Cinderella waltzed into theatres on March 14, 2015. Most of us have seen the animated Cinderella from the 50s. The new movie followed the plot very closely, unlike some other live-action versions of animated Disney movies made lately, such as the new version of Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent. Cinderella expanded on elements only hinted at in the animated version, without changing the story. Some of these include Cinderella’s relationship with her parents, Lady Tremaine’s motivation, and Cinderella’s deterioration into a scullery maid. We learned a lot more about Cinderella’s childhood including where she gained her kind spirit and her mantra, “Have courage and be kind.”

The actors did a fabulous job. Many people were happily surprised to find that Cate Blanchett had perfectly mastered the voice of Lady Tremaine, and she did an amazing job portraying her in a way that helped us understand what caused her hatred toward Cinderella and even gave us cause to pity her for about a half of a second. The first time the prince, portrayed by Richard Madden, smiled you could hear the whole (female) audience swoon. Cinderella was perfect. Lily James was pure sweetness and embodied the perfect princess. Of all the actors, we believe Helena Bonham Carter did the best job. She made the character of the fairy godmother much more fairy like and a little crazier. It was a little different take on the character than the classic motherly version, but we loved it.

One of the best parts was the costuming. Cinderellas ball gown was so beautiful! It was the perfect princess dress and when she danced it floated. It was magical! Also another interesting costuming choice was when the animals turned into people they didn’t change all the way so the footmen were a strange lizard/human mix. It made the whole thing seem more realistic while still being magical.

Cinderella has been a huge success. It brags about being the “#1 Movie in the World!” In its first day it earned $7.1 million in America and $132 million globally. We can proudly say we added to that sum.

Most important, this movie taught valuable life lessons. It went beyond the classic “damsel in distress” to show that Cinderella was rewarded not just because she really wanted it, but because she was a good person. She constantly remembered her mantra, “Have courage and be kind.”