Cinderella (2015 American film)
Cinderella is a 2015 romantic fantasy film directed by Kenneth Branagh from a screenplay by Chris Weitz. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Kinberg Genre, Allison Shearmur Productions, and Beagle Pug Films, the film is based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale "Cinderella" and also serves as a live-action adaptation of Walt Disney's 1950 animated film.[6] Starring Lily James and Cate Blanchett as the main roles, with Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Derek Jacobi, and Helena Bonham Carter in supporting roles.
Cinderella
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Kinberg Genre
- Allison Shearmur Productions
- Beagle Pug Films
- February 13, 2015 (Berlinale)
- March 13, 2015 (United States)
106 minutes[1]
English
$540.5 million[4]
Development for Cinderella began in May 2010, with producer Simon Kinberg and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna attached to the project. Mark Romanek was initially set to direct in August 2011, but left the project in January 2013 due to creative differences with Disney and was replaced by Branagh, while Weitz was hired to revise McKenna's script. Casting began in November 2012, with Blanchett being the first actor to be cast. James signed on to portray the title role in April 2013, and the rest of the cast joined between May and September 2013. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, from September to December 2013.
Cinderella premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2015, and was released theatrically in the United States on March 13 in standard and IMAX formats by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It grossed over $542 million worldwide, becoming Branagh's highest-grossing film to date as a director. The film received positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for costume design categories at the 88th Academy Awards, 21st Critics' Choice Awards, and 69th British Academy Film Awards.
Plot[edit]
Ella, the kindhearted daughter of a wealthy merchant, lives happily with her parents, until her mother falls ill. On her deathbed, she asks her daughter to always have courage and be kind. Years later, Ella's father marries the widowed Lady Tremaine, who has two daughters of her own, Drisella and Anastasia. When Ella's father leaves on business, Lady Tremaine reveals her cruel and jealous nature, forcing Ella to give up her bedroom to the stepsisters and move into the attic. While away, Ella's father unexpectedly dies. Lady Tremaine dismisses the staff to save money, forcing all the chores upon her stepdaughter. Seeing her face covered in cinders after sleeping by the fireplace, Ella's stepfamily mockingly dubs her "Cinderella".
Distraught by her stepfamily's mistreatment of her, Ella rides off into the woods. There, she meets Kit, the crown prince, who introduces himself as a palace apprentice. They take a liking to each other, but part without him learning her name. Back at the palace, Kit learns that his terminally ill father plans to throw a royal ball, so Kit may choose a princess to marry. Kit persuades the king to invite all the eligible maidens in the land, secretly hoping Ella will come.
Ella, also wanting to see Kit again, refashions her mother's old dress and attempts to join her stepfamily at the ball. However, they rip her dress and leave her behind. Running into the garden in tears, Ella meets an old beggar woman, who reveals herself to be her fairy godmother. She magically transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, mice into horses, lizards into footmen, and a goose into the coachman. She then bestows Ella an exquisite ball gown, and a pair of glass slippers. After casting a final spell to prevent Ella's stepfamily from recognizing her and before Ella departs, the Fairy Godmother warns her the magic will end at the last stroke of midnight.
At the ball, Kit is delighted to see Ella, and gives her the first dance. The Grand Duke, who promised Kit to Princess Chelina of Zaragoza for political reasons, expresses annoyance and is overheard by Lady Tremaine. Although surprised to learn Kit is the prince, Ella bonds with him. However, before she can tell him her name, the clock chimes close to midnight, and she flees the palace, losing one of her glass slippers. The Grand Duke pursues her, but Ella manages to hide right before the magic dissipates. Upon returning home, she hides the remaining glass slipper under the floorboards.
On his deathbed, the king gives Kit his blessing to marry Ella. As the new king, Kit issues a proclamation professing his love for the "mystery princess" and requests she present herself. Ella hurries to retrieve the slipper to prove her identity, but Lady Tremaine finds it first. She offers to let Ella marry Kit in exchange for making her the head of the royal household. Ella refuses, so Lady Tremaine breaks the slipper and locks her in the attic. She brings the remains to the Grand Duke and reveals the truth to him. He agrees to make Lady Tremaine a countess and secure advantageous marriages for her daughters in order to keep Ella hidden forever.
Unaware of these developments, Kit orders the Grand Duke and the Captain of the Guard to find the "mystery princess" by trying the intact slipper on every woman in the kingdom. At Ella's house, the shoe fits neither stepsister, and the company prepares to depart, until they hear Ella singing in the attic. Kit, who has secretly accompanied the group, commands the Captain to investigate, forcing Lady Tremaine to release Ella. Ella successfully tries on the slipper and, as she leaves with Kit, forgives her stepmother. Soon after, Lady Tremaine, her daughters, and the Grand Duke leave the kingdom permanently, while Ella and Kit marry and become its most beloved monarchs, ruling with the same courage and kindness that Ella had promised her mother years ago.
The film also features Ben Chaplin and Hayley Atwell as Ella's biological parents. Additionally, Rob Brydon plays Master Phineus, the royal painter. Jana Pérez portrays Princess Chelina of Zaragoza, Kit's unwanted suitor, whom the Grand Duke wants him to marry. Alex Macqueen appears as the Royal Crier. Tom Edden and Gareth Mason play Lizard Footman and Goose Coachman, the human forms of Ella's animal friends. Paul Hunter portrays John, a farmer who works for Ella's family. Joshua McGuire appears as the Palace Official.
Release[edit]
Theatrical[edit]
The film had its world premiere on February 13, 2015, at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival,[66][67] and was released on March 13, 2015.[68] Theatrically, it was accompanied by Walt Disney Animation Studios' short film Frozen Fever, featuring the characters from Frozen.[69] On February 10, 2015, IMAX Corporation and Disney announced plans to digitally re-master the film into the IMAX format and release it in IMAX theaters globally on the scheduled release date.[70]
Home media[edit]
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Cinderella on Blu-ray combo pack, Digital HD, DVD, and "Disney Movies Anywhere" on September 15, 2015.[71] Blu-ray bonus features include an alternate opening, the Frozen Fever short, and the featurettes: "Staging The Ball", "Ella's Furry Friends", "A Fairy Tale Comes to Life", and "Costume Test Fun". Five deleted scenes with an introduction by Kenneth Branagh are included exclusively on Disney Movies Anywhere.[72] The film debuted in second place on the home media sales charts behind Furious 7.[73] Cinderella was released on 4K Blu-ray on June 25, 2019.[74]
In October 2014, a licensing agreement between Disney and Turner Broadcasting was announced, in which Cinderella would premiere across Turner's cable network portfolio (including TBS and TNT) in the Spring of 2017.[75] The film had its network television premiere on TBS on August 13, 2017. The film has also premiered on Disney Channel on October 8, 2018. The film aired on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney programming block on January 19, 2021.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Cinderella grossed $201.2 million in the United States and Canada and $341.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $542.4 million against a budget of $95 million.[4][5] It was the twelfth-highest-grossing film of 2015.[76] The film had a worldwide opening of $132 million,[77] and an IMAX opening of $9 million.[78] Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $164.77 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it eighth on their list of 2015's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[79]
In the U.S. and Canada, Cinderella opened on Friday, March 13, 2015, across 3,845 theaters, and earned $23 million.[80] The film's Friday gross included a $2.3 million late night run.[80] It topped the box office during its opening weekend as projected, earning $67.9 million,[81] including a record $5 million from 358 IMAX theaters, and became Disney's biggest 2D PG-rated opening of all time.[82][83] It is director Kenneth Branagh's biggest opening of his career (breaking 2011's Thor record), the fourth-highest Disney opening in March,[84] and was the seventh-highest opening in March overall (not counting for inflation).[85][86] Audiences during its opening weekend comprised 66% female, 66% families, 26% adults, 8% teenagers, 31% under the age of 12 and 9% 50 years and older.[78] Cinderella finished its first week at the box office with $87.55 million, which was very high end of the film's lofty pre-release expectations.[87] In its second weekend, the film declined 49% to $35 million and was surpassed by The Divergent Series: Insurgent, dropping to #2.[88] The drop was in between two of Disney's previous live-action fantasy films, Oz the Great and Powerful (48%) and Maleficent (51%).[89] In North America, Cinderella was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2015.[90]
Outside North America, box office analysts predicted as much as $60 million opening.[91] The film made its debut outside of North America on the same weekend as its wide North American release and earned an estimated $62.4 million from 31 countries,[77] including $4 million from IMAX theaters.[78] It topped the box office for two non-consecutive weekends.[92] It opened in China with $25 million, the biggest March opening in the country,[77] and Russia with $7.3 million.[77] The opening in these two countries were considered impressive given that both the countries are famous for their keenness for 3D films rather than 2D.[77] Other high openings occurred in the UK, Ireland and Malta ($5.6 million), Mexico ($5 million), Japan ($4.8 million), France ($3.3 million), and Brazil ($3.7 million).[92][93] In Australia, where the release date was coinciding with the Cricket World Cup finale, it managed to open with $3.4 million.[92] Italy opened with $4.6 million and topped the box office for three consecutive weekends.[77][92] It also topped the Japanese box office for five consecutive weekends.[94] It became the second-highest grossing Disney live-action film in China, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and in the Philippines, behind Maleficent.[95] In total earnings, its largest markets outside of the US and Canada are China ($71.1 million), Japan ($46 million) and the UK, Ireland and Malta ($29.2 million).[94][96][97]
Critical response[edit]
Cinderella received positive reviews from critics.[98] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 84% approval rating based on 258 reviews, with a rating average of 7.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Refreshingly traditional in a revisionist era, Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella proves Disney hasn't lost any of its old-fashioned magic."[99] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[100] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[78][81]
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter reviewed the film at the Berlin Film Festival and praised the special effects, the screenplay, and Blanchett's performance and said that "anyone nostalgic for childhood dreams of transformation will find something to enjoy in an uplifting movie that invests warm sentiment in universal themes of loss and resilience, experience and maturity."[101] Peter Debruge of Variety said, "It's all a bit square, big on charm, but lacking the crackle of Enchanted or The Princess Bride. But though this Cinderella could never replace Disney's animated classic, it's no ugly stepsister either, but a deserving companion."[102] Guy Lodge of The Guardian gave the film three stars out of five and said, "While it might have been nice to see the new-model Cinderella follow Frozen's progressive, quasi-feminist lead, the film's naff, preserved-in-amber romanticism is its very charm."[103] Scott Mendelson of Forbes admired the film's visual effects and production design, and deemed the costume design Oscar-worthy, adding, "with an emphasis on empathy and empowerment, Walt Disney's Cinderella is the best film yet in their 'turn our animated classics into live-action blockbuster' subgenre."[104]
Richard Corliss of Time magazine said Branagh's Cinderella successfully updates and revitalizes Disney's "ill-conceived" animated film, and praised the empowered Ella, the visuals, and Blanchett's performance.[105] Katy Waldman of Slate similarly deemed the film a commendable and authentic upgrade that does not undermine its heroine while maintaining its classic splendor and charm.[106] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal commended James' and Blanchett's performances, the sets, costumes, and minimal digital effects, as well as Branagh's direction, stating he "set a tone of lushly sustainable fantasy that's often affecting, frequently witty, seldom cloying, nearly free of self-comment and entirely free of irony."[107] Likewise, Claudia Puig of USA Today complimented the performances along with Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz for "ground[ing] this romantic tale with sincerity amid the dazzle."[108] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times praised Blanchett's and James' performances and described the film as a "poetically, if not prophetically, imagined storybook fable" that succeeds because of its earnestness, humor, its lack of modern-day pretenses, and Branagh's "singular focus".[109] Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer proclaimed, "This version has more psychological depth than usual and answers questions we may always have had. Branagh's Cinderella does something extraordinarily rare among fairy-tale adaptations: It leaves out nothing we want and adds nothing we don't."[110] Noting the religious themes and symbols of the film, cultural commentator Fr. Robert Barron wrote that, due to Branagh's traditional telling of the story, "he actually allows the spiritual – indeed specifically Christian – character of the tale to emerge."[111]
The film was ranked #1 on TheWrap's list of "Every Disney Live-Action Remake of an Animated Classic Ranked, Worst to Best",[112] #2 in Variety's list of "Disney's Live-Action Remakes Ranked From '101 Dalmatians' to 'Mulan'",[113] #3 on the Rotten Tomatoes list of "All 14 Disney Live-Action Remakes Ranked",[114] and #1 on Polygon's "All 20 Disney live-action remake movies, ranked."[115]