(Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures)Disney’s bibbidi-bobbidi blockbuster “Cinderella” hit theaters everywhere on March 13 and is a brilliant new adaptation of the classic fairy tale. The movie is incredibly well-casted, carefully crafted and beautifully costumed.
Unlike other live-action adaptations of older animated Disney films, this one doesn’t make drastic changes to the animated movie that was released in 1950. However, it does fill in quite a few blanks and might answer some questions for those who have grown up with the animated story and thought it was missing something.
While viewers had previously seen Cinderella (Lily James) stuck in a house with two dreadful stepsisters and a cruel stepmother, Disney’s new edition explains exactly what happened to Cinderella’s parents.
The movie shows how Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett) ended up married to Cinderella’s father and how Cinderella became an unpaid servant in her own household. The movie also gives audiences a better understanding of how Lady Tremaine became so mean and why she is so insistent on marrying off her daughters to a wealthy man.
Filmmakers got details from the original down perfectly, everything from the evil cat, Lucifer, to the kitchen bells that call Cinderella to her chores.
The new “Cinderella” even fills in juicy details about her night at the ball with the prince and how they fell in love. Some changes have been made in how Cinderella meets the prince, but it provides a better explanation of how the prince falls in love with her in such a short period of time.
The few, minor twists Disney has added to the film are delightful and make the story a little more realistic, but not too realistic for a fairy tale. The new picture stays true to the way the original characters were written, while adding detail and a little bit of flavor to the plot. The simple surprises Disney has thrown in spruce up the timeless tale and keep viewers interested.
The special effects in this film are gorgeous and calculated. They’re not cheesy computer-generated images as used in some of Disney’s other productions.
The enchanted effects are especially beautiful and believable when Cinderella’s fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) transforms objects and animals in preparation for the ball.
Audiences will be in awe as lizards become footmen, a goose becomes a driver and a pumpkin — as the story goes of course — becomes a carriage.
To top it all off, Disney has outdone itself with costuming and makeup. From Lady Tremaine’s extravagant gowns, to the sparkles in Fairy Godmother’s hair to Cinderella’s gorgeously revamped glass slippers, the new costume designs make the film seem all the more magical and marvelous.
All of the actors are incredibly convincing as the characters they portray and the little unexpected twists Disney has added will keep even seasoned Disney fans fascinated with the fairy tale.
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