10 Years Later, This 84%-Rated Flick Is the Only Disney Live-Action Remake That Was Worth the Effort
In the past decade, no Disney adaptation has been able to surpass Kenneth Branagh's film – and it seems it won't be able to again.
Marc Webb's Snow White went wrong from the start. The director seemed like the perfect fit for the Disney remake – he made The Amazing Spider-Man, (500) Days of Summer, and countless music videos from Maroon 5 to Evanescence.
Unfortunately, it didn't help Snow White. The movie was predicted to make around $100 million in its opening weekend, but it only made $43 million.
Another failure of a live-action Disney adaptation is the perfect reason to remember the movie that came up with the perfect formula for translating animated characters to the film medium – Cinderella, released in 2015 and directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Cinderella Is a Classic Disney Fairy Tale Transferred to the Big Screen
Disney used to make kind, universal fairy tales that weren't meant to surprise or shock viewers. In recent years, the balance has shifted: Maleficent was followed by Cruella and Mulan, all of which reimagined classic stories in different ways.
You'd think Cinderella would have something similar: unexpected plot twists or a magical transformation of the characters. But no, the fairy tale stayed within the canon set by the 1950 animated film. Is that bad? No, it's actually great.
Cinderella Takes the Original Animated World and Turns It up to the Max
Kenneth Branagh's movie can easily be described as an animation come to life. It is simply impossible not to recognize the old fairy tale and it is hard to imagine such an immersion in scenes familiar from childhood.
With his magic hand, as if guided by Walt Disney himself, Branagh paints a magical universe. The world of Cinderella is colorful, vast, full of incredible locations, and attractive – just as a fairy tale should be.
The Story Remained the Same, but Received Small Additions That Served to Improve the Script
Screenwriter Chris Weitz seems to have done everything possible to avoid any damage to the original story. The only notable additions are the expanded role of the evil stepmother Lady Tremaine and the scene where Ella and the prince meet in the forest on the eve of the fateful ball.
The former allows Cate Blanchett to showcase her talent to the fullest, while the latter provides a realistic basis for Cinderella and the prince's emotions to flow.
They meet on a hunt, where the girl saves a stag, and each is able to show their best side: she is kind and sensual, he is brave and gentle. The rest of the story follows exactly the lines of the animated movie script.
Cinderella Is the Disney Live-Action Remake We Deserve
Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella remains the gold standard of live-action Disney remakes. The movie manages to be both a nostalgic fairy tale about the Cinderella we all remember from childhood and a charming costume melodrama with a voice all its own.
Want a real fairy tale? Cinderella is what you need. Once again, the one and only, sparkling and crystal clear like a magic slipper, which will definitely become a guide to love and a fairy tale.
