The slipper doesn’t quite fit the new ‘Cinderella’

September 30, 2015 — by Elizabeth Lee

The 2015 remake of Cinderella with live actors instead of animated characters is worse. For instance, Cinderella’s mice sidekicks Jaq and Gus, two of my favorite characters in the original, are hardly entertaining in live-action. They don’t talk, the fairy godmother doesn’t sing, and the grumpy fat cat, Lucifer, doesn’t exist in the new “Cinderella” — all disappointments.

 

“And they lived happily ever after.”

Though it’s a cliché, I cherished this ending as a little girl.

When I watched Cinderella for the first time as an 8-year-old, it instantly became one of my all-time favorite movies. So when I heard last March that a new version of “Cinderella" starring Lily James was premiering, I knew I had to watch it.

But to my surprise, after watching the new movie, I found few major differences.  The one major difference was that the  1950 film is an animated cartoon and the 2015 remake has live actors, but other than that, virtually nothing else significant has changed.

Except this: The 2015 film is worse. For instance, Cinderella’s mice sidekicks Jaq and Gus, two of my favorite characters in the original, are hardly entertaining in live-action. They don’t talk, the fairy godmother doesn’t sing, and the grumpy fat cat, Lucifer, doesn’t exist in the new “Cinderella” — all disappointments.

In fact, the fairy godmother seemed to be a completely new character. I was used to seeing a plump fairy godmother in a flowy blue cloak; instead,  I was surprised by an angel-like princess. But this princess in a sparkly, white gown doesn’t even say her famous line, “Bibbiti-Bobbiti-Boo.” How could a proper “Cinderella” movie exclude this key line?

In general, the animated portrayals of these characters capture more emotion and personality. The actresses portraying Drizella (Holliday Grainger) and Anastasia (Sophie McShera) don’t depict their characters as well. The animated characters, with their exaggerated facial expressions and their voices, were able to convey their sass in a much more entertaining way.

Still, the new film did have its merits. One example: The costumes were stunning. Cinderella’s blue dress alone has  10,000 Swarovski crystals, more than 270 yards of fabric and 3 miles of hems — a dress truly fit for a princess.

Also, the new “Cinderella” is more realistic. By having Cinderella and the prince meet more than once in the remake, the filmmakers successfully show their love is made more practical and believable. We all know couples generally do not fall in love and marry after one meeting.

Lily James, who portrayed Cinderella, also speaks in a wonderful British accent throughout the remake. As a complete sucker for accents, this was definitely a plus for me.

While the live-action “Cinderella” made more sense in terms of portraying reality, it lacks originality and character. If I had to choose between the two, it’ll surely be the 1950 version. Plus, who doesn’t like watching a throwback Disney movie?

 

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