You may have seen the classic “Cinderella” tale, but this film gives the tale a whole new twist. The 2015 remake of Disney’s 1950 classic, Cinderella, was magically enchanting. It brings to life the fairy tale using actors, compared to its cartoon original, which gives the movie a more realistic feel and brings a deeper dimension to the movie that simply can’t be done with cartoons, let alone cartoons from the ’50s.

While there were some noticeable differences between the two versions, it mostly stayed true to the original by keeping the main plot, save for the fact that the traditional “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” was not used in Cinderella’s magical transformation. This phrase is essentially a staple of Cinderella after Disney popularized it with the ever-so-catchy song that goes along with it, and not including it in the new adaptation of the film just makes it seem like it’s missing something, but the movie was still good overall.

The movie begins with a back-story to Cinderella’s situation, with her happily living with her parents in their family home. All is perfect and blissful until her mother falls ill and dies, leaving just her and her father. Before her mother dies, she tells her to always “Have courage and be kind.” Time goes on for Ella and her father, and he decides to remarry, and weds a widow who will become her stepmother. Life is good for Ella until her father leaves for a business trip and never returns. This makes her stepmother even more bitter than she already is, and leads to Ella’s new nickname “Cinder”-ella, and her role as servant to her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella puts up with them for years until one day, she rides away from home in frustration, where she encounters the Prince in the forest. As all fairy tales and Disney movies go, the two fall in love at first sight, and after leaving without telling him her name, the Prince sets out to find his dream girl. He does this by throwing a ball in order to find the unnamed damsel, and the rest is history.

Unlike the original version, which was drawn in the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, the movie remake was shot in the countryside of southern England. The scenes shot in the forest and in the Royal Palace give the movie a more realistic feel than the original. Being able to see the openness of the fields and the forest, and the glamorous luxuriousness of the Royal Palace brings another level of depth to the movie that has been previously unseen in the original.

The choice of actors was also well-done, with all of the actors and actresses a fair representation of their characters. The title character, Cinderella, was played by the simplistically beautiful Lily James. The fittingly handsome Prince “Kit” Madden was played by Scottish actor Richard Madden. While both of these characters were played well, I have to give kudos to Helena Bonham Carter for her excellent portrayal of the quirky Fairy Godmother and Cate Blanchett, who remarkably executed the role of her polar opposite, the wicked stepmother.

All in all, I think the remake of the Disney original was exceptionally well-executed and stayed true to the original story, while adding a bit extra. I found the extra bits, such as the prequel as a good addition to the movie. The movie’s soundtrack also heightened the mood in certain scenes, adding another dimension to the film that couldn’t be capture in the original. Given that it is a remake of an original film, I give it 4.5 stars out of 5 due to its accuracy to the original, but it loses half a point because of the lack of the classic line, “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”. I would definitely recommend it to those die-hard Disney fans and those who love classic fairy tales. Be sure to get in on the magical experience and watch this during your next movie night!