Be brave and kind.
That's the message the new Cinderella is sending. It's out in theaters now so I took the girls and a friend to see it.
Starring Lily James of Downton Abbey, "Ella" finds herself an object of constant punishment at the hands of her stepmother and two stepsisters. Unlike the original Cinderella, this version lets you settle in and grow to love Cinderella's parents before their separate and untimely death.
Cinderella's mother is gentle and wise and spends time with her daughter. She is stricken ill suddenly and calls Cinderella in during her final moment to remind her that in life she should always be brave and kind.
Her father loves Cinderella and her mother madly. After his wife's death, he searches for happiness hoping to find it in Lady Tremaine (played by Cate Blanchett). On a business trip he asks Cinderella and the stepdaughters what each of them would like him to bring back. Anastasia and Drizella each ask for something of monetary and cosmetic value while Cinderells asks simply for a branch, the first one he brushes across-so that he'll carry thoughts of her with him along his way. He falls ill and dies during the trip.
I grew up a Disney kid, excited every Sunday night when the Disney castle and fireworks appeared on my TV screen to the tune of "When You Wish upon a Star". I've never met a Disney film I didn't like. But I think this Cinderella might have captured things that the original Disney neglected or else didn't make plain to young viewers.
In the film Cinderella is a pretty girl, but she wears little makeup. She's even a bit plain and her hair is need of some serious mama brushing. She meets up with the prince in the forest one day. They're enamored with each other, she not knowing he's a prince. A bit similar to Sleeping Beauty, the prince meets her as she truly is and that's the girl he falls for.
I don't want to give the whole movie away. This Cinderella is a bit more sad than the original. Whereas animated Cinderella finds companionship with the mice, particularly Gus-Gus, this Cinderella looks out for them and enjoys their company, in this film her loneliness is a little more evident. She remains brave and kind; big in her small existence. She is made beautiful and fancy by her fairy godmother for the night of the royal ball where she once again captures the heart of the prince. But I feel viewers are aware that her inner beauty holds more magnetism than her shimmery gown.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment , such as hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 1 Peter 3:3-4
Her unfading beauty is much attributed to the teachings and love of her mother and father. Good parents seem to be missing from many Disney films (except for the animal films, Simba and Bambi have awesome parents). This movie reminds us of the importance of leaving a legacy of good character to our children through words and time and deeds.
I know there are a hundred reviews of the new Cinderella. Why add another? Cinderella speaks words of forgiveness to her stepmother at the end; a pleasant surprise in an eye for an eye world that exists now even in cartoons. I'm happy to support a movie void of bathroom humor and inappropriate language; full of goodness. This movie makes plain the importance of inner beauty and carrying on the love found in family. I found it refreshing.