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Cinderella, a story as old as what seems like time itself. There once was a girl with skin as white as snow and there was an apple and also a mirror that spoke. Nope. Wait. That’s Snow White. Which one is Cinderella again?
Don’t worry, I know who Cinderella is. Being an adult, it’s hard to keep all the stories straight. In any case, Cinderella is a 1950s classic Disney princess movie. It’s got all the good stuff: a villain, a fairy that grants all your wishes but only till midnight, a classic before and after glam shot, and a prince who has the personality of a potato. Don’t get me wrong- when I was a kid, I lived for the magic of these stories. My favourite was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. But now I know it’s just an extreme case of Stockholm syndrome and a little bit of that special Disney “magic” that appeals to people on a visceral level.
Regular rom-com movies are nowhere near as bad as Disney princess movies. Romcoms don’t pretend to be anything they aren’t, but princess movies are moral preaching wrapped in childish fiction. In the end, if you didn’t learn some life lesson or antiquated moral lesson, did you even see the movie?
Still, the particular story of Cinderella is retold time and again. See for yourself:
Why do we as a society love Cinderella?
Well, the answer is quite simple. Of all the princess movies, this is easily the one that makes the most sense. Take Snow White, for example. Remaking it in the 21st century would be a nightmare. It’s racist in all aspects. Beauty and the Beast presents a similar issue. The “Beast” would have to undoubtedly be someone who is perceived as ugly by society and later in the film, the beast would have to be pretty- because that is the whole premise of the film; that only conventionally attractive people find love. Then there is The Sleeping Beauty- here, the prince makes the highly questionable decision of kissing a corpse. And so that really leaves us only with Cinderella- possibly the least controversial of them all in its fairy tale format.
The New Cinderella
A musical version of Cinderella was released on Amazon Prime Video on September 3, starring Camila Cabello, with a supporting star ensemble. It has the same story. Cinderella loses her father, gets evil stepmother, there’s a ball, she can’t go, fairy godmother saves the day. Now for a spoiler alert- the surprising twist is that the Prince recognizes Cinderella. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the whole glass slipper and unique foot size in the whole kingdom fiasco. It has always been an incredulous plot point that the Prince can’t recognize Cinderella without the glitz and glamour.
The movie comes with a silver lining. It goes out of its way to promote feminism and the idea that if Cinderella wants it all, she can have it all. Oftentimes in the movie, Cinderella chooses to give her life a purpose beyond some attractive prince and all the wealth that comes with it. The movie also gives the stepmother a sad backstory, so that the viewers can sympathize with her evilness. The banter in the film is very Gen Z, so you’ll hear some “OMG” and “Woah” in the film.
It’s Good, But…
My only two problems with the film are- one, why is everyone but Cinderella British? And two, while it’s a musical, what’s with the overdose of singing? After a point, it becomes a liability rather than an asset to the story. Furthermore, the songs seem to make no sense with what is happening in the scene. All the street credit the film gets through its dialogues is lost the moment people start singing for no obvious reason.
Watching the movie is entirely a choice. It’s like the musical version of Hilary Duff’s Cinderella remake. So you know what, you can skip it if you want. You probably already know the story.
If you want, you can watch the movie here.
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