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Cinderella (2021 American film)

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Cinderella
Cinderella in purple ballgown, flanked by the other main characters behind her
Official release poster
Directed byKay Cannon
Written byKay Cannon[1]
Based on"Cinderella"
by Charles Perrault
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHenry Braham
Edited byStacey Schroeder
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Studios
Release dates
  • August 30, 2021 (2021-08-30) (Greek Theatre)
  • September 3, 2021 (2021-09-03) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Cinderella is a 2021 romantic musical film based on the fairy tale of the same name by Charles Perrault. Written and directed by Kay Cannon, it stars singer Camila Cabello as the title character in her acting debut, alongside Nicholas Galitzine, Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Billy Porter and Pierce Brosnan. It is a jukebox musical, featuring pop and rock hits, in addition to several original songs.[2]

Development began in April 2019, when Sony Pictures announced a musical-style film of Cinderella, with Cannon writing and directing. The film was produced by James Corden, through Fulwell 73 with Leo Pearlman, Jonathan Kadin and Shannon McIntosh. Principal photography began in February 2020 at Pinewood Studios, and was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in August 2020 and concluded in September.

Cinderella was released in select theaters and digitally on Amazon Prime Video on September 3, 2021[3] to mixed reviews from critics. Commercially, according to Samba TV, it was watched in 1.1 million U.S. households over its four-day Labor Day weekend debut and in 2.2 million households by the end of its first 30 days. According to the analytics company Screen Engine, Cinderella was the most-watched streaming film during its opening weekend, as well as the most-watched musical film of 2021.

Plot

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Cinderella is an ambitious young woman who dreams of establishing her shop, Dresses by Ella. After she catches the eye of Prince Robert in passing, he disguises himself as a commoner and sets out in hopes of meeting her.

Robert finds Ella among the local market vendors, trying to sell one of her creations. After some playful banter, he buys her dress for triple the original price. Robert invites Ella to an upcoming ball, where he promises she can mingle with people from around the world who will want to buy her designs.

On the day of the ball, Ella's stepmother Vivian forbids her to attend, as Ella has already been promised in marriage to Thomas the vegetable merchant. Vivian throws ink on Ella's dress, ensuring that only her own daughters Malvolia and Narissa can attend.

Though Ella's hopes are dashed, her fairy godparent Fab G comes to her aid. He uses magic to outfit her in a gown of her own design and a pair of glass shoes. Mice become footmen for a crate transformed into a carriage that takes Ella to the ball. There she meets visiting queen Tatiana, who offers to take Ella around the world as her personal dressmaker. She also meets Robert's sister Princess Gwen, who is wearing the dress Ella sold him in the market.

When Robert proposes to Ella, she demurs, explaining that marriage will put an end to her dressmaking dreams, which are finally within reach. Robert, whose own lifelong ambition has been to assume the throne, struggles with this answer. At the stroke of midnight, Ella leaves the ball after throwing her shoe at one of the royal attendants, who tries to catch her.

The next day, Vivian reveals her own bitter story, trying to make Ella understand that going off to pursue one's personal dreams is incompatible with love and marriage. Seeing the remaining glass slipper in Ella's room, she realizes she is the mystery girl the prince has been seeking, so tries to convince her to marry Robert. When Ella refuses, Vivian gives her to Thomas.

With the help of Queen Beatrice, King Rowan accepts that Robert wishes to marry a commoner, giving him the glass slipper as he searches for Ella. She, having run away from Thomas, is reunited with Robert in a forest, where they profess their love for each other and share a kiss. The pair reach the market in time to show her designs to her benefactor, Tatiana, who accepts them and invites Ella to travel with her.

Robert introduces Ella to the king and queen, and informs them of their shared decision to travel the world. Though this nullifies his future ascension to the throne, Beatrice smiles as Rowan proudly names Gwen (who has repeatedly shown an interest and ability in affairs of state) first in line to the throne. Citizens of the kingdom gather to witness and celebrate as the royal family officially announce these developments.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

In April 2019, Columbia Pictures announced a musical retelling of "Cinderella", with Kay Cannon writing and directing.[4] The idea to reinterpret "Cinderella" came from James Corden, who produced the film through Fulwell 73 with Leo Pearlman, Jonathan Kadin, and Shannon McIntosh.[5]

In April 2019, Camila Cabello was attached in the role of Cinderella.[5] In October 2019, it was announced that talks were underway with Idina Menzel as Cinderella's stepmother,[6] and Billy Porter for the role of fairy godparent.[7] In December 2019, Nicholas Galitzine was added to the cast as Prince Robert.[8]

Principal photography began in February 2020[9] at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom.[10] Filming was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] Production resumed in August 2020[11] and concluded in September.[12]

Cinderella's carriage was designed to promote Mercedes-Benz.[13]

Music

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Soundtrack

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Main article: Cinderella (2021 soundtrack)

In April 2019, it was announced that Camila Cabello was working on the soundtrack for the film.[5] In October, 2020, Idina Menzel confirmed that "[she and Camila] both have original songs as well."[14] On August 2, 2021, it was announced by the director that the soundtrack would be released on September 3, 2021.[15]

Film score

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Cinderella (Score from the Amazon Original Movie)
Film score by
Mychael Danna and Jessica Rose Weiss
ReleasedSeptember 3, 2021
RecordedFebruary 2021
StudioSynchron Stage Vienna
GenreOrchestral
Length24:46
LabelSony Classical
Producer
Mychael Danna chronology
Stillwater
(2021) 		Cinderella
(2021)
Jessica Rose Weiss chronology
Afterlife of the Party
(2021) 		Cinderella
(2021) 		Dog Gone Trouble
(2021)

In February 2021, Jessica Rose Weiss confirmed that she and Mychael Danna were working on the film score, and recording the score with orchestra led by Johannes Vogel at Synchron Stage Vienna.[16] The film score was released digitally by Sony Classical on September 3.[17][18]

No.TitleLength
1."Ella's Village"0:48
2."Find a Match"0:38
3."Wifey Fish Guts"1:10
4."The Pain Is Quite Terrific"0:40
5."Put That Dress Down"0:44
6."Chrysalis"0:45
7."I Believe in You"1:16
8."This Is My Chance"0:50
9."Back to the Basement"1:21
10."Adventure Time"0:37
11."Fab G"0:42
12."Cautionary Magic"0:40
13."Meeting the Queen"0:48
14."First Dance"1:26
15."Romance & Rodents"0:54
16."Palace Escape"2:29
17."Stroke of Midnight"0:45
18."Could It Be Love"1:45
19."Viviane's Lament"2:42
20."Escape Plan"0:37
21."Search for Ella"0:52
22."I Choose You"0:44
23."We're in Business"0:29
24."A Lady's Right to Rule"0:50
Total length:24:46

Marketing

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As part of the film's marketing, Amazon Prime Video partnered with Mercedes-Benz in August 2021.[19] On August 9, Japanese shoes brand Onitsuka Tiger announced the release of a limited edition sneakers created in collaboration with Cinderella.[20] On August 11, hair brand John Frieda announced a collaboration with Cinderella.[21]

Release

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Cinderella was released in select theaters and digitally in 240 territories via Amazon Prime Video on September 3, 2021.[3][22] It had a premiere event on August 30, 2021, at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.[23][24] Samba TV 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.[25]

In June 2019, Sony scheduled the film for release February 5, 2021.[26] In January 2021, the release date was pushed back to July 16, 2021.[27] In May 2021, Sony cancelled the film's theatrical debut and announced that the film had been bought by Amazon Studios except China, Sony would also retain home entertainment and linear television rights to the film.[28][29]

Home media

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Cinderella was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD on June 21, 2022 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[30]

Reception

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Audience viewership

[edit]

According to Samba TV, the film was watched in 1.1 million U.S. households over its four-day Labor Day weekend debut and in 2.2 million households by the end of its first 30 days.[31] According to the analytics company Screen Engine, Cinderella was the most-watched streaming film during its opening weekend, as well as the most-watched musical film yet in 2021.[32]

Critical response

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On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 135 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."[33] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[34]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four 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."[35] 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."[36]

Courtney Howard of Variety was critical of many of the creative choices, the inconsistent pacing, and the character development. She called the film a "mediocre musical" and felt it was both "underdeveloped and overstuffed" at the same time.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ Credited under Sony Pictures

References

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  1. ^ "Cinderella". Writers Guild of America West. December 2, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Howard, Courtney (September 1, 2021). "'Cinderella' Review: Camila Cabello Shines in Progressive but Prosaic Reimagining of a Familiar Fairy Tale". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Adam Chitwood (September 3, 2021). "How to Watch 'Cinderella': Where to Stream the 2021 Update Starring Camila Cabello". Collider. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  4. ^ McClintock, Pamela (May 6, 2021). "Sony's 'Cinderella' Heads to Amazon, Bypassing Theaters". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c McNary, Dave (April 9, 2019). "Camila Cabello to Star in New 'Cinderella' Movie for Sony". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  6. ^ McNary, Dave (October 11, 2019). "Idina Menzel in Talks to Play Evil Stepmother in 'Cinderella'". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  7. ^ McNary, Dave (October 10, 2019). "'Pose' Star Billy Porter in Talks to Play Fairy Godmother in 'Cinderella'". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 4, 2019). "Camila Cabello 'Cinderella' Finds Its Prince In UK Actor Nicholas Galitzine". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Cannon, Kay (February 13, 2020). "Day 1 of shooting down. A gazillion more days to goooooooo! #director #writer #filmmaking". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Tom Grater (March 16, 2020). "Sony's 'Cinderella' Musical UK Shoot Shut Down For Two Weeks Over Coronavirus". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 17, 2020). "Camila Cabello's 'Cinderella' Movie At Sony Heading Back To Production In UK After COVID-19 Shutdown". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  12. ^ Cannon, Kay (September 29, 2020). "SAP POST: Tonight we wrapped our main unit on @cinderellamovieofficial. I just CANNOT express my love & gratitude enough to the cast & crew who helped finish this movie during a pandemic. It's not easy to pretend we're back to normal when we're not. A million thanks for all of your hard work & endless hours of mask wearing. Honestly, there's a few of you that I couldn't pick out of a lineup. Mostly, thank you for all the sacrifices you made so that we could film our jokes & songs... safely. We did it! I am filled with pride. I will never forget you nor this experience. I am forever changed. ❤️". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Janelle Okwodu (August 25, 2021). "Camila Cabello And Billy Porter's Reimagined 'Cinderella' Is A High Fashion Fairytale". British Vogue.
  14. ^ Menzel, Idina [@idinamenzel] (October 25, 2020). "Oooh. A bunch! @Camila_Cabello is extraordinary. We both have original songs as well" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ @KayKayCannon (August 2, 2021). "So proud of our soundtrack. Please note a correction: The hilarious @JamesAcastor stars alongside @JKCorden & @RomeshRanga, playing one of the three footmen/mice" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Synchron Stage Vienna. "Synchron Stage Vienna on Instagram: "It's finally here! ✨🎼 @cinderellamovieofficial is out today on @amazonprimevideo, and so is the soundtrack &…"". Archived from the original on December 23, 2021 – via Instagram.
  17. ^ "Cinderella Score Album Details | Film Music Reporter". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Cinderella (Score from the Amazon Original Movie) / Mychael Danna – TIDAL". September 3, 2021 – via Tidal.
  19. ^ Guzik, Jon Alain (August 2, 2021). "Amazon Partners with Mercedes-Benz and Camila Cabello on 'Cinderella' Campaign (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "Onitsuka Tiger announces collaboration sneakers with the new interpretation of the glass shoe movie "Cinderella", which is inspired by the next-generation Cinderella statue and does not care about gender or age". Japan News. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  21. ^ "John Frieda Ireland on Instagram". Instagram. August 11, 2021. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  22. ^ Guttmann, Graeme (June 30, 2021). "Cinderella Teaser Trailer Reveals First Footage From New 2021 Musical". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  23. ^ "'Cinderella' premiere in L.A." New York Daily News. August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  24. ^ Holender, Samantha (August 31, 2021). "Fairy Tale Fashion! See What the Stars Wore to the 'Cinderella' Red Carpet: Photos". US Weekly. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 21, 2021). "Camila Cabello's 'Cinderella' On Amazon Prime Pulls In Over 1M Households, Samba TV Says". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  26. ^ Nissen, Dano (June 9, 2019). "'Cinderella' Musical Comedy, Kevin Hart's 'Fatherhood' Get Release Dates". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  27. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 21, 2021). "Sony's Camila Cabello 'Cinderella' Dances To Summer, 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' To Fall, 'Uncharted' Eyes 2022 & More". Deadline. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  28. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 6, 2021). "Amazon To Premiere Camila Cabello Screen Debut 'Cinderella' In Deal With Sony Pictures". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  29. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (May 13, 2021). "'Cinderella': First Look Images Include Camila Cabello and Nicholas Galitzine for Musical Due in September". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  30. ^ "Cinderella". Amazon. June 21, 2022.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 3, 2022). "With Tentpoles Bound To Surge The 2022 Box Office, The Great Theatrical-Streaming Day & Date Experiment Goes Out Like A Dud In 2021". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  32. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 7, 2021). "Camila Cabello's 'Cinderella' On Amazon Prime Pulls In Over 1M Households, Samba TV Says". Deadline. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  33. ^ "Cinderella". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  34. ^ "Cinderella". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  35. ^ Roeper, Richard (September 1, 2021). "'Cinderella': Upbeat take on the fairy tale transforms Camila Cabelo into a movie star". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  36. ^ Sim, Jonathan (2021). "Cinderella Review – Camila Cabello's Charisma Propels a Progressively Charming Fairy Tale". Retrieved September 15, 2021.
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