Sony's Cinderella: A Heroine's Journey (And My Take)
Before I begin, I'm happy to announce that I'm a recently published author! Check out my book Concept Journal: A Test of My Imagination on Amazon today, available in both digital and paperback! The book is a year-long recollection of fascinating lessons and random facts I've learned, simply explained in my soon-to-be signature style of humour! If you purchase this book, I hope you at least take something away from it, and become a more curious person than you ever were before (sorry, expectations too high?)!
Last month, I made my first reaction video (just for fun, but some people have watched it). I was a little nervous about doing it and putting it out there, as it was the first video on my channel that shows my face (not a face reveal though, my channel icon was already of my face), but also that I was reacting to a video that I've been waiting an awfully long time to see. So much so, that when it finally came out on YouTube, I freaked out as if one of my cousins just had a baby (which she did, BTW, congrats!), "It's here, it's here!"
Of course I'm talking about the official trailer for 2021's (produced by Sony and bought by Amazon) Cinderella, starring someone who I've mentioned a couple time on this blog: Camila Cabello!
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| Official poster for Cinderella (2021), featuring Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel, Nicholas Galitzine, Pierce Brosnan, and Minnie Driver |
Now that the movie is out on Amazon Prime Video to watch with your fabulous fam, I thought I'd share with you my take on this live-action musical comedy with all you dear readers!
(WARNING: There will be spoilers throughout the rest of this post! If you're not satisfied with that, watch Cinderella on Prime Video and come back to read the rest.)
But first, the background.
Cinderella (2021) is a revamped version of the classic fairy tale kids of my generation and earlier grew up exposed to (I may have been too hooked on Disney's animated version in my childhood, but that was many years ago), told from a feminist/egalitarian lens. In fact, it was both written and directed by a woman: Pitch Perfect screenwriter Kay Cannon! It follows an ambitious, young seamstress named Ella (Camila Cabello), who dreams of owning the most successful dress shop in town. But there's two caveats. First, her parents are dead, so she has become the servant to her stepmother Vivian (Idina Menzel) and her two stepsisters. Second, she lives in a society where men are pretty much the only business owners, but that's not stopping her from her dreams (is it?)! Meanwhile, King Rowan (Pierce Brosnan), along with his wife, Queen Beatrice (Minnie Driver), call a ball in two weeks time so that their son, Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine), I'll call him Bob, can find a woman to marry (they also have a daughter named Gwendolyn, but more on her later). Meanwhile, Ella insists on going; nevertheless, of course, her (step)family has to get in the way of that happening, so Vivian ruins the dress that her stepdaughter has worked so hard on. There is hope though, as Ella's fabulous godmother (Billy Porter) is transformed from a butterfly raised in Ella's basement to make her life just a little better, actually, a lot better, giving her a new dress and carriage to ride, as well as a questionable pair of glass slippers (you know, like in the original, almost...). At the ball, Bob chooses Ella as his bride, but that sets yet another obstacle for Ella, as being royalty could take her entrepreneurial hopes and dreams to the grace. She must make a choice: to marry or not to marry Bob? That infamous glass slipper could also make this decision on of life vs. death! Will Ella make a move for Bob or for herself? (Spoiler: Ella doesn't marry Bob in the end, but it gets better from there. Long story short, they become like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle)
Did I mention that James Corden is both a producer and mouse in this movie!
The movie is rated PG for suggestive material, and has a runtime of 113 minutes. Also, it's produced by Sony/Columbia Pictures, in case you didn't notice.
Whew, that was quite a background!
I could just tell you my opinions about the movie and call it a day, but no, I wanna start this take with a little lesson on...plot structure, more specifically, Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey.
A Plot for the Classics (And Beyond?)
First described in Campbell's book The Hero With a Thousand Faces, the Hero's Journey can be thought of as a standard framework for pretty much every story (Note that in more recent times, this structure has became more deviated from in movies, TV shows, and novels, but it can still be found in most stories nowadays). This plot structure is almost always visually represented as a circle, with one half being the protagonist's ordinary world (comfort zone) and the other being the special world.
The Hero's Journey consists of twelve stages.
1. Ordinary World: The protagonist is living their normal life, within their ordinary world.
2. Call to Action: The protagonist receives an opportunity that disrupts their comfort zone.
3. Refusal of the Call: The protagonist either confidently denies or hesitantly accepts this opportunity out of fear.
4. Meeting the Mentor: The protagonist meets someone (or something) that will provide them guidance on their journey.
5. Crossing the Threshold: The protagonist boldly decides to make the transition between their comfort zone and the special world.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: The protagonist is faced with challenges, while getting to know both their friends and foes.
7. Approaching the Inmost Cave: The protagonist is about to enter the great unknown, and will have to do some reflection and preparation before diving in.
8. Ordeal: The protagonist comes toe-to-toe with their biggest fear, and must apply what they have acquired from the previous stages to conquer it.
9. Seizing the Reward: The protagonist obtains their reward resulting from completion of the ordeal.
10. The Road Back: The protagonist begins their trek back to normal life, in pursuit of total freedom.
11. Atonement: The protagonist must face a final challenge, except within their ordinary world, proving that they have changed from the beginning.
12. Return with Elixir: The protagonist is back to normal life, except having acquired so much, they're a changed person, and their life will never be the same.
Note that Campbell originally made 17 phases for the Journey to describe classic myths. The above 12 stages are discussed by most modern-day sources in an attempt to remove any biases established by Campbell relating to gender roles and the type of story being told. This is so that the condensed structure can apply to most stories, regardless of the protagonist's gender or the genre of the story. This is good news for stories like 2021's Cinderella, which has a more authentically female protagonist (otherwise known as heroine) and doesn't involve any fights with beasts or flights on pegasi (there are horses though). Also, even Campbell himself intended for it not to be necessary for every story to follow all of the journey's stages, as long as it followed most stages fittingly well. And so, I will break down the plot of this altered tale (as best as possible) through the eyes of protagonist Ella as she embarks on her Heroine's Journey! (There are other character arcs of course, but I'll somehow cover those later)
New Ella, New Path
Disclaimer: All stills from Cinderella (2021) are screenshots from the movie's photo gallery on IMDB, which has more than 100 still images from the movie alone. (Unfortunately, I couldn't download them directly or obtain URLs to full res versions, that's just how it works sometimes...)
Ordinary World
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| The physical manifestation of Ella's ordinary world is a basement |
Ella is an orphan who dwells in the basement of her stepmother Vivian's house. She must attend to the needs and wants of Vivian, as well as Vivian's daughters Malvolia and Narissa. The demanding chores that Ella has to do around the house leave her skin tinted with cinders, thus earning her the cheeky nickname "Cinderella" by the family under her service. But Ella is more than just Cinderella, a peasant girl serving the woman who married her now dead father, as she has a vision of one day running a dress shop. The basement that Ella lives in is her literal comfort zone, the only place she feels safe in, expressing her creativity while speaking to mice and tending a caterpillar. A spark leads Ella to fabricate a dress which she later attempts to sell on the street. Apparently, the folks around town don't support the idea of a woman selling clothes, one customer even claiming that Ella stole the dress, thus not having made it herself! Vivian doesn't seem to like the idea either, urging her stepdaughter never to make dresses to be sold ever again. What Vivian does support is Ella and either of her daughters marrying rich men. Vivian's daughters don't seem to mind giving themselves away to a classy guy, but Ella is totally not cool about it!
Call to Action
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| Not knowing it's the Prince personally inviting her after buying her dress, Ella gets word of the ball |
At the changing-of-the-guard ceremony, Ella is unable to get a view while crowded amongst the population, because, well, she's short in height and of a lower socioeconomic class, so she climbs upon a statue of the previous King in order to see the ceremony much clearer. The King orders her to get down from the statue of his late father, but it is there where Ella first gets the attention of the King's "idiot son" Prince Robert, which I will, again, refer to as Bob. It is also there where Bob, already captivated by Ella's nature, decides that any woman, regardless of class, is invited to the ball in two weeks. In an attempt to get to know Ella more and personally invite her to the ball, without being too obvious, Bob disguises himself as a lower class man and tracks her down in the village where she is making her first sale. Giving his clear reasons of supporting pioneering ideas like Ella's, he purchases the dress at a decent price (especially considering the inclusion of her mother's brooch) .While having a chit-chat with Ella after the announcement of the ball, Bob incidentally learns the rumours about himself commonly known across the village (like that his mom the Queen still spanks him) from Ella. Bob denies the rumours to Ella, but in a way that doesn't give away anything. He then brings up the undercover request...
Refusal of the Call
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| The torture from Ella's stepmother is what triggers her to feel hopeless about attending the ball |
...in which Ella responds to disguised Bob that she doesn't want to go to the ball 'cause what's the use of something super lavish? It's not Ella's cup of tea! Afterwards, Bob promises Ella that he will show her around the fashions of the event. Ella agrees to it and starts working on the dress she plans to wear at the occasion. Two weeks later, Ella shows off her newly finished dress to Vivian, who straight-up rejects the idea of Ella attending the ball, staining her dress with ink and restraining her (in a forceful grab). All hope is lost for Ella, as she belts out "Million to One" through tears.
Meeting the Mentor
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| Have no fear, Fab G is here to help Ella get to the ball, with some consequences... |
Suddenly, a butterfly hatches from the cocoon that Ella has been observing for days in her basement, and transforms into this journey's mentor: the fabulous godmother, a.k.a. Fab G! Now that Ella has saved Fab G, it's time for Fab G to save Ella. So, to make Ella's wishes come true, Fab G zaps her into a dress based on a fantastical design she made, a pair of uncomfortable glass shoes, a carriage transformed from a crate, and three footmen transformed from the three mice (which Ella, up until then, thought were girls, something about a preconceived notion of hers that rats are guys and mice are girls). With all these material goodies, Ella will become unrecognizable to everyone, except for that dude she sold the dress to (who, of course, was Bob in disguise) at the ball. However, there's a catch, but it's Fab G's little offering of wisdom. All the spells last until midnight, showing that nothing lasts forever.
Crossing the Threshold
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| Ella makes her way to the palace (with a little help from some friends) |
And so, Ella and her mice-turned-footmen make their way to the ball using the carriage. Bidding farewell, Fab G transforms back into a butterfly, not to be seen for the rest of the movie in human form.
Tests, Allies, Enemies
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| Feeling a little nervous around Queen Tatiana, Ella promises to partake in her favour |
Is the ball Ella's ultimate test in the special world? Maybe. Plenty of events happen there though. First, Ella enters the palace just after some princesses try to swoon Bob, but of course, he ain't that impressed, he just feels like an army is trying to take him down (at least we get that from the next song). Ella then encounters one of the world's monarchs, Queen Tatiana, who after hearing of Ella's dressmaking, offers for her to do her a favour at 4 the next day, and she's very serious about it. Ella, nervously and excitedly, agrees to the favour, not knowing what may lie ahead for her next, just realizing that the man who approached her the other day was Bob all along. This is confirmed not just from Ella overhearing Bob discuss their encounter with the attendees but also Bob's sister, the politically, socially, and environmentally avant-garde Princess Gwendolyn, coming into view wearing the dress, brooch included, that Ella sold to him at the village (of course, without even recognizing his face...just saying, couldn't he have still recognized in town by the face?).
Approaching the Inmost Cave
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| The Prince sings and dances with Ella, while everyone else is standing there, watching... |
As the clock is fast approaching midnight, Ella is already face-to-face with Bob, but they already seem to be falling in love with each other. He asks her dance, awkwardly after Ella crashes into the cymbals in front of everyone (embarrassing moment, isn't it?) and tried to pretend like it never even happened. And so, the public in the palace watch as Ella and Bob romantically dance at duet at once (that scene really tugged at my heartstrings actually, not gonna lie, but I'm sure Camila herself was super stoked about singing an Ed Sheeran song with her co-star in a movie. It must have been like a life-long dream come true for her as a fan of the famed ginger singer, at least other than actually working with Ed for his collaborations album, but that's a whole other story).
Ordeal
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| Is this love in the air I'm sensing? |
Now this is where the real romance arc between Ella and Bob makes its peak (but head out of the gutter please). Once their "perfect" duet/dance has ended, just minutes before midnight, Bob takes Ella to a separate room to talk with her in private, more specifically, to announce that he has chosen her to be his bride. Ella is a little on the edge when hearing this. She fears that marrying Bob will mean having to completely abandon her business venture, which she has literally built from the ground up ('cause you know, basement?). This is do-or-die for Ella, as she is faced with the gruelling possibility of sacrificing her most grandiose dreams for a marriage to the man she loves which would eventually lead to royal confinement. After Ella admits her POV to Bob, he plays her a little something on the piano, and the newfound couple fall in love...just a little more. However, once the two are about to kiss, the clock strikes midnight, and Ella, remembering what Fab G warned her, makes a getaway from the palace. It is at this moment when the palace declares Ella as "future queen", but she just turned the ball into a disaster!
Seizing the Reward
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| As everything starts to disappear, a scar has been left on the royal family's reputation |
There isn't really a reward for Ella from the ball, except maybe a different reputation amongst the public (if they finally recognize her, that is), and becoming the heir apparent Bob's pick for wife, and maybe the one shoe she has left from the occasion, the other one thrown (accidentally) at the face of Bob's confidant Wilbur as both were quickly rendered less comfortable and heavier as Ella descended the palace steps...?
The Road Back
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| Ella lies to her stepmother that she's sick, hoping that the glass slipper she hid isn't noticed |
With the spells having worn off and Ella back in her normal clothes, the mice struggle to return her (a literal "road back", but bear with me here) to Vivian's house on the carriage, so Ella has to trust her sense of direction when going back herself. Once Ella is in her basement and Vivian approaches, she hides the glass slipper in the hopes that Vivian won't find out that she was the girl who Bob picked to marry him, and pretends to be bedridden from illness. After Vivian suddenly opens up to Ella about her past life being a classical musician and a happily married woman with children and how it all changed, she eventually notices the shoe meant to be hidden in plain sight, and tells her stepdaughter to go ahead with marriage to Bob. Yet again, Ella's fears are creeping in, the sheer struggle of having to either obey or ignore her disapproving stepmother's command within. Plus, arrangements have already been made for Bob to marry Princess Laura later in the week. Meanwhile, an announcement has already been made that Bob is going around town trying to find the owner of the other shoe, thrown at Wilbur's face.
Atonement
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| The Prince is about to take his new girlfriend Ella to the village, but she would rather walk than be carried, thank you very much... |
As Bob knocks doors around town in search for the girl he fell in love with, he comes to a realization that maybe he is an idiot for assuming she would be willing to answer the door, and instead thinks she is in hiding, so he heads away from the streets and into the forest. At the same time, Vivian and Ella are on a ride with their neighbour, a rich man (with an unnecessary cane) named Thomas, who Vivian has forced Ella into marrying now knowing that she doesn't want to marry Bob. The mice aren't happy with it and help Ella escape by herself by distracting Thomas. Just in that moment, Bob is approaching Ella on his horse, and they finally meet again for another shot at love! But first, they get in a lengthy discussion about how he really doesn't want to be king and would rather be with Ella. So romantic, they kiss afterward!
Return with the Elixir
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| And so, Ella & the artist formerly known as first-in-line profess their love to the entire kingdom! How's that for a fairytale ending? |
Once Gwendolyn, originally second-in-line to the throne, is appointed as the King's heir apparent, Bob and Ella make their relationship (of love, not marriage) public, and announce they will be travelling the world (mainly because of Ella's newfangled dressmaking endeavours) rather than staying within the kingdom (dang, they just made Ella like Meghan Markle, cool!), so the whole world will rejoice in a queen for the next generation. Cue the final musical number! But how has Ella changed throughout the course of this journey? Long story short, everyone knows her name (just as she imagined in the beginning)! Short story long, Ella is more confident, has better relationships with others (especially Vivian), and she knows how to compromise for a work-life (or should I say love?) balance. Falling in love with Bob luckily wasn't the only thing that perpetuated these changes, as Ella already knows how to make things work for herself, without complete dependence on others. Finally, much like the girl who portrays her, Ella is humble, go-getting, and authentically hilarious, these traits of hers becoming more accentuated throughout the story. Now that's what I call progress for the princess (or prince's GF, whatever)!
Happily ever after!
Reviewing the Movie
So, what did I think? Did the shoe really fit for me?
Well, the movie was amazing in my humble opinion! I admired the visual quality and effects, the character acting, the witty humour, and, most importantly, the music! The movie's soundtrack is a mix of covers and original songs, but I mostly loved the covers, more than their original versions actually. As for the cinematography, all I can say it that it was quite impressive for something filmed in almost two months and edited in a year! Moreover, I was captivated by the various vehicles for humour, such as background characters (like the palace choir) and anachronisms (like the cellist smashing her instrument as if it were a modern-day rockstar's electric guitar); so much about the ways that the comedy part of this movie were carried out just made me and my mom want to laugh so hard! Not to mention that James Corden stole it with his scatting and the town crier was quite the standout minor character! There were some stuff that felt off though, mostly having to do with the execution of the plot. Sure, there was a lot of focus on the characters of Ella and Bob, just as I hoped for, but other characters were getting so much time in the spotlight to a point that arcs were created for them, which was a little too much for me. Just like that, I had a second favourite couple from the movie: Rowan and Beatrice (they had this whole arc about reviving the romance within their marriage, but I gotta say, that last part when he sang to her was a definitive laugh). There was also an arc for the mice getting accustomed to being in human bodies, and then turning back into mice, but that was within a smaller window (and it was for the laughs). In addition, some of the transitions between plot elements seemed too quick for me, as I enjoy more gradual stuff (like that was possible to do in two hours). For example, Vivian instantaneously went from scolding Ella around to telling her that she is just not cruel and forming a more positively trusting relationship with her. Moreover, one thing I was concerned would be missing from the movie was a flashback or visual backstory, but then, I realized it wasn't necessary for the Heroine's Journey, as there was already some background established through the music and dialogue of the opening scenes. Did we really need to know how Ella's parents died anyway? Finally, the version of this story, very much changed from its original form, is a little more realistic, but not in a bad way, as it reflects more of the modern-day woman character, that, seriously, I think we should have portrayed more in family so that kids aren't biased to think different of the world than it actually is in terms of womanhood, I mean, it's what we need now in this era of attempts to close the gap of perceptions and opportunities between all genders, am I right? To conclude, if you're like me, you'll have a ball watching it (get it?), especially Camila's acting, even you're not a fan of hers, I mean, it's not about Camila, it's about the entire cast (town crier included, 'cause he deserves a shoutout; after all, he rapped not once, not twice, but three times)!
My Score: 8.5/10
What did you think of the movie? Was Camila Cabello's acting debut worth the watch or is another feminist fairy tale worth the wait? (No judgement, I've heard mixed opinions...)
Maybe You'll Like...
Here are some of my favourite videos related to the movie:
And here are some of my top picks from the soundtrack (available on Epic Records):
Perfect by Camila Cabello and Nicholas Galitzine
Let's Get Loud by the cast of Cinderella
Million to One (Remix) by Camila Cabello
Shining Star by Billy Porter and Camila Cabello (featuring James Corden's scatting)
Somebody to Love by Nicholas Galitzine
Am I Wrong by the cast of Cinderella
My favourite is a tie between the first two, by the way.
Don't forget about my book Concept Journal, available on Amazon (just like the movie I talked about)!
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