Cinderella (U)

Starring: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Nonso Anozie, Stellan Skarsgard, Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi   

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Running time: 105 minutes 

Released: March 27 (UK and Ireland)

THIS live action remake from Disney is a stunning treatment of the classic fairy tale.

Sweet without being saccharine, it will set young hearts beating wildly with its outstanding set-pieces and its creation of a tangible world where your fairy godmother can ensure that yes, you will go to the ball.

Director Kenneth Branagh has assembled a crack team for the production, which has been scripted by Chris Weitz (About A Boy), in addition to casting actors of impeccable calibre in practically every role.

Oh, and Rob Brydon pops up channelling Gavin and Stacey’s Uncle Bryn through the guise of a royal portrait painter.

Aside from his key performers, Branagh has called on some of his regular collaborators and professionals who are the best in the business - including costume designer Sandy Powell and production designer Dante Ferretti – to ensure that quality oozes from every frame.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Our heroine Ella is first glimpsed as a child during her idyllic early childhood, blossoming under the attention of her devoted parents (Ben Chaplin and Hayley Atwell).

After her mother dies, encouraging her young daughter to “have courage, and be kind”, Ella and her father muddle along beautifully until he makes the unusual decision to marry a striking widow (Cate Blanchett), moving this woman and her two daughters into the family home.

Basingstoke Gazette:

When her father then also dies, Ella (Lily James) becomes a servant, forced to slave for this shallow, materialistic trio.

Desperate to escape, she momentarily flees to the forest where she encounters the prince, who disguises his identity as Kit, an “apprentice”, and pair establish an immediate connection.

When she then hears of a palace ball to which the entire kingdom has been invited, she hopes to attend, believing that her new friend will be there.

But her jealous guardian, who recognises the extent of Ella’s beauty and luminosity, is determined to prevent her from making it to the palace.

Yes, we all know how this story goes – but that in no way removes the pleasure to be derived from watching this immaculate presentation of one of the best-known tales of all time.

Little details added here and there flesh out the characters as much as is really necessary and add a bit of fun, too, particularly the comedy goose and Helena Bonham Carter’s slightly zany Fairy Godmother.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The CG mice were unavoidable, given the rodents’ key role in the original, and they have been meshed into the rest of the tale as effectively as possible.

Blanchett is outstanding, communicating a world of pain with a mere flicker of an eyebrow, but she does not overshadow Lily James, whose performance is imbued with an irresistible purity and strength.

Young girls will watch and wonder, especially at the creation of the amazing sparkling blue dress and at Cinders’ spectacular arrival at the ball. There’s a lovely frisson as she and the prince (who’s clad in slightly unfortunate tight breeches throughout) commence their first dance.

Basingstoke Gazette:

In time-honoured Disney tradition, it’s all on-message but it’s delivered with oodles of charm, making resistance impossible.

Cinderella has set the live action bar – The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast are among just two of the planned forthcoming releases – very high.

*Cinderella is preceded by the new short Frozen Fever, featuring the hugely popular characters from Frozen. This fun few minutes includes lots of laughs and a new song, Making Today A Perfect Day.

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