Disney’s Cinderella
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Lily James (Ella (“Cinderella”)), Richard Madden (Prince “Kit” Charming), Cate Blanchett (Lady Tremaine), Helena Bonham Carter (The Fairy Godmother), Holliday Grainger (Anastasia), Sophie McShera (Drizella), Derek Jacobi (The King), Stellan Skarsgard (The Grand Duke), Nonso Anozie (Captain), Hayley Atwell (Cinderella’s Mother), Ben Chaplin (Cinderella’s Father), Eloise Webb (Young Ella)
Screenplay: Chris Weitz
Based on the Disney animated feature film Cinderella and the fairy tale Cendrillon by Charles Perrault
Rating: PG for mild thematic elements
Running Time: 1 hr. 52 mins.
Last night my boyfriend and I went to a showing of Disney’s new live action film version of Cinderella. I went in there with some pretty big expectations, and came out with those expectations met, and then some.
WARNING!! IF YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK AND DO NOT KNOW THE TALE OF CINDERELLA…THEN SKIP THIS SECTION BECAUSE THIS HAS SOME SPOILERS! (You have been warned).
At the start of the film, we meet Ella living with her wealthy parents in a beautiful estate. From a young age, Ella is taught by her mother to believe in the eistence and presence of magic, which allows her to befriend many animals, particularly the mice. Everything seems perfect until Ella’s mother falls ill. On her deathbed, Ella’s mother makes Ella promise that she’ll always have courage and show kindness to others. Years later, Ella’s father reveals that he has chosen an old acquaintance’s widow, Lady Tremaine, as his second wife. Ella warmly welcomes Lady Tremaine and her two daughters, Drizella and Anastasia, despite their unpleasant attitudes and
needing to protect her mice friends from Lucifer, her stepmother’s cat. While away on business, Ella’s father becomes ill and also passes away. This new loss results in Lady Tremaine revealing her true cold, cruel and jealous nature. She dismisses the servants and forces Ella to do all their housework, gives Ella’s room to her stepsisters, and forces Ella to sleep in the attic. Some nights, the attic becomes too cold for Ella to sleep, thus sleeps by the fireplace, which causes soot to cover her face. Her stepsisters see this, and decide to call her Cinderella, which she later calls herself.
Crushed by the cruelty of her new family, Cinderella goes for a ride in the woods where she encounters a hunting part. She encounters a hunting party and encounters an apprentice named Kit. Unbeknownst to her, Kit is actually the son of the the land’s dying king, and, despite knowing her name, Kit is enchanted by Cinderella’s charm, kindness, and uniqueness. With time running out, the King insists that Kit finds a bride at the upcoming ball. Determined to run into the mystery girl in the woods, he decides to invite every eligible maiden in the land to attend the ball. The Tremaine family is ecstatic at the news, and quickly make preparations with the prospect of marrying royalty. With Lady Tremaine refusing to buy Cinderella a dress, 
Cinderella fashions one herself from one of her mother’s dresses with help from the mice. The night of the ball, Ella tries to join her family on the way out, but Lady Tremaine rips the dress claiming that her mere presence will disgrace them. As they leave and Ella is in tears, an old beggar woman appears and asks for milk. Cinderella graciously gives the woman some milk, and the woman reveals herself to be he Fairy Godmother. With her magic she turns a pumpkin into a carriage, the four mice into horses, two lizards into footmen, and a goose into a coachman. Finally, she turns Ella’s dress into a gorgeous blue gown complete with glass slippers. Cinderella heads to the ball with full warning that magic only lasts till midnight.
At the ball, Cinderella reunites with Kit and wins the coveted first dance. She learns of his true identity and is pleasantly surprised. They run off for a tour of the palace and the grounds slowly falling in love, which irritates the Grand Duke as he secretly married Kit to another princess, a fact that Lady Tremaine over hears. Before Kit can learn her name, the clock strikes 11:59, and Cinderella flees from the ball dropping one of her glass slippers on the steps of the palace (EYYOOO!!). She manages to get away before the last stroke of midnight and hides the other show as a memento. The King soon dies, but not before giving Kit permission to find his true love. It is then announced that every maiden in the kingdom is to try on the slipper. Ella goes to her room to try and find her slipper, only to see Lady Tremaine waiting for her with it in her hand. Knowing that Cinderella was the mysterious girl at the ball, Lady Tremaine demands Cinderella to make her head of the royal family, give her daughters husbands, and allow Lady Tremaine to become queen. Cinderella refuses, Lady Tremaine smashes the shoe and locks Cinderella in her room. She brings the remaining bits of the shoe and Cinderella’s indentity to the Grand Duke, and blackmails him with the reward of the title of countess with worthy husbands for her daughters. The Duke takes the shattered shoe to Kit hoping to convince him to forget about Cinderella, but he becomes more determined to find her.
The Grand Duke and the captain of the guard lead a troop around the kingdom to find the maiden to fit the glass slipper. By the time they reach the Tremaine estate, no one has been able to fit the slipper being rejected by its magic. When the shoe rejects Drizella and Anastasia, the Duke and Captain turn to leave, but hear Cinderella singing thanks to the mice opening her attic window. The Grand duke tries to leave anyway but is stopped by one of his men, who reveals to be Kit in disguise and demands the Captain investigate the sound. Once Cinderella is found, Lady Tremaine tries to forbid her from trying on the slipper, but is overruled by the Captain. The slipper fits Cinderella, and she leaves Kit after forgiving her stepmother, who is later forced to leave the kingdom with her daughters and the Grand Duke. Cinderella and Kit are married, crowned king and queen, and live happily ever after ruling with courage and kindness.
SPOILERS END HERE!!!
This is the third time Disney has created a live action telling with some twists to be a companion to its animated classics. The first one was in 2010 with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which was a modern telling of the 1951 animated film of the same name, and their second one was Maleficent, which was a modern telling of 1959’s Sleeping Beauty from the villain’s side. Both films have done very well, especially Maleficent. I must say, this live action version is at their level of doing well, in terms of retelling the story, but also goes a step higher based on them being very true to their source materials, especially the 1950 animated classic.
Chris Weitz’s script really gives all these characters three dimensions and a voice in this film, which I found very believable. I also loved that we saw Ella’s life before her stepmother and stepsisters. The first 10/15 minutes of the film really help set up the rest of the story beautifully, especially the scene on her mother’s death bed. Also, I loved that film took some elements from the Perrault version of the tale and had Cinderella and the Prince meet once before the ball, have Lady Tremaine just be scorned by the loss of her first husband and just marry Cinderella’s father for money, and have the Fairy Godmother be a beggar woman who reveals herself when Cinderella shows her kindness and generosity. Finally, I really loved how the relationship between Cinderella and Kit was believable. It grew fast, but still there was a meeting, a second meeting with a courtship, and then a final meeting with him accepting her as she is, which was beautiful.
Kenneth Branagh did a wonderful job with this piece from vision to execution. The film is exquisite to witness on the screen. The set design was beautiful, the costume design was spectacular by Sandy Powell, especially Cinderella’s blue gown, Patrick Doyle’s score was sensational, and the cinematography was bold and beautiful. The one thing I loved about the film was each character had a color palette. Cinderella was always in innocent colors like blues, pinks and whites; the stepsisters were in bold, annoying, outburst colors of pink and yellow; and Lady Tremaine has some variations of green to show her jealous, envious nature. I will get on my soapbox for a bit and say, get over Cinderella’s waist line in the film. Yes, I’m a big person and have body image issues to take up in some Hollywood films, and yes it’s scary looking, but she was wearing a petticoat and a corset to hold the dress up. The girl is naturally small, so when a corset is applied to a body type like hers, you get that result. This comes from some years of being in being in operas and musicals with some period costuming, it happens to girls that size. Even Lily James is tired of hearing about it and it makes her more self conscious, so everyone just let it go for a moment. But, anyway I digress and I know it’s not going to change anything (steps off soapbox). Despite that, the costumes are phenomenal. Again, beautiful film to view and it was like walking into a storybook.
Now, let’s talk about some of the actors. Derek Jacobi, Stellen Skarsgard and Nonso Anozie, respectively as the King, the Grand Duke and the Captain, were great supporting characters to the film. They did their job in bringing some humor, drama and heart to the piece. Jacobi did a beautiful job with Madden in bringing a relationship between the Prince and the King that
I thought was really beautiful. It was very moving when he died three quarters of the way through the film. Stellen Skarsgard was great and villainous, especially in his scenes with Lady Tremaine. And Anozie really did a great job with a role that can sometimes be considered a prop role. He really gave it many dimensions and you liked the camaraderie he had with Madden’s Kit in the film.
Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera, as Anastasia and Drizella, were hysterical in their roles. They really did a beautiful job at acting like pretty faced, spoiled girls. There were some scenes that really made you roll in you seat with laughter. I think two of my favorite moments in the film that feature them are when they’re getting ready for the ball with their corset and skirt cages, and when they see the prince arrive to the estate. Just watch their feet, it’s hysterical.
Helena Bonham Carter, as the Fairy Godmother, was delightful. Her ten minutes on screen were some of the best ten minutes. The true work of an actor is when they can make a small role rememberable after the film is over, and she just did that. I also liked that she was the narrator of the film to keep her in the film as a prominent figure even though she realistically is seen in the film for a short amount of time. Plus, she had moments of great dry humor throughout her scene that really was a great addition into the film.
Cate Blanchett, as Lady Tremaine, what more can I say? Not only did she look stunning in the film and had literally the best entrance in the film, she gives one of the best performances in the film. She was so villainous that you loved to hate her in this film. What I also loved was her progression of evil in this film. She when from subtle jealously, to little snaps of evil here and there, to full on disgusting evil, which I just loved. She was the one person I was excited to see in this film, and she delivered.
Richard Madden, as Kit, just made you want to swoon. Not only was he easy on the eyes, but he was a true gentleman. He also gave the Prince in this film more of a plot and a voice in this film. He wasn’t a prop, or just there for the ball and fall in love with Cinderella. He had a story to be interested in, and wanted to find ways to make his kingdom better, which I applaud Weitz’s writing for that character and Madden’s acting.
Finally, Lily James, as Cinderella, was stunning in the role. She was sweet, generous and kind, but also feisty and not afraid to speak her mind. She really gave the role more dimensions and made her a woman of the 21st century for people. The one thing about her performance that makes me excited is that it shows girls that if you’re kind, courageous, well educated, speak your mind, and not snobbish, you will have your dreams fulfilled. I think that is the most beautiful thing to take away from her Cinderella. She also handled the fact fact she was in 95% of the film with grace and did a spectacular job with being the headliner in her second, or third, big budget film (which I’m just guessing because I know she was in Wrath of the Titans, which I have never seen so this was my first film with her).
If asked to grade this film on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a solid 8.5. This film does a beautiful job at telling the classic fairy tale with sticking to the original material, does a beautiful job at meeting the bar set by its predecessors, and just is a beautiful film that melts your heart. Well done Walt Disney Pictures. Well, done! You can catch this film in theaters now, and here is a trailer to inspire you to see this film!
That’s all folks! Until next time!
-Your Favorite Ginger
Into the Woods
Cinderella wishes to go to the festival, but with nothing to wear and no way of getting there (plus always being mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters) she must run into the woods to visit her mother’s grave at the willow tree for help. 
Jack wishes for his cow to milk, and his mother wish they could be wealthy. So, she tells Jack to go into the woods to the neighboring village to sell the cow. The Baker and his wife wished 
for a child. The Witch from next door tells the Baker and his wife that in three midnights a blue moon will appear, and only then can she life the curse on their house of a childless family tree. The curse she made was out of retaliation of the Baker’s father, who raided her garden stole her magic beans, which cursed her with ugliness. She also stole the Baker’s sister as a baby, who was named Rapunzel. To have the curse reversed, she will need a certain potion with the ingredients of the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold. They go into the woods to find the items.
The film then follows each characters perspective fairy t
ale, with each character intertwining, running into each other (with the addition of Little Red Ridinghood, Rapunzel and, of course, the Princes), and follows the original Grimm fairy tales very well. All eventually comes to a happy end with Cinderella finding her prince, Jack and his mother being wealthy from the gold and jewels he stole from the Giant (which he slayed), and the baker and his wife succeeding in giving the Witch the ingredients to make her beautiful, and having a child. 
However, things go for a turn for the worst when a giant, who happens to be the wife of the giant Jack killed, wreaks havoc on the kingdom. Each character goes back into the woods to help rid the land of the giant. The giant wants Jack, so the Baker and his wife go out looking for him and hope to come to an agreement with her.
Along the way, the Witch realizes she has lost her power as a price for the restoration of her beauty, Cinderella’s mother’s grave has been crushed when the Baker finds her and has her join their company, and Little Red Ridinghood’s mother and grandmother were killed by the giant, as well as Jack’s mother by the Prince’s Steward. The Baker’s Wife and Cinderella’s Prince have a little moment of a tryst, and the Baker’s Wife falls off a cliff running from the giant. The Baker, Cinderella and Little Red Ridinghood, waiting for the Baker’s wife, are joined by the Witch, who has found Jack is ready to bring him to the giant. 
The Baker learns of his wife’s death, and is heart broken. Soon everyone is blaming each other, and the Witch, tired of hearing blame after blame, kills her self by throwing away the remaining beans from her garden. After moments of doubt and some relationships broken (mainly between Cinderella and her prince), the Baker, Jack, Cinderella and Little Red find a way to slay the giant. They succeed, decide to all live together, and find a way to live their own happily ever after.
First off I have to say, well done Rob Marshall. I have been a fan of his since he directed the mega hit Chicago, and I felt this was his best work. He really just did a beautiful job at directing a lot of the very hard scenes and really stayed true to the source material. On top of Rob Marshall’s brilliant directing, I have to give Disney credit for stepping out the box and going for the adult themes that Into the Woods displays. There were some story lines that they kept G-rated, which was mainly the Baker and his wife’s story line, but they basically surprised me with things they kept adult from the show. So all in all I say brava to Marshall and Disney.
The look and scope of the film was just exquisite, and really was creative with how they had many scenes in the woods. Also what I loved about the film was there were scenes that we get to see that you cannot accomplish on stage. For example, there are scenes that flash back in time with the Witch and the Baker’s father during the Witch’s rap in the prologue, Jack climbing and cutting the beanstalk, and Little Red singing “I Know Things Now” with a flashback of being swallowed by the wolf. There were just a lot of things in this film that I felt were very well executed. Some of the highlights included “On the Steps of the Palace”, which was sung in the present tense with the scene freezing of Cinderella being pursued by the Prince, “Last Midnight” and the transformation of the Witch.
The changes made from stage to screen I was alright with it, once I accepted the changes. I did miss seeing “I Guess This Is Goodbye” (normally sung by Jack) and “Maybe They’re Magic” (normally sung by the Baker’s Wife) in the scene with the selling of Jack’s cow, Milky White, however, I understand that for time reasons you cannot have everything from the show in the film, or the film will be three hours long. I also really was heart broken to not see James Corden, as the Baker, sing “No More”, but I felt what they did with that scene was beautiful, was still so powerful to watch, and really kept the film moving. All I have to say to people who know and love Into the Woods, do not expect a carbon copy of the stage show. Yes there are changes made, but they are for the better and not made for the sake of making changes. You will all be happy with this screen adaptation, unlike Les Misérables.
Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard and Lucy Punch as Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters, respectively, were hysterical. They really did a wonderful job at being ugly on the inside, and had some great moments in the film. 
Tracey Ullman, as Jack’s Mother, was delightful. She truly is a treasure to behold on screen, and was another great comic relief in the film. Mackenzie 
Mauzy, as Rapunzel, looked gorgeous and sang the role beautifully. Also, I found it interesting that Rapunzel was the only character that looked very much like her Disney counterpart from Tangled.
Johnny Depp as the Wolf, was creppy. That’s all. Just creepy, in a good way. And he had one of the best costumes of the film, next to Meryl Streep’s glam-witch costume. He was perfect for the role and kept you captivated for the 10 minutes he was on screen.
Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen were quite handsome as Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince, respectively. They really captured the essence of the roles, which were a bit baffoonish. 
“Agony” was probably one of the best songs in the film, which there were a lot, and quite hysterical how they hammed things up. Chris Pine did look a bit older with the beard, but he still gave a great performance in the role as someone who, as said in one of my favorite lines of the film, was raised to be charming, not sincere.
Lilla Crawford and Daniel Huttlestone were adorable as Little Red Ridinghood and Jack, respectively. What I loved most was they were the age that Jack and Little Red are supposed to be in the tales and not a 16
or 18 year olds trying to play off 10 or 12 year olds. They both gave funny, heart warming performances in the show, and really helped bring the adolescence aspect of the story out for the audience.
Anna Kendrick surprised me a lot in her performance as Cinderella. I loved her Camp and Pitch Perfect, but that was when she was singing pop or belting face, and acting herself essentially. However, her performance as Cinderella was quite wonderful and her voice was just spectacular in the role. I really loved the moments where we got hear her legit soprano voice in certain moments. Her “On the Steps of the Palace” was delightful and, again, one of the highlights of the film. Also she is the first Cinderella to make me cry during “No One Is Alone”. I’m excited to see what she does in The Last Five Years with Jeremy Jordan. If this film is an early sign, we are in for a treat.
Emily Blunt, as The Baker’s Wife, was excellent. She not only acted the role beautifully, but she gave some wonderful one liners that would just make any stone faced person chuckle. Her voice also surprised me a lot because she was they only actress I was worried about vocally in the role. Of course the role was originally sung by Joanna Gleason, who was more of an actor who sang, but still she gets one of the best songs in the show. Blunt’s performance of “Moments in the Woods” was very good and had so many levels that I loved to watch on the screen.
James Corden, as The Baker, was just delightful. He had a very nice voice, and just did a great job in acting the role. Also his chemistry with Emily Blunt was so genuine, real and just adorable. The moment I loved was the scene where “No More” is supposed to be sung, but is heard instrumentally, and he cries over the loss of his wife and where he should turn next. It was beautifully acted and I couldn’t help but weep for him.
And last but not least, Meryl Streep as The Witch. Let me tell you, if you don’t like Into the Woods, go see it at least for Meryl Streep. To say she was phenomenal in the role would be an understatement. Not only did she act it incredibly well, especially with two different personalities in the separate halves of the film. She was a
beast vocally, and gave some stirring performances in her songs. The highlight for her was “Last Midnight”. She chewed that song, spat it back out and chewed it again it was that good. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that she is going to receive another record breaking nomination and a fourth Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance was that stellar y’all!
Big Hero 6
The film’s plot focuses around Hiro Hamada, a bright inventor who is a robotics prodigy. He spends most of his nights in back-alley robot fights, and seems successful and happy about it. However, his older brother, Tadashi, worries about him and wants nothing but the best for him. In hoping to inspire his brother to do something good with his talent, Tadashi takes Hiro to lab at his university. There, Hiro meets his friends (Fred, GoGo, Wasabi and Honey Lemon), his invention with a healthcare chip (Baymax), the infamous Professor Callahan (Tadashi’s mentor and teacher), and is immediately inspired to apply for the university. With the help of Tadashi and his friends, Hiro creates microbots that can change into anything. Callaghan is impressed, and Hiro is accepted into the university. Suddenly, as they are all celebrating outside of the building, a fire breaks out and Tadashi runs in to rescue Callaghan, but the building explodes with him still inside.
Hiro is crushed, upset, and secludes himself from his family and friends. One day, he accidentally activates Baymax. Noticing one of the microbots moving, Baymax follows it to an abandoned warehouse with Hiro behind. They see that someone has been mass producing the microbots, they are attacked by a masked figure (named Yokai), and escape by the skin of their teeth. Hiro then decides to upgrade Baymax with a fighting chip and armor, and the two go to catch the masked figure. 
Once they reach the docks where Yokai is, Hiro’s friends come to help, but are also attacked by him and escape. They all decide to form a superhero team. With upgrades done to their talents, they discover a former lab of Krei Tech, a prestigious robotic company owned by Alistair Krei. They discover that a test on teleportation technology went awry and the test pilot vanished.
Suddenly Yokai appears and is revealed to be Professor Callaghan, who escaped the fire with his microbots. Hiro, blinded by anger that Tadashi died in vain, orders Baymax to destory Callaghan and removes his healthcare chip. Baymax almosts succeed until Honey Lemon manages to reinsert the health care chip. Hiro becomes angry and goes home. Once there, while trying to fix Baymax’s damages and trying to remove his healthcare chip again, Hiro breaks down when asked if Callaghan’s death will make things better. Baymax plays humorous clips of Tadashi running tests on Baymax to cheer up Hiro, which does work and Hiro realizes that Tadashi would not want him to kill anyone.
Hiro’s friends return, they make amends, and discover that the test pilot in the experiment was Callaghan’s daughter, Abigail, and that he is seeking revenge on Krei. Callaghan brings the portal of the failed experiment and attempts to kill Krei, but the group defeats him and they destroy the microbots. The portal remains active, and Baymax detects that Abigail is still alive. Hiro and Baymax find her in the portal, but on the way out, Baymax’s armor is damaged and insists that he propels Hiro and Abigail whilst leaving him. Hiro refuses, but Baymax reassures him that he will always be with him. Hiro and Abigail make it out and Callaghan is arrested. Sometime later, while setting up in his new lab, Hiro discovers the healthcare chip left in the fist Baymax released to get Hiro out of the portal. He rebuilds Baymax, and they are happily reunited. The six friends continue to exploit through the cit and fulfill Tadashi’s dream of helping others in need.
I must say, Disney Animation Studios did an awesome job at their first crack at a superhero, comic book movie. I know what you’re thinking, “They did that with The Incredibles!”, but that was Disney Pixar. For Disney Animation this was a great crack at a comic book film. What I love most about the film was it’s heart and message. The message I got throughout the film was revenge gets you nowhere and never turn down friends in your time of need. That to me was so brilliantly shown in this film and there some wonderful adult themes seen throughout the plot, which was interesting. I think the thing that impressed me was how they showed the seven stages of grief. Hiro was just a character that I understood so many things where he was coming from in his pain, especially from my personal life. To see that on screen was quite interesting and very ballsy of Disney.
The look of the film was so cool. If San Frantokyo was a real city, I would move there in a heart beat. I loved the world that Disney created. And the gadgets were so cool. My favorite set of gadgets were from Honey Lemon, a chemist who had these balls that when thrown would cause chemical reactions that would affect her enemies. Also Wasabi’s gadget was cool because he had these laser knifes on his hands. Can you tell I was like a kid in a candy shop with this movie?!
I felt the characters were well developed in this film. Hiro’s Aunt Cass, voiced by the hilarious Maya Rudolph, was a wonderful parent figure for Hiro and Tadashi and had some great jokes. The villain, Callaghan, was very well voiced although his story line was kinda like a red herring in the group. But, it never felt
monotonous, or bored anyone really. It was an interesting last minute addition to the piece as a whole. The five friends were so well developed and interesting to watch on screen. All their personalities were so much fun and meshed so well with Hiro’s personality. Tadashi was a wonderful soul, and 
such a great role model for Hiro. I was very sad to see him go, but alas, a Disney movie would not be complete without a personal tragedy for a character. Hiro was someone who did not like in the beginning. I thought he was a brat and quite rude. However, as the film progressed, he started to grow on me and he was a very likable hero, no pun intended.
The real scene stealer was the robot Baymax. A great humorous character for the kids, and the adults really, Baymax was that character that you want to take home and make your best buddy. He was voiced brilliantly by Scott Adsit, of 30 Rock fame, and had some great jokes to keep the heavy subject matters light. Baymax may give Olaf a run for his money, or will be one of the toys sold as much as Olaf in the Disney merch.
A Touch of Ginger 