Cinderella

Director: Kenneth Branagh Kenneth Branagh

Overview

Kenneth Branagh directs Disney's 2015, live-action take on the classic fairy tale Cinderella, which stars Lily James as the put-upon young women forced to endure a life of labor at the hands of her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) after her father dies unexpectedly. Forced to do every menial chore imaginable, Ella maintains her good spirits and eventually strikes up a friendship with a stranger in the woods who turns out to be the prince. When the royal court holds a gala ball, Cinderella wants nothing more to attend, and although her stepmother won't allow it, she gets help from a surprising source.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/15/2015
UPC:	0786936842869
Original Release:	2015
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	10,788

Special Features

Frozen Fever Theatrical Short; Ella's Furry Friends - See how the animal stars honed their memorable performances

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lily James	Actor
Cate Blanchett	Actor
Richard Madden	Actor
Helena Bonham Carter	Actor
Sophie McShera	Actor
Holliday Grainger	Actor
Stellan Skarsgård	Actor
Derek Jacobi	Actor
Nonso Anozie	Actor
Ben Chaplin	Actor
Hayley Atwell	Actor
Rob Brydon	Actor
Jana Perez	Actor
Alex MacQueen	Actor
Tom Edden	Actor
Gareth Mason	Actor
Paul Hunter	Actor
Eloise Webb	Actor
Joshua McGuire	Actor
Matthew Steer	Actor
Mimi Ndiweni	Actor
Laura Elsworthy	Actor
Ella Smith	Actor
Ann Davies	Actor
Gerard Horan	Actor
Katie West	Actor
Daniel Tuite	Actor
Anjana Vasan	Actor
Stuart Neal	Actor
Adetomiwa Edun	Actor,Trooper
Richard McCabe	Actor
Joseph Kloska	Actor
Andy Apollo	Actor
Craig Mather	Actor
Jonny Owen Last	Actor
Nari Blair Mangat	Actor
Michael Jenn	Actor
Josh O'Connor	Actor
Patrick Doyle	Composer
Jana Pérez	Actor
Laurie Calvert	Head Palace Guard
Edward Lewis French	Ball Dancer
Zizi Strallen	Ball Guest
Joe Kennard	Palace Guard
John W.G. Harley	Courtier Guest
Sayed Kassem	Ball Guest
Georgie-May Tearle	Townsfolk / Courtier / Ball Guest
Elina Alminas	Princess Valentina
Elliott Wright	Palace Guard
Alex Gillison	Townsman (uncredited)
Barrie Martin	Gentleman
Drew Sheridan-Wheeler	Nicolas Golding

Technical Credits

Aline Brosh McKenna

Chris Weitz

Kenneth Branagh	Director
Aline Brosh McKenna	Screenwriter
Chris Weitz	Screenwriter
Allison Shearmur	Producer
David Barron	Producer
Simon Kinberg	Producer
Tim Lewis	Executive Producer
Luke Redgrave	Camera Operator
Hamish Doyne-Ditmas	Camera Operator
Roger Pearce	Camera Operator
Clive Jackson	Camera Operator
Ruth Key	Casting
Lucy Bevan	Casting
Stuart Wilson	Sound Mixer
Tim White	Sound Mixer
Jed Loughran	Sound Editor
Samir Foco	Sound Editor
Tom Sayers	Sound Editor
Steve Dent	Stunts
Dave Watkins	Special Effects Supervisor
Barry H. Waldman	Executive Producer,Producer
Orin Beaton	Sound Effects
Andrew Caller	Sound Effects
Simon Chase	Sound Effects
Christopher Benstead	Sound Effects
Lilly Blazewicz	Sound Effects
Mathieu Assemat	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Think of Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella as Disney's own response to its hit live-action adaptation Maleficent. Whereas the Angelina Jolie film tried to find a new take on an overly familiar story, Branagh and company whip up a handsome slice of old-fashioned family entertainment. The opening scenes find the young Ella (Eloise Webb) living an idyllic life with her mother (Hayley Atwell) and father (Ben Chaplin). As in every Disney film, her mother dies, but not before imparting to her the lesson of the movie with her final words -- be kind and have courage. Years later, Ella (now played by Lily James) must exemplify that kindness as she accommodates her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her selfish stepsisters after her father remarries. When her father passes away during a trip abroad, she relies on her inner courage as her cruel new family force her to be their servant. She must persevere through this ordeal in order to fulfill her father's final wish -- that she care for the house he and her mother loved so dearly. Dubbed Cinderella by her stepfamily for her oft-dirty appearance, she meets a handsome young man (Richard Madden) in the forest one day, and he claims to be an apprentice who lives in the royal court. They form a quick bond, but she leaves without learning that he's actually the prince of the kingdom. Meanwhile, the prince's father (Derek Jacobi) is in ill health and wants his son to marry before he dies. In the hope of finding an acceptable future queen, a royal gala is held to size up all of the potential marriage material -- think of it as regal speed dating. Cinderella, denied access to the ball by her stepmother, gets some unexpected assistance from a fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) and wows everybody at the event. However, she must leave before midnight, and in her haste she leaves behind a glass slipper -- which the prince uses to locate the woman he loves. Branagh, his generation's most renowned director of Shakespeare adaptations, shows a respect for this well-known tale that's quite welcoming. He doesn't feel that this material, or its likely audience, is beneath him. He receives able support from Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti, whose stellar sets find the perfect balance between Masterpiece Theatre ornateness and dreamlike, fairy-tale lushness; and Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, whose playful work includes not only Cinderella's spectacular blue gown, but a number of chilly monstrosities worn by the stepsisters and the wicked stepmother. It should come as no surprise that the performances are all solid, but first among equals is the great Cate Blanchett. She could have hammed it up, but instead she finds the emotional truth at the center of her character; her wickedness comes not from a joy of being wicked, but from her desire to protect herself and her daughters. She's frighteningly cold and thoroughly believable, with just enough outsized cruelty to remind us that she's a mythic figure. She finds the perfect tone and never wavers from it. The same is true of the entire cast, as well as the production as a whole. This version of Cinderella works so well because everyone involved has lived up to the story's moral. They are kind to the story and the material, and are courageous enough to make something with great craft and complete earnestness.