Cinderella (2015): Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Celebrate Disney’s “Cinderella,” a modern classic that shines with beauty, imagination…and magic! Despite being mistreated by her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, a spirited Ella (Lily James) resolves to take charge of her fate. Add a royal ball, a Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) and a glass slipper, and suddenly – magic becomes reality!
I’ve seen the animated version of Cinderella countless times and so have my children. I must admit that I was a bit hesitant at the fact that they were making a live action version of this classic film that everyone knows and loves but after about 15 minutes I knew that Disney had re-created a masterpiece. I’ve come across a few people that have called this a remake but I don’t think that it can be called that. I would say that it’s more of an adaptation then anything else. I thought it was pretty cool that they called Cinderella “Ella” in this version and how they revealed the “Cinder” part of the name. That was one thing that I don’t recall them going into in the animated film. Kenneth Branagh did an amazing job at bringing this story to life without putting a damper on production design or story elements. I was impressed at the colors in the film. They’re so vibrant and tend to even shine during some of the films’ night time scenes. I can honestly say that my family and I thoroughly enjoyed this film and I can totally recommend it for a Family Movie Night. If this is any indication of what to expect from the adaptations that Disney may have in the pipeline then they definitely have my money. 9/10
Special Features:
A Fairy Tale Comes to Life – A look at the making of the film with interviews from the cast and crew.
Costume Test Fun – A quick feature that shows how some of the costumes work on film.
Staging the Ball – A great feature about what it took to create the huge Ball in the film.
Frozen Fever – A really cute and funny animated short that features the original voice cast from Frozen.
Ella’s Furry Friends – The director and a few animal trainers discuss the challenges using real life animals put forth.
Alternate Opening – A nice little opening with an intro by Branagh.
