. In the end, the narration and the prince make it clear that it isn't just Cinderella's looks that make the prince fall in love with her. It's her traits of kindness, courage and selflessness that ultimately cause the sparks to fly. These are very timely messages in the face of society-embracing propaganda.
On the downside, with no songs in this movie (save for the end credits), the movie can come across a tad quiet and slow-paced at times. One other minor issue I found with this movie was that it lacked the light-hearted moments the original movie had plenty of. The animated classic was a happy musical with joyful characters. Here, there is more death depicted than your usual Disney movie. And, even though the comic relief from the animals help things a little, the overall setting (with the exception of the very beginning) feels more like the melodramatic tone of the Downton Abbey TV show rather than the optimistic feel of the fairy tale.
Prior to seeing this Cinderella, I rewatched the 1950 cartoon. The original is considered one of Walt Disney's most memorable movies. It had great (for its time) animation, and terrific songs. With this live-action redo, Disney had the opportunity to update it for the 21st century.
Which makes it even more smile-worthy that Disney decided to keep things traditional here, rather than twist everything up and ruin the story. All things considered, this Cinderella is a respectful return, of sorts, to classic Hollywood filmmaking. From the traditional cinematography, the whimsical setpieces, and the subtly-whimsical dialogue of some of the characters, this can sometimes feel like a blast from the past.
That being said, this makes Cinderella an odd fit among Disney's other recent live-action fairy tales. Alice in Wonderland, Enchanted, Oz: The Great and Powerful and Maleficent, while carrying bits and pieces of old-fashioned moments, mostly embrace a 21st century-updated style. And certainly, the traditional style of storytelling is much different than the twisted-up, darker, and very fractured version of the story in the recent Into the Woods.
Traditionalism aside, however, in comparison to its' comrades, visually, Cinderella is a masterpiece. The costumes and production design all look and feel like art gallery pieces come to life. The ballroom is awesome. Its' all so engaging that everyone even looks like they are having, well, a ball making this movie. Kenneth Branagh (Thor) gives the film a thoughtful, sincere direction, and it's very well-acted.
Its' far from perfect, however. This Cinderella could have used perhaps a little more suspense and a little more editing on the overly-emotional moments it carries. And, I wonder if the overall movie would have benefited from the retaining of a classic musical number or two (the two songs resurrected from the original are somewhat out-of-place in the end credits).
So, this isn't destined to become a classic like the animated original. But it does come remarkably close. It's not Disney's strongest effort in the live-action fairy tale field, but it is still a very worthy addition to the growing list.
Score: 8.5/10
NOTE: Cinderella is preceded by a new short, Frozen Fever, a 7-minute follow-up to Frozen. I absolutely adored the short. It was fun, hilarious, and carried a good handful of what I loved about Frozen. The voice cast returns with fun performances (Kristen Bell, a superbly-bright Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad). The animation is colorful and solid. Majority of the short features a new song "Making Today a Perfect Day". The song is a very fun addition to the franchise's musical playlist, even if its not quite as memorable as "Let it Go", "In Summer" and "For the First Time in Forever". And the snowgies are fun character additions too. I hope we get another short like this soon. (Grade: A)
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Nothing very offensive. The stepmother and stepsisters hurl insults such as "vulgar young hussy" and "wench". Various characters tell each other to "shut up!". Ella says "oh gosh!" once.
Adult Content: Some outfits are low-cut and reveal cleavage. A couple of kisses.
Violence: A growing pumpkin destroys a greenhouse. Cinderella's carriage almost falls off a cliff.
Drugs/Alcohol: The stepmother is seen with an unknown drink once or twice.
Other: One scene shows some gambling. The stepmother, Anastasia and Drizella, are (as expected) too mean to Ella. Magic is (obviously) present. Ella's mother says "I believe in everything". Three character's deaths may prove to be too upsetting for younger ones.
