IT'S REAL!! Thoughts on Disney's Cinderella

My dear father took me and my little siblings to see Disney's Cinderella today. In other, totally unrelated, random news, I have a new movie to add to my top ten list. :)

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I wholeheartedly recommend Cinderella. I think I might like it more than Tangled- my all time favorite Disney princess movie!! It was fantastic. Five stars. Two thumbs up. All that and more.

First, the acting was spot on. And, there were several actresses I knew: the beautiful Lily James (Rose from Downton Abbey) as Cinderella, Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) as Cinderella's mother, Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) as the stepmother, Sophie McShera (Daisy from Downton) as a stepsister, and Helena Bonham Carter (Madame Thenardier) as the fairy godmother. That was fun. :)

Second, the costumes. GORGEOUS. Cinderella's blue dress at the end made my inner 7 yr. old freak out- SOOOO SWIRLY AND TWIRLY AND PRETTY! And her wedding dress. *sigh* The prince wasn't too poorly-dressed either. I loved his navy coat, and the king's outfit at the ball.

Third, the setting. Ladies and gentlemen, this was movie magic at it's finest. As Emily Whitten for WORLD Magazine put it, "Computer generated talking mice and English farmhouses, castles, and countryside are filmed with such richness that they seem to blur the line between fantasy and reality." Hence the title of this post. I was in my seat almost squealing, "IT'S REAL!! CINDERELLA IS REAL!!!" :D

Then there was the message of the movie. "Have courage and be kind," were the instructions of Cinderella's dying mother, and the guiding principles of her daughter's life. Despite the cruelty and pain she experienced, Cinderella always fought to be courageous and kind. She forgave those who hurt her; she had compassion on those who only knew how to be selfish. Also, as Whitten says, "Cinderella...is the epitome of feminine grace." She is lovely inside and out.

The only things I didn't like were the prince's name and nose. But, hey, it can't be perfect. And his gentlemanly character and beautiful eyes and voice made up for it. :) Cinderella and the prince were pictures of Biblical manhood and womanhood, which was refreshing to see in a modern Disney movie.

I left the theater with a smile on my face and a resolution in my heart to be courageous and kind.

If you like stories with a dark twist or flawed heroes, you may think of this as "too perfect." But, for girls of all ages who love a classic happy ending, Cinderella is a sweet, innocent, and beautiful tale of the true magic of a kind heart.

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