Disclosure: NDK & I were invited to a screening of the movie, CINDERELLA. All opinions are our own.
“Where there is kindness, there is goodness and where there is goodness, there is magic.”
I have never been as captivated by a movie quote as I am with the above quote from Cinderella’s mother. The live-action version of Walt Disney’s animated, timeless fairy tale, CINDERELLA, opens in theaters TODAY, March 13, 2015, and it is every bit as beautiful as the original. NDK & I loved this movie! Be sure to see what NDK had to say about CINDERELLA and FROZEN FEVER at the end!
The director, Kenneth Branagh has taken the simple story and given us so much more. Lily James gracefully delivers as Cinderella while Cate Blanchett will send icy chills down your spine as she delivers a venom only Lady Tremaine could. The step-sisters, played by Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera, are, well….the step-sisters. They are mean and cruel, as you would expect, but they deliver an uncanny, dim-witted approach that almost causes you to feel sorry for them. Mind you, I did say almost! Helena Bohnam Carter bippidi-bops as the one and only fairy godmother. And Prince Charming, otherwise known as Kit in this version, is as charming and real as you would hope for. Richard Madden gives us hope for true love overcoming any obstacles.
Without spoilers, I can assure you, this movie carefully portrays the version of the story Walt told, while taking you through a gamut of emotions. You will laugh. You will cry. You will be angry. Let’s discuss these, as I feel the run of emotions is so very vital to this movie.
You Will Cry
Cinderella, as you remember it, briefly mentioned her life before her evil step-mother and step-sisters joined the family. This version gives a look into Cinderella’s past. Her life was beautiful. She was the princess of her own kingdom, simply adored by both of her parents. Her outlook on life was always how life should be, not what it was. This helps you form a deeper relationship with Cinderella throughout the movie. You feel her pain, her sorrows, and her troubles. You rejoice in her happiness, her thoughtful and kind ways, and her triumphs.
You Will Be Angry
There is no spoiler in the fact that Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters were mean to her. Being a live-action movie, these moments are far more intense than the animated version, and I do not mean in a scary way. When Lady Tremaine deals with Cinderella, it is hard to remember that you are watching a movie. The portrayal is very realistic.
You Will Laugh
There are fun-loving moments in this movie, too! Helena Bohnam Carter as the fairy godmother is great at taking a powerful, emotional moment and adding a bit of comedic relief. Do not misunderstand this at all. Helena Bohnam Carter has a rather large task at the tip of her magic wand, and with the help of her witty, charming delivery, I was not in tears throughout the entire movie! The movie has a small humorous side to it, largely in part to Cinderella’s hairy dogmother, I mean, fairy godmother. Be sure not to miss Lady Tremaine’s obvious contempt for her “lovely daughters.” While Drisella is singing in the parlor, we all are painfully aware that she cannot sing. Lady Tremaine is also aware, as she lets us all know!
Is this movie family friendly?
Yes. Yes. Yes. This movie portrays the story you know, adding a bit more depth to the story lines, allowing us to really understand and empathize with the characters. The life lessons that can be taught by this movie are immense, and most certainly worth exposing your children to. This real-life version of Cinderella portrays a STRONG girl. She does break down, unlike the animated version. She has feelings, and is not afraid to let us see them. She does struggle with her mother’s words of wisdom, and while she ultimately does uphold the promise she made to her mother, her struggle with the cruel behavior shown to her gives her the qualities we all can identify with.
There was much “chit chat” about the costuming being inappropriate for young girls. This film is very artistic and true to the time period. Heavy theming is dominant in this film, and the costuming fits within those boundaries. There are no adult overtones, innuendos or inappropriate portions of this movie. There is, in fact, one scene where Cinderella is helping the sisters dress for the ball. Cinderella is helping tighten their corsets, in which the sister repeats, “tighter, tighter.” Body image may be slightly heightened by this, but corsets being SO TIGHT were a custom of this time period. If this would bother you, I would use it as a way to discuss the clothing of this historic time period.
CINDERELLA is a timeless tale, this is true. This new version takes what we have grown up loving and given us so much more to love. Go see this movie!
Frozen Fever
Let it go…..let it go……..
The snowgies are adorable.
The NDK Review: Frozen Fever was really funny. Anna woke up and it was her birthday. Elsa took Anna on a hunt for her birthday presents. Elsa also changed her outfit for her birthday into a pretty spring dress. I liked this dress better than both of her old dresses. Elsa had a cold, but she wanted everything to be just perfect for Anna. The tiny snowmen were so cute and funny! Olaf even named some of them! I think this was a funny show. Kristoff was funny at the end, too!
Cinderella was actually better than the drawn movie. There were more details. The carriage was so detailed, it was so shiny and pretty. I loved Cinderella’s blue dress. It was so pretty how the fairy godmother added the real butterflies to her dress. The shoes! I loved the shoes and the butterflies that were on her shoes, too. I like that she wore her long hair down. The evil step mother didn’t want Cinderella to go to the ball. But this was different from the original one. She told Cinderella she could go IF she got her work done. The step-mother sounded so serious. I was afraid that Cinderella would get grounded and have to do more work. The step-sisters were funny – and I thought their hair was funny, too! I didn’t like how mean they were to Cinderella. I think Cinderella rode her horse to burn off her anger. The fairy godmother was pretty and funny. It was funny how she said that she didn’t like to work with squash, but she still made the pumpkin a carriage. My favorite part was when the fairy godmother told Cinderella she was her “hairydogfather” instead of fairy godmother, and when she changed from her cloaked costume into her beautiful dress! Her walking stick was changed into a wand! Before we saw the movie, I saw the real carriage from the movie at Hollywood Studios. It was beautiful! I think this is a very funny and romantic story. I want to see it again!
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
