Ella Enchanted (2004)
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A girl cursed with the gift of obedience must find a way to break the spell before it ruins her life and the kingdom.
The story
In the kingdom of Frell, a misguided fairy godmother bestows the 'gift' of obedience upon newborn Ella, causing her to literally obey every command she is given. Years later, after her mother's warning to keep the secret, Ella faces a life of involuntary obedience. When her stepmother treats her poorly, Ella meets Prince 'Char' Charmont and is invited to his coronation ball. However, her stepsister Hattie discovers Ella's secret and uses it to humiliate her. Determined to regain her freedom, Ella resolves to find the fairy Lucinda to undo the spell, embarking on a journey that leads her to the neighboring land of Giantville.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After her mother's death, Ella lives under the thumb of her stepmother, Dame Olga. She meets Prince 'Char' Charmont and is invited to his ball, but her stepsister Hattie uses Ella's 'gift' of obedience to humiliate her. To break the spell, Ella travels to Giantville to find the fairy Lucinda. Along the way, she meets an elf named Slannen and joins forces with Prince Char. They learn of a conspiracy by Char's uncle, Sir Edgar, who intends to seize the throne. Edgar orders Ella to murder Char at the ball. Ella manages to escape his command by being chained to a tree by Slannen. When Lucinda refuses to break the spell immediately, Ella finds herself at the ball. In a moment of clarity, she commands herself to be free of the curse. A brawl ensues at the coronation where Edgar's plot is exposed, and he is incapacitated. Ella and Char are married, and the kingdom enters a new era of equality.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tommy O'Haver
- Writers
- Karen McCullah Lutz · screenplay; Kirsten Smith · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Anne Hathaway · Ella of Frell; Hugh Dancy · Prince "Char" Charmont; Cary Elwes · Sir Edgar; Vivica A. Fox · Lucinda Perriweather; Joanna Lumley · Dame Olga; Minnie Driver · Mandy; Jimi Mistry · Benny; Steve Coogan · Heston
- Genres
- musical; fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- self-determination; individual empowerment
- Tone and mood
- satire; fantasy
- Setting
- The kingdom of Frell and surrounding lands like Giantville.
- Premise and plot tags
- fairy tale; curse; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name
- Reception
- The film was a box-office bomb and received mixed critical reviews. It was criticized for its changes to the source material, but it has since become a popular cult classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 51% · scale: approval rating · review count: 115; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: out of 100 · review count: 30; CinemaScore · score: A- · scale: A+ to F scale
- Production trivia
- The film is a satire of the fairy tale genre.; Anne Hathaway performed her own singing in the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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