Most of us grew up liking fairy tales because they are entertaining, magical, gripping, and there's always a happy ending. Some of these tales are more or less born from folklore and traditions. I grew up listening to these stories, reading some of them in children's books and watching Disney's animated and live action movie adaptations of these tales.
I have watched many fairy tale movies such as the different versions of Cinderella, Enchanted, Beauty and the Beast etc. One common thread that runs through these filmed fairy tales is that they pass good morals and meaningful lessons/messages.
One of my favourite filmed fairy tale I want to write about is Ella Enchanted (2004), a fantasy romantic comedy directed by Tommy O’Haver and based on a novel of the same name by Gail Carson Levine. I've never read the book but I enjoyed the film which in my view is a mix of Cinderella and Wizard of Oz fairy tales.
As you can see from the cover image, the main character of the film, Ella of Frell, is played by the enigmatic Anne Hathaway. Ella is spelled by her fairy godmother to always be obedient and this spell became a burden or a flaw.
After her mother died, her father married a wealthy woman with two daughters who made Ella's life unbearable in their home after they found out about her spell of obedience. As a result, Ella set out on a mission to find her fairy godmother to undo the spell.
The message this film conveys is an inspiring one —no one is perfect. Fifteen year old Ella of Frell, though spelled from when she was a baby to be obedient, did not allow anyone to take advantage of her but worked through her supposed flaw and used it positively to help the people and fairy tale beings around her. She did not allow that part of her personality to hold her back from achieving her mission.
Ella Enchanted is fun, magical, romantic and enjoyable. With the melodious soundtracks, it is thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. Both adults and children can watch it. The plot is entertaining and the cast terrific. I loved the feature of fairy tale characters like fairies, ogres, giants, elves etc.
I have watched this movie many times and would recommend it if you are looking for an entertaining movie with some laughs and fairy tale twists.
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