We took a school field trip this morning (#benefits of homeschooling!) to watch the first showing of the new Disney Cinderella movie. The show was held in the large theater and by the time we got there, 10 min early, it was pretty full already. (It was spring break for half the schools in our area this week.) There were several boys and dads in attendance so my teen son didn’t feel too badly outnumbered by girls. Here are our thoughts, minus any spoilers…yes, there are a few surprises in this movie!
Plot
Overall, I thought the movie was fantastic. Disney stuck to the classic story, filling in some much-needed motivation for why the characters do what they do. The beginning is quite sad, and the troubles keep coming. Little bits of humor were thrown in to lighten the mood, but you feel the sadness more in this movie than in the animated version. Poor Cinderella.
Disney did take a stab at making the romance based on more than physical attraction at a dance, but I wish the couple had spent more time talking about important things instead of swinging in the garden. Time was ticking, Cinderella!
Visuals
Wow, this movie is colorful and gorgeous. I figured it would be based on all the publicity photos I’d seen, but to see it on the big screen was great. The dress and the shoes were worthy of the legacy. The computer animation was entertaining–I especially enjoyed the carriage chase after the clock strikes midnight. The pumpkin raised some logic issues since it grew very large, but ended up as a normal-sized carriage. But I guess, that’s magic for you!
Acting
Lily James may become as synonymous with the name Cinderella as Megan Follows is with Anne Shirley. She was great, showing all the characteristics we expect from a Cinderella: innocence, beauty, kindness, an internal joy, and a faithfulness to her family (her mother and father, not necessarily the steps).
It was hard not to laugh at the silly stepsisters. Drizella was my favorite, partly because I enjoy watching Sophie McShera as Daisy on Downton Abby. The stepmother? Ouch. She was evil. Well played, Cate Blanchett, well played. I also really enjoyed the scenes between the stepmother and Cinderella.
Here’s what the kids thought:
From the 11yr old girl:
I just saw the Cinderella movie today, and my favorite parts were the mice, the very clueless stepsisters, the fairy godmother, and the magic turning the pumpkin and everything else in to the coach, footmen, etc.
From the 13 yr old boy:
It has some logical inconsistencies. For example, when they search for the “mystery princess” they try the shoe on EVERYONE, even girls who were not blonde. And Cinderella and the Prince meet twice, barely talk, and mostly laugh, and giggle. But they get married after those few times! Other than those big two logic errors (and a few smaller ones,) it was logically sound. And the mice were pretty funny.
I love your son’s appraisal of the movie. I love that he judged it on the basic of logics.
I heard about the faulty logic in the car all the way home. We talked about “suspension of disbelief” and classic fairy tale tropes. But I admit he has a point about all those obviously wrong girls trying on the shoe!