Cinderella (2021 American Film)
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''Cinderella'' is a 2021
romantic musical film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
based on the fairy tale of the same name by
Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales ...
. Written and directed by
Kay Cannon Kay Cannon (born August 22, 1974) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actress. She is best known for writing and producing the ''Pitch Perfect'' film series (2012–2017). She made her directorial debut with the comedy film '' ...
, it stars singer
Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...
as the title character in her acting debut, alongside
Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honorif ...
,
Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is an English actress. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in 1995's '' Circle of Friends''. She went on to star in a wide range of films including the cult classic ''Grosse ...
, Nicholas Galitzine, Billy Porter, and
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...
. It is a
jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs perf ...
, featuring pop and
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
hits, in addition to several original songs. Development on the film began in April 2019, when
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
announced a musical-style film of ''Cinderella'', with Cannon writing and directing. The film was produced by James Corden, through
Fulwell 73 Fulwell 73 is a British television, film and music production company based in London. It was founded in 2005 by brothers Gabe and Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, and Ben Winston. James Corden became the fifth full time partner in January 2017. Ful ...
with
Leo Pearlman Fulwell 73 is a British television, film and music production company based in London. It was founded in 2005 by brothers Gabe and Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, and Ben Winston. James Corden became the fifth full time partner in January 2017. Ful ...
, Jonathan Kadin, and Shannon McIntosh.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began in February 2020 at
Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...
, and was suspended in March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Production resumed in August 2020 and concluded in September. ''Cinderella'' was released in select theaters and digitally on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
on September 3, 2021. The film received mixed reviews from critics.


Plot

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
is an ambitious young woman who wants to establish her shop "Dresses by Ella". One day in her patriarchal society, she catches the eye of Prince Robert in the guard-changing ceremony. The next day, Robert, dressed as a commoner, goes to the market, where he finds Ella trying to sell her dress. After some playful banter, he buys it for three times the amount she originally asked. He later invites her to the ball being held two weeks later, with the promise of introducing her to various people from the world to sell her dresses to. When the day arrives, Ella is getting ready when her
stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a non-biological female parent married to one's preexisting parent. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. Culture Ste ...
, Vivian throws ink on her dress and tells her that only her stepsisters Malvolia and Narissa, can attend, since Thomas the vegetable merchant has already confirmed his desire for Ella's hand. Ella is sad, but her fairy godparent, Fab G, magically appears and dresses her in a design of Ella's, with glass shoes, and turns mice into footmen and a crate into a carriage. Ella goes to the ball and meets Tatiana, a visiting queen who offers to take her around the world as a dressmaker for her and asks to meet her the next day in the market square. Later, Robert finds Ella, shows his sister, Princess Gwen wearing the gown he bought from Ella previously and proposes to Ella. Ella refuses, however, as she wants to start her career. She tells him that if she marries him it will be the end of her dream and Robert from his small age wanted to become the king and he also is not ready to accept this. At the stroke of midnight, she leaves the ball after throwing her shoe at one of the King's attendants, who tries to catch her. The next day, Vivian tells Ella her life story...that she was also an ambitious girl like Ella and had even gotten an opportunity to learn piano in a reputed music school. She left home to study and when she came back home her husband divorced her, saying that she is not a suitable wife and kicked her and her daughters out. While she was about leave Ella's room she finds Ella's glass slipper and, on knowing the truth that her stepdaughter is the mystery princess, tries to convince Ella to marry Robert. When Ella refuses, Vivian gives her to Thomas. Robert's mother, Queen Beatrice, helps his father, King Rowan, understand that it will be right to let him marry a commoner. The king thinks of these words and allows the prince to marry his love. Rowan even gives him the glass slipper. Robert keeps searching for Ella and finds her running in the forest after she escapes from Thomas. They profess their love for each other and kiss. Ella and Robert reach the market in time to show her designs to her benefactor, who accepts them and asks Ella to travel with her. Robert introduces Ella to Rowan and Beatrice and informs them of their decision to travel the world. He knows this will ruin the plan for his future ascension to the throne, but Beatrice smiles as Rowan proudly declares that Gwen (who has repeatedly shown an interest and ability in affairs of state), will now be first in line to the throne. Citizens of the kingdom gather to witness the ceremony announcing the Princess' position and that Robert and Ella are in love.


Cast

*
Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...
as
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
*
Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honorif ...
as Vivian, the stepmother *
Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is an English actress. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in 1995's '' Circle of Friends''. She went on to star in a wide range of films including the cult classic ''Grosse ...
as Queen Beatrice * Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Robert * Billy Porter as Fab G *
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...
as King Rowan *
Maddie Baillio Maddie Baillio (born February 15, 1996) is an American actress and singer who appeared in the television special ''Hairspray Live'' and the film ''Dumplin. She is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a pr ...
as Malvolia * Charlotte Spencer as Narissa * James Corden as James the Mouse *
James Acaster James William Acaster (; born 9 January 1985) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and musician. As well as appearances on panel shows, he is known for the stand-up specials ''Repertoire'', co-hosting the food podcast '' Off Menu'' and co- ...
as John the Mouse *
Romesh Ranganathan Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan (born 27 March 1978), is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and often self-deprecating comedy. Ranganathan has made numerous appearances on television comedy panel shows, and in 2016 he co-p ...
as Romesh the Mouse * Tallulah Greive as Princess Gwen *
Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, '' The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke an ...
as Queen Tatiana * Doc Brown as Town crier *
Rob Beckett Robert Anthony Beckett (born 2 January 1986) is an English comedian, narrator, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team capta ...
as Thomas Cecil * Jenet Le Lacheur as Wilbur *
Fra Fee Francis Martin "Fra" Fee (born 20 May 1987) is an Irish actor and singer. He is known for portraying Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of ''Les Misérables''. He portrayed the role of Michael Carney in Jez Butterworth's ''The Ferryman ...
as Hench * Luke Latchman as Griff * Mary Higgins as Princess Laura * Nakai Warikandwa as Princess Nakai * Nandi Bushell as Drummer Girl * Manny Tsakanika as Jesse the Farm Boy


Production

In April 2019,
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
announced a musical retelling of "Cinderella", with Kay Cannon writing and directing. The idea to reinterpret "Cinderella" came from James Corden, who produced the film through
Fulwell 73 Fulwell 73 is a British television, film and music production company based in London. It was founded in 2005 by brothers Gabe and Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, and Ben Winston. James Corden became the fifth full time partner in January 2017. Ful ...
with Leo Pearlman, Jonathan Kadin, and Shannon McIntosh. In April 2019,
Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...
was attached in the role of
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
. In October 2019, it was announced that talks were underway with
Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honorif ...
(voice of Elsa in Disney's '' Frozen'') as Cinderella's
stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a non-biological female parent married to one's preexisting parent. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. Culture Ste ...
, and Billy Porter for the role of fairy godparent. In December 2019, Nicholas Galitzine was added to the cast as Prince Robert.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began in February 2020 at
Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Filming was suspended in March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Production resumed in August 2020 and concluded in September. Cinderella's carriage was designed to promote
Mercedes Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
.


Music


Soundtrack

In April 2019, it was announced that Camila Cabello was working on the soundtrack for the film. In October, 2020, Idina Menzel confirmed that " he and Camilaboth have original songs as well." On August 2, 2021, it was announced by the director that the soundtrack would be released on September 3, 2021.


Film score

In February 2021, Jessica Rose Weiss confirmed that she and
Mychael Danna Mychael Danna (born September 20, 1958) is a Canadian composer of film and television film score, scores. He won both the Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe and Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Score, Best Original Score f ...
were working on the film score, and recording the score with orchestra led by Johannes Vogel at
Synchron Stage Vienna Synchron Stage Vienna is a recording facility specializing in recording large orchestras and film music. The landmark protected building, formerly "Synchronhalle" ("Hall 6") of the historic film lot "Film City Vienna" in the Austrian capital's 23rd ...
. The
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
was released digitally by
Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by S ...
on September 3.


Marketing

As part of the film's marketing, Amazon Prime Video partnered with
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
in August 2021. On August 9, Japanese shoes brand
Onitsuka Tiger Onitsuka Tiger (co-branded as Asics Tiger since 2022) is a Japanese sports fashion brand started in 1949 by Onitsuka Shōkai (鬼塚商会, Onitsuka Co., Ltd), a sports shoes company founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka. Onitsuka Shōkai changed its nam ...
announced the release of a limited edition sneakers created in collaboration with ''Cinderella''. On August 11, hair brand John Frieda announced a collaboration with ''Cinderella''.


Release

''Cinderella'' was released in select theaters and digitally in 240 territories via
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
on September 3, 2021. It had a premiere event on August 30, 2021, at the
Greek Theatre Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...
in Los Angeles.
Samba TV Samba TV is a television technology company that offers real-time insights and audience analytics. It was founded in 2008 by early employees of BitTorrent, including Samba TV's current CEO, Ashwin Navin. It develops software for televisions, set ...
reported that 1.1 million American households streamed the film over its first four days of release, while Amazon claimed it was the most-watched VOD title over the same frame. In June 2019, Sony scheduled the film for release February 5, 2021. In January 2021, the release date was pushed back to July 16, 2021. In May 2021, Sony cancelled the film's theatrical debut and announced that the film had been bought by
Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...
except China, Sony would also retain home entertainment and linear television rights to the film.


Home media

''Cinderella'' was released on
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
,
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
, and Digital HD on June 21, 2022 by
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures lib ...
.


Reception


Audience viewership

According to Samba TV, the film was watched in 1.1 million U.S. households over its four-day
Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
weekend debut and in 2.2 million households by the end of its first 30 days. According to the analytics company
Screen Engine Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...
, ''Cinderella'' was the most-watched streaming movie during its opening weekend, as well as the most-watched movie musical yet in 2021.


Critical response

On
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 42% based on 136 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "This singalong-worthy ''Cinderella'' sprinkles some modern fairy dust on the oft-told tale, but flat performances and clunky dialogue make watching often feel like a chore." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, it has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and praised Cabello for her performance, saying "she has a real knack for comedy" and described the film as having an "upbeat, breezy and sentimental style, laced with some sharp humor and filled with familiar and catchy pop tunes refashioned to fit the storyline." Jonathan Sim of ''ComingSoon.net'' wrote, "It's a progressively charming take on a romantic tale, and there are sweet, romantic moments throughout the film, even if there isn't much you haven't seen before." Courtney Howard of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called it a "mediocre musical" and despite some praise for the innovation, she was critical of many of the creative choices, the inconsistent pacing, the character development, and said it felt both "underdeveloped and overstuffed" at the same time.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cinderella 2021 2021 films 2021 romantic comedy films 2020s musical comedy films 2020s romantic musical films Amazon Studios films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films Columbia Pictures films Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films about fairies and sprites Films about orphans Films about princesses Films about royalty Films about weddings Films about wish fulfillment Films based on Charles Perrault's Cinderella Films not released in theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films scored by Mychael Danna Films shot at Pinewood Studios Jukebox musical films Sony Pictures films Amazon Prime Video original films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films