As Ella departs, the Fairy Godmother warns her the spell will end at the last stroke of midnight, and casts a final spell to prevent Ella's stepfamily from recognizing her.Īt the ball, the entire court is entranced by Ella. She then transforms Ella's ripped gown into a beautiful ballgown, complete with a pair of glass slippers. She magically transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, mice into horses, lizards into footmen, and a goose into the coachman. Ella runs into the garden in tears and meets an old beggar woman, who reveals herself to be Ella's Fairy Godmother. On the night of the ball, Ella tries to join her step-family, wearing her mother’s old gown that she has refashioned, but Lady Tremaine and Drisella tear it to shreds in jealousy and leave without her. Kit persuades his father to also invite every eligible maiden in the kingdom, hoping to see Ella again. The King discovers he has little time left to live, and urges Kit to take a princess as his bride at the upcoming royal ball.
Ella and Kit take a liking to each other, but they part without him learning her name. He hides that he is a prince and instead introduces himself as a palace apprentice. Seeing Ella's face covered in cinders after sleeping by the fireplace, her step-family mockingly dubs her "Cinderella".ĭistraught over her stepfamily's judgement towards her, Ella rides off into the woods where she happens to encounter Kit, the crown prince, hunting. When Ella's father unexpectedly dies, Lady Tremaine dismisses the household staff to save money and forces all their chores on Ella. Ella's father leaves on business, and Lady Tremaine reveals her cruel and jealous nature, pushing Ella to give up her bedroom to the stepsisters and move to the attic. Years later, Ella's father marries Lady Tremaine, who has two unpleasant daughters, Drisella and Anastasia. Ella promises to follow her mother's dying wish: to have courage and be kind. It received a nomination at the 88th Academy Awards, 21st Critics' Choice Awards and 69th British Academy Film Awards, all for costume design.Įlla and her parents live a humble but happy life until her mother falls ill.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising the performances (particularly James, Blanchett, and Bonham Carter), Branagh's direction, musical score, costume design, production values, and faithfulness to the original animated film. It grossed over $542 million worldwide, becoming Branagh's highest-grossing film to date as a director. Principal photography began at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England on September 23, 2013, and ended on December 14.Ĭinderella had its world premiere on February 13, 2015, at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on March 13, 2015, and in the United Kingdom on March 27 in standard and IMAX formats by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
In November 2012, casting began with Blanchett being the first to sign on James was eventually cast in the titular role in April 2013. In late January 2013, Branagh signed on to direct, with Weitz hired to revise a script from Aline Brosh McKenna. It features Lily James as Cinderella, and includes Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, and Helena Bonham Carter.ĭevelopment for a live-action reimagining of the original animated film began in May 2010, with producer Simon Kinberg attached to the project.
The film is based on the folk tale and is a live action adaptation of Walt Disney's 1950 animated film of the same name. Cinderella is a 2015 romantic fantasy film directed by Kenneth Branagh, with a screenplay written by Chris Weitz, and co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Kinberg Genre, Allison Shearmur Productions, and Beagle Pug Films.