A lot of new updates about the next Thor movie, Thor: Ragnarok, have been released recently. For one, Marvel has announced the new cast. Cate Blanchett will play the villainous Hela and Jeff Goldblum will play the eccentric Grandmaster (because ‘eccentric’ and ‘Jeff Goldblum’ go… Read More »The latest from Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok
Walt Disney’s original animated classic “Cinderella” was visually stunning and masterfully animated. Based on a fairy tale from Charles Perrault, and with beautiful songs and orchestration, it won over theater audiences and helped cement the Disney Studios as the leader in feature animation.
So when news came out that Disney was remaking the movie with a live action cast, the question was why? When I heard that Kenneth Branagh would be directing, I felt a bit better. But it was costume designer Sandy Powell’s costumes that really sealed the deal for me. Even if Cinderella was a 2 hour parade of Powell’s gorgeous costumes, I would have left satisfied.
The good news, is that the rest of the movie works too. It is a refreshing take on the fairy tale that we all know and love with lessons we can all take to heart. Branagh revisited the original Perrault fairy tale and incorporated some more modern motivations to make the film more relevant for today’s audiences. The story actually works better once Cinderella (Lily James) has a little agency.
That agency is delivered to Ella by her parents. First by her mom (played suitably by Hayley Atwell) who tells her to “have courage and be kind,” and by her father who teachs her the strength to endure. She’ll need both of these in spades once her parents die (at least both mom and dad die in this one instead of just mom). Actually dying parents is a fairly strong theme in this movie, something to be aware of if your kids have recently lost any one close to them.
I just got out of seeing Cinderella in IMAX, and boy do I have some thoughts. Time for another “Thoughts During Movies” segment. For those unaware, I tend to have a lot of random tidbits I think about during Disney films, and instead of a regular review, I give you my stream of consciousness to show you how the movie was for me. If that didn’t make any sense…just read below and you’ll get the gist.
In this new featurette for Disney’s Cinderella, Cate Blanchett talks about what it was like to play Lady Tremaine. You also hear from Kenneth Branagh about his thoughts for the evil stepmother. It must have been a lot of fun to play so wicked a… Read More »Disney’s Cinderella – Cate Blanchett featurette
Kenneth Branagh, Cate Blanchett, Holliday Grainger, Lily James, Sophie McShera (Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ ABImages)
A little rain could not dampen the spirits of Disney’s Cinderella world premiere last night. Just like at the Oscars the El Capitan erected a big tent to cover the stat studded red carpet and the show went on as planned.
Many of the guests came dressed for a ball of Cinderella proportions too. Lily James, who plays the title character, looked stunning in her dress. Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera held up their end of the deal as the step-sisters as well. Plus Cate Blanchett looks fantastic as always.
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Lots more celebrity goodness to see in the photo gallery below:
Disney’s live action Cinderella promises to be a wonderful remake of the classic animated fairy tale we’re all familiar with. From those who have already seen the film, we hear that Cate Blanchett makes a wonderfully wicked stepmother, in fact, her grand entrance is a real piece of work.
Watch what happens with Cinderella meets Lady Tremaine, her future stepmother, for the first time.
Yes, that’s a cat on a leash. Cinderella dances into theaters March 13th.
Full plot synopsis below the jump:
Read More »New Cinderella Clip – Meeting the future Stepmother