I am not afraid to admit that the first time I saw Enchanted (2007), I was amazed at the magic of having a Disney princess becoming real. Now, 8 years later, I’m less than impressed as Cinderella steps off the silver screen on literal glass slippers–created through the magic of CGI and an oversized budget. Have I grown cynical? Perhaps. But I doubt I am alone.
That dress is not functional
Cinderella (2015) raked in an amazing $67,877,361 on its opening weekend; but unlike its predecessors Maleficent (2014), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Red Riding Hood (2011) and Alice in Wonderland (2010), the latest retelling of a one of Disney’s finest is depressingly true to the original. In my opinion, Alice, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Aurora have all gone a level up in BAMF-ness, but Cinderella remained much the same–sweet, coy, and flatter than Lily James’s corseted torso.
Lily James (Cinderella) had to go on a liquid diet so they didn’t have to CGI her waist.
Instead of developing the characters or showing us a new dimension of an oft-forgotten character, this latest remake seemed to be a reiteration down to the “bibbity bobbity boo!” We have the same cruel stepmother, ugly stepsisters, squeaky mice, and Prince Charming. For a movie with a budget of nearly $95,000,000, you would think a writer would be able to jazz things up a bit.
We’ll probably see Helena Carter again in the live action version of Dumbo, which is also going to be a thing.
Speculation wise, however, Cinderella is only the latest in a long line of live action reproductions of classic movies. In 2014, we had a darker retelling of Grimm’s Fairy Tales through Into the Woods, and it looks like we have quite a few more to look forward to. Wicked, one of Broadway’s greatest hits, is already confirmed to be made into a movie in the near future. That’s right, Frozen star Idina Menzel’s most famous Green Witch is going to be on the big screens soon. And, in 2017, we’re going to get Harry Potter star, Emma Watson, as the crowd favourite for Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
This fanart is amazing.
In my honest opinion, this movie is Disney trying to get more money out of already popular movies–and they’re not alone. MAC cosmetics introduced their new line of “Cinderella” cosmetics, while Swarovski has crystal slippers and a limited time Cinderella figurine. Disney, the happiest place on Earth, is still a corporation and they aren’t afraid to cash in on young children who want everything involving their favourite princess or adults who are nostalgic for their childhood.
Other than the labeling, is there anything that “Cinderella”-y about this?
Even this Cinderella is from the 1950’s version!
Am I still going to watch the Wicked and Beauty and the Beast movie when it comes out? Probably. But I’m not going to spend any more money on the live-action Cinderella–and you shouldn’t either. If you’re looking for a truly ingenious remix of a class fairy tale, check out Starkid’s rendition of Aladdin called Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier, of which the entirety is available for free on Youtube. Unlike the Cinderella remake, Twisted is witty, punny, and a masterful retelling of a famous fairy tale.
Seriously, this is amazing.
Link to Twisted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-77cUxba-aA
Sources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461770/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735898/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1486185/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587310/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661199/
http://screenrant.com/wicked-musical-movie-director-release-date-2016/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262426/
http://screenrant.com/disney-beauty-beast-live-action-movie-remake/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2771200/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180411/
http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/14307/New-Collections/MAC-Cinderella/index.tmpl
https://www.swarovski.com/Web_US/en/5089525/product/Cinderella,__Limited_Edition_2015.html
Image Sources:
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_wppM8ycod0/hqdefault.jpgÂ
http://shamelessmag.com/images/blog/2007/11/_resized/amy-adams-in-enchanted.gif
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20150203205452/disney/images/d/d4/Cinderella_2015_27.jpg
http://escapepod.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ea_cinderella_hbc.jpg
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dostuff-production/photos/12060233/Twisted_Poster_w-_StarKid.png