Despite Kenneth Branagh (JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT, THOR) at the helm and Chris Weitz (THE GOLDEN COMPASS, ABOUT A BOY) behind the screenplay, CINDERELLA looks to be Disney's animated film brought to life, through and through. You'd be hard-pressed to find any pivotal plot points that deviate from what everyone's familiar from in this latest trailer, although what this film lacks in surprises, it makes up for with a computer generated stag. Alas, if you're not familiar with the source material, the film follows that of Ella (Lily James) who is stuck under the roof of her wicked stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and two stepsisters, living the life of a slave. That all changes when she meets a prince (Richard Madden) who, despite knowing that he should marry for the greater good of his people and unite the kingdom in peace, decides to go a much more selfish route and seek out a girl he's only met twice.
I've said it before, but this AT LEAST looks better than ALICE AND WONDERLAND and MALEFICENT that came before it. I can deal with a few CG beasties and a predictable plot, given that the film is filled with reliable actors. The film also keeps things in under two hours, coming in at 105 minutes, which is something my ass has really come to appreciate as I've gotten older. With that said, the marketing for this film is not going to bring in anyone new, but it doesn't need to. The Disney fanbase knows whether or not they want to see this flick, and God knows the FROZEN fans will pick up a ticket to see FROZEN FEVER, the sequel short that screens in front of this film. My only question is when the crossovers will begin. C'mon, you KNOW they're thinking about it!
CINDERELLA hits theaters March 13, 2015.