Cinderella must be one of the most often retold fairy tales out there. If you like the dusty girl, bullied to misery by her stepmother and two stepsisters, then be prepared to add this rendition to your list.
Cinderella, a jukebox movie musical by Amazon prime is a fun, fresh take on the old tale. The songs chosen were hits from the 80s pops to some newly written original songs. I won’t lie, I watched it for my heroine, Idina Menzel, who played Stepmother. Yes, Elsa from Frozen and Elphaba from Wicked and now Cinderella’s Stepmother.
A Fresh Retelling
Several reasons why this version is fresh and thus worthy of your time:
- Ella as (Camila Cabello) is as modern as modern goes! She likes love, but doesn’t want to put a “label” on it. Presented the choice of marriage with Prince Charming or growing her business, she chooses to grow her business. She’s sassy but still the smart and kind Cinderella figure we all know.
- Fairy god mother is genderless? This is brilliant! Although Billy Porter only shows up for several minutes to magic up Ella’s dress, they stole the show! I absolutely loved it!
- Idina Menzel as Stepmother is something else. I really like how the writer reshaped this character into not just your classic villain, but someone who is actually trying to do what she really believes is best for the family. And she is material as material goes, but we all know it’s good to be material. If girls don’t have their own money, they just end up in powerless situations and are likely to be abused.
- Princess Gwen! What a fabulous twist and additional character! The younger sister of Prince Charming has always thought of plans and strategies for the betterment of the land, but has constantly been rebuffed by their father due to his patriarchal views. Despite this, their brother and sister vibe was rock on, and I enjoyed how they tried to support each other instead of take the other down.
- That leads us to the last telltale role of Cinderella: the prince. Prince Charming (Nicholas Galitzine) is a spoiled brat here, but learns some really good lessons and becomes someone who is a happy supporter to Ella’s budding career. What a nice stab at gender reversals.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this remake of Cinderella, much more than I thought I would. Want another fun Cinderella retelling? Try Marissa Meyer’s futuristic Cinder (book version), in which Cinderella is a (get ready for it) cyborg.
