I also liked how in the live action Cinderella, the step sisters weren't actually ugly. A little gaudish, yes, but what made them ugly was their bad attitudes and treatment of Ella. In the cartoon, however, they were given the stereotypical "ugly" face along with the nasty personalities.
also I can remember so many written version as a kid, including the Charles Perrault version where her stepsisters are specifically described as being physically beautiful but so mean-spirited that it didn't matter. So it's a nice homage to the original fairytale itself to have them be beautiful but cruel.
@@KatBee1742 that sounded so familiar that I went and check and sure enough, in the Brothers Grimm version it's "His new wife brought with her two daughters, whose features were beautiful and white, but whose hearts were foul and black." I have seen Into the Woods, I've just read the fairytale so many times! The collection I have is actually the same one my mom read to me as a kid.
They did that to make Cinderella stand out more, it was a cartoon so they had to do that to make it more believable. They were jealous of her beauty and kindness.
Fun fact: Lily James auditioned to be the step sister Anastasia instead of Cinderella in first place. But the casting director thought it would be a good idea if Lily auditioned to Ella too, or something like that.
the reason WHY Cinderella (2015) works so well is because it doesn't rely solely on nostalgia for the classic. It's not a play-by-play of the original Disney animation Like The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, and it's not even a musical. It can stand on it's own as a retelling of the Cinderella Fairy Tale. Plus the dialogue is beautifully written. It sounds more like a Jane Austen movie, rather than the more recent live action Disney movies, which are a bit flimsy in the writing category. If anything, the most RECENT live action Cinderella (Starring Camilla Cabello) is more tonally aligned with the REST of the live action Disney movies than Cinderella (2015) is. Truly on it's own league.
I love your comment about the dialogue! I didn't mention it in my video, but it's one of my favorite parts of the film. I especially love the dialogue in the scene where Ella and Kit first meet. Wonderful comment all around! And as tragic as it is, you're probably right about the Camila Cinderella being more closely aligned with Disney's latest efforts lmao
@@thetroveyoutube There is actually a whole video about the first meeting scene, from Shadversity. His channel has basically nothing to do with disney romance movies, but he made a video about how perfect that scene is
"more like a Jane Austen movie" after seeing several good Austen adaptations like Pride and Prejudice and Emma. learing how her story style works, i couldn't agree more with you
In Cinderella, it's also so unique that the prince didn't really need to put on the glass slipper to know that it was her that he loved. He heard her singing and requested she come down, he saw her face and smiled. He really only put the slipper on as a dis to the sisters and stepmother to prove to them that Ella was his bride. This sets it apart from most other Cinderella stories. The prince shouldn't be blind, deaf, etc. to Ella!
I believe (but I can be wrong) back in the fairytale, the fairy godmother made it in her spell so that people wouldn't recognize cinderella as a pauper to protect her from the stepmother and stepsisters. So even the prince wouldn't even gonna recognize her without the proof of the slipper.. I guess?
I agree. I'm so sick of the Cinderella remakes, ESPECIALLY the ones without magic, ALWAYS making the prince character to be dumb and blind! This version, and the version with Selena Gomez as "Cinderella" are the two best versions, in my opinion. The version called "If the Shoe Fits" also wasn't as bad, as the make-up and costume design, as well as the fact that "Cinderella" also changed her voice/accent, made it more believable that the "prince" wouldn't recognize her right away, but at the same time, he wasn't dumb, and was able to piece everything together. "Once Upon a Song" wasn't bad either, but they still ended up making him just a little too dumb for my taste, as he completely got duped when he should have been able to tell, just from listening to the step sister's talking voice and hearing how unintelligent she was, that she was a fraud; also, how did he forget the friend that came and dragged "Cinderella" away and never showed up with the fraud? Still love the little brother in that one though; he was excellent comic relief!
I hear what you're saying, but remember that the Prince is far, far unlikely to be the one to physically take the slipper from estate to estate, home to home searching for her. As it was in the animated film, the Prince was nowhere near when the slipper was being tried on by assorted females. The slipper was being seen to by the King's chief attendant. Unsure if that was his official title or role, but it's the best I can do. In the original Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale, the Prince was not attending the slipper. It was servants of sorts. Each of Cinderella's step-sisters cut off part of their foot to fit the slipper on, were taken away, but birds of the air announced the deceit, "Turn back! Turn back! There's blood on the track."
the main thing i noticed is that cinderella doesnt shy away from the saturated bright colours and doesnt depend too much on cgi (the mice and the godmother being the exceptions). even the dark scenes have bright colours and they make you feel closer to the original 2d
Someone pointed out that it was also shot on film (or made to look like it) which also contributes greatly to making it feel both fantasy and believable
When Cinderella says “I forgive you” I almost yelled, it’s so well done and shows that you can be strong and courageous and still be kind, you don’t have to be a badass warrior I love it
You made a really good point too here. Too many movies these days portray warrior women, or women who really kick ass, and nothing wrong with that. But Cinderella is strong from within her heart (despite her not having a sword at all), and I think this strength (i.e. being kind) is so overlooked these days that it makes me sad. That "I forgive you" is simple, but we know it can be so hard to do in real life. Cinderella nails "have courage and be kind" so well.
@@Icha74 exactly. There is a russian movie called I am dragon that has the same thing where the woman conquers a dragon with love. Its similar to the beauty and the beast archatype, but the beast is acutally a beast in more than looks.
I agree with everything you said about Cinderella, but I’d like to add two thing. A) It let her be empowered without forcing her to throw off traditionally feminine roles (something surprisingly rare in modern films) and B) It had an actual moral of the story - It felt like Cinderella was rewarded for her kindness. I adore this particular remake.
Omg yes. Exactly what I think too Especially with your reason A. Ever since Cinderella, Disney practically forced all the princess characters to drop their feminine side. That's why Belle loses her sarcasm. That's why Jasmine loses her quirks. That's why Mulan has to be born with super power so she can be better than any guy in the army Instead of learning as a newbie and working her way up to be a great warrior. Like what's wrong with their original characters? They were already strong female characters that we looked up to when we were young. And whoever said the princesses in animation are only there to be rescued by the prince is utterly wrong. Beast would have fallen off with Gaston if it weren't for Belle. Jasmine bought Aladdin more time by distracting Jafar. And for god sake the Emperor would have been dead if Mulan didn't come back and try to save him. The originals have illustrated such strong figures so well already. Why change them and make them less than what they were?🤦
@@bodine219 I hope to be a successful writer and it's movies like these and treatment of female and other characters makes me feel honestly much better about my own
This this this! I love the live action Cinderella because it kept to the original themes, but fleshed out the story. I feel like a lot of the other live action movies do copy the plots of the animated movies, but not really the themes, so it feels very disjointed.
Not to mention the Cinderella remake actually did justice to the dress, heck they even made it BETTER my jaw DROPPED during the transformation and i just love how the acting made it more immersive
it would've been better with a different design, and an homage to the original silver color of the iconic original dress. But much like the original dress, it was changed to blue for better marketing.
i agree! i HATED emma’s decision to not wear a corset in beauty and the beast. the corset was an undergarment, nothing more, nothing less. it wasn’t put on women for beauty standards or as a way to confine them (although i’m sure it did both) it served a purpose. her decision to not wear a corset was a big mistake in my opinion; it was an attempt to stay woke but completely missed the mark because it’d take one google search to see the reasons why women wore them at the time. it really took me out of the time period.
Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast just felt like Hermoine without a wand. It was a pretty one dimensional performance and did more to kill the experience for me in that movie than anything else.
As a victim of child abuse I really felt off about people who look down on the cinderella character saying she waited for a prince to save her when this is not true She experienced tremendous abuse and remained kind and giving despite it and she was such a role model to me Everyone saying cinderella should have just left really feels like victim blaming Cinderella was always my favorite princess and everyone made fun of me for it It's so refreshing to see people understand the depth of her story and why the 2015 remake is the best retelling
exactly, where was she to go exactly? Her only friends were mice its not like she can go live with them lmao, she has no money, no trade skills, no prospects at all. Girlie would have ended up a prostitute or worse if she left, it was better to stay where she was and wait for her chance. She was smart and so very strong to hold out under all that
What people don’t understand about Cinderella is that she didn’t go to the ball hoping to fall in love with the Prince of all people. She didn’t plan on marrying up and moving out to luxurious happily ever after. She just wanted to escape a shit situation for just one night. One night where she can take a little break and have something of her own, have some happiness in a lifetime of misery and abuse. She was even going to go back never talk about it again. But her fortunes had other plans in mind. The Prince saw her from across the dance floor and she stood out to him more than every other woman there. Now naysayers may say that he was just physically attracted to her and was objectifying her. But I think that Cinderella being there not for the Prince (and his wealth) had more of an effect than anything. Every other woman there was just there for his money, this could be a reflection of their greed and hubris. Whereas Cinderella was not greedy and did not go to the ball planning to merry the Prince, with aspirations of what his wealth will do for her. Cinderella was always kind and she was brave enough to never let her abusive step mother and daughters to ever change her positive attitude. She never let them beat her down and make her bitter and hateful like them. This I believe is reflected on her outer appearance. She was always beautiful on the outside because she is loving and kind on the inside. Cinderella meeting the Prince and their initial romantic dance was just a happy accident. A handsome guy walks up to her and asks for a dance, why would Cinderella refuse herself some fun on her one night escape from hell back at home. The original movie didn’t have much character development for the prince because he’s not the main character. It’s Cinderellas movie not his, he’s not the main focus. But what little character development he gets is that he is bored at the ball, his father is forcing the ball so that his son can find a wife (back then getting a son for the crown was an integral recipe for continuing the lineage). The Prince was not a womanizer because they showed him not socializing with every woman there. What little interaction he does have shows him being awkward or uncomfortable, so he’s not misogynistic or sexist. He just saw a woman who stands out to him and felt compelled to approach her. In their entire dance and evening he was so caught up in her he must have been caught in a stupor for not getting her name. His description of her must have sounded to made up so they checked every woman in the kingdom to find who fit into the shoe. But the Prince would have noticed if she didn’t match his description of the perfect woman.
She's my fav too, for ALL these reasons, she always show me How to stay true and kind to myself when i was in poweless situasions, when people were cruel to me, for no reasons, when i felt Alone and insecure in the World, she was a remainder that good things happen when we believe in them... And after a long journey, i can Tell everbody this is true.. and i still these days teling myself to have courage and to be kind, and can say its stays a massive good helpfull feeling ❤
One of the things I love about 1998 Mulan is that she was a _normal_ girl dealing with certain standards she had to maintain as woman and the disadvantages that came with it. She went to war to keep her father safe, she wasn’t immediately amazing at fighting (if anything she was worse than the others) but she got better with hard work and determination. She then saved China with her courage, intelligence and good heart along with the skills she learnt during the movie. Also, she saved everyone as a woman! It made me think as a young girl ‘wow I could do that to!’ In the 2020 version Mulan is already incredibly ‘special’ because of these chi superpowers she has and has to hide her abilities and how ‘amazing’ she is from everyone. For me it takes away all the struggle she had to endure to be a good fighter and the hero who saved China instead of it being served to her on a silver platter in the form of ‘chi superpowers’. Also, a talking dragon is unrealistic but a woman who turns into bird is ok? Really Disney? 🤨
Don't forget, she didn't somehow become as strong as the men, even through her hard work. She learned to use her strengths as a woman, instead -- she didn't brute force her way up the pole, she used the weights in a creative way; she didn't engage the Huns in hand-to-hand combat and come out the stronger fighter, she strategically caused an avalanche to save her unit. (For me, that ties directly into why _CInderella_ [2015] was so great. It was a story about being a resilient, loving woman. It was okay for her to need someone else to physically rescue her, and it was okay to consider marrying the prince a great reward. Women _should_ be able to dream about a kind and honorable man coming to sweep them off their feet, and it should be okay to aspire to be the sort of woman that "prince charming" would want to marry. That's a legitimate way a woman can help to save herself, and it's neither disempowering, nor does it sell her worth short. She deserves a lovely prince, and such a lovely prince would deserve her at her best.)
Don't forget that her brand new sister proves that if you're not born with special powers you can always aspire exclusivly be pretty and marry a man instead and have that be your whole thing
i only realized how Cinderella really WAS the only amazing disney live action. The whole cast was perfect, the costumes were beautiful, the writing stayed true to the animated film while also having their own original take, plus it had that Disney Magical feeling to it that the other movies lack.
I know, that's why I love it so much. It always annoys me when I hear people call it bland or unoriginal. It shares a lot with other adaptations, but that's to be expected given that Cinderella is probably the most adapted fairy tale. It's not my favorite telling of the story (that's a tossup between Ever After and 1997 with Brandi and Whitney Housten), but it's a lovely, magical romp that tells its own story.
I know, you'd think they'd keep advancing. Another example I think of often is Davy Jones in the Pirates movies. I'm not sure that CGI will ever be topped. They just seemed to dedicate more time, care, effort, and funds into their older projects cause they actually cared about the quality.
I always wondered why I enjoyed live action Cinderella so much, and now I finally understand why. Also I wish they could have done better with Cruella's plot; I really enjoyed Emma Stone's performance.
I’m glad you love it and I’m happy to help shed some light on the reasons the movie works so well. I agree about Cruella. Emma Stone did great but the movie as a whole wasn’t quite up to par. Thanks for watching!!
Mulan was a slam dunk for a girl power movie. She was a typical princess girly-girl. Through necessity, charm, and a whole bucket load of ingenuity she broke all the stereotypes and passed every test put before her. They stole all that from her to make her a OP, superpowered, girl boss Mary-Sue... They didn't even try...
I agree with everything except for the first part of animated Mulan's description. At the start, Mulan was actually struggling to be that princess girly-girl stereotype, hence the song Reflection questioning why she has to follow her culture's ideals on feminity. And she was also struggling to be that masculine man stereotype for her disguise, too. This story of self-acceptance was also tossed in the bin with the Live Action in favor of "You have superpowers, so use them."
Original Mulan was so fuckin empowering. Like how badass does she need to be to break the expectations thrust upon her a woman in China and go to war for her family, and disguise herself in order to do it. In the end, even after being exposed, she kept to her mission and used her ingenuity to save all of China. Disney trying to change that is honestly pure idiocy and a complete misunderstanding of the source material.
Whenever people talk about the live-action Disney Mulan, I *want* to get on board with the whole "they totally butchered it" sentiment... but then I remember that they weren't actually doing a remake of the Disney Mulan film - they were making a Chinese Wuxia film, because Disney's priority is to sell to the Chinese market. It was never intended to retell the American Mulan story in the first place, so of course it's not similar...
@@mylesleggette7520 Disney never marketed the live action Mulan as a remake, but everybody expected it to be a remake. As much as I love the animated Mulan, the live action was amazing. I went in with the mindset of it being a completely different movie. Yes there were some parallels, but overall is was not the same movie. Unlike other live action remakes. I loved the Beauty and the Beast (though they possibly could have cast someone else as Belle - as much as I like Emma Watson), because while it was pretty much the same, they did add some depth to the characters by adding in some backstories. Aladdin and the Lion King were not that great in my opinion. I did like some changes they made to Aladdin (like making Jasmine a little more than a supporting character). I felt like The Lion King was a bit of a stretch for “live action”. Even the live action The Little Mermaid was good and they made some incredible changes.
I remember watching Cinderella (2015) in theaters and being absolutely ENTHRALLED during their dance. Jaw dropped, eyes glazed, and tears brimming. I fell absolutely in love with it.
Not to mention the chemistry of Lily James and Richard Madden which I can say as their characters they have far better chemistry than the animated version
@@woopshtbetta no bruh. If you only saw the behind the scenes of the ballroom, they made alot of effort in every dress on the crowd.. its very creative and fascinating
Let me add a little thing about the costumes too. Cinderella live action had great costume designs that I've seen so many cosplayers recreate Cinderella's dress. On the other hand, live action Belle's dress looked more like a prom dress rather than a grand ball gown that I've never seen anyone cosplay that version. I've only seen cosplays of Belle in the animated version dress because c'mon, it's iconic.
If I remember correctly, I think they intentionally made her the only character wearing blue so she would stand out against all of the other colorful visuals
Well in the life action version of Beauty and the beast Emma Watson didn't want to wear a corset as part of her costume. Without a corset the silhouette of the big dress wasn't easy to achieve, if I remember correctly
I was in a particularly dark place in my life half drunk and depressed one night when this new Cinderella was on the movie channel, as a nearly 40 y/o man it wasn't something I would have picked, however I watched the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it. It remains the only Disney live action remake I have ever seen. I will fight anyone who doesn't like this movie. I think it was Cinderella's sheer kindness that impacted me and gave me hope. Its beautifully made and I'm surprised it wasn't more successful.
My depression is what drew me towards this movie too. When I finished, I just lay in the darkness thinking about it for a long time. The next morning, I had motivation to get up.
Lily James brings so much charm to the role. She can be idealistic, sad, angry and even funny when the scene calls for it. She's so engaging as the character, even with all the little things. Like how she says "they treat me as well as they are able" - she conveys so much in that one sentence. You completely buy that her and Kit are madly in love at first sight because of the great chemistry between them. Richard Madden does excellent work too. Robb Stark would be the easier role to play. A Prince Charming who feels like a real person we can connect with and not a bland man candy ideal, that's harder to pull off.
100% agree with what you said about Lily and Richard. It seems surprising that Prince Charming would be a more difficult role than Robb Stark, but I have to agree.
I’d like to call attention to the exceptional emotional intelligence of Kit in that scene and his reaction to that phrase. He hears and sees her say, “They treat me as well as they’re able” and immediately he grasps what she isn’t saying and replies with “I’m sorry.” It’s clearly meant to be the sympathetic Sorry, not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing, which is how she responds, with “It’s not your doing.” He can already see her goodness and how she exudes charity, and thus he says in reply, “Nor yours, I’m sure.” It’s a fairly quick exchange, but we can see how well he truly *sees* her, right from the very beginning. It makes their happy ending so much more satisfying than in the animated version, where the prince is just a pretty face with some dogged determination. I love this movie, love them, love this analysis, appreciate you all ❤
Cate Blanchett WAS Lady Tremaine. It's when the acting goes beyond the script and the actor dimensionalizes who they once were that makes the character so enticing to watch. She is the clear-cut antagonist. That final scene with Blanchett and James was probably one of the best acting scenes in all of the films combined. When she breaks that glass slipper, I always get chills.
“I could tell they were going for female empowerment and that’s never wrong” I think the whole theme and depiction of female empowerment these days is a reason why I appreciate Cinderella so much more, and it might be a reason as to why people don’t fully understand the real message of the story. Cinderella is not a bad mouthing, power wielding, martial arts master. But that does not mean she is not incredible strong and brave. She struggles with something that a lot of people can legitimately relate to: domestic abuse. And I will never understand why some people view her as weaker for being nice in the world/time period she’s in and the with the beliefs she hold. That is precisely why I also think the movie does such a great job in the live action. People criticize that in the live action, Cinderella had to be saved by the King and the guard instead of having her animal friends help her escape. But I think that choice gave her the opportunity to finally stand up for herself in front of her stepmother. It’s the 2nd time in the movie where she is genuinely upset and she actually shows it. And in the end when she says that she forgives her step mother, that’s the single most powerful line in the movie. Because everyone can be angry at their abusers and those who have wronged them. But it’s another thing to forgive them in order to give yourself closure and to move on with your life.
True that! Wish people would see Cinderella like this but sadly most of them think that a woman being gentle and feminine means we're "weak" pftt please no offense but imo, surviving abuse all while being a good person for your whole life and never continued that toxic cycle to others is empowering itself. Just because early Disney Princesses aren't their typical strong, aggressive, loud, and badass characters that we see nowadays doesn't mean they're weak. I'd also would like to add that Cinderella wanted to go to a ball for FUN goodness I can't imagine how tired she was after serving her step family lol it was not because she wanted to be part of the Royal family, I hate it when they say she's a golddigger..
Great comment and view of this topic. ❤️ I would like to add: In my eyes, it wasn't the prince alone who saved her. It was teamwork. The mice opened the window, Ella sang lovingly and it was heard by the prince. Love and gentleness were louder here than the intrigues spun below. I love this scene and resolution so much.
Yes, thank you. It's kind of ridiculous that strong female characters these days have been given roles in movies that used to be given to men. All because the character is strong doesn't mean that they have to be more traditionally manly in their characterization. Cinderella is a very feminine character with no masculine character traits. But she is still a strong character, and I love that. You can be feminine and strong at the same time. This is coming from a woman that is very much not typically feminine, but I love to see this.
I know we're only focusing on Disney made adaptations, but can we also acknowledge that "Ever After" is one of the best Cinderella adaptations ever made. What a beautifully written story and interpretation of Cinderella!
I do prefer Ever After over the Disney Cinderella. It has different unique approach to the story. To have the main heroine be the one who saves the prince is much better than sit around and wait to be saved herself.
@@stardustcherry2158 Maybe if you grew up in the 70s or something. For people born after 1990, the "heroine saves the prince" trope is the one that's tired and stale.
Let's not forget the iconic Cinderella's ballgown. That dress and the way it's flow and movement was captured is a piece art in itself. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful gown. It is magic come to life.
Trinity K Bonet Remakes this dress for one of the unconventional sewing challenges in Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars and it’s such a moment. I don’t think she got enough recognition for it.
2015 Cinderella is my favorite too. As someone who has a verbally abusive parent, this movie really hit home for me. It inspired me to be more kind and to not stoop to the same levels as my abusers. It does take so much courage to be kind in hard situations and to forgive.
"This movie acknowledges that sometimes it requires courage to be kind, sometimes it's really hard. It celebrates kindness and rewards goodness" - man you're so right I couldn't have said it better myself. You truly have a way with words and you know film my guy, you're getting a sub from me you can count on that!
I loved Maleficent. Sleeping Beauty was one of my favourite Disney movies as a kid, and Maleficent was one of my favourite characters (I’ve always been drawn to the dark side of life haha). So I would say that Maleficent and Cinderella worked well, but I actually prefer Maleficent.
@@hsumyathtoo5681 Very true. Same with the newest The Little Mermaid movie. I absolutely adore the original, but I found the remake to be one of the most boring of all the remakes. I kept falling asleep during it, which hasn’t happened during any of the other remakes (although I did just give up and stop watching The Lion King remake, so I think that has to be my lowest-rated of all the remakes). However, everyone seems to love The Little Mermaid remake, so it really just goes to show that art is entirely subjective! I don’t have a problem with Halle or anything, I just think that all these remakes are getting redundant. They added nothing new, made nothing better. The remake is inconsistent. They claim that the sisters rule the seven seas, and in all the promotional materials, they were showing maps of a fictional world that looks completely different from earth that all the mermaid sisters rule - and yet, in the movie, they kept talking about Spain, and Europe, and places associated with Earth (particularly a very Eurocentric version of Earth). So are the sisters ruling the fictional seas they showed us on the map, or are they ruling earth? Which is it? They completely contradicted themselves, and it drew me out of the story every time they brought it up. The whole thing just seemed really poorly thought-out, poorly-written, pandering, and, in my opinion, incredibly boring. Also, the CGI was really bad. I just couldn’t help unfavourably comparing it to the original the entire time. I kept wishing that I was watching the original instead. However, if people liked it, I’m happy for them. A movie doesn’t have to be good, well-written, or well-designed for you to like it. There are plenty of “bad” movies that I like too. It’s entertainment, so if it entertains you, that’s all that matters! 🥰
I definitely agree. When it comes to live-action remakes, I've found that I prefer those that try to take a bit of a spin on the original tale to some degree. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to effectively reproduce in live-action media the same experience of one viewing an animated film. Two of my favorite live-action remakes have been Maleficent and Cruella because I think these movies successfully addressed this challenge. With these two films, we are given the opportunity to experience a familiar story from a new perspective (the antagonist's view), making the experience feel more worthwhile overall. In contrast, remakes such as Beauty and the Beast mainly offer the same, albeit slightly altered, perspective on a story we have probably seen a hundred times, and they come across as these sort of dull, lifeless shells - echoes of a story that was so much more vibrant the first time it was told. I think it is also important to consider whether it makes sense to even use live-action to tell a story in the first place. If a story was best told in animated form, unless you are trying to tell the story from a new perspective, it doesn't make sense to try and recreate the whole thing in live-action form. I think this is part of the reason why so many of Disney's live-action remakes haven't been as satisfying for viewers who are already so familiar with the original tale. For Maleficient specifically, however, I believe it made perfect sense to tell this story using live-action. The story is meant to feel darker, more foreboding, so telling that story in a realistic setting helps make that darkness feel more grounded, a bit closer to reality, a bit more likely to reach out of the screen and grab you or something. Had it been animated, Maleficent might not have been as successful in producing the same experience (though that isn't to say the film doesn't have its faults). (Also, thank you for making this comment. I'd wondered if anybody else remembered that Maleficent was a thing - and I've been needing to rant about all of this for way too long...)
Malificent ruined the character as an amazing villain however, making her turn to evil about betrayel by a man. It also made the prince a complete joke. I dont like it when the only way a writer can make female characters stronger in a story is by making the male characters less relevant/weaker/dumber/more evil because that only confirms the notion women and men are not equal when playing on equal terms. I found the story insulting and downgrading. Giving Malificent a reason for being evil is fine. But I wish it had been something more creative, and that they kept her as a villain character. She is one of the best animated villains in disney, and the movie sabotaged that status. So I actualy hated that movie. Because it felt like they didnt do her evil justice, and they dumbed down the fairies and toned down the prince and demonised the king to make this version work. A female character can be unapolegeticly evil and still be a feminist icon. Malificent's story should have nothing to do with men or being hurt by men. Her rise to power and evil should be a journey that has NOTHING to do with any men in her life. And the story should have treated the prince with respect (while ALSO expanding on Aurora as a fully fleshed out character). So yeah.. Malificent ranks at the bottom of all adaptions to me because of how insulting it was to her status as one of the best EVIL villains, and how it treats it's other characters. It will get credit for one thing, trying to be original rather then just remaking shot for shot. I hated the direction they went with it, but I suppose I will always have unapolegeticly evil cartoon Malificent to keep me happy.
You were honestly too kind with the Mulan remake. The original is my favorite Disney film ever, it was also the first film I've ever watched at the movies. I was beyond excited when the remake was announced and couldn't be more disappointed with the end result. They took everything precious and special about that character and completely destroyed it. The original Mulan was a clumsy and realistic female lead character. She couldn't surpass her male counterparts in physical strenght, so she relied on her intelligence and kindness in order to succeed. They decided to completely scrap all of that and make Mulan into basically a superhero, who was already extremely strong from the very beginning. She never had to face any adversity, she simply had to allow herself to be the badass that she always was. Honestly insulting to the original.
Yeah, reading your comment I definitely agree with you. It took me a while to realize just how bad the remake was but it seems so obvious now. I could've dug into it more, but I was attempting to keep it concise lol.
Also the main actress was a ccp shill and they filmed this fil. Near the area where there concentration camps for the uigers , and thanked them for letting them film there .....ya this movie is just morally bankrupt on top of being bad
@@biker944 I don't think the Chinese audience was happy with it either. Here's a link of my favourite in-depth review of Mulan from a Chinese perspective: th-cam.com/video/ZccG-wtt5FA/w-d-xo.html
For the record, Ewan CAN DO A FRENCH ACCENT. The director didn't LIKE it because it sounded "too French," so they made Ewan re-record ALL of his lines. Ewan was married to a French woman for like 20 years or something, so knows the accent very well. He didn't like the final product either!
Yeah thanks for pointing this out! Ewan has said in interviews that they didn’t want him to pronounce stuff like the guttural French “r” sound, which really waters down the accent. Such weird direction. But yeah he can speak some French and his ex wife and kids are all fluent.
One huge point missed for " The beauty and the beast " was Belle's dress. It was so BORING!. Millions spent on budget and her yellow dress was didn't touch the ground like a ballgown should and NO life to it. As a little girl who always wanted her dress, it was a huge let down. Needless to say I fell asleep watching it. 🤦♀️
I actually had a line in my script about her dress but I deleted it cause I thought I was being too specific as I'm mostly talking about the general flaws in these movies. I made an exception for Mrs. Potts though cause I'm so baffled by her design change haha. But there have been a lot of comments about people's disappointment in Belle's dress. It seems I should've left that part in!
100% agree with you. They modernized it and ruined an iconic dress. They changed Cinderella's dress in the live action but in my opinion they improved upon it. The minimalism in belle's dress just did not work and fell totally flat.
@@thetroveyoutube I think that the dress is a sign of a bigger, more general problem though. Emma Watson had a great deal of input in Belle’s wardrobe design, and they tried to modernize or fix problems that didn’t really exist with the original such as her corset, which is misappropriated as a symbol of oppression, the addition of the book, and Belle’s mother’s backstory. I think the costume design in these movies became weaker with and after Beauty and the Beast. Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella had great costume design. They were different from the originals but amped up. The Mad Hatter is iconic, easily recognizable, and whimsical. His makeup is zany and colorful. Cinderella’s dress is jaw dropping, it’s movement, the grandeur, the iridescent blue. It’s a no duh why everyone stares at her. Also, the prince’s outfit is a great counter and I love all the embroidery. Oh shit, and Lady Tremaine was a 50s fashion diva vixen icon! Cruella’s outfits took more risks for a Disney film, though I still think Cruella’s original design is still the most iconic. I loved seeing the AMOUNT of costumes and the changes, it was great. And Aladdin’s from a surface view, since I didn’t watch all of it, kinda looked cheap.
@@jackierosas9593 I wasn't aware Emma Watson had so much input in the costume design, but that's pretty interesting. I wonder what the dress might've looked like otherwise.
The Cinderella remake stuck with me. "You have more kindness in the tip of your finger than most people possess in their entire body" was something i definitely aspired to be. The dress was phenomenal, the casting, the whimsy, all of it was top tier. I cried like a baby! None of the disney remakes ive seen so far have had the same impact. I remember zero lines, characters, and if i remember them at all, its for how horrible they were (im looking at you, lion king remake) it was one of the last movies i saw with my sister before she moved away, i barely see her now. We got dressed up and did our makeup. We didnt wear ballgowns, but we wore nice dresses and we were so excited. We did the same for beauty and the beast, which is our mom's favorite movie, and bought roses. Not nearly as impressed but oh well. I wish i could find the photos we took from both days. Im sure the makeup was not nearly as pretty as we remember it lol
While you aren't a fan of Alice in Wonderland, I appreciate that you gave it credit for being different from the animated film and telling its own story. Its my favorite of the bunch, hit me at the right time and it's stuck with me. I think Tim's direction is great, I love the visuals and world building, and I think all the cast did a great job. I, like Tim, thought that giving Alice an actual story was an inspired idea and it's the film I love and revisit the most.
I always thought Cinderella worked because Kenneth Branagh knew what he was doing and how to really approach the story. Not saying the man's a genius or anything, but he understood the assignment better than others did.
Kenneth Branagh has had a long background with Shakespeare plays, basically he's a Shakespeare geek which is why he's absolutely perfect in directing this movie unlike Guy Ritchie who's pretty much unsure how to approach a musical in Aladdin
Cinderella 2015 is only Disney remake I’ve felt had actual Disney magic when I was watching it which is honestly the feeling I’ve missed with these other remakes in one way or another So glad someone is finally talking about it
i rmb my heart SWELLED when she entered the ballroom, in that magnificent dress, as the music crests into the marvellous motif of lavender's blue. they built it up so well, and every single second was worth it to see kit grin at the sight of her, to see ella stun the entire crowd. this movie made me feel so many things, and i rmb telling myself, "THIS. THIS IS MAGIC."
I've always liked Cinderella 2015, even then i still liked it. Every time a terrible Disney remake came by, i always go back to Cinderella 2015 to remind myself that Disney used to have magic and soul in making a live action princess movie. I might watch it again after The Little Mermaid remake comes out
"They're so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should" is a line spoken more than 2 decades ago and it just hits right when I comes to most of Disney remakes
One of the things I absolutely ADORE about the Cinderella live action is that scene where she looks at the stepmother right before going away from the house and stops to say "I forgive you". This scene is SO powerful and beautiful. I think it really portraits what Cinderella is all about. She is a kind soul. As her mother says in the beggining, she has more kindness in her pinky than most people have in their hole body. Being able to forgive someone who has being nothing but awful towards you your entire life is so hard to do. Yet, I can actually see Cinderella doing it. She understands that the stepmother could not do any better and forgives her. That's just beautiful (T^T) I love this movie and the original too
its really humanly how they make the characters contrast each other, but also display levels of humaness that their relationhip dont feel too cartoonish (like literaly good vs evil kinda thing) but rather by products of priorities and desire
Cinderella always seemed powerful to me. She was kind even through pain, helped others in need and was a brilliant idol for me. As long as you're kind u will one day get repaid by meeting someone kind as well.
I really liked both Maleficent and Cinderella when they came out. Talented actors were involved - Lily James is lovely, Angelina Jolie portrays a sympathetic but still very devilish Maleficent, and Richard Madden is very swoon-worthy (and Elle Fanning is super cute). I'm a bit more measured now and I see that quality-wise they're not extraordinary works, but I still have a place in my heart in them. Maleficent's real flaw to me isn't character assassination (she was a badass looking one dimensional evil in the original) but the fact that they kept "Maleficent" as her original name, it's just not fitting the person they made her out to be, who is specifically not pure evil but twisted by pain into being so.
You make a good point. It would’ve been cool if Maleficent was the name given to her by the humans. And to contrast, her real name might have been something like Benevolent or maybe just a normal name.
@@nerasomnia It makes a ton of sense. The story tells about the development of the Character from a benevolence to a malevolent being as a result of the wrongs done to her, and the redemption of that same character eventually. The most of the entire story actually focuses on the malevolent perception of that character by other characters.
I think people are getting too worked up about it being a remake rather than a retelling. Thats what Maleficent was, same with Cinderella. Maleficent is called Maleficent because it is a retelling of the story of Maleficent, just like with the countless Robin Hoods, King Arthur and Cinederellas. The ones coming out now are crappy remakes, except for Mulan, that was a crap retelling. Retellings are good (and theyre not lesser for changing the original, theyre far better for it and actually are original themselves for once), things that are remakes but lesser (Lion King is the main one that comes to mind) and the additions either dont add to it, or are crap, are... well crap. Retellings give is the same story or similar story in new light and may add depth and make the story more interesting, whereas remakes take the charm from the original, without adding enough of substance to make it worthwhile. But either way, these fairytales will be remade countless times in the future, just as they were countless times in the past. I think we should hope that these bring something new to the story, like Beauty and the Beast, Jungle Book, Cinderella and Maleficent did, and not just lessen the original, Lion King Aladdin. Of course these were all 'remakes' of the story they're based on to begin with.
I am so thrilled to see someone give Cinderella the praise it deserves. My thoughts on all of these movies are identical to yours and it's always made me sad that Cinderella has often been forgotten about in the lists of disney live action remakes. It's in a class of it's own. I desperately love the scene of Kit saying goodbye to his father and it NEEDS more praise! A father and son showing love and emotions, physically as well, how he curls up on the bed with him, instead of trying to be 'manly' and stoic. Everything you said, a thousand times, yes.
I agree so much!!! As many times as I've seen the movie I still tear up sometimes when I see it because the emotion is shown so well, you can truly see the love between father and son and I wish they let more of these moments happen for men in films!! Showing emotion is not a weakness!!
Lily James performance in Cinderella was superb. A certain innocence, sweetness and fierce determination. Not all courageous people don armor and wield swords
I always recomend Cinderella to people and it became a movie I watch when Im ill or having a bad week. Not just because of the stunning blue dress. I just cant stop watching Lily, she is so cute, sweet, happy and enjoying every moment. Everyone in the cast just looks like they want to be there, acting with their hearts (im sorry but Emma on the other hand looked like she wanted to be anywhere else) Cinderella has amazing message for a kids movie- be kind, because sometimes kindness is the hardest thing to give, to be able to forgive someone, to stay positive, to continue going forward...and one day your hard work will pay off.
Cinderella also touched on “beautiful clothes won’t hide an ugly personality”. I also liked how it fleshed out the stepmother and made her arc more interesting beyond just a plot point for Ella. She wasn’t just evil for no reason and while her actions aren’t condone-able, it makes her more human The only thing I'd complain about is how their message of "have courage and be kind" went too far in saying kindness = spineless pushover. On paper it's good, in practice it needs to be more carefully handled
I think that's actually part of Ella's arc. She's never had to be brave at the start, so she doesn't know how to handle the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters beyond compensating with kindness. The further she goes, as she has the courage to talk back to Kit, to go to the ball, to speak to the king, she learns courage. I think this is cemented when Ella refused to help her stepmother manipulate Kit, even if it meant sacrificing a happily ever after. At the end, with her acknowledging her stepmother's abuse with "you were never my mother" is the end of that arc. This paired with Ella's foregiveness of her stepmother is the balance of courage and kindness: the courage to recognize and call out abuse and the kindness to not condemn her (at least insofar as not asking for her stepfamily to be punished by the crown).
@@aerinhinton964 100% agree. To me, the movie isn't saying that Ella "letting" them treat her that way is morally superior. She doesn't get her happy ending because she never talked back. She gets her happy ending because when she does finally stand up for herself, she is still kind. She does not become obsessed with revenge, she moves on. That is healthy, that is aspirational. Cinderella is the story of an abuse victim finally freeing herself and finding happiness. People are quick to criticise victims for being "doormats" but...that's a survival strategy. That's how you stay safe in that situation. And I don't think depicting that is a failing at all. It's realistic. Re: original comment I agree about the appearances bit! The stepmother and her daughters were beautiful, the movie didn't fall into the typical Disney trap of "only good people are physically beautiful" which I found so refreshing
"Animation makes it so much easier to suspend our disbelief". I like that sentence. I think it perfectly captured the importance and uniqueness of animation as a medium of storytelling.
Good thoughtful reviews. One disagreement: Aladdin can and did work perfectly well in live action--back in 1940. It was called The Thief of Bagdad, and it was brilliant. As for Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh made a great change to the story: he made them meet before the ball. The prince is smitten by the mystery girl's kindness and courage, and holds the ball in the hope she will show up. She goes to the ball not to get a shot at the prince like all the other girls, but in the hope of seeing her "Mr. Kit" again. Wealth and magic didn't make them fall in love, just gave their love a chance. And I just love the touch when Cinderella enters the ball at the top of the stairs, and her first instinct is to bow. Humble and classy.
Yes yes yes!! My feelings exactly -- it's so much more powerful and beautiful when they fall in love with each other for who they are, without fancy clothes or the awe of meeting royalty. This is one of the main reasons why I enjoy the live action version better than the animated one.
In terms of cinderella i agree with everything you said, but theres one thing to point out about aladdin: Its one thing to make a movie that has the same story as another, but its diferent to make a movie based, not only storywise, but EVERYTHING wise, on another, and in this case, the original disney aladdin had animation and characters that couldnt be really replicated well with animation, i think thats why it failed, not because of the story, in fact, ive read the original fairy tale and it could be made in so much diferent ways that its obvious there had to be a good live action movie about it Also i want to mention the movie "Ponyo" is an example of how you can make something reaaally good, with the same story, as long as you dont base it of of the original exactly, ponyo is completelly diferent in so much ways to the original story of "the little mermaid", and its, for me a better remake of the story than disneys for its originality, visuals and other stuff
The Thief of Bagdad worked because it is a non Disney remake which he is not covering. The first "Jungle book remake reminds me more of "The Ledgen of Greystroke" rather than the on it's supposed to be a remake of.
@@marmolejomartinezjoseemili9043 Well said. I always wonder about the wisdom of making an exact remake. "But people loved the original!" Yeah, that just means they will compare your remake and it will come up short. It's not really the same as a different movie drawn from the same inspiration.
The plot point you describe I think was literally pulled from Ever After with Drew Barrymore. In some ways, this live action Cinderella for me felt like a combination of the original animated movie with that of Ever After creating a perfectly refined and genuine Cinderella story.
I really hope that they will make another villain prequel where they will show why they became evil, but they had a choice not to be but just chose to be one. It will show to the audience that being evil is a matter of choice, and not chances.
I love how Cinderella's strength in the live-action film is kindness. A lot of today's female characters need to be arrogant or emotionless to be strong, which is totally missing the point for me about what strength is.
Kind of disagree. Kindness will get you places with kind people, without other people being kind you literally get nowhere because your going to get stepped over.
@@louisatrow4933 1-so that’s why some people prefer kind people 2-clearly there should be more kind people in this world thankfully there’s seemingly no shortage of those here
@@noorbohamad5796 Nope. Im saying that people WILL and DO take advantage of kind people for their benefit, so you should be kind but also dont be kind enough to let people take advantage of you. Might not make sense, but what im saying is dont let people off for taking advantage of you just because you kind.
@@louisatrow4933 This is true, but that's supported by Cinderella. We see plenty of how her kindness gets abused and (and this is very important to me personally) it isn't what saves her. But it is her strength, her ability to remain kind (an objectively positive trait) despite the torture, to escape the cycle of abuse (not the abuse itself). But the movie does not glorify it either, which is healthy. The kindness is not what saves Ella, her managing to set her boundaries and stand for them (AND GETTING HELP) is what does. That's a very important message. But ultimately, the evil stepmother did everything in her power to silence Ella. Everything to snuff out that kindness, to remould her, erase her. To resist that, to persist, to remain true to yourself, is a victory above all victories in an abusive relationship. That is strength, more powerful than to move mountains. To acknowledge the workings of the world and its practical implications but to refuse to reduce yourself for them, to continue holding to kindness despite it being absent from your life and you given every reason to doubt it. That is strong, that is inspiring. It's not just kindness, it's the COURAGE to be kind, because it is scary and risky and difficult. Such courage is admirable, more than any courage to be violent ever will be. This is why it's a touching, mature story.
@@Jumejimes239 Aladdin 2019 killed it for me. I watched it to the end and I remember just feeling so bored and empty compared to it’s animated version. And casting Will Smith ruined the charm Robin Williams set for the Genie. That is my opinion, but it truly wasn’t great, nor the music.
Cinderella will always be at the top to me. And Lilly James’s acting had me in tears at times 😢 well the parts when she cried lol I also watched the little mermaid trailer/it looks amazing and Halle looks and sings the part but I really hope they stick close to the original like Kevin Branagh did with Cinderella
Lily James was the perfect fit for the role. I’m very cautiously optimistic about The Little Mermaid, I like the Ariel casting. But realistically it will probably let me down lol. The Renaissance movies are too specific and don’t lend themselves as well to a reimagining. And a straight copy will fall flat for sure like The Lion King.
@@Satanna.avemaria Some of it was a copy. They changed some stuff for sure, but it all made the movie way worse. They would've been better off copying the whole time lmao
Really? For how incredibly talked about and hyped up the costuming and hair in that movie was, I found the actual end product to be remarkably bland and uninspired.
Cruella was a blast but the only thing that wasn't explain well was the origin of the Dalmatians. A lot of people think that there was an incest breeding.
I think another reason why Cinderella functions so well as a live-action is because it's wish-fulfillment. You want that line between you and the character to be blurred. You want to feel like being recognized for all your hardships and strength is possible. Beauty and the Beast could've worked similarly if they didn't make the chemistry so forced and nonsensical (Bella didn't even get her pretty dress moment!)
Great point with Cinderella. I guess that ties into the underdog narrative and how good it feels to see her come out on top despite all the struggles. We hope that will be true for ourselves too if we relate.
So much to say, but I think some of the reasons why Cinderella (2015) was so amazing are 1) It was a more mature retelling of the story; it didn’t focus on the animals at all which I appreciated because I’m not a kid anymore so I’m not interested in those child-like themes anymore. 2) They used CGI sparingly. The ballroom scene, they built that set! It was all real and you can tell. Every person in the scene is real, the dresses and jewelry they’re wearing are real, and the chandeliers were actually candlelit, etc. And Cinderella’s dress was real and wasn’t cgi’d (looking at you Emma Watson). 3) The dress. 👏🏻 The. 👏🏻 Dress. Seeing that huge bright, vivid blue gown contrast from everyone else at the ball…I melted! 4) The soundtrack was beautifully written and I find myself listening to it regularly. 5) The rest of the set and costume design are so well done that it feels less like a fairytale and more like a historical fiction, which I loved! My only criticism I have of the film is I wish it was longer 😂. That being said, it deserved way more attention at the box office than it got but I’m glad to see such a faithfully following of the film even 7 years later since its release. Truly the best Cinderella movie created in my opinion.
oh it definitely could have been longer. There were a couple deleted scenes, and usually those are removed because its irrelevant to the movie or unnecessary or muddied up some part of the story or plot, but the one that stood out to me the most is a quick scene of the stepmother, after the she had already sent home all the maids and servants, ended up selling all of ella’s father’s belongings, including the box with the butterfly. Ella saw all of that and got the box back at least, but now it makes total sense why she left the house. There’s nothing from her family or childhood there anymore. Just memories. the only other scene i saw that got removed (theres more than just 2 but these were all that i watched) is ella sending kit letters and asking him to meet her where they first met, but they got intercepted by the grand duke as they just announced the prince looking for her so he was bound to have plenty useless letters coming in, and she waited in the forest, but he didn’t meet her so she thought that he didn’t want her. I get that one for being removed because they announced that they were looking for the girl with the glass slipper, and she had the other side so naturally she would get that immediately instead of sending letters, but it makes what the fairy godmother said when ella stayed in the attic after getting locked in make more sense (she said something about how ella didnt care who was downstairs because it couldnt be for her. she thought that even if they came looking for the mystery girl, kit wouldnt want her).
THE DRESS. when you compare the dress to the original from the 1950s, they don't look very similar, but it's the IMPACT that has everyone tripping over themselves for. the skirt has depth and a variety of colors, it shines slightly- similar to the OG. it captures the awe and grace that the OG had and it's truly a princess dress
@@MrDevil-jb1fl she was the one that refused the original dress they designed for her so they had to make a quick shitty prom dress looking thing for her, so yes blame emma watson
@@katierasburn9571 The only difference between the original dress and the dress she wore was that they took out the corset. The design of the dress was otherwise completely up to the filmmakers/costume designers
What makes this version of Cinderella so great is, for one, they did not directly remake the 1950 animated film. If anything, they went back to the original fairy tale of Cinderella and made a completely new adaptation of it. The director, Kenneth Branaugh, and especially the actors, Lily James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, etc., showed in numerous interviews how passionate and respectful they were about the original story and completely understood that Cinderella was not a weak character - she was a character who started out with the happiest life imaginable, but her happiness is unjustly taken away from her and she must work her way back up, all the while having courage and being kind. I also like how we get some new scenes that weren't in the original animated Disney movie, such as Cinderella's name originally being Ella like in the original fairy tale, as well as scenes with both her mother and father before their untimely deaths. The Prince, Kit, is also very well portrayed by Richard Madden, showing how he has more of a sense of humor and loves her despite her being a common girl. I also love how the king, Kit's father, gives his blessing to his son to marry Cinderella before he dies, when he realizes how much his son and Cinderella are in love with each other. Overall, probably Disney's best live-action adaptation.
I think my biggest problem with these movies is that they so often blur the lines between good and evil. Old Disney did that. And I'm not saying I don't love the redemption stories, it's just that people make their own choices. Cinderella keeps to the same amazing message through the entire movie. "Have courage and be kind."
I also liked Maleficent. It was an actual REMAKE with a lot of plot changes and interesting twists to the original story. Maleficent's character is also really complex and beautifully developed. So imma say that Cinderalla's tied with Maleficent (imo)
Maleficent had its own story to tell independent of the original, which made it interesting. More of a re-conception than a remake. It's not my favorite, but definitely one of the better ones of these new live-action movies! Maleficent and Cruella took a leaf out of Wicked's book, a smart choice, but one that I think is also getting to be oversaturated.
@@whitedragoness23 Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister? That was also by Gregory Maguire, who wrote Wicked. He published both of them in the 1990s. I think Wicked has become more part of the cultural zeitgeist just because of the Broadway musical.
i really liked cruella for that reason. it also feels like a more fantastical version of the devil wears prada and that’s one of my favourites (i still hate the boyfriend tho). I have zero nostalgia for the original cruella, so its pretty easy to seperate the two, and once you do that it was pretty clear the movie was great. not perfect, but i like the descent into villany stuff because that’s really what it is. Not a misunderstood hero story like Maleficient, but a journey of how Cruella became worse and worse. Still not quite evil though, but she did become what i’d say is a villain. also the costuming. cant have a movie centered around fashion and not have 10/10 makeup and costume design.
@@renoirrr Exactly why I really enjoyed Cruella. I think of these villain retellings as separate from the original stories, and when you have Emma Stone and fashion...
The touching death of the father was so well executed. It gives the Prince so much purpose (like Elsa in Frozen) without needing to be explained. When a monarch dies the responsibility is instantly passed and the Prince is a hero because he stays true to the King he wants to be, not the easy route of finding any bride, but Cinderella who will be the perfect person to lead beside him ❤
I absolutely LOVE the 2015 version of Cinderella. It’s full of nostalgic, old fashion Disney magic with lots of heart and soul. It truly carried that “timeless classic” fairytale feel that the animated film did…but only better in my opinion. I was lucky enough to see it in theaters and the CGI looked dazzling! The film was full of beautiful colors, the costume design by Sandy Powell was phenomenal, and even the soundtrack was gorgeous. This is a story that looked GOOD in a live action version. Most importantly, it carried heartwarming life messages for children and adults. 2015 Cinderella will always lift my spirits whenever I watch it 💙
I think one of the mistakes that these remakes made was the assumption that their animated counterparts were "for kids" so therefore the live action retelling must have more "adult" aspects. Thus the adding parts to them to make them more "grounded" or "realistic" or "modern" (and also somewhat more cynical). The animated movies, especially those from the renaissance era aren't "kid" movies. Their movies that everyone can enjoy, fun for all ages. 80% of Robin William's jokes in Alladin go right over a little kid's head. They were for the older crowd. They were enjoyable lighthearted tales. They didn't need to be modernized. We didn't need an added subplot in Alladin about the princess wanting to be taken serious as a ruler, or Belle in Beauty in the Beast finding out her mom died of the plague (or whatever). None of that makes it "more adult" it just takes away the magic of the stories.
Yeah, I think that animation makes so much sense for these fairytale type stories. And the stories are timeless and can be enjoyed by anyone. Messing with the core story elements too much can weaken them pretty quickly. I get Disney wanting to modernize them to make them more relevant to today's audiences, but it has rarely worked in my opinion. The moment with Jasmine that you mentioned is a good example of this. It seems like Disney wanted to look progressive by having Jasmine want to lead, but they don't spend enough time developing her or that plot element. Also, the story of Aladdin isn't really about Jasmine so it tends to feel out of place. The subplot about Belle's mother also annoys me. It seems nice to learn more about Belle, but it's so unnecessary. It doesn't actually bring anything to the story. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle is the character we follow, but the story is really about Beast's character arc, and Belle's mother has nothing to do with that.
Right. This is the same thing Pixar has been getting right for a long time. You get the kids in the door but the parents enjoy it too because its clever writing.
True, that. Their desire to make everything as politically correct or as visually/cinematically pleasing as possible keeps overriding their duty to create solid plots and story concepts.
I liked how OG Jasmine wanted freedom and to find love on her own instead of being forced into an arranged marriage. Since she's been sheltered for so long she doesn't know many things like taking an apple without paying. But in the remake, she's just characterized as wanting to be a ruler and thinking she knows better for the people, and thinks most of the princes she meets are useless. So her taking fruit without knowing she has to pay doesn't make sense since she claims she's been "preparing for her whole life" to be a sultan. Why would she not know that if she's been reading books and maps?
On a personal note, the reason why Cinderella was the only good live action adaptation was because Cinderella and the other characters were given enough screentime and also because each character has A CHARACTER. I think the animated version was rushed.
One thing that always stood out to me is how happy everyone was to be there. On the Blu-Ray, there’s a special feature video dedicated to making the Ball Sequence, and everyone involved, from the set builders, to the musicians, to the extras, to the wardrobe and makeup artists, was so excited to be there and to be a part of it. They all clearly had a moment where they said to themselves “Even if this is a studio-mandated project, I’m going to make the best film I can, and I’m going to have a great time doing it” and that energy really shows in the final product. I love this movie so much.
yes, you can always tell when the staff on set had fun and were creative as they could be. Everyone gave their all and nothing was too much, and thats why its so magical
Yes!! All of the extras had archived pieces of jewelry and unique gowns! It was completely like another world on that set and it shows. With the main cast and the extras,, it was like they were transported and living the lives of their characters, no acting needed (although the acting was spectacular nonetheless)
I was going through a very tough time mentally back in 2015, and one day I randomly decided to go to the movies alone and watch Cinderella. I was absolutely mesmerized from beginning to end. I walked out of the theater with this indescribable feeling of happiness and serenity and, after all these years, I still I think about that day every now and then ❤️
Personally, I think Maleficent, Cinderella, Christopher Robin, and Cruella are examples of good live action 'remakes', and that Aladdin came close. Cinderella is probably my favorite of those tho :)
I thought Maleficent was actually pretty good. I can understand how people might not like how the badass villain turned into a little soft fairy, but it also challenges a bit. We as people tend to look at people because of what we see without ever stopping to question why. It would've actually been a bit cooler if it was kept somewhat closer to the original and she had some ruthlessness or something like that. It would have the essence of the original villain and show the imperfections of humans.
Aladdin came close as one of the best Live Action remake from Disney! the cast was perfect except for Jafar. Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Will Smith as the Genie and an additional character which is Dalia IS SO PERFECT. not to mention that Mena Massoud looked and sounded like the original animated Aladdin. Naomi Scott did a great job as Jasmine, especially her VOICE. and Will Smith as his OWN genie and not trying to copy the original is just perfect and respectful. and Dalia work so well in the movie. THE PRODUCTION, THE CGI, THE CAST, THE STORY, PLOT AND THE MUSICALS ARE JUST SO GREAT. specially for Speechless, which is a new song that does not exist in the original, it was a great addition. so overall and by far, Aladdin is the best Live Action remake that Disney has ever made. Cinderella and Aladdin comes close with each other. btw Maleficent and Cruella aren't really LIVE ACTION REMAKES but more of a LIVE ACTION ORIGINAL MOVIE.
@@jiafei_products7085 I think Aladdin remake does fall short to a lot of problems. the casting at first glance except Jaffar is pretty good but outisde of Jasmine and Dalia the other actors are given restrictions. Genie will sometimes act like will Smith as the Genie or Will smith as Robin Willams playing the genie and it's pretty obvious when those instances happen. Mena is talented for sure he is but there are some scenes of him that needed another take, the convo between aladdin and jasmine has one of them put so much effort whilst the other sounds a bit clueless and not much of a direction given to them. Think the biggest loss is that it doesn't make use of the film being live action, it could have used a lot of bollywood influences but instead they just do it all in the credits which makes a lot of scenes in the movie a poor translation from the animated film to live action. Speechless while a good song is a bit clunky with Jasmine's character or at least how it's shown, she never really censors herself and it's just humerous that she says she won't be silenced only to be taken prisoner in the next 10 mins. This version of Jasmine I think needed a few tweaks because it doesn't mesh with this new interpretation of Jasmine in the story really well. Actress is good but the story writing needs to be alterted to make it work for the character
I like how Cinderella humanized step mom. Its what you expect from going in a live action direction, showing characters in more depth than a sweet short fairytale would have time to tell.
I AM SO GLAD EVERYONE AGREES! Cinderella live action remake was a magical retelling of the story with a Jane Austen-type storytelling. It brought me to tears. I remember thinking “wow, I am so glad they are about to make a ton of live action remakes because this was so good!” …. if only I knew what was to come lol. Cinderella 2015 is in a league of its own!
Kenneth Branagh, the director is a massive Shakespeare geek. Finding out his background and Cinderella's story, it make sense why he's absolutely perfect in directing the movie
THE OPENING (al-Fatihah) 1. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. 3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4. Master of the Day of Judgment. 5. It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6. Guide us to the straight path. 7. The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful 1. Alif, Lam, Meem. 2. This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3. Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4. And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5. These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 6. As for those who disbelieve-it is the same for them, whether you have warned them, or have not warned them-they do not believe. 7. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. They will have a severe torment. 8. Among the people are those who say, “We believe in Allah and in the Last Day,” but they are not believers. 9. They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive none but themselves, though they are not aware. 10. In their hearts is sickness, and Allah has increased their sickness. They will have a painful punishment because of their denial. 11. And when it is said to them, “Do not make trouble on earth,” they say, “We are only reformers.” 12. In fact, they are the troublemakers, but they are not aware. 13. And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Shall we believe as the fools have believed?” In fact, it is they who are the fools, but they do not know. 14. And when they come across those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their devils, they say, “We are with you; we were only ridiculing.” 15. It is Allah who ridicules them, and leaves them bewildered in their transgression. 16. Those are they who have bartered error for guidance; but their trade does not profit them, and they are not guided. 17. Their likeness is that of a person who kindled a fire; when it illuminated all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in darkness, unable to see. 18. Deaf, dumb, blind. They will not return. 19. Or like a cloudburst from the sky, in which is darkness, and thunder, and lightning. They press their fingers into their ears from the thunderbolts, in fear of death. But Allah surrounds the disbelievers. 20. The lightning almost snatches their sight away. Whenever it illuminates for them, they walk in it; but when it grows dark over them, they stand still. Had Allah willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Allah is capable of everything. 21. O people! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may attain piety. 1 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) 22. He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings out fruits thereby, as a sustenance for you. Therefore, do not assign rivals to Allah while you know. 23. And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like these, and call your witnesses apart from Allah, if you are truthful. 24. But if you do not-and you will not-then beware the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. 25. And give good news to those who believe and do righteous deeds; that they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with fruit therefrom as sustenance, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before,” and they will be given the like of it. And they will have pure spouses therein, and they will abide therein forever. 26. Allah does not shy away from making an example of a gnat, or something above it. As for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, “What did Allah intend by this example?” He leads astray many thereby, and He guides many thereby; but He misleads thereby only the evildoers. 27. Those who violate Allah’s covenant after its confirmation, and sever what Allah has commanded to be joined, and commit evil on earth. These are the losers. 28. How can you deny Allah, when you were dead and He gave you life, then He will put you to death, then He will bring you to life, then to Him you will be returned? 29. It is He who created for you everything on earth, then turned to the heaven, and made them seven heavens. And He is aware of all things. 30. When your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a successor on earth.” They said, “Will You place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we declare Your praises and sanctify You?” He said, “I know what you do not know.” 31. And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then he presented them to the angels, and said, “Tell Me the names of these, if you are sincere.” 32. They said, “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. It is you who are the Knowledgeable, the Wise.” 33. He said, “O Adam, tell them their names.” And when he told them their names, He said, “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?” 34. And We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam.” They bowed down, except for Satan. He refused, was arrogant, and was one of the disbelievers. 35. We said, “O Adam, inhabit the Garden, you and your spouse, and eat from it freely as you please, but do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.” 36. But Satan caused them to slip from it, and caused them to depart the state they were in. We said, “Go down, some of you enemies of one another. And you will have residence on earth, and enjoyment for a while.” 37. Then Adam received words from his Lord, so He relented towards him. He is the Relenting, the Merciful. 38. We said, “Go down from it, all of you. Yet whenever guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance-they have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve. 39. But as for those who disbelieve and reject Our signs-these are the inmates of the Fire-wherein they will remain forever.” 40. O Children of Israel! Remember My blessings which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill your pledge to Me, and I will fulfill My pledge to you, and fear Me. 41. And believe in what I revealed, confirming what is with you; and do not be the first to 2 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) deny it; and do not exchange My revelations for a small price; and be conscious of Me. 42. And do not mix truth with falsehood, and do not conceal the truth while you know. 43. And attend to your prayers, and practice regular charity, and kneel with those who kneel. 44. Do you command people to virtuous conduct, and forget yourselves, even though you read the Scripture? Do you not understand? 45. And seek help through patience and prayer. But it is difficult, except for the devout. 46. Those who know that they will meet their Lord, and that to Him they will return. 47. O Children of Israel! Remember My favor which I bestowed upon you, and I that favored you over all nations. 48. And beware of a Day when no soul will avail another in the least, nor will any intercession be accepted on its behalf, nor will any ransom be taken from it, nor will they be helped. 49. And recall that We
Alice through the looking Glass was one of my favorite live action movies, I don’t know why but it just seems so amazing, it gave me so many emotions, I liked how she sort of struggled figuring out if it was real or fake, sort of playing on how in the original was it was all a dream. (Sorry this was sort of off topic)
The Cinderella live action has a very special place in my heart, the message “have courage and be kind” really resonates with me as my grandpa taught me that exact message. When it came out he had just been put in a care home so this was a really touching film at the time and now that I go back to watch time and time again. The re telling of this beloved classic is perfect, it’s aesthetically pleasing, the casting is amazing and they really developed the characters story arcs. This is an all time favourite movie of mine and it’ll forever live on in my heart.
I cried so much when they said the king was dying, and the scene with the prince crying with him in his death bed... You don't usually see a man, a prince, crying like that. It was very emotional. And in the end it really felt like the stepmother had regrets about the way she lived her life before Cinderella and jealous too but and the same time so sad. It was a beautiful movie indeed, the costumes were breathtaking
I've been saying Cinderella is the best live action of all of them, listing and explaining all of the things you just did, and no one ever listens! I am SO glad and was shocked when I saw your video in my recommendations, I loved it! How the movie stands on its own, respects the source material, doesn't try to do meta commentary, and uses very minimal CGI (the ball room was BUILT)... It shows this film was made with love, passion and desire to tell an original story, and the message is so strong as well. I love it so much!
I actually enjoyed the jungle book live action too. I felt like they did new and fresh things without diverting from the spirit of the original. And I fell in love with the orchestral background music
The way you touched on lily james capturing the spirit of Cinderella, is spot on and why I’m so hopeful for the little mermaid because Halle Bailey really has the spirit and spunk I feel will bring Ariel fully alive the way her character deserves
Yes!! I was never fond of Cinderella's character even as a child. But this movie and Lily James in the role made feel so different about the character of Cinderella. I was genuinely inspired by the soft hopeful character who was resilient in the face of abuse and still chose kindness.
One of my favourite things about the live action Cinderella is how they handle her abuse from her step-family. It's shown as a subtle thing with the ways that Tremaine gradually pushes her away, which climaxes with Cinderella finally breaking down in her 'room' when she realises she's no longer part of the family and is basically a stranger in her own home. Also, I ADORE the visuals of the ball sequence. The gold of the palace with the jewel tones of the gowns and how Cinderella's bright shade of blue makes her visually stand out in the scene are all just *chef's kiss*
I've got to say I've never seen any of this live action movies, but I do want to see Cinderella and only Cinderella. From what I've heard of it it's not only well executed but it's also the only one I find to be truly magical like its animated countpart, the entire movie feels like littel girl immagening Cinderella story while it's been told to her, on top of that Cinderella story is also the more reltable since it's about touching rock bottom and riseing up following your dreems. All the other movies have at least one long and super popolar video essay on why the suck but I don't think Cinderella has one.
Yes that’s pretty much spot on. I’d highly recommend watching Cinderella but you don’t need to see the other ones lol. Maybe The 2016 Jungle Book but it’s not as good in my opinion.
I really don’t understand why people hate the remakes the lion king I understand it was bad but the rest was really good like Aladdin it stayed true to the og but added a bit more to jasmine’s story I also enjoyed beauty and the beast and cruella was incredible it’s kinda sad that people hate these movies. Although there is one remake I absolutely hate and wish it didn’t exist and that is Mulan it’s like they looked at all best parts in the og and said we don’t need them but the rest of them are great.
@@juanabasalem4604 I enjoyed Cruella actually. It's definitely far from being a perfect film, but it was fun to watch. When the trailer first came out, I was repulsed, like many people were, because it tried to portray Cruella as a feminist icon when she's literally a villain who tries to kill puppies for their fur in 101 Dalmatians. I finally watched it though, and it was funny, Emma Stone did a great job with the acting, and the story was surprisingly engaging, and to be fair, the movie doesn't try to pretend that Cruella is a good person. Plus the costumes were fantastic. I think people would like the movie more if the story was about a completely new character rather than Cruella. I wasn't crazy about the Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast one though. Even with the slight changes, it did feel like direct copies of the original. I wish they felt more like retellings of the original stories rather than retellings of the animated movies from the same company that came out not even 40 years ago.
Stories with a protagonist just being "Kind" as the main focus are so rare these days. The way you described the Cinderalla Remake made me think about the Legend of Condor Heroes trilogy from chinese cinema, though the story starts out with martial arts and strength being the main protagonist's weapons, eventually he becomes so bitter and tired of war, especially after being betrayed by his allies, so he goes to the mountains and eventually becomes a master... but then the story begins to focus on a new protagonist, his grand daughter - if im not mistaken, who is just a normal girl - smart and most of all kind. She goes on all sorts of adventures where it seems like people underestimate her for not having any martial arts, but the story shows how her kindness eventually makes her so great, turning enemies into friends - at one point she is kidnap to be sold as a slave by bandits, but eventually her kindness wins one of them over and he helps her escape even sacrificing himself - she never did it in a manipulative way and was just being genuinely kind to the point where her the guy broke down and sided with her.... when she finally meets the original protagonist, he is so impressed with her kindness, and since the OG was so over powered at that point, he asks her what she wants as 3 wishes, and one of them was for peace, so the OG protag promptly stops the war between nations with his OP power and everyone realizes just how powerful the kindness of the girl really was in the end. its been a while since I watched that tv series - having trouble finding it even online, but that story always felt unique to me, because it highlighted so much the power of kindness.
I seen people said that the Cinderella from original was the weakest Disney princess because she didn't saved herself and I was one of those people who didn't like her nor care about her. But when the live action movie come out. I realized how emotional strong Cinderella is and how it takes strength to be kind and caring like her it's actually nice seeing that kindness can be rewarded and that having hope can come. I'm really tired of pessimistic movies and how dark and horrible reality is and constantly being reminded of how "life sucks" or "that just how life is" but whenever I watched the live action Cinderella it nice to also be reminded being kind even at the toughest situations can show that optimistic people are the ones who get stuff done not pessimistic people who pretend they're being realistic when they're just bringing people down.
If you like this movie you'll like Cinderella III: A Twist In Time too. She, the Prince, and one surprising other character (don't wanna spoil it) get much more personality and character development than they ever had in the original.
I think Cinderella (2015) and 101 Dalmations (1996) are both iconic. Managing to pay homage to the original source while giving updates that weren't too much that it felt distracting. They also did a good role in casting too with Glenn Close, known for her iconic role in A Fatal Attraction for playing a scary person to having her be Cruella De Vil.
It might just be me, but I always found Cruella's first time showing up at Anita's apartment in the '96 version to be eerily similar to Alex Forrest showing up at Dan's apartment as a prospective buyer in Fatal Attraction. Sort of a similar sense of creepy dread and antagonism in both cases, even if it was probably unintentional
It's always nice to meet someone who appreciates Cinderella the way I do. Like I don't know how to exactly put it in few words but this adaptation of Cinderella has a special place in my heart because it doesn't sacrifice either the innocence or that what makes it magical. To be more precise it highlights Cinderella's strength and perfectly captures the magic. Like magic and realistic are not antonyms.
I always thought Lilly James should have won an award for Cinderella but I think playing Cinderella as well as she did was an award in itself/because she’s a Disney princess now and the film was well received rightfully so 💖🌸
What really bothers me about Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast is that they both have successful Broadway versions they could have pulled from, including great songs that would have been fresh and new in film form. I haven't been able to see Aladdin, but the stage version of Beauty and the Beast really does a great job of adding depth and nuance to the characters without taking anything away from the original story.
I agree whole-heartedly. It's honestly a waste to not pull anything from the Broadway versions for the movies. The stage songs would have been amazing additions. (Also, I hope you do get a chance to watch the stage version of Aladdin some time! I saw it a few years ago and it was absolutely PHENOMENAL.)
That moment came for me when Maleficent's kiss broke her own curse. Or when she owned the harm she did Aurora. Maleficent went from being a villain to someone I wanted to call mom.
The modern Beauty and the Beast makes me so sad. They girlbossified Belle and made her relationship with Beast so cynical so it felt rushed when they got together. I forget whose analysis I was watching, but they nailed it when they said they added too many little plots (like Belle becoming an inventor and teaching the girl to read) and changed who Belle was as a person. Hell, there's a moment towards the beginning of the movie where Gaston asks if he can join her for dinner that I was actually drawn to him as a character - and then Belle scoffs, rolls her eyes, and turns on her heel to walk away from him. Sideways (here on youtube) did a great analysis of the music of the new remakes that hits the same points you do, just about the music - and he points out that Emma Watson is the only one in the main cast who didn't have voice training or prior singing experience, to the point that many of the other leads had been on Broadway or the West End. (It's also noted in Sideways's video that Emma was cast for her having been another bookish character and that she didn't even really have to audition, while Emma herself said in interviews she was excited to prepare and audition.)
I got the DVD, thinking that I would like it, but I couldn't stand it. I found there was way too much focus on the songs and this ruined it for me. I'm not much of a fan of musicals, but I found the old ones from years ago when musicals were a common genre in films are more watchable than this. The music over powers the film and it's nothing to do with the fact that Emma Watson isn't really a singer - the film is just one song after another and the actors aren't allowed to act in the story or follow a script. I enjoyed it so little that it's put me off watching any of the other live action remakes. (101 and 102 Dalmatians and Alice in Wonderland are exceptions as I saw those years ago.)
Agreed! Cinderella was also one of the only remakes that vale’s the softer, more feminine characteristics in its female lead. The others try to ‘girl boss’ a little too close to the sun. They loose some of the virtues of the original characters.
i feel like the live action Cinderella was able to capture the whimsy that the other live actions failed to replicate from their animated counterparts. i think a big part of that was the costuming for the movie. the bright colors make it feel larger than life just like an animated movie. i love the stepsisters obnoxiously bright dresses.
funny how disney kept pushing this "strong female lead" narrative in these live-action remakes, from belle to jasmine to mulan, but the one who truly took the cake for me was the one disney didn't plan any feminist agenda - lily james' cinderella. hers is what I consider the true kind of strength, kindness that takes courage to have, kindness because she chooses to be kind. so timeless and heartwarming.
It seems like Hollywood has this rigid, superficial idea of what a strong female lead is, but it can take so many different forms. Mulan turning into a superhero just showed how tone deaf Disney can be sometimes lol.
What are you talking about? She’s a complete doormat, even more so than in the animated original. Are you seriously suggesting that women should just smile while they get walked all over? That they should just be kind and not challenge anyone about their treatment. What kind of message is this sending to girls?
sometimes all we want are just well written characters, women who are strong not just in that they’re confident 24/7 but strength in their resilience and character like in Cinderella. The disney princesses already were strong in my opinion, they could’ve been so beautifully fleshed out in the live action remakes but disney seems to fumble the ball so often
My thoughts on Cruella are that I never really was able to see her as the same Cruella from the original movie, and I think that worked great. My faults mostly come with the music, it feels way too loud all the time and you can’t always fully focus on the dialogue. Also, like you said, the absolute stupidity of her mother being killed by Dalmatians. Not even mauled by them! Just pushed off a cliff.
the cruella is personallly my favorite out of all of them. i was like why on earth would they ever- but it was so good and personally the music was my fav
I think remake Cruella could be a prolouge to 101 Dalmations (the animated, at least). Like Cruella was a tragic character, the recent live-action would be the front half where her traits bring her to the top, and the animated 101 would be where her traits drag her down to ruin.
As someone who’s been in love with Cinderella since its release, I am so happy to see it get its truly deserved flowers. Branagh has had his fair shares of misses as a director, but when his heart is in it, he is undoubtedly capable of creating magic. Agree with everything said in this video.
I think Branagh is at best making old period movies like this considering that he's a massive Shakespeare geek. Combining his Shakespeare influence (the dialogue of course) and the traditional Cinderella story absolutely work
Yess Cinderella is by far one of Disney's best well made live action films. It almost didn't change a lot from the original movie and everything was so well done with it's acting and the costume designs to as well. Not to mention the stunning dress transformation just as magical as the old film. Lily James was the perfect actress to play the princess.
Regarding Emma Watson's singing, I would cut her some slack. She was in a no win situation with how much she was pitch corrected. I highly recommend you check out a video from Sideways called "the problem with autotune". It's a really good watch and he dissects the music/singing in the live action Beauty and the Beast. Also awesome video. I'm kinda mad cause Disney is low key saying "animation is not a medium to be respected" with the release of these live action remakes.
I referenced a Sideways video in my video, but I haven't seen the autotune one you mentioned. I'll have to check it out, thanks! I'm sure Emma would've sounded better if they had just left her voice sounding more organic and not so processed. It's unfortunate. Thanks for watching! It is discouraging to see Disney exploit their animated masterpieces for cash, but it is what it is I guess.
I am so sick of autotuning in every movie these days. It goes from real dialoge to sounding like a pop song and throws me out of the story. Whether its disney or something on Netflix. Do some more takes where the people can actually sing to get it done right. Autotune is so annoying.
Emma could have turned down the role. If she didn't have the singing chops then she should have declined instead of chase after the Disney cash. A true artist would.
Also especially because contrary to popular belief Alice in Wonderland is NOT about a drug trip 😂. It’s really more about that periods education system and for Lewis Carroll to brag about how smart he was (among other things). And it actually kinda plays off of a trial he was going through concerning the real world Alice.
I think it's because it feels like sequel to the original animated movie Disney made sometimes, and then it can feel like it's a straight remake starting at a different point than the original, simultaneously, while watching it. At least that's what I genuinely don't like about it.
Everything was done right. The visuals, the costumes, & the music were all done amazingly! The characters also have more depth and you can understand so much more of the story!
Cinderella' live-action remake is my comfort film. I absolutely love it - I could go on and on about the dress, transformation, cast and how Ella and Kit's relationship actually works. I also love the fact that he's the one who puts the glass slipper on at the end (unlike the animation). The DIALOGUE. The "I forgive you." Is just - UGH. I used to love watching the animation when I was younger and the live-action did not disappoint. And about the live-action Aladdin, I mean you gotta give them some credit for Jasmine's solo "Speechless". The song was so good! I personally really enjoyed it.
Agree with you about "Cinderella", but disagree with you about "Speechless". That song had no reason to be there except to give Jasmine a girl-boss moment - after which she is promptly taken prisoner and deprived of speech. The whole song is in her head anyway, it's her giving an imaginary speech, not even an actual one. If they wanted to give Jasmine her own song, the Broadway musical song "These Palace Walls" would have worked just fine - at least it had an actual purpose in the story.
@@chizzieshark I totally get what you mean. Tho Jasmine did end up having a "speech" after her song. She stood up to Jafar and convinced the Captain of the guard to stay on their side, which angered Jafar and brought him to making his 2nd wish of becoming the most powerful wizard and whatnot. He literally tortured Jasmine's dad right in front of her so she was forced to agree on marrying him (which didn't end up happening). And later in the movie her dad decides to make her Sultan (without having to marry) because he finally saw of her courage and capability to lead, and she now no longer is "speechless". I personally really enjoyed the live-action and song, as someone who also grew up with the animated classics. But I completely respect your opinion and see what you mean. :))
@@mari_0556 i didnt watch the movie but that sounds pretty great. i assume the execution wasn’t all that because its been years and nobody has talked about it, but that sounds like a good payoff.
Speechless is actually what I dislike most about that movie. Speechless felt so modern and pop and jarringly different from the rest of the tone of the movie that the Aladdin live action does not make my list of good Disney movies
Wholeheartedly agree, the only movie out of the live action reamakes that didn't feel like a misguided nostalgia fueled cash grab is Cinderella, it felt like it actually has passion behind it ... oh ... and Pinocchio crashed and burned XD
I liked Jungle Book. They pulled a lot more from Kipling's original stories. There's enough material to tell a complete coming-of-age trilogy there but the director got pulled away from making a sequel to doing Lion King. And now Lion King is getting a sequel...
@@ScionStorm1 I, too, really liked Jungle Book 2016. I thought it was, despite not being as charming and wholesome as the original, still pretty funny when it needed to be and had a lot more entertaining action than I expected.
Cruella may be considered as bad by a lot of people, regardless, the rivalry of Cruella and the Baroness and the fashion wars were all so fun to watch.
I will always adore Cinderella. We have many forms of bravery, strength and sacrifice. But she rejoices in the most elegant form of them all. Kindness. You may see it as submission therefore it’s weakness. And you may even have a different definition of what elegance is. But kindness is the precursor to wisdom, wit, forgiveness, hope, love and even self-love, harmony and peace. Kindness is unbeatable.
I actually really like and appreciate what Disney attempted with Maleficent. In a way, it kind of makes sense that she’s a sympathetic protagonist. Not because her actions are right, but because history is told by the victors. Nobody is truly born evil. There’s always a catalyst that drives people to do bad things. The king wronged Maleficent in a way that is up until the end, unfixable. And it makes sense that in a movie from Maleficent’s POV, there would be details left out by the king/protagonists of Sleeping Beauty because it would paint them in a bad light. It’s kind of ironic coming from Disney, but even if it’s executed poorly, there’s some value in what Disney attempted with that film
I get what you are saying and respect it. But I hate that movie because Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorites. She is one of the very rare princesses with a living and loving mother AND father. They arent perfect, in fact their invitation screwup sets off the chain of events, but they are good people who love their daughter. They ruined that entirely and trashed her family dynamic turning a loving set of parents into one monster. Further, Prince Phillip, one of the baddest a** princes ever - was reduced to an accessory. (Side note: I saw a hilarious interaction at WDW between Phillip and Charming. Phillip: "I slew an actual dragon and you found a shoe".) Lastly, Maleficent was my favorite villian. She was terrifying and that was fun. She was a petty b*tch who flipped out because she didn't get a freakin invite to a party. That's brutally cold in an unbalanced, delicious way. Man, she could have just owned that kind of crazy and it would have been EPIC. We don't need to feel bad for every villian. Maleficent went from the real definition of awesome in her power to a poor misunderstood badly treated fairy. Meh. Takes the fun out of it. It could have been a good movie on it's own without the Sleeping Beauty tie in. Maybe she could have been Maleficent's emo cousin "Poor-done-byHeart O'Gold". Maleficent was named as a combo of Malevolent and Magnificent. And that's what the animated one is.
@@Accelerator0001 I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece of a movie. Simply that I appreciate that they tried to at least make the movie somewhat different from the og cartoon. At least they attempted something different with that movie instead of it being a shot for shot remake with worse acting and/or effects/character design
@@rsent4026 living father AND living loving mother the former somehow seems kinda more common than the latter no I’m not necessarily talking about the real world I’m aware of the whole “women outlive men” thing oh how nice so there should be more women to subject to well of course not just misogyny/sexism but also ageism meanwhile men tend to not to have to suffer as long as women good for men
Mulan was by far the worst of the remakes in my mind, which was most frustrating with the original Mulan being my favourite of the original movies. I didn't have much of an issue with them removing the songs (because of how well it worked in Cinderella), but Mushu's absence was criminal. Overall, they just completely butchered Mulan as a character and the overall story, a lot of the basic plot points are still there, Mulan takes her father's place in the army, there's the training scenes and mountain battle and the climax of the movie to protect the emperor but none of it has the same meaning and it doesn't feel earned. Mulan in the original is a complete fish out of water, but after some serious tough lessons she pulls herself up and dedicates herself to improving, and it's all motivated by the selfless desire to protect her father, it's something everyone can sympathise with and relate to in some way. And when her ruse is uncovered, it's because she put herself in harm's way to save someone else's life, it's not some self-indulgent ego moment where she can finally prove everyone else wrong and that she's been perfect this whole time. When it comes to the end, she knows she can't brute force her way through everything despise how far she has come, it's because of her ingenuity and the help of her friends, who she'd won the respect of earlier because of her dedication, that she's able to defeat Shan Yu. The live-action does none of this and doesn't replace it with anything worthwhile in the slightest.
I actually think Lion King is far worse than Milan although that doesn't make Mulan any better either. Part of this was because Mulan atleast had some stand out performances like Gong Li and Jet Li who was extremely entertaining in their roles, Lion King however was extremely bland and boring, even when the voice actor actually tried including James Earl Jones who deserves far better than that, I can't help but notice the bland expression of the animal that made the movie so horrifically bland
I also liked how in the live action Cinderella, the step sisters weren't actually ugly. A little gaudish, yes, but what made them ugly was their bad attitudes and treatment of Ella. In the cartoon, however, they were given the stereotypical "ugly" face along with the nasty personalities.
also I can remember so many written version as a kid, including the Charles Perrault version where her stepsisters are specifically described as being physically beautiful but so mean-spirited that it didn't matter. So it's a nice homage to the original fairytale itself to have them be beautiful but cruel.
@@feelingReckless13 yeah, I think Into the Woods even describes them as like "fair of face, but vile and black of heart" in their introduction
@@KatBee1742 that sounded so familiar that I went and check and sure enough, in the Brothers Grimm version it's "His new wife brought with her two daughters, whose features were beautiful and white, but whose hearts were foul and black."
I have seen Into the Woods, I've just read the fairytale so many times! The collection I have is actually the same one my mom read to me as a kid.
They did that to make Cinderella stand out more, it was a cartoon so they had to do that to make it more believable. They were jealous of her beauty and kindness.
Fun fact: Lily James auditioned to be the step sister Anastasia instead of Cinderella in first place.
But the casting director thought it would be a good idea if Lily auditioned to Ella too, or something like that.
the reason WHY Cinderella (2015) works so well is because it doesn't rely solely on nostalgia for the classic. It's not a play-by-play of the original Disney animation Like The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, and it's not even a musical. It can stand on it's own as a retelling of the Cinderella Fairy Tale. Plus the dialogue is beautifully written. It sounds more like a Jane Austen movie, rather than the more recent live action Disney movies, which are a bit flimsy in the writing category. If anything, the most RECENT live action Cinderella (Starring Camilla Cabello) is more tonally aligned with the REST of the live action Disney movies than Cinderella (2015) is. Truly on it's own league.
I love your comment about the dialogue! I didn't mention it in my video, but it's one of my favorite parts of the film. I especially love the dialogue in the scene where Ella and Kit first meet. Wonderful comment all around! And as tragic as it is, you're probably right about the Camila Cinderella being more closely aligned with Disney's latest efforts lmao
@@thetroveyoutube There is actually a whole video about the first meeting scene, from Shadversity. His channel has basically nothing to do with disney romance movies, but he made a video about how perfect that scene is
@@gisela_oliveira For real?? I need to check that out. Thanks!
'more like a jane austen movie' exactly why i like cinderella 2015. it was whimsical and romantic.
"more like a Jane Austen movie" after seeing several good Austen adaptations like Pride and Prejudice and Emma. learing how her story style works, i couldn't agree more with you
In Cinderella, it's also so unique that the prince didn't really need to put on the glass slipper to know that it was her that he loved. He heard her singing and requested she come down, he saw her face and smiled. He really only put the slipper on as a dis to the sisters and stepmother to prove to them that Ella was his bride. This sets it apart from most other Cinderella stories. The prince shouldn't be blind, deaf, etc. to Ella!
I believe (but I can be wrong) back in the fairytale, the fairy godmother made it in her spell so that people wouldn't recognize cinderella as a pauper to protect her from the stepmother and stepsisters. So even the prince wouldn't even gonna recognize her without the proof of the slipper.. I guess?
The funny thing is that this version of him would probably intend to Wage War on you, if you even suggested that he was blind to her.
I agree. I'm so sick of the Cinderella remakes, ESPECIALLY the ones without magic, ALWAYS making the prince character to be dumb and blind! This version, and the version with Selena Gomez as "Cinderella" are the two best versions, in my opinion. The version called "If the Shoe Fits" also wasn't as bad, as the make-up and costume design, as well as the fact that "Cinderella" also changed her voice/accent, made it more believable that the "prince" wouldn't recognize her right away, but at the same time, he wasn't dumb, and was able to piece everything together. "Once Upon a Song" wasn't bad either, but they still ended up making him just a little too dumb for my taste, as he completely got duped when he should have been able to tell, just from listening to the step sister's talking voice and hearing how unintelligent she was, that she was a fraud; also, how did he forget the friend that came and dragged "Cinderella" away and never showed up with the fraud? Still love the little brother in that one though; he was excellent comic relief!
I hear what you're saying, but remember that the Prince is far, far unlikely to be the one to physically take the slipper from estate to estate, home to home searching for her. As it was in the animated film, the Prince was nowhere near when the slipper was being tried on by assorted females. The slipper was being seen to by the King's chief attendant. Unsure if that was his official title or role, but it's the best I can do.
In the original Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale, the Prince was not attending the slipper. It was servants of sorts. Each of Cinderella's step-sisters cut off part of their foot to fit the slipper on, were taken away, but birds of the air announced the deceit, "Turn back! Turn back! There's blood on the track."
In the twist of time ,he knew her when he held her hands . Anastacia fit the shoe but he was like , more than 1 girl could have fit the shoe
the main thing i noticed is that cinderella doesnt shy away from the saturated bright colours and doesnt depend too much on cgi (the mice and the godmother being the exceptions). even the dark scenes have bright colours and they make you feel closer to the original 2d
Someone pointed out that it was also shot on film (or made to look like it) which also contributes greatly to making it feel both fantasy and believable
I just hate how dark modern films are which makes them almost unbearable to watch
When Cinderella says “I forgive you” I almost yelled, it’s so well done and shows that you can be strong and courageous and still be kind, you don’t have to be a badass warrior I love it
that was such a power move but it also felt so genuine, it's perfect
You made a really good point too here. Too many movies these days portray warrior women, or women who really kick ass, and nothing wrong with that. But Cinderella is strong from within her heart (despite her not having a sword at all), and I think this strength (i.e. being kind) is so overlooked these days that it makes me sad. That "I forgive you" is simple, but we know it can be so hard to do in real life. Cinderella nails "have courage and be kind" so well.
@@Icha74 exactly. There is a russian movie called I am dragon that has the same thing where the woman conquers a dragon with love. Its similar to the beauty and the beast archatype, but the beast is acutally a beast in more than looks.
It was honestly a beautiful moment.
Ugh, I ugly bawled at that part. Cinderella is hands down my favorite Live action movie.
I agree with everything you said about Cinderella, but I’d like to add two thing. A) It let her be empowered without forcing her to throw off traditionally feminine roles (something surprisingly rare in modern films) and B) It had an actual moral of the story - It felt like Cinderella was rewarded for her kindness. I adore this particular remake.
Those are really good points, thanks for adding them here!
Omg yes. Exactly what I think too Especially with your reason A. Ever since Cinderella, Disney practically forced all the princess characters to drop their feminine side. That's why Belle loses her sarcasm. That's why Jasmine loses her quirks. That's why Mulan has to be born with super power so she can be better than any guy in the army Instead of learning as a newbie and working her way up to be a great warrior. Like what's wrong with their original characters? They were already strong female characters that we looked up to when we were young. And whoever said the princesses in animation are only there to be rescued by the prince is utterly wrong. Beast would have fallen off with Gaston if it weren't for Belle. Jasmine bought Aladdin more time by distracting Jafar. And for god sake the Emperor would have been dead if Mulan didn't come back and try to save him. The originals have illustrated such strong figures so well already. Why change them and make them less than what they were?🤦
@@sallyszewan 100% agree. I’m a writer and treating female characters that way is a major pet peeve of mine.
@@bodine219 I hope to be a successful writer and it's movies like these and treatment of female and other characters makes me feel honestly much better about my own
This this this! I love the live action Cinderella because it kept to the original themes, but fleshed out the story. I feel like a lot of the other live action movies do copy the plots of the animated movies, but not really the themes, so it feels very disjointed.
Not to mention the Cinderella remake actually did justice to the dress, heck they even made it BETTER my jaw DROPPED during the transformation and i just love how the acting made it more immersive
omg 100000% just the production to make the dress alone would have sold me on the movie
ig, but i wish they didn’t photo edit it to be more saturated blue
it would've been better with a different design, and an homage to the original silver color of the iconic original dress. But much like the original dress, it was changed to blue for better marketing.
@@Miss-Nadia the off the shoulder is definitely more belle-esque
i agree! i HATED emma’s decision to not wear a corset in beauty and the beast. the corset was an undergarment, nothing more, nothing less. it wasn’t put on women for beauty standards or as a way to confine them (although i’m sure it did both) it served a purpose. her decision to not wear a corset was a big mistake in my opinion; it was an attempt to stay woke but completely missed the mark because it’d take one google search to see the reasons why women wore them at the time. it really took me out of the time period.
Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast just felt like Hermoine without a wand. It was a pretty one dimensional performance and did more to kill the experience for me in that movie than anything else.
I fell asleep thrice during the movie
I love Emma Watson but she is not belle. I think literally any other actress-also belle is French. She’s not English 😢
She's tomboy Belle 😂
Yeah Emma Watson is a good actor but just isn’t versatile enough in terms of acting. She keeps the Hermione vibes and attitudes in any other roles.
@@ravenderose Emma Watson was born in France, does that not count?
As a victim of child abuse I really felt off about people who look down on the cinderella character saying she waited for a prince to save her when this is not true
She experienced tremendous abuse and remained kind and giving despite it and she was such a role model to me
Everyone saying cinderella should have just left really feels like victim blaming
Cinderella was always my favorite princess and everyone made fun of me for it
It's so refreshing to see people understand the depth of her story and why the 2015 remake is the best retelling
That’s amazing I’m so glad she has inspired you! Wishing you the best.
exactly, where was she to go exactly? Her only friends were mice its not like she can go live with them lmao, she has no money, no trade skills, no prospects at all. Girlie would have ended up a prostitute or worse if she left, it was better to stay where she was and wait for her chance. She was smart and so very strong to hold out under all that
What people don’t understand about Cinderella is that she didn’t go to the ball hoping to fall in love with the Prince of all people. She didn’t plan on marrying up and moving out to luxurious happily ever after. She just wanted to escape a shit situation for just one night. One night where she can take a little break and have something of her own, have some happiness in a lifetime of misery and abuse. She was even going to go back never talk about it again. But her fortunes had other plans in mind. The Prince saw her from across the dance floor and she stood out to him more than every other woman there. Now naysayers may say that he was just physically attracted to her and was objectifying her. But I think that Cinderella being there not for the Prince (and his wealth) had more of an effect than anything. Every other woman there was just there for his money, this could be a reflection of their greed and hubris. Whereas Cinderella was not greedy and did not go to the ball planning to merry the Prince, with aspirations of what his wealth will do for her. Cinderella was always kind and she was brave enough to never let her abusive step mother and daughters to ever change her positive attitude. She never let them beat her down and make her bitter and hateful like them. This I believe is reflected on her outer appearance. She was always beautiful on the outside because she is loving and kind on the inside. Cinderella meeting the Prince and their initial romantic dance was just a happy accident. A handsome guy walks up to her and asks for a dance, why would Cinderella refuse herself some fun on her one night escape from hell back at home. The original movie didn’t have much character development for the prince because he’s not the main character. It’s Cinderellas movie not his, he’s not the main focus. But what little character development he gets is that he is bored at the ball, his father is forcing the ball so that his son can find a wife (back then getting a son for the crown was an integral recipe for continuing the lineage). The Prince was not a womanizer because they showed him not socializing with every woman there. What little interaction he does have shows him being awkward or uncomfortable, so he’s not misogynistic or sexist. He just saw a woman who stands out to him and felt compelled to approach her. In their entire dance and evening he was so caught up in her he must have been caught in a stupor for not getting her name. His description of her must have sounded to made up so they checked every woman in the kingdom to find who fit into the shoe. But the Prince would have noticed if she didn’t match his description of the perfect woman.
💛
She's my fav too, for ALL these reasons, she always show me How to stay true and kind to myself when i was in poweless situasions, when people were cruel to me, for no reasons, when i felt Alone and insecure in the World, she was a remainder that good things happen when we believe in them... And after a long journey, i can Tell everbody this is true.. and i still these days teling myself to have courage and to be kind, and can say its stays a massive good helpfull feeling ❤
Lily James performed Cinderella so well. She takes "be courage and kind" perfectly throughout the movie.
Her audition for the movie was for the Stepsister, instead she got the lead role. How incredible is that, she's better as Cinderella
One of the things I love about 1998 Mulan is that she was a _normal_ girl dealing with certain standards she had to maintain as woman and the disadvantages that came with it. She went to war to keep her father safe, she wasn’t immediately amazing at fighting (if anything she was worse than the others) but she got better with hard work and determination. She then saved China with her courage, intelligence and good heart along with the skills she learnt during the movie. Also, she saved everyone as a woman! It made me think as a young girl ‘wow I could do that to!’
In the 2020 version Mulan is already incredibly ‘special’ because of these chi superpowers she has and has to hide her abilities and how ‘amazing’ she is from everyone. For me it takes away all the struggle she had to endure to be a good fighter and the hero who saved China instead of it being served to her on a silver platter in the form of ‘chi superpowers’.
Also, a talking dragon is unrealistic but a woman who turns into bird is ok? Really Disney? 🤨
Don't forget, she didn't somehow become as strong as the men, even through her hard work. She learned to use her strengths as a woman, instead -- she didn't brute force her way up the pole, she used the weights in a creative way; she didn't engage the Huns in hand-to-hand combat and come out the stronger fighter, she strategically caused an avalanche to save her unit.
(For me, that ties directly into why _CInderella_ [2015] was so great. It was a story about being a resilient, loving woman. It was okay for her to need someone else to physically rescue her, and it was okay to consider marrying the prince a great reward. Women _should_ be able to dream about a kind and honorable man coming to sweep them off their feet, and it should be okay to aspire to be the sort of woman that "prince charming" would want to marry. That's a legitimate way a woman can help to save herself, and it's neither disempowering, nor does it sell her worth short. She deserves a lovely prince, and such a lovely prince would deserve her at her best.)
If they made Mulan a well trained warrior, it would've made more sense. But to give her powers literally just defeats the character of Mulan overall.
Reason why Mulan 2020 didn't do good was their no Mushu
Don't forget that her brand new sister proves that if you're not born with special powers you can always aspire exclusivly be pretty and marry a man instead and have that be your whole thing
I absolutely hated MULAN 2020, It's the worst movie I've ever seen so far. It's also the first movie that made me rage quit before the end.
It's funny how Cinderella's rats and Stepmother's cat has more facial expression than basically every single character in The Lion King remake
Yes, j the Lion King was such ridiculous bullshit, God awful mess
It's funny how Cinderella's rats and Stepmother's cat has more facial expression than Belle in The Beauty And The Beast remake
@@creativestudio101 even worse my siblings loved that crap.
@@younes-yv1un Come on.. talk some sense into them!! 🤣🤣
@@creativestudio101 i tried but failed.
i only realized how Cinderella really WAS the only amazing disney live action. The whole cast was perfect, the costumes were beautiful, the writing stayed true to the animated film while also having their own original take, plus it had that Disney Magical feeling to it that the other movies lack.
I know, that's why I love it so much. It always annoys me when I hear people call it bland or unoriginal. It shares a lot with other adaptations, but that's to be expected given that Cinderella is probably the most adapted fairy tale.
It's not my favorite telling of the story (that's a tossup between Ever After and 1997 with Brandi and Whitney Housten), but it's a lovely, magical romp that tells its own story.
It wasn't that much of an original take. Stuff was taken by Roger and Hammerstein's version.
I loved it & Aladdin. They're the only 2 remakes that made me feel anything & dd their cartoon counterparts justice
What about that maleficent one
@@bhavanijayant526 I liked Maleficent! But it was way too different from the animated one so I don't really consider it as a "direct live-action"
How can disney make such a perfect Aslan back in 2005 and then fail so miserably with the lion king more than 15 years later??
Because in 2005, Disney wanted to make Aslan look whimsical and majestic, but in 2019, Disney wanted to flex on how realistic their CGI was 😭😭😭😭😭😭
@@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices and it doesnt evan look that realistic
Funny thing, when I saw the live action Lion King in theaters, I kept mistaking Mufasa for Aslan. The original Mufasa had a *distinct* look.
I know, you'd think they'd keep advancing. Another example I think of often is Davy Jones in the Pirates movies. I'm not sure that CGI will ever be topped. They just seemed to dedicate more time, care, effort, and funds into their older projects cause they actually cared about the quality.
Truth!
I always wondered why I enjoyed live action Cinderella so much, and now I finally understand why. Also I wish they could have done better with Cruella's plot; I really enjoyed Emma Stone's performance.
I’m glad you love it and I’m happy to help shed some light on the reasons the movie works so well. I agree about Cruella. Emma Stone did great but the movie as a whole wasn’t quite up to par. Thanks for watching!!
@@thetroveyoutube I disagree. I think the movie was INCREDIBLE. Iconic and entertaining
@@Error_-ct2vp Glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
I love how vibrant Cinderella was mixed with domestic life and fantasy.
I mean its hard to make a sympathetic character arc out of a puppy killer
Mulan was a slam dunk for a girl power movie. She was a typical princess girly-girl. Through necessity, charm, and a whole bucket load of ingenuity she broke all the stereotypes and passed every test put before her. They stole all that from her to make her a OP, superpowered, girl boss Mary-Sue... They didn't even try...
I agree with everything except for the first part of animated Mulan's description. At the start, Mulan was actually struggling to be that princess girly-girl stereotype, hence the song Reflection questioning why she has to follow her culture's ideals on feminity. And she was also struggling to be that masculine man stereotype for her disguise, too. This story of self-acceptance was also tossed in the bin with the Live Action in favor of "You have superpowers, so use them."
Original Mulan was so fuckin empowering. Like how badass does she need to be to break the expectations thrust upon her a woman in China and go to war for her family, and disguise herself in order to do it. In the end, even after being exposed, she kept to her mission and used her ingenuity to save all of China.
Disney trying to change that is honestly pure idiocy and a complete misunderstanding of the source material.
Whenever people talk about the live-action Disney Mulan, I *want* to get on board with the whole "they totally butchered it" sentiment... but then I remember that they weren't actually doing a remake of the Disney Mulan film - they were making a Chinese Wuxia film, because Disney's priority is to sell to the Chinese market. It was never intended to retell the American Mulan story in the first place, so of course it's not similar...
I never really cared for mulan so I didn’t see the live action remake. I’m glad I didn’t lol
@@mylesleggette7520 Disney never marketed the live action Mulan as a remake, but everybody expected it to be a remake. As much as I love the animated Mulan, the live action was amazing. I went in with the mindset of it being a completely different movie. Yes there were some parallels, but overall is was not the same movie. Unlike other live action remakes. I loved the Beauty and the Beast (though they possibly could have cast someone else as Belle - as much as I like Emma Watson), because while it was pretty much the same, they did add some depth to the characters by adding in some backstories. Aladdin and the Lion King were not that great in my opinion. I did like some changes they made to Aladdin (like making Jasmine a little more than a supporting character). I felt like The Lion King was a bit of a stretch for “live action”. Even the live action The Little Mermaid was good and they made some incredible changes.
I remember watching Cinderella (2015) in theaters and being absolutely ENTHRALLED during their dance. Jaw dropped, eyes glazed, and tears brimming. I fell absolutely in love with it.
Not to mention the chemistry of Lily James and Richard Madden which I can say as their characters they have far better chemistry than the animated version
RIGHT!!! Her dress is SO GORGEOUS and seeing them dance really made me believe in love at first sight 😭❤️
Me too!
IFKRR, whereas the ballroom dance in beauty and the beast seemed unbearable 😭
Yeah dude this was also my first ever movie in theatres and oh my
Can we just talk about the freaking color palette of Cinderella's ballroom scene? Gorgeous, warm, vibrant. Loved it.
Immaculate
Ikr?? I love how they made everyone's gown colorful, but still make Cinderella's outfit stand out!
CGI
@@woopshtbetta no bruh. If you only saw the behind the scenes of the ballroom, they made alot of effort in every dress on the crowd.. its very creative and fascinating
@@woopshtbetta th-cam.com/video/2J-s-pXBX0E/w-d-xo.html welp here's your receipt
Let me add a little thing about the costumes too. Cinderella live action had great costume designs that I've seen so many cosplayers recreate Cinderella's dress. On the other hand, live action Belle's dress looked more like a prom dress rather than a grand ball gown that I've never seen anyone cosplay that version. I've only seen cosplays of Belle in the animated version dress because c'mon, it's iconic.
Yes as a cosplayer I agree
I swear, the outfits for the film really made me fall in love with this remake. They're so gorgeous and beautiful that helped live up all scenes.
If I remember correctly, I think they intentionally made her the only character wearing blue so she would stand out against all of the other colorful visuals
Well in the life action version of Beauty and the beast Emma Watson didn't want to wear a corset as part of her costume. Without a corset the silhouette of the big dress wasn't easy to achieve, if I remember correctly
@@diddlmausschen7479 I’m gonna be so fr here they should’ve used the stupid plastic ring thing in Sofia the first costumes
I was in a particularly dark place in my life half drunk and depressed one night when this new Cinderella was on the movie channel, as a nearly 40 y/o man it wasn't something I would have picked, however I watched the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it. It remains the only Disney live action remake I have ever seen. I will fight anyone who doesn't like this movie. I think it was Cinderella's sheer kindness that impacted me and gave me hope. Its beautifully made and I'm surprised it wasn't more successful.
My depression is what drew me towards this movie too. When I finished, I just lay in the darkness thinking about it for a long time. The next morning, I had motivation to get up.
Lily James brings so much charm to the role. She can be idealistic, sad, angry and even funny when the scene calls for it. She's so engaging as the character, even with all the little things. Like how she says "they treat me as well as they are able" - she conveys so much in that one sentence. You completely buy that her and Kit are madly in love at first sight because of the great chemistry between them. Richard Madden does excellent work too. Robb Stark would be the easier role to play. A Prince Charming who feels like a real person we can connect with and not a bland man candy ideal, that's harder to pull off.
100% agree with what you said about Lily and Richard. It seems surprising that Prince Charming would be a more difficult role than Robb Stark, but I have to agree.
I mean...isnt that what an actor is supposed to be?
I’d like to call attention to the exceptional emotional intelligence of Kit in that scene and his reaction to that phrase. He hears and sees her say, “They treat me as well as they’re able” and immediately he grasps what she isn’t saying and replies with “I’m sorry.” It’s clearly meant to be the sympathetic Sorry, not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing, which is how she responds, with “It’s not your doing.” He can already see her goodness and how she exudes charity, and thus he says in reply, “Nor yours, I’m sure.” It’s a fairly quick exchange, but we can see how well he truly *sees* her, right from the very beginning. It makes their happy ending so much more satisfying than in the animated version, where the prince is just a pretty face with some dogged determination.
I love this movie, love them, love this analysis, appreciate you all ❤
@@juliewagner3023 Excellently put :)
Exactly! I totally agree! Lily James was great! I also really liked Helena Bonham Carter as Fairy Godmother. She was really funny.
Cate Blanchett WAS Lady Tremaine. It's when the acting goes beyond the script and the actor dimensionalizes who they once were that makes the character so enticing to watch. She is the clear-cut antagonist. That final scene with Blanchett and James was probably one of the best acting scenes in all of the films combined. When she breaks that glass slipper, I always get chills.
Yes, yes, and yes.
I also love the outfits that she wore, really beautiful 😌
AGREE
My favorite line is when she says “Yes. They say of the world.” Her delivery of the line is just phenomenal
When she showed up at the beginning with the look and the attitude I remember thinking "oh shit this movie is gonna slay" and I was right
“I could tell they were going for female empowerment and that’s never wrong”
I think the whole theme and depiction of female empowerment these days is a reason why I appreciate Cinderella so much more, and it might be a reason as to why people don’t fully understand the real message of the story.
Cinderella is not a bad mouthing, power wielding, martial arts master. But that does not mean she is not incredible strong and brave. She struggles with something that a lot of people can legitimately relate to: domestic abuse. And I will never understand why some people view her as weaker for being nice in the world/time period she’s in and the with the beliefs she hold.
That is precisely why I also think the movie does such a great job in the live action. People criticize that in the live action, Cinderella had to be saved by the King and the guard instead of having her animal friends help her escape. But I think that choice gave her the opportunity to finally stand up for herself in front of her stepmother. It’s the 2nd time in the movie where she is genuinely upset and she actually shows it. And in the end when she says that she forgives her step mother, that’s the single most powerful line in the movie. Because everyone can be angry at their abusers and those who have wronged them. But it’s another thing to forgive them in order to give yourself closure and to move on with your life.
Spot on 👍
True that! Wish people would see Cinderella like this but sadly most of them think that a woman being gentle and feminine means we're "weak" pftt please no offense but imo, surviving abuse all while being a good person for your whole life and never continued that toxic cycle to others is empowering itself. Just because early Disney Princesses aren't their typical strong, aggressive, loud, and badass characters that we see nowadays doesn't mean they're weak. I'd also would like to add that Cinderella wanted to go to a ball for FUN goodness I can't imagine how tired she was after serving her step family lol it was not because she wanted to be part of the Royal family, I hate it when they say she's a golddigger..
Great comment and view of this topic. ❤️
I would like to add:
In my eyes, it wasn't the prince alone who saved her. It was teamwork. The mice opened the window, Ella sang lovingly and it was heard by the prince. Love and gentleness were louder here than the intrigues spun below. I love this scene and resolution so much.
Yes, thank you. It's kind of ridiculous that strong female characters these days have been given roles in movies that used to be given to men. All because the character is strong doesn't mean that they have to be more traditionally manly in their characterization. Cinderella is a very feminine character with no masculine character traits. But she is still a strong character, and I love that. You can be feminine and strong at the same time.
This is coming from a woman that is very much not typically feminine, but I love to see this.
I guess then, quote of the day: "Being kind in a cruel world is courage, not weakness."
I know we're only focusing on Disney made adaptations, but can we also acknowledge that "Ever After" is one of the best Cinderella adaptations ever made. What a beautifully written story and interpretation of Cinderella!
Absolutely ❤ give me a Cinderella with a sword about to stab any day. Plus a more realistic body expectation.
I do prefer Ever After over the Disney Cinderella. It has different unique approach to the story. To have the main heroine be the one who saves the prince is much better than sit around and wait to be saved herself.
@@stardustcherry2158 Maybe if you grew up in the 70s or something. For people born after 1990, the "heroine saves the prince" trope is the one that's tired and stale.
@@mylesleggette7520 I guess so since I am born in the 90s, so I am more used to women being the horo
I totally agree. That is my favorite adaption of Cinderella.
Let's not forget the iconic Cinderella's ballgown. That dress and the way it's flow and movement was captured is a piece art in itself. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful gown. It is magic come to life.
The only gown that beats it is one Anna wears while dancing the polka with the King of Siam.
Trinity K Bonet Remakes this dress for one of the unconventional sewing challenges in Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars and it’s such a moment. I don’t think she got enough recognition for it.
yeah I think the costume design in this movie is just completely next level!
To think that the design was really simple. just plain blue gown with butterfly design but yes, it STANDS OUT.
Yes! As opposed to the live action Beauty and the Beast ballgown. That was horrible!
2015 Cinderella is my favorite too. As someone who has a verbally abusive parent, this movie really hit home for me. It inspired me to be more kind and to not stoop to the same levels as my abusers. It does take so much courage to be kind in hard situations and to forgive.
Wishing you the best!!
Yes but once you're in a place where you can leave that all behind it's magnificent.
@@katie7748 Hoping to get there one day.
@@thetroveyoutube are you movigoer?
@@thetroveyoutube you think you everthing dont you.
"This movie acknowledges that sometimes it requires courage to be kind, sometimes it's really hard. It celebrates kindness and rewards goodness" - man you're so right I couldn't have said it better myself. You truly have a way with words and you know film my guy, you're getting a sub from me you can count on that!
Thank you, this really means a lot to me!
I loved Maleficent. Sleeping Beauty was one of my favourite Disney movies as a kid, and Maleficent was one of my favourite characters (I’ve always been drawn to the dark side of life haha).
So I would say that Maleficent and Cinderella worked well, but I actually prefer Maleficent.
I agree Maleficent was better
it really just matter on ur type like the aesthetic
@@hsumyathtoo5681 Very true. Same with the newest The Little Mermaid movie. I absolutely adore the original, but I found the remake to be one of the most boring of all the remakes. I kept falling asleep during it, which hasn’t happened during any of the other remakes (although I did just give up and stop watching The Lion King remake, so I think that has to be my lowest-rated of all the remakes). However, everyone seems to love The Little Mermaid remake, so it really just goes to show that art is entirely subjective!
I don’t have a problem with Halle or anything, I just think that all these remakes are getting redundant. They added nothing new, made nothing better. The remake is inconsistent. They claim that the sisters rule the seven seas, and in all the promotional materials, they were showing maps of a fictional world that looks completely different from earth that all the mermaid sisters rule - and yet, in the movie, they kept talking about Spain, and Europe, and places associated with Earth (particularly a very Eurocentric version of Earth). So are the sisters ruling the fictional seas they showed us on the map, or are they ruling earth? Which is it? They completely contradicted themselves, and it drew me out of the story every time they brought it up. The whole thing just seemed really poorly thought-out, poorly-written, pandering, and, in my opinion, incredibly boring. Also, the CGI was really bad. I just couldn’t help unfavourably comparing it to the original the entire time. I kept wishing that I was watching the original instead.
However, if people liked it, I’m happy for them. A movie doesn’t have to be good, well-written, or well-designed for you to like it. There are plenty of “bad” movies that I like too. It’s entertainment, so if it entertains you, that’s all that matters! 🥰
I definitely agree. When it comes to live-action remakes, I've found that I prefer those that try to take a bit of a spin on the original tale to some degree. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to effectively reproduce in live-action media the same experience of one viewing an animated film. Two of my favorite live-action remakes have been Maleficent and Cruella because I think these movies successfully addressed this challenge. With these two films, we are given the opportunity to experience a familiar story from a new perspective (the antagonist's view), making the experience feel more worthwhile overall. In contrast, remakes such as Beauty and the Beast mainly offer the same, albeit slightly altered, perspective on a story we have probably seen a hundred times, and they come across as these sort of dull, lifeless shells - echoes of a story that was so much more vibrant the first time it was told.
I think it is also important to consider whether it makes sense to even use live-action to tell a story in the first place. If a story was best told in animated form, unless you are trying to tell the story from a new perspective, it doesn't make sense to try and recreate the whole thing in live-action form. I think this is part of the reason why so many of Disney's live-action remakes haven't been as satisfying for viewers who are already so familiar with the original tale. For Maleficient specifically, however, I believe it made perfect sense to tell this story using live-action. The story is meant to feel darker, more foreboding, so telling that story in a realistic setting helps make that darkness feel more grounded, a bit closer to reality, a bit more likely to reach out of the screen and grab you or something. Had it been animated, Maleficent might not have been as successful in producing the same experience (though that isn't to say the film doesn't have its faults).
(Also, thank you for making this comment. I'd wondered if anybody else remembered that Maleficent was a thing - and I've been needing to rant about all of this for way too long...)
Malificent ruined the character as an amazing villain however, making her turn to evil about betrayel by a man. It also made the prince a complete joke. I dont like it when the only way a writer can make female characters stronger in a story is by making the male characters less relevant/weaker/dumber/more evil because that only confirms the notion women and men are not equal when playing on equal terms. I found the story insulting and downgrading. Giving Malificent a reason for being evil is fine. But I wish it had been something more creative, and that they kept her as a villain character. She is one of the best animated villains in disney, and the movie sabotaged that status. So I actualy hated that movie. Because it felt like they didnt do her evil justice, and they dumbed down the fairies and toned down the prince and demonised the king to make this version work. A female character can be unapolegeticly evil and still be a feminist icon. Malificent's story should have nothing to do with men or being hurt by men. Her rise to power and evil should be a journey that has NOTHING to do with any men in her life. And the story should have treated the prince with respect (while ALSO expanding on Aurora as a fully fleshed out character). So yeah.. Malificent ranks at the bottom of all adaptions to me because of how insulting it was to her status as one of the best EVIL villains, and how it treats it's other characters. It will get credit for one thing, trying to be original rather then just remaking shot for shot. I hated the direction they went with it, but I suppose I will always have unapolegeticly evil cartoon Malificent to keep me happy.
You were honestly too kind with the Mulan remake. The original is my favorite Disney film ever, it was also the first film I've ever watched at the movies. I was beyond excited when the remake was announced and couldn't be more disappointed with the end result. They took everything precious and special about that character and completely destroyed it. The original Mulan was a clumsy and realistic female lead character. She couldn't surpass her male counterparts in physical strenght, so she relied on her intelligence and kindness in order to succeed. They decided to completely scrap all of that and make Mulan into basically a superhero, who was already extremely strong from the very beginning. She never had to face any adversity, she simply had to allow herself to be the badass that she always was. Honestly insulting to the original.
Yeah, reading your comment I definitely agree with you. It took me a while to realize just how bad the remake was but it seems so obvious now. I could've dug into it more, but I was attempting to keep it concise lol.
Also the main actress was a ccp shill and they filmed this fil. Near the area where there concentration camps for the uigers , and thanked them for letting them film there .....ya this movie is just morally bankrupt on top of being bad
Dude I get it Mulan was made for the Chinese audience. I haven't read the poem
@@biker944 I don't think the Chinese audience was happy with it either. Here's a link of my favourite in-depth review of Mulan from a Chinese perspective:
th-cam.com/video/ZccG-wtt5FA/w-d-xo.html
@@thetroveyoutube I think that they could have added the music esp the reflection song. Also she can be easily clocked as woman
For the record, Ewan CAN DO A FRENCH ACCENT. The director didn't LIKE it because it sounded "too French," so they made Ewan re-record ALL of his lines. Ewan was married to a French woman for like 20 years or something, so knows the accent very well. He didn't like the final product either!
I love Ewan McGregor, I didn’t know he’s Scottish for the longest time because his accents are so good
Yeah thanks for pointing this out! Ewan has said in interviews that they didn’t want him to pronounce stuff like the guttural French “r” sound, which really waters down the accent. Such weird direction. But yeah he can speak some French and his ex wife and kids are all fluent.
that is absolutely bonkers lmao
You know that ewan also did moulin rouge a film that takes place in france
Yeah, Ewan's stock in trade as an actor is dialects and accents, so his performance in Beauty & the Beast is awfully beneath him. 😅
One huge point missed for " The beauty and the beast " was Belle's dress. It was so BORING!. Millions spent on budget and her yellow dress was didn't touch the ground like a ballgown should and NO life to it. As a little girl who always wanted her dress, it was a huge let down. Needless to say I fell asleep watching it. 🤦♀️
I actually had a line in my script about her dress but I deleted it cause I thought I was being too specific as I'm mostly talking about the general flaws in these movies. I made an exception for Mrs. Potts though cause I'm so baffled by her design change haha. But there have been a lot of comments about people's disappointment in Belle's dress. It seems I should've left that part in!
100% agree with you. They modernized it and ruined an iconic dress.
They changed Cinderella's dress in the live action but in my opinion they improved upon it. The minimalism in belle's dress just did not work and fell totally flat.
Belle's dress look more like a Quinceñera dress. Emma Watson had input in creating that hot mess. Cinderella's was was total magic
@@thetroveyoutube I think that the dress is a sign of a bigger, more general problem though. Emma Watson had a great deal of input in Belle’s wardrobe design, and they tried to modernize or fix problems that didn’t really exist with the original such as her corset, which is misappropriated as a symbol of oppression, the addition of the book, and Belle’s mother’s backstory.
I think the costume design in these movies became weaker with and after Beauty and the Beast. Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella had great costume design. They were different from the originals but amped up. The Mad Hatter is iconic, easily recognizable, and whimsical. His makeup is zany and colorful. Cinderella’s dress is jaw dropping, it’s movement, the grandeur, the iridescent blue. It’s a no duh why everyone stares at her. Also, the prince’s outfit is a great counter and I love all the embroidery. Oh shit, and Lady Tremaine was a 50s fashion diva vixen icon!
Cruella’s outfits took more risks for a Disney film, though I still think Cruella’s original design is still the most iconic. I loved seeing the AMOUNT of costumes and the changes, it was great.
And Aladdin’s from a surface view, since I didn’t watch all of it, kinda looked cheap.
@@jackierosas9593 I wasn't aware Emma Watson had so much input in the costume design, but that's pretty interesting. I wonder what the dress might've looked like otherwise.
The Cinderella remake stuck with me. "You have more kindness in the tip of your finger than most people possess in their entire body" was something i definitely aspired to be. The dress was phenomenal, the casting, the whimsy, all of it was top tier. I cried like a baby! None of the disney remakes ive seen so far have had the same impact. I remember zero lines, characters, and if i remember them at all, its for how horrible they were (im looking at you, lion king remake) it was one of the last movies i saw with my sister before she moved away, i barely see her now. We got dressed up and did our makeup. We didnt wear ballgowns, but we wore nice dresses and we were so excited. We did the same for beauty and the beast, which is our mom's favorite movie, and bought roses. Not nearly as impressed but oh well. I wish i could find the photos we took from both days. Im sure the makeup was not nearly as pretty as we remember it lol
While you aren't a fan of Alice in Wonderland, I appreciate that you gave it credit for being different from the animated film and telling its own story. Its my favorite of the bunch, hit me at the right time and it's stuck with me. I think Tim's direction is great, I love the visuals and world building, and I think all the cast did a great job. I, like Tim, thought that giving Alice an actual story was an inspired idea and it's the film I love and revisit the most.
That's great! Burton's style isn't usually my thing, but I appreciate the vision and I'm glad others like it.
Same
I love this movie so much, I keep rewatching every year. Didn't like the second one very much but the first one it's just....
I agree. I really liked the movie and think it's one of the best.
Yep i think its the best of one too 😍
I always thought Cinderella worked because Kenneth Branagh knew what he was doing and how to really approach the story. Not saying the man's a genius or anything, but he understood the assignment better than others did.
yes, i think his background in Shakespeare may have helped!
@@thetroveyoutube Yeah at times the movie felt like a play at some places.
Yup! He has had some genius films.
Yes! His directing was wonderful in this film!
Kenneth Branagh has had a long background with Shakespeare plays, basically he's a Shakespeare geek which is why he's absolutely perfect in directing this movie unlike Guy Ritchie who's pretty much unsure how to approach a musical in Aladdin
Cinderella 2015 is only Disney remake I’ve felt had actual Disney magic when I was watching it which is honestly the feeling I’ve missed with these other remakes in one way or another
So glad someone is finally talking about it
Well said. For me it was also the only one that felt magical at all.
i rmb my heart SWELLED when she entered the ballroom, in that magnificent dress, as the music crests into the marvellous motif of lavender's blue. they built it up so well, and every single second was worth it to see kit grin at the sight of her, to see ella stun the entire crowd. this movie made me feel so many things, and i rmb telling myself, "THIS. THIS IS MAGIC."
It didn’t hurt that it was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also directed and acted in some great Shakespeare movies..
@@Leonnie13 and played Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!
I've always liked Cinderella 2015, even then i still liked it. Every time a terrible Disney remake came by, i always go back to Cinderella 2015 to remind myself that Disney used to have magic and soul in making a live action princess movie. I might watch it again after The Little Mermaid remake comes out
"They're so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should" is a line spoken more than 2 decades ago and it just hits right when I comes to most of Disney remakes
One of the things I absolutely ADORE about the Cinderella live action is that scene where she looks at the stepmother right before going away from the house and stops to say "I forgive you". This scene is SO powerful and beautiful. I think it really portraits what Cinderella is all about. She is a kind soul. As her mother says in the beggining, she has more kindness in her pinky than most people have in their hole body. Being able to forgive someone who has being nothing but awful towards you your entire life is so hard to do. Yet, I can actually see Cinderella doing it. She understands that the stepmother could not do any better and forgives her. That's just beautiful (T^T)
I love this movie and the original too
In a way I think that line hurts the step mother more than anything cinderella could have done.
@@kevinfernando4140 for sure it did
its really humanly how they make the characters contrast each other, but also display levels of humaness that their relationhip dont feel too cartoonish (like literaly good vs evil kinda thing) but rather by products of priorities and desire
Right! It also portrays that the greatest courage is kindness to those you KNOW hate you.
i think its fascinating that you mention gaston and lafou being cast well because they ACTUALLY GOT MUSICAL THEATRE ACTORS to ACT in their MUSICAL!!
They were the only two great actors in that movie
Fun awful fact, Ewan can speak French and do a real accent. They asked him to do this 🙃
Cinderella has a perfect balance of being different, modern, and but also keeping the spirit and message of the original animations.
YES!!
Cinderella always seemed powerful to me. She was kind even through pain, helped others in need and was a brilliant idol for me. As long as you're kind u will one day get repaid by meeting someone kind as well.
I really liked both Maleficent and Cinderella when they came out. Talented actors were involved - Lily James is lovely, Angelina Jolie portrays a sympathetic but still very devilish Maleficent, and Richard Madden is very swoon-worthy (and Elle Fanning is super cute). I'm a bit more measured now and I see that quality-wise they're not extraordinary works, but I still have a place in my heart in them. Maleficent's real flaw to me isn't character assassination (she was a badass looking one dimensional evil in the original) but the fact that they kept "Maleficent" as her original name, it's just not fitting the person they made her out to be, who is specifically not pure evil but twisted by pain into being so.
Angelina was quite good in the role. I agree, the name Maleficent doesn't end up making a ton of sense for the character they crafted.
You make a good point. It would’ve been cool if Maleficent was the name given to her by the humans. And to contrast, her real name might have been something like Benevolent or maybe just a normal name.
@@nerasomnia It would definitely be interesting if the humans named her that and then she embraced the Maleficent persona
@@nerasomnia It makes a ton of sense. The story tells about the development of the Character from a benevolence to a malevolent being as a result of the wrongs done to her, and the redemption of that same character eventually. The most of the entire story actually focuses on the malevolent perception of that character by other characters.
I think people are getting too worked up about it being a remake rather than a retelling. Thats what Maleficent was, same with Cinderella. Maleficent is called Maleficent because it is a retelling of the story of Maleficent, just like with the countless Robin Hoods, King Arthur and Cinederellas. The ones coming out now are crappy remakes, except for Mulan, that was a crap retelling. Retellings are good (and theyre not lesser for changing the original, theyre far better for it and actually are original themselves for once), things that are remakes but lesser (Lion King is the main one that comes to mind) and the additions either dont add to it, or are crap, are... well crap. Retellings give is the same story or similar story in new light and may add depth and make the story more interesting, whereas remakes take the charm from the original, without adding enough of substance to make it worthwhile.
But either way, these fairytales will be remade countless times in the future, just as they were countless times in the past. I think we should hope that these bring something new to the story, like Beauty and the Beast, Jungle Book, Cinderella and Maleficent did, and not just lessen the original, Lion King Aladdin. Of course these were all 'remakes' of the story they're based on to begin with.
I am so thrilled to see someone give Cinderella the praise it deserves. My thoughts on all of these movies are identical to yours and it's always made me sad that Cinderella has often been forgotten about in the lists of disney live action remakes. It's in a class of it's own. I desperately love the scene of Kit saying goodbye to his father and it NEEDS more praise! A father and son showing love and emotions, physically as well, how he curls up on the bed with him, instead of trying to be 'manly' and stoic. Everything you said, a thousand times, yes.
The shot of Kit curled up beside his father on the bed is so incredible. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Thank you!
@@thetroveyoutubei hate cruella she is pure evil disney id going mad
I agree so much!!! As many times as I've seen the movie I still tear up sometimes when I see it because the emotion is shown so well, you can truly see the love between father and son and I wish they let more of these moments happen for men in films!! Showing emotion is not a weakness!!
Lily James performance in Cinderella was superb. A certain innocence, sweetness and fierce determination. Not all courageous people don armor and wield swords
I always recomend Cinderella to people and it became a movie I watch when Im ill or having a bad week. Not just because of the stunning blue dress. I just cant stop watching Lily, she is so cute, sweet, happy and enjoying every moment. Everyone in the cast just looks like they want to be there, acting with their hearts (im sorry but Emma on the other hand looked like she wanted to be anywhere else) Cinderella has amazing message for a kids movie- be kind, because sometimes kindness is the hardest thing to give, to be able to forgive someone, to stay positive, to continue going forward...and one day your hard work will pay off.
Cinderella also touched on “beautiful clothes won’t hide an ugly personality”. I also liked how it fleshed out the stepmother and made her arc more interesting beyond just a plot point for Ella. She wasn’t just evil for no reason and while her actions aren’t condone-able, it makes her more human
The only thing I'd complain about is how their message of "have courage and be kind" went too far in saying kindness = spineless pushover. On paper it's good, in practice it needs to be more carefully handled
I think that's actually part of Ella's arc. She's never had to be brave at the start, so she doesn't know how to handle the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters beyond compensating with kindness. The further she goes, as she has the courage to talk back to Kit, to go to the ball, to speak to the king, she learns courage. I think this is cemented when Ella refused to help her stepmother manipulate Kit, even if it meant sacrificing a happily ever after. At the end, with her acknowledging her stepmother's abuse with "you were never my mother" is the end of that arc. This paired with Ella's foregiveness of her stepmother is the balance of courage and kindness: the courage to recognize and call out abuse and the kindness to not condemn her (at least insofar as not asking for her stepfamily to be punished by the crown).
@@aerinhinton964 100% agree. To me, the movie isn't saying that Ella "letting" them treat her that way is morally superior. She doesn't get her happy ending because she never talked back. She gets her happy ending because when she does finally stand up for herself, she is still kind. She does not become obsessed with revenge, she moves on. That is healthy, that is aspirational.
Cinderella is the story of an abuse victim finally freeing herself and finding happiness. People are quick to criticise victims for being "doormats" but...that's a survival strategy. That's how you stay safe in that situation. And I don't think depicting that is a failing at all. It's realistic.
Re: original comment I agree about the appearances bit! The stepmother and her daughters were beautiful, the movie didn't fall into the typical Disney trap of "only good people are physically beautiful" which I found so refreshing
"Animation makes it so much easier to suspend our disbelief". I like that sentence. I think it perfectly captured the importance and uniqueness of animation as a medium of storytelling.
Good thoughtful reviews. One disagreement: Aladdin can and did work perfectly well in live action--back in 1940. It was called The Thief of Bagdad, and it was brilliant.
As for Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh made a great change to the story: he made them meet before the ball. The prince is smitten by the mystery girl's kindness and courage, and holds the ball in the hope she will show up. She goes to the ball not to get a shot at the prince like all the other girls, but in the hope of seeing her "Mr. Kit" again. Wealth and magic didn't make them fall in love, just gave their love a chance. And I just love the touch when Cinderella enters the ball at the top of the stairs, and her first instinct is to bow. Humble and classy.
Yes yes yes!! My feelings exactly -- it's so much more powerful and beautiful when they fall in love with each other for who they are, without fancy clothes or the awe of meeting royalty. This is one of the main reasons why I enjoy the live action version better than the animated one.
In terms of cinderella i agree with everything you said, but theres one thing to point out about aladdin: Its one thing to make a movie that has the same story as another, but its diferent to make a movie based, not only storywise, but EVERYTHING wise, on another, and in this case, the original disney aladdin had animation and characters that couldnt be really replicated well with animation, i think thats why it failed, not because of the story, in fact, ive read the original fairy tale and it could be made in so much diferent ways that its obvious there had to be a good live action movie about it
Also i want to mention the movie "Ponyo" is an example of how you can make something reaaally good, with the same story, as long as you dont base it of of the original exactly, ponyo is completelly diferent in so much ways to the original story of "the little mermaid", and its, for me a better remake of the story than disneys for its originality, visuals and other stuff
The Thief of Bagdad worked because it is a non Disney remake which he is not covering. The first "Jungle book remake reminds me more of "The Ledgen of Greystroke" rather than the on it's supposed to be a remake of.
@@marmolejomartinezjoseemili9043 Well said. I always wonder about the wisdom of making an exact remake. "But people loved the original!" Yeah, that just means they will compare your remake and it will come up short. It's not really the same as a different movie drawn from the same inspiration.
The plot point you describe I think was literally pulled from Ever After with Drew Barrymore. In some ways, this live action Cinderella for me felt like a combination of the original animated movie with that of Ever After creating a perfectly refined and genuine Cinderella story.
I really hope that they will make another villain prequel where they will show why they became evil, but they had a choice not to be but just chose to be one. It will show to the audience that being evil is a matter of choice, and not chances.
I love how Cinderella's strength in the live-action film is kindness. A lot of today's female characters need to be arrogant or emotionless to be strong, which is totally missing the point for me about what strength is.
You mean
CONFIDENT? BRAVE? COURAGEOUS? DETERMINED?
Kind of disagree. Kindness will get you places with kind people, without other people being kind you literally get nowhere because your going to get stepped over.
@@louisatrow4933 1-so that’s why
some people prefer kind people
2-clearly there should be more kind people in this world thankfully there’s seemingly no shortage of those here
@@noorbohamad5796 Nope. Im saying that people WILL and DO take advantage of kind people for their benefit, so you should be kind but also dont be kind enough to let people take advantage of you. Might not make sense, but what im saying is dont let people off for taking advantage of you just because you kind.
@@louisatrow4933 This is true, but that's supported by Cinderella. We see plenty of how her kindness gets abused and (and this is very important to me personally) it isn't what saves her. But it is her strength, her ability to remain kind (an objectively positive trait) despite the torture, to escape the cycle of abuse (not the abuse itself). But the movie does not glorify it either, which is healthy. The kindness is not what saves Ella, her managing to set her boundaries and stand for them (AND GETTING HELP) is what does. That's a very important message.
But ultimately, the evil stepmother did everything in her power to silence Ella. Everything to snuff out that kindness, to remould her, erase her.
To resist that, to persist, to remain true to yourself, is a victory above all victories in an abusive relationship. That is strength, more powerful than to move mountains. To acknowledge the workings of the world and its practical implications but to refuse to reduce yourself for them, to continue holding to kindness despite it being absent from your life and you given every reason to doubt it. That is strong, that is inspiring.
It's not just kindness, it's the COURAGE to be kind, because it is scary and risky and difficult. Such courage is admirable, more than any courage to be violent ever will be. This is why it's a touching, mature story.
Cinderella, Cruella, Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent are really the only live-action remakes I truely enjoyed.
What kind of gay guy are you Alice in wonderland is boring af
Excuse me. Aladdin 2019 is a bop
@@Jumejimes239 nah not really, the only thing I liked about this one was the music
@@Jumejimes239 Aladdin had nice colours... that's it
@@Jumejimes239 Aladdin 2019 killed it for me. I watched it to the end and I remember just feeling so bored and empty compared to it’s animated version. And casting Will Smith ruined the charm Robin Williams set for the Genie. That is my opinion, but it truly wasn’t great, nor the music.
Cinderella will always be at the top to me. And Lilly James’s acting had me in tears at times 😢 well the parts when she cried lol I also watched the little mermaid trailer/it looks amazing and Halle looks and sings the part but I really hope they stick close to the original like Kevin Branagh did with Cinderella
Lily James was the perfect fit for the role. I’m very cautiously optimistic about The Little Mermaid, I like the Ariel casting. But realistically it will probably let me down lol. The Renaissance movies are too specific and don’t lend themselves as well to a reimagining. And a straight copy will fall flat for sure like The Lion King.
@@thetroveyoutube I haven’t watched Pinocchio yet but it looks like a straight copy from
The trailers lol
@@Satanna.avemaria Some of it was a copy. They changed some stuff for sure, but it all made the movie way worse. They would've been better off copying the whole time lmao
@@Satanna.avemaria it’s horrendous
Boo don't expect blackwashing
I don't know why, but I love Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland's remake, it was very unique and enjoyable for me
Cinderella (2015) and Cruella was just a blast for me personally. The costumes were fun.
Yeah that’s one of the best parts of Cruella was how creative they got with the style and fashion.
Really? For how incredibly talked about and hyped up the costuming and hair in that movie was, I found the actual end product to be remarkably bland and uninspired.
@@thareelhelloagain interesting
Cruella was a blast but the only thing that wasn't explain well was the origin of the Dalmatians. A lot of people think that there was an incest breeding.
I think Cinderella, cruella and maleficent (and it's sequel) were both great
I think another reason why Cinderella functions so well as a live-action is because it's wish-fulfillment. You want that line between you and the character to be blurred. You want to feel like being recognized for all your hardships and strength is possible.
Beauty and the Beast could've worked similarly if they didn't make the chemistry so forced and nonsensical (Bella didn't even get her pretty dress moment!)
Great point with Cinderella. I guess that ties into the underdog narrative and how good it feels to see her come out on top despite all the struggles. We hope that will be true for ourselves too if we relate.
So much to say, but I think some of the reasons why Cinderella (2015) was so amazing are 1) It was a more mature retelling of the story; it didn’t focus on the animals at all which I appreciated because I’m not a kid anymore so I’m not interested in those child-like themes anymore. 2) They used CGI sparingly. The ballroom scene, they built that set! It was all real and you can tell. Every person in the scene is real, the dresses and jewelry they’re wearing are real, and the chandeliers were actually candlelit, etc. And Cinderella’s dress was real and wasn’t cgi’d (looking at you Emma Watson). 3) The dress. 👏🏻 The. 👏🏻 Dress. Seeing that huge bright, vivid blue gown contrast from everyone else at the ball…I melted! 4) The soundtrack was beautifully written and I find myself listening to it regularly. 5) The rest of the set and costume design are so well done that it feels less like a fairytale and more like a historical fiction, which I loved!
My only criticism I have of the film is I wish it was longer 😂. That being said, it deserved way more attention at the box office than it got but I’m glad to see such a faithfully following of the film even 7 years later since its release. Truly the best Cinderella movie created in my opinion.
oh it definitely could have been longer. There were a couple deleted scenes, and usually those are removed because its irrelevant to the movie or unnecessary or muddied up some part of the story or plot, but the one that stood out to me the most is a quick scene of the stepmother, after the she had already sent home all the maids and servants, ended up selling all of ella’s father’s belongings, including the box with the butterfly. Ella saw all of that and got the box back at least, but now it makes total sense why she left the house. There’s nothing from her family or childhood there anymore. Just memories.
the only other scene i saw that got removed (theres more than just 2 but these were all that i watched) is ella sending kit letters and asking him to meet her where they first met, but they got intercepted by the grand duke as they just announced the prince looking for her so he was bound to have plenty useless letters coming in, and she waited in the forest, but he didn’t meet her so she thought that he didn’t want her. I get that one for being removed because they announced that they were looking for the girl with the glass slipper, and she had the other side so naturally she would get that immediately instead of sending letters, but it makes what the fairy godmother said when ella stayed in the attic after getting locked in make more sense (she said something about how ella didnt care who was downstairs because it couldnt be for her. she thought that even if they came looking for the mystery girl, kit wouldnt want her).
THE DRESS.
when you compare the dress to the original from the 1950s, they don't look very similar, but it's the IMPACT that has everyone tripping over themselves for. the skirt has depth and a variety of colors, it shines slightly- similar to the OG. it captures the awe and grace that the OG had and it's truly a princess dress
Don’t blame Emma Watson, she was just the actress. Blame the filmmakers.
@@MrDevil-jb1fl she was the one that refused the original dress they designed for her so they had to make a quick shitty prom dress looking thing for her, so yes blame emma watson
@@katierasburn9571
The only difference between the original dress and the dress she wore was that they took out the corset. The design of the dress was otherwise completely up to the filmmakers/costume designers
What makes this version of Cinderella so great is, for one, they did not directly remake the 1950 animated film. If anything, they went back to the original fairy tale of Cinderella and made a completely new adaptation of it. The director, Kenneth Branaugh, and especially the actors, Lily James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, etc., showed in numerous interviews how passionate and respectful they were about the original story and completely understood that Cinderella was not a weak character - she was a character who started out with the happiest life imaginable, but her happiness is unjustly taken away from her and she must work her way back up, all the while having courage and being kind. I also like how we get some new scenes that weren't in the original animated Disney movie, such as Cinderella's name originally being Ella like in the original fairy tale, as well as scenes with both her mother and father before their untimely deaths. The Prince, Kit, is also very well portrayed by Richard Madden, showing how he has more of a sense of humor and loves her despite her being a common girl. I also love how the king, Kit's father, gives his blessing to his son to marry Cinderella before he dies, when he realizes how much his son and Cinderella are in love with each other. Overall, probably Disney's best live-action adaptation.
I think my biggest problem with these movies is that they so often blur the lines between good and evil. Old Disney did that. And I'm not saying I don't love the redemption stories, it's just that people make their own choices. Cinderella keeps to the same amazing message through the entire movie. "Have courage and be kind."
I tend to think that part of the reason Cinderella works so well in retellings is that it's so simple. It makes it timeless and versatile.
I also liked Maleficent. It was an actual REMAKE with a lot of plot changes and interesting twists to the original story. Maleficent's character is also really complex and beautifully developed. So imma say that Cinderalla's tied with Maleficent (imo)
Maleficent had its own story to tell independent of the original, which made it interesting. More of a re-conception than a remake. It's not my favorite, but definitely one of the better ones of these new live-action movies! Maleficent and Cruella took a leaf out of Wicked's book, a smart choice, but one that I think is also getting to be oversaturated.
@@melanie62954 didn’t the trend of the Im not really the villain of the story come from a different book? Confessions of someone i think.
@@whitedragoness23 Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister? That was also by Gregory Maguire, who wrote Wicked. He published both of them in the 1990s. I think Wicked has become more part of the cultural zeitgeist just because of the Broadway musical.
i really liked cruella for that reason. it also feels like a more fantastical version of the devil wears prada and that’s one of my favourites (i still hate the boyfriend tho). I have zero nostalgia for the original cruella, so its pretty easy to seperate the two, and once you do that it was pretty clear the movie was great. not perfect, but i like the descent into villany stuff because that’s really what it is. Not a misunderstood hero story like Maleficient, but a journey of how Cruella became worse and worse. Still not quite evil though, but she did become what i’d say is a villain.
also the costuming. cant have a movie centered around fashion and not have 10/10 makeup and costume design.
@@renoirrr Exactly why I really enjoyed Cruella. I think of these villain retellings as separate from the original stories, and when you have Emma Stone and fashion...
The touching death of the father was so well executed. It gives the Prince so much purpose (like Elsa in Frozen) without needing to be explained. When a monarch dies the responsibility is instantly passed and the Prince is a hero because he stays true to the King he wants to be, not the easy route of finding any bride, but Cinderella who will be the perfect person to lead beside him ❤
I absolutely LOVE the 2015 version of Cinderella. It’s full of nostalgic, old fashion Disney magic with lots of heart and soul. It truly carried that “timeless classic” fairytale feel that the animated film did…but only better in my opinion. I was lucky enough to see it in theaters and the CGI looked dazzling! The film was full of beautiful colors, the costume design by Sandy Powell was phenomenal, and even the soundtrack was gorgeous. This is a story that looked GOOD in a live action version. Most importantly, it carried heartwarming life messages for children and adults. 2015 Cinderella will always lift my spirits whenever I watch it 💙
I think one of the mistakes that these remakes made was the assumption that their animated counterparts were "for kids" so therefore the live action retelling must have more "adult" aspects. Thus the adding parts to them to make them more "grounded" or "realistic" or "modern" (and also somewhat more cynical). The animated movies, especially those from the renaissance era aren't "kid" movies. Their movies that everyone can enjoy, fun for all ages. 80% of Robin William's jokes in Alladin go right over a little kid's head. They were for the older crowd. They were enjoyable lighthearted tales. They didn't need to be modernized. We didn't need an added subplot in Alladin about the princess wanting to be taken serious as a ruler, or Belle in Beauty in the Beast finding out her mom died of the plague (or whatever). None of that makes it "more adult" it just takes away the magic of the stories.
Yeah, I think that animation makes so much sense for these fairytale type stories. And the stories are timeless and can be enjoyed by anyone. Messing with the core story elements too much can weaken them pretty quickly. I get Disney wanting to modernize them to make them more relevant to today's audiences, but it has rarely worked in my opinion. The moment with Jasmine that you mentioned is a good example of this. It seems like Disney wanted to look progressive by having Jasmine want to lead, but they don't spend enough time developing her or that plot element. Also, the story of Aladdin isn't really about Jasmine so it tends to feel out of place. The subplot about Belle's mother also annoys me. It seems nice to learn more about Belle, but it's so unnecessary. It doesn't actually bring anything to the story. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle is the character we follow, but the story is really about Beast's character arc, and Belle's mother has nothing to do with that.
And Bill Murray's shifting eyed Baloo didn't help much.
Right. This is the same thing Pixar has been getting right for a long time. You get the kids in the door but the parents enjoy it too because its clever writing.
True, that. Their desire to make everything as politically correct or as visually/cinematically pleasing as possible keeps overriding their duty to create solid plots and story concepts.
I liked how OG Jasmine wanted freedom and to find love on her own instead of being forced into an arranged marriage. Since she's been sheltered for so long she doesn't know many things like taking an apple without paying. But in the remake, she's just characterized as wanting to be a ruler and thinking she knows better for the people, and thinks most of the princes she meets are useless. So her taking fruit without knowing she has to pay doesn't make sense since she claims she's been "preparing for her whole life" to be a sultan. Why would she not know that if she's been reading books and maps?
On a personal note, the reason why Cinderella was the only good live action adaptation was because Cinderella and the other characters were given enough screentime and also because each character has A CHARACTER. I think the animated version was rushed.
Yeah, in 1950 Kit's name was just Prince Charming...
@@mishynaofficial I don't know, Cinderella 3 had pretty good character for him.
I disagree it's a fairytale. There are different rules to character writing for this substyle of fantasy!
I don't think it was rushed, I think it was a product of its time.
@@ionryful I enjoy Cinderella 3 more than the original if I'm being honest. It's one of the better direct to video sequels.
One thing that always stood out to me is how happy everyone was to be there. On the Blu-Ray, there’s a special feature video dedicated to making the Ball Sequence, and everyone involved, from the set builders, to the musicians, to the extras, to the wardrobe and makeup artists, was so excited to be there and to be a part of it. They all clearly had a moment where they said to themselves “Even if this is a studio-mandated project, I’m going to make the best film I can, and I’m going to have a great time doing it” and that energy really shows in the final product. I love this movie so much.
yes, you can always tell when the staff on set had fun and were creative as they could be. Everyone gave their all and nothing was too much, and thats why its so magical
Yes!! All of the extras had archived pieces of jewelry and unique gowns! It was completely like another world on that set and it shows. With the main cast and the extras,, it was like they were transported and living the lives of their characters, no acting needed (although the acting was spectacular nonetheless)
I was going through a very tough time mentally back in 2015, and one day I randomly decided to go to the movies alone and watch Cinderella. I was absolutely mesmerized from beginning to end. I walked out of the theater with this indescribable feeling of happiness and serenity and, after all these years, I still I think about that day every now and then ❤️
Personally, I think Maleficent, Cinderella, Christopher Robin, and Cruella are examples of good live action 'remakes', and that Aladdin came close. Cinderella is probably my favorite of those tho :)
I thought Maleficent was actually pretty good. I can understand how people might not like how the badass villain turned into a little soft fairy, but it also challenges a bit. We as people tend to look at people because of what we see without ever stopping to question why. It would've actually been a bit cooler if it was kept somewhat closer to the original and she had some ruthlessness or something like that. It would have the essence of the original villain and show the imperfections of humans.
Aladdin came close as one of the best Live Action remake from Disney! the cast was perfect except for Jafar. Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Will Smith as the Genie and an additional character which is Dalia IS SO PERFECT. not to mention that Mena Massoud looked and sounded like the original animated Aladdin. Naomi Scott did a great job as Jasmine, especially her VOICE. and Will Smith as his OWN genie and not trying to copy the original is just perfect and respectful. and Dalia work so well in the movie. THE PRODUCTION, THE CGI, THE CAST, THE STORY, PLOT AND THE MUSICALS ARE JUST SO GREAT. specially for Speechless, which is a new song that does not exist in the original, it was a great addition. so overall and by far, Aladdin is the best Live Action remake that Disney has ever made. Cinderella and Aladdin comes close with each other. btw Maleficent and Cruella aren't really LIVE ACTION REMAKES but more of a LIVE ACTION ORIGINAL MOVIE.
@@jiafei_products7085 big agree with you, the casting and design for aladdin was on point for sure
@@jiafei_products7085 I think Aladdin remake does fall short to a lot of problems. the casting at first glance except Jaffar is pretty good but outisde of Jasmine and Dalia the other actors are given restrictions. Genie will sometimes act like will Smith as the Genie or Will smith as Robin Willams playing the genie and it's pretty obvious when those instances happen. Mena is talented for sure he is but there are some scenes of him that needed another take, the convo between aladdin and jasmine has one of them put so much effort whilst the other sounds a bit clueless and not much of a direction given to them. Think the biggest loss is that it doesn't make use of the film being live action, it could have used a lot of bollywood influences but instead they just do it all in the credits which makes a lot of scenes in the movie a poor translation from the animated film to live action. Speechless while a good song is a bit clunky with Jasmine's character or at least how it's shown, she never really censors herself and it's just humerous that she says she won't be silenced only to be taken prisoner in the next 10 mins. This version of Jasmine I think needed a few tweaks because it doesn't mesh with this new interpretation of Jasmine in the story really well. Actress is good but the story writing needs to be alterted to make it work for the character
I like how Cinderella humanized step mom. Its what you expect from going in a live action direction, showing characters in more depth than a sweet short fairytale would have time to tell.
I AM SO GLAD EVERYONE AGREES! Cinderella live action remake was a magical retelling of the story with a Jane Austen-type storytelling. It brought me to tears. I remember thinking “wow, I am so glad they are about to make a ton of live action remakes because this was so good!” …. if only I knew what was to come lol. Cinderella 2015 is in a league of its own!
Kenneth Branagh, the director is a massive Shakespeare geek. Finding out his background and Cinderella's story, it make sense why he's absolutely perfect in directing the movie
THE OPENING (al-Fatihah) 1. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. 3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 4. Master of the Day of Judgment. 5. It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. 6. Guide us to the straight path. 7. The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided. 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful 1. Alif, Lam, Meem. 2. This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous. 3. Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them. 4. And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter. 5. These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. 6. As for those who disbelieve-it is the same for them, whether you have warned them, or have not warned them-they do not believe. 7. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. They will have a severe torment. 8. Among the people are those who say, “We believe in Allah and in the Last Day,” but they are not believers. 9. They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive none but themselves, though they are not aware. 10. In their hearts is sickness, and Allah has increased their sickness. They will have a painful punishment because of their denial. 11. And when it is said to them, “Do not make trouble on earth,” they say, “We are only reformers.” 12. In fact, they are the troublemakers, but they are not aware. 13. And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Shall we believe as the fools have believed?” In fact, it is they who are the fools, but they do not know. 14. And when they come across those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their devils, they say, “We are with you; we were only ridiculing.” 15. It is Allah who ridicules them, and leaves them bewildered in their transgression. 16. Those are they who have bartered error for guidance; but their trade does not profit them, and they are not guided. 17. Their likeness is that of a person who kindled a fire; when it illuminated all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in darkness, unable to see. 18. Deaf, dumb, blind. They will not return. 19. Or like a cloudburst from the sky, in which is darkness, and thunder, and lightning. They press their fingers into their ears from the thunderbolts, in fear of death. But Allah surrounds the disbelievers. 20. The lightning almost snatches their sight away. Whenever it illuminates for them, they walk in it; but when it grows dark over them, they stand still. Had Allah willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Allah is capable of everything. 21. O people! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may attain piety. 1 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) 22. He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings out fruits thereby, as a sustenance for you. Therefore, do not assign rivals to Allah while you know. 23. And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like these, and call your witnesses apart from Allah, if you are truthful. 24. But if you do not-and you will not-then beware the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. 25. And give good news to those who believe and do righteous deeds; that they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with fruit therefrom as sustenance, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before,” and they will be given the like of it. And they will have pure spouses therein, and they will abide therein forever. 26. Allah does not shy away from making an example of a gnat, or something above it. As for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, “What did Allah intend by this example?” He leads astray many thereby, and He guides many thereby; but He misleads thereby only the evildoers. 27. Those who violate Allah’s covenant after its confirmation, and sever what Allah has commanded to be joined, and commit evil on earth. These are the losers. 28. How can you deny Allah, when you were dead and He gave you life, then He will put you to death, then He will bring you to life, then to Him you will be returned? 29. It is He who created for you everything on earth, then turned to the heaven, and made them seven heavens. And He is aware of all things. 30. When your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a successor on earth.” They said, “Will You place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we declare Your praises and sanctify You?” He said, “I know what you do not know.” 31. And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then he presented them to the angels, and said, “Tell Me the names of these, if you are sincere.” 32. They said, “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. It is you who are the Knowledgeable, the Wise.” 33. He said, “O Adam, tell them their names.” And when he told them their names, He said, “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?” 34. And We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam.” They bowed down, except for Satan. He refused, was arrogant, and was one of the disbelievers. 35. We said, “O Adam, inhabit the Garden, you and your spouse, and eat from it freely as you please, but do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.” 36. But Satan caused them to slip from it, and caused them to depart the state they were in. We said, “Go down, some of you enemies of one another. And you will have residence on earth, and enjoyment for a while.” 37. Then Adam received words from his Lord, so He relented towards him. He is the Relenting, the Merciful. 38. We said, “Go down from it, all of you. Yet whenever guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance-they have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve. 39. But as for those who disbelieve and reject Our signs-these are the inmates of the Fire-wherein they will remain forever.” 40. O Children of Israel! Remember My blessings which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill your pledge to Me, and I will fulfill My pledge to you, and fear Me. 41. And believe in what I revealed, confirming what is with you; and do not be the first to 2 2. THE HEIFER (al-Baqarah) deny it; and do not exchange My revelations for a small price; and be conscious of Me. 42. And do not mix truth with falsehood, and do not conceal the truth while you know. 43. And attend to your prayers, and practice regular charity, and kneel with those who kneel. 44. Do you command people to virtuous conduct, and forget yourselves, even though you read the Scripture? Do you not understand? 45. And seek help through patience and prayer. But it is difficult, except for the devout. 46. Those who know that they will meet their Lord, and that to Him they will return. 47. O Children of Israel! Remember My favor which I bestowed upon you, and I that favored you over all nations. 48. And beware of a Day when no soul will avail another in the least, nor will any intercession be accepted on its behalf, nor will any ransom be taken from it, nor will they be helped. 49. And recall that We
Alice through the looking Glass was one of my favorite live action movies, I don’t know why but it just seems so amazing, it gave me so many emotions, I liked how she sort of struggled figuring out if it was real or fake, sort of playing on how in the original was it was all a dream.
(Sorry this was sort of off topic)
The Cinderella live action has a very special place in my heart, the message “have courage and be kind” really resonates with me as my grandpa taught me that exact message. When it came out he had just been put in a care home so this was a really touching film at the time and now that I go back to watch time and time again. The re telling of this beloved classic is perfect, it’s aesthetically pleasing, the casting is amazing and they really developed the characters story arcs. This is an all time favourite movie of mine and it’ll forever live on in my heart.
This is lovely, thank you for sharing.
I cried so much when they said the king was dying, and the scene with the prince crying with him in his death bed... You don't usually see a man, a prince, crying like that. It was very emotional. And in the end it really felt like the stepmother had regrets about the way she lived her life before Cinderella and jealous too but and the same time so sad. It was a beautiful movie indeed, the costumes were breathtaking
I've been saying Cinderella is the best live action of all of them, listing and explaining all of the things you just did, and no one ever listens! I am SO glad and was shocked when I saw your video in my recommendations, I loved it!
How the movie stands on its own, respects the source material, doesn't try to do meta commentary, and uses very minimal CGI (the ball room was BUILT)... It shows this film was made with love, passion and desire to tell an original story, and the message is so strong as well. I love it so much!
I'm very pleased you found the video and enjoyed it! You described it perfectly in the second half there, I wholeheartedly agree.
I actually enjoyed the jungle book live action too. I felt like they did new and fresh things without diverting from the spirit of the original. And I fell in love with the orchestral background music
The way you touched on lily james capturing the spirit of Cinderella, is spot on and why I’m so hopeful for the little mermaid because Halle Bailey really has the spirit and spunk I feel will bring Ariel fully alive the way her character deserves
Yeah, that's what I heard when they cast Halle. I have faith in her.
Yes!! I was never fond of Cinderella's character even as a child. But this movie and Lily James in the role made feel so different about the character of Cinderella. I was genuinely inspired by the soft hopeful character who was resilient in the face of abuse and still chose kindness.
I agree!!
Will never be the same since she’s blackwashed
I'm ok with Halle being Ariel but I want the iconic red hair so I'm hoping they at least do justice with the hair.
One of my favourite things about the live action Cinderella is how they handle her abuse from her step-family. It's shown as a subtle thing with the ways that Tremaine gradually pushes her away, which climaxes with Cinderella finally breaking down in her 'room' when she realises she's no longer part of the family and is basically a stranger in her own home.
Also, I ADORE the visuals of the ball sequence. The gold of the palace with the jewel tones of the gowns and how Cinderella's bright shade of blue makes her visually stand out in the scene are all just *chef's kiss*
Yeah, I really like what you said here!
I've got to say I've never seen any of this live action movies, but I do want to see Cinderella and only Cinderella. From what I've heard of it it's not only well executed but it's also the only one I find to be truly magical like its animated countpart, the entire movie feels like littel girl immagening Cinderella story while it's been told to her, on top of that Cinderella story is also the more reltable since it's about touching rock bottom and riseing up following your dreems. All the other movies have at least one long and super popolar video essay on why the suck but I don't think Cinderella has one.
Yes that’s pretty much spot on. I’d highly recommend watching Cinderella but you don’t need to see the other ones lol. Maybe The 2016 Jungle Book but it’s not as good in my opinion.
Trust me You DON’T want to see them. It’s better to just stick with the animated ones.
I really don’t understand why people hate the remakes the lion king I understand it was bad but the rest was really good like Aladdin it stayed true to the og but added a bit more to jasmine’s story I also enjoyed beauty and the beast and cruella was incredible it’s kinda sad that people hate these movies. Although there is one remake I absolutely hate and wish it didn’t exist and that is Mulan it’s like they looked at all best parts in the og and said we don’t need them but the rest of them are great.
@@juanabasalem4604 same like it's sad to me bc I really enjoy them
@@juanabasalem4604 I enjoyed Cruella actually. It's definitely far from being a perfect film, but it was fun to watch. When the trailer first came out, I was repulsed, like many people were, because it tried to portray Cruella as a feminist icon when she's literally a villain who tries to kill puppies for their fur in 101 Dalmatians.
I finally watched it though, and it was funny, Emma Stone did a great job with the acting, and the story was surprisingly engaging, and to be fair, the movie doesn't try to pretend that Cruella is a good person. Plus the costumes were fantastic. I think people would like the movie more if the story was about a completely new character rather than Cruella.
I wasn't crazy about the Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast one though. Even with the slight changes, it did feel like direct copies of the original. I wish they felt more like retellings of the original stories rather than retellings of the animated movies from the same company that came out not even 40 years ago.
Stories with a protagonist just being "Kind" as the main focus are so rare these days. The way you described the Cinderalla Remake made me think about the Legend of Condor Heroes trilogy from chinese cinema, though the story starts out with martial arts and strength being the main protagonist's weapons, eventually he becomes so bitter and tired of war, especially after being betrayed by his allies, so he goes to the mountains and eventually becomes a master... but then the story begins to focus on a new protagonist, his grand daughter - if im not mistaken, who is just a normal girl - smart and most of all kind. She goes on all sorts of adventures where it seems like people underestimate her for not having any martial arts, but the story shows how her kindness eventually makes her so great, turning enemies into friends - at one point she is kidnap to be sold as a slave by bandits, but eventually her kindness wins one of them over and he helps her escape even sacrificing himself - she never did it in a manipulative way and was just being genuinely kind to the point where her the guy broke down and sided with her.... when she finally meets the original protagonist, he is so impressed with her kindness, and since the OG was so over powered at that point, he asks her what she wants as 3 wishes, and one of them was for peace, so the OG protag promptly stops the war between nations with his OP power and everyone realizes just how powerful the kindness of the girl really was in the end. its been a while since I watched that tv series - having trouble finding it even online, but that story always felt unique to me, because it highlighted so much the power of kindness.
I seen people said that the Cinderella from original was the weakest Disney princess because she didn't saved herself and I was one of those people who didn't like her nor care about her. But when the live action movie come out. I realized how emotional strong Cinderella is and how it takes strength to be kind and caring like her it's actually nice seeing that kindness can be rewarded and that having hope can come. I'm really tired of pessimistic movies and how dark and horrible reality is and constantly being reminded of how "life sucks" or "that just how life is" but whenever I watched the live action Cinderella it nice to also be reminded being kind even at the toughest situations can show that optimistic people are the ones who get stuff done not pessimistic people who pretend they're being realistic when they're just bringing people down.
Yeah, it's so uplifting. It feels great after watching the movie.
If you like this movie you'll like Cinderella III: A Twist In Time too. She, the Prince, and one surprising other character (don't wanna spoil it) get much more personality and character development than they ever had in the original.
I think Cinderella (2015) and 101 Dalmations (1996) are both iconic. Managing to pay homage to the original source while giving updates that weren't too much that it felt distracting. They also did a good role in casting too with Glenn Close, known for her iconic role in A Fatal Attraction for playing a scary person to having her be Cruella De Vil.
Glenn Close did such a phenomenal job. I tend to not think of the movie that much outside of her memorable performance.
It might just be me, but I always found Cruella's first time showing up at Anita's apartment in the '96 version to be eerily similar to Alex Forrest showing up at Dan's apartment as a prospective buyer in Fatal Attraction. Sort of a similar sense of creepy dread and antagonism in both cases, even if it was probably unintentional
@@jamesa.romano8500 I haven't seen Fatal Attraction, but that would be cool if it was a nod to that since they're both Glenn
You know Aladdin also stuck to the original but added a few updates that were good and made sense in the story
@@juanabasalem4604 except the part where Jasmine became a sultan
It's always nice to meet someone who appreciates Cinderella the way I do. Like I don't know how to exactly put it in few words but this adaptation of Cinderella has a special place in my heart because it doesn't sacrifice either the innocence or that what makes it magical. To be more precise it highlights Cinderella's strength and perfectly captures the magic. Like magic and realistic are not antonyms.
Well said! I didn't like the original story and animated movie even as a kid but this version totally captured me.
@@kseniav586 yes same, too much of the mice for me, i wanted to know what was going down with the pretty princess not the stupid mice and the fat cat!
I always thought Lilly James should have won an award for Cinderella but I think playing Cinderella as well as she did was an award in itself/because she’s a Disney princess now and the film was well received rightfully so 💖🌸
What really bothers me about Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast is that they both have successful Broadway versions they could have pulled from, including great songs that would have been fresh and new in film form. I haven't been able to see Aladdin, but the stage version of Beauty and the Beast really does a great job of adding depth and nuance to the characters without taking anything away from the original story.
That goes for the Lion King as well. In fact it’s the most famous of all Disney movie stage musicals.
I really wished that they would have put "Home", or "Human Again" in the live action Beauty and the Beast. I like those two songs.
I agree whole-heartedly. It's honestly a waste to not pull anything from the Broadway versions for the movies. The stage songs would have been amazing additions. (Also, I hope you do get a chance to watch the stage version of Aladdin some time! I saw it a few years ago and it was absolutely PHENOMENAL.)
I agree! I wish they would have added "Home" or "Human Again" to the remake Of Beauty and The Beast.
@@peggyknecht5551 Right? At LEAST Human Again! But we ended up with....Days in the Sun I think it was called? Disappointing all around honestly :/
IMO the most powerful scene in all of the live action remakes:
Cinderella: “I forgive you.”
Wish more people appreciated her strength.
The operatic version of Cinderella also concludes with the heroine forgiving her step-family.
That moment came for me when Maleficent's kiss broke her own curse. Or when she owned the harm she did Aurora. Maleficent went from being a villain to someone I wanted to call mom.
The modern Beauty and the Beast makes me so sad. They girlbossified Belle and made her relationship with Beast so cynical so it felt rushed when they got together. I forget whose analysis I was watching, but they nailed it when they said they added too many little plots (like Belle becoming an inventor and teaching the girl to read) and changed who Belle was as a person. Hell, there's a moment towards the beginning of the movie where Gaston asks if he can join her for dinner that I was actually drawn to him as a character - and then Belle scoffs, rolls her eyes, and turns on her heel to walk away from him. Sideways (here on youtube) did a great analysis of the music of the new remakes that hits the same points you do, just about the music - and he points out that Emma Watson is the only one in the main cast who didn't have voice training or prior singing experience, to the point that many of the other leads had been on Broadway or the West End. (It's also noted in Sideways's video that Emma was cast for her having been another bookish character and that she didn't even really have to audition, while Emma herself said in interviews she was excited to prepare and audition.)
He also pointed out that it isn't her fault that she got autotuned and that they could've gotten her the musical training she needed
@@officialmonarchmusic yeah, that made the disparity so much sadder for me
The only good thing from Beauty and the Beast's live action was the addition of Beast's song "Evermore"
@@void405 Oh, I absolutely love that song. Even if I dislike the movie, I'll still listen to it on occasion.
I got the DVD, thinking that I would like it, but I couldn't stand it. I found there was way too much focus on the songs and this ruined it for me. I'm not much of a fan of musicals, but I found the old ones from years ago when musicals were a common genre in films are more watchable than this. The music over powers the film and it's nothing to do with the fact that Emma Watson isn't really a singer - the film is just one song after another and the actors aren't allowed to act in the story or follow a script. I enjoyed it so little that it's put me off watching any of the other live action remakes. (101 and 102 Dalmatians and Alice in Wonderland are exceptions as I saw those years ago.)
Agreed! Cinderella was also one of the only remakes that vale’s the softer, more feminine characteristics in its female lead. The others try to ‘girl boss’ a little too close to the sun. They loose some of the virtues of the original characters.
i feel like the live action Cinderella was able to capture the whimsy that the other live actions failed to replicate from their animated counterparts. i think a big part of that was the costuming for the movie. the bright colors make it feel larger than life just like an animated movie. i love the stepsisters obnoxiously bright dresses.
funny how disney kept pushing this "strong female lead" narrative in these live-action remakes, from belle to jasmine to mulan, but the one who truly took the cake for me was the one disney didn't plan any feminist agenda - lily james' cinderella. hers is what I consider the true kind of strength, kindness that takes courage to have, kindness because she chooses to be kind. so timeless and heartwarming.
It seems like Hollywood has this rigid, superficial idea of what a strong female lead is, but it can take so many different forms. Mulan turning into a superhero just showed how tone deaf Disney can be sometimes lol.
What are you talking about? She’s a complete doormat, even more so than in the animated original. Are you seriously suggesting that women should just smile while they get walked all over? That they should just be kind and not challenge anyone about their treatment. What kind of message is this sending to girls?
@@silvrfruit you called a victim of abuse a doormat for being abused
sometimes all we want are just well written characters, women who are strong not just in that they’re confident 24/7 but strength in their resilience and character like in Cinderella. The disney princesses already were strong in my opinion, they could’ve been so beautifully fleshed out in the live action remakes but disney seems to fumble the ball so often
YES, exactly! I completely agree with this!!
My thoughts on Cruella are that I never really was able to see her as the same Cruella from the original movie, and I think that worked great. My faults mostly come with the music, it feels way too loud all the time and you can’t always fully focus on the dialogue. Also, like you said, the absolute stupidity of her mother being killed by Dalmatians. Not even mauled by them! Just pushed off a cliff.
I think Cruella is a fun movie but only if you don't think about it too hard, as it becomes ridiculous the more you think about it
the cruella is personallly my favorite out of all of them. i was like why on earth would they ever- but it was so good and personally the music was my fav
I think remake Cruella could be a prolouge to 101 Dalmations (the animated, at least). Like Cruella was a tragic character, the recent live-action would be the front half where her traits bring her to the top, and the animated 101 would be where her traits drag her down to ruin.
As someone who’s been in love with Cinderella since its release, I am so happy to see it get its truly deserved flowers. Branagh has had his fair shares of misses as a director, but when his heart is in it, he is undoubtedly capable of creating magic. Agree with everything said in this video.
I think Branagh is at best making old period movies like this considering that he's a massive Shakespeare geek. Combining his Shakespeare influence (the dialogue of course) and the traditional Cinderella story absolutely work
Yess Cinderella is by far one of Disney's best well made live action films. It almost didn't change a lot from the original movie and everything was so well done with it's acting and the costume designs to as well. Not to mention the stunning dress transformation just as magical as the old film. Lily James was the perfect actress to play the princess.
Regarding Emma Watson's singing, I would cut her some slack. She was in a no win situation with how much she was pitch corrected. I highly recommend you check out a video from Sideways called "the problem with autotune". It's a really good watch and he dissects the music/singing in the live action Beauty and the Beast.
Also awesome video. I'm kinda mad cause Disney is low key saying "animation is not a medium to be respected" with the release of these live action remakes.
I referenced a Sideways video in my video, but I haven't seen the autotune one you mentioned. I'll have to check it out, thanks! I'm sure Emma would've sounded better if they had just left her voice sounding more organic and not so processed. It's unfortunate.
Thanks for watching! It is discouraging to see Disney exploit their animated masterpieces for cash, but it is what it is I guess.
Send me the link
Was about to recommend Sideways too before I heard reference his channel and great videos
I am so sick of autotuning in every movie these days. It goes from real dialoge to sounding like a pop song and throws me out of the story. Whether its disney or something on Netflix. Do some more takes where the people can actually sing to get it done right. Autotune is so annoying.
Emma could have turned down the role. If she didn't have the singing chops then she should have declined instead of chase after the Disney cash. A true artist would.
People are sleeping on the "Alice in Wonderland" live action, it's legit my favorite out of all disney remakes
I also love that it was just a darker toned movie
Yes! I loved how it wasn't exactly a remake, but a sequel! And the darker tone was simply amazing
Also especially because contrary to popular belief Alice in Wonderland is NOT about a drug trip 😂. It’s really more about that periods education system and for Lewis Carroll to brag about how smart he was (among other things). And it actually kinda plays off of a trial he was going through concerning the real world Alice.
I think it's because it feels like sequel to the original animated movie Disney made sometimes, and then it can feel like it's a straight remake starting at a different point than the original, simultaneously, while watching it. At least that's what I genuinely don't like about it.
Everything was done right. The visuals, the costumes, & the music were all done amazingly! The characters also have more depth and you can understand so much more of the story!
Cinderella' live-action remake is my comfort film. I absolutely love it - I could go on and on about the dress, transformation, cast and how Ella and Kit's relationship actually works. I also love the fact that he's the one who puts the glass slipper on at the end (unlike the animation). The DIALOGUE. The "I forgive you." Is just - UGH. I used to love watching the animation when I was younger and the live-action did not disappoint.
And about the live-action Aladdin, I mean you gotta give them some credit for Jasmine's solo "Speechless". The song was so good! I personally really enjoyed it.
Agree with you about "Cinderella", but disagree with you about "Speechless". That song had no reason to be there except to give Jasmine a girl-boss moment - after which she is promptly taken prisoner and deprived of speech. The whole song is in her head anyway, it's her giving an imaginary speech, not even an actual one. If they wanted to give Jasmine her own song, the Broadway musical song "These Palace Walls" would have worked just fine - at least it had an actual purpose in the story.
@@chizzieshark
I totally get what you mean. Tho Jasmine did end up having a "speech" after her song. She stood up to Jafar and convinced the Captain of the guard to stay on their side, which angered Jafar and brought him to making his 2nd wish of becoming the most powerful wizard and whatnot. He literally tortured Jasmine's dad right in front of her so she was forced to agree on marrying him (which didn't end up happening). And later in the movie her dad decides to make her Sultan (without having to marry) because he finally saw of her courage and capability to lead, and she now no longer is "speechless".
I personally really enjoyed the live-action and song, as someone who also grew up with the animated classics. But I completely respect your opinion and see what you mean. :))
@@mari_0556 i didnt watch the movie but that sounds pretty great. i assume the execution wasn’t all that because its been years and nobody has talked about it, but that sounds like a good payoff.
Speechless is actually what I dislike most about that movie. Speechless felt so modern and pop and jarringly different from the rest of the tone of the movie that the Aladdin live action does not make my list of good Disney movies
@@chizzieshark
like there’s anything wrong
with the whole girl-boss thing
Wholeheartedly agree, the only movie out of the live action reamakes that didn't feel like a misguided nostalgia fueled cash grab is Cinderella, it felt like it actually has passion behind it ... oh ... and Pinocchio crashed and burned XD
I liked Jungle Book. They pulled a lot more from Kipling's original stories. There's enough material to tell a complete coming-of-age trilogy there but the director got pulled away from making a sequel to doing Lion King. And now Lion King is getting a sequel...
@@ScionStorm1 I, too, really liked Jungle Book 2016. I thought it was, despite not being as charming and wholesome as the original, still pretty funny when it needed to be and had a lot more entertaining action than I expected.
Cruella may be considered as bad by a lot of people, regardless, the rivalry of Cruella and the Baroness and the fashion wars were all so fun to watch.
I do love both the Emmas
Acting and costumes were great, the plot was meh
I will always adore Cinderella. We have many forms of bravery, strength and sacrifice. But she rejoices in the most elegant form of them all. Kindness. You may see it as submission therefore it’s weakness. And you may even have a different definition of what elegance is. But kindness is the precursor to wisdom, wit, forgiveness, hope, love and even self-love, harmony and peace. Kindness is unbeatable.
I actually really like and appreciate what Disney attempted with Maleficent. In a way, it kind of makes sense that she’s a sympathetic protagonist. Not because her actions are right, but because history is told by the victors. Nobody is truly born evil. There’s always a catalyst that drives people to do bad things. The king wronged Maleficent in a way that is up until the end, unfixable. And it makes sense that in a movie from Maleficent’s POV, there would be details left out by the king/protagonists of Sleeping Beauty because it would paint them in a bad light. It’s kind of ironic coming from Disney, but even if it’s executed poorly, there’s some value in what Disney attempted with that film
History is told by the victors. Yes. Let's not forget that.
I get what you are saying and respect it. But I hate that movie because Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorites. She is one of the very rare princesses with a living and loving mother AND father. They arent perfect, in fact their invitation screwup sets off the chain of events, but they are good people who love their daughter. They ruined that entirely and trashed her family dynamic turning a loving set of parents into one monster. Further, Prince Phillip, one of the baddest a** princes ever - was reduced to an accessory. (Side note: I saw a hilarious interaction at WDW between Phillip and Charming. Phillip: "I slew an actual dragon and you found a shoe".)
Lastly, Maleficent was my favorite villian. She was terrifying and that was fun. She was a petty b*tch who flipped out because she didn't get a freakin invite to a party. That's brutally cold in an unbalanced, delicious way. Man, she could have just owned that kind of crazy and it would have been EPIC. We don't need to feel bad for every villian. Maleficent went from the real definition of awesome in her power to a poor misunderstood badly treated fairy. Meh. Takes the fun out of it.
It could have been a good movie on it's own without the Sleeping Beauty tie in. Maybe she could have been Maleficent's emo cousin "Poor-done-byHeart O'Gold". Maleficent was named as a combo of Malevolent and Magnificent. And that's what the animated one is.
Nah maleficent is a meh
@@Accelerator0001 I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece of a movie. Simply that I appreciate that they tried to at least make the movie somewhat different from the og cartoon. At least they attempted something different with that movie instead of it being a shot for shot remake with worse acting and/or effects/character design
@@rsent4026 living father AND living loving mother the former somehow seems kinda more common than the latter no I’m not necessarily talking about the real world I’m aware of the whole “women outlive men” thing oh how nice so there should be more women to subject to well of course not just misogyny/sexism but also ageism meanwhile men tend
to not to have to suffer as long
as women good for men
Mulan was by far the worst of the remakes in my mind, which was most frustrating with the original Mulan being my favourite of the original movies. I didn't have much of an issue with them removing the songs (because of how well it worked in Cinderella), but Mushu's absence was criminal. Overall, they just completely butchered Mulan as a character and the overall story, a lot of the basic plot points are still there, Mulan takes her father's place in the army, there's the training scenes and mountain battle and the climax of the movie to protect the emperor but none of it has the same meaning and it doesn't feel earned. Mulan in the original is a complete fish out of water, but after some serious tough lessons she pulls herself up and dedicates herself to improving, and it's all motivated by the selfless desire to protect her father, it's something everyone can sympathise with and relate to in some way. And when her ruse is uncovered, it's because she put herself in harm's way to save someone else's life, it's not some self-indulgent ego moment where she can finally prove everyone else wrong and that she's been perfect this whole time. When it comes to the end, she knows she can't brute force her way through everything despise how far she has come, it's because of her ingenuity and the help of her friends, who she'd won the respect of earlier because of her dedication, that she's able to defeat Shan Yu. The live-action does none of this and doesn't replace it with anything worthwhile in the slightest.
Most of these live actions Disney makes just don’t have the spark that the originals do, ESPECIALLY lion king
I actually think Lion King is far worse than Milan although that doesn't make Mulan any better either. Part of this was because Mulan atleast had some stand out performances like Gong Li and Jet Li who was extremely entertaining in their roles, Lion King however was extremely bland and boring, even when the voice actor actually tried including James Earl Jones who deserves far better than that, I can't help but notice the bland expression of the animal that made the movie so horrifically bland
I also criticize the lack of musical elements of Jerry Goldsmith's score from the original film which should have been in the 2020 film.
Couldn't agree more 😅
I LOVE the fact that people are appreciating what a masterpiece the Cinderella adaptation is
Yes!!! I'm so happy reading the comments!!
You hit the nail on the head with why Mowgli NEEDS to leave the jungle. A man who does not civilize himself is dangerous.