How Camila Cabello's 'Cinderella' reinvents the Disney classic to get a happy ending
‘Cinderella’ is one of those fairy tales that have been adapted for big or small screens on numerous occasions. In reality, there have been thousands of variants of folk tales throughout the world. However, most of the adaptations are based on Charles Perrault’s version of the story and it was Walt Disney who made the fairy tale popular after the release of the 1950 animated movie ‘Cinderella’.
Over the years, the story of ‘Cinderella’ has been about a girl who’s been really unhappy with her life because of her evil stepmother who is overburdened with chores and other duties. Her step-sisters also mock her and make her life miserable by constantly making fun of her. However, everything changes when a Fairy Godmother comes to her rescue and changes her life forever. The upcoming version of ‘Cinderella’ is also based on these lines, but there are many differences in the way they are being told.
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Amazon Studios’ ‘Cinderella’ will star Camila Cabello as the titular star and she will be looking to meet her prince charming as well. But, she is not just thinking about marrying a prince, she wants much more from her life. So, let’s take a look at what is Kay Cannon’s version of ‘Cinderella’ is doing differently than the previous versions of the folk tale.
First Hispanic actress to play ‘Cinderella’ in a movie
Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello is making history by being the first Hispanic actress to play the famous princess in a live-action movie. Overall, she is the second Latina to play the role. In 2017, Dania Ramirez became the first actress from the Latino community to play the princess on the TV show ‘Once Upon a Time’. However, the show could only manage to reach a specific number of people. But due to Amazon Prime Video’s global outreach, Cabello’s version is bigger than anything we have ever seen before.
Cabello knows the importance of this achievement and recently opened about it. In a recent interview, the singing sensation said that no one has ever seen that kind of representation and it was “an honor” for her to don that costume and play such an iconic character.
Genderless Fairy godmother
In 1997, Whitney Houston stunned the world with her version of fairy godmother and there have been many iconic names in the past that have played the role as well. But, there has been never a “genderless” fairy godmother. A lot of people might be thinking if I am in my senses or not, but it’s true. The Amazon’s version of the fairy godmother is “genderless” and is played by the ever-so-charming Billy Porter.
This will be the first time in history that a fairy godmother will not be an old woman trying to give Cinderella a chance to live her life for a brief amount of time. Porter is the first man to hold the role in a mainstream adaptation of the tale and is called “Fab G” in the film. Talking about his role in an interview, the actor said that this generation is ready for such stories and it is a pleasure to play this role.
“It hit me when I was on the set last week, how profound it is that I am playing the Fairy Godmother — they call it the Fab G,” Porter said.
In other words, the makers and the actor want to tell the world that magic has no gender.
Cinderella has career aspirations
Now, this is the part where the story will connect with the young girls. Every girl wants to have a good and amazing life. However, they also want to lead their life on their own terms. Young girls are intelligent enough to choose which career they want to pursue and what kind of life they want to lead. Girls from the current generation are not sitting at homes, waiting for some prince charming to come and rescue them. This is what Cabello and director Kay Cannon wanted to show with this movie.
Cabello’s version wants to have a better life and she also wants to have an amazing career in fashion designing as well. The character will be shown in the movie-making some really exquisite gowns, which will give us an idea of how badly she wants to break shackles and become what she always wanted to be.
Kay Cannon, director of the movie, recently revealed that her version of the character is not just a “pretty face” waiting to be rescued by a prince, she has dreams, aspirations and wants to become something biggest than society had intended. She added, “Our Cinderella is not just a pretty face waiting to be saved by a prince. She is expressive, active, resourceful, and fearless; she has dreams and wants to be independent. Her top priority is her career, in an age when women couldn‘t have one. Our Cinderella is someone parents can see their children look up to in a new way.”
Prince Robert reluctant to be the King
In earlier versions of the story, we have seen that Prince Robert is an expert swordsman and has a charming personality. His father wants him to marry a girl and give him grandchildren. Also, he is confident enough to take his father’s throne after his demise. However, the latest version is a bit different than the rest. Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine) is charming but reluctant to be a King. He doesn’t want to lead the kingdom and wants to have a career. Additionally, he wants to lead a life that’s not filled with difficult decisions and has a lot of consequences. He just wants to be with his group of guys and achieve his dreams of becoming a successful man.
On the other hand, he is ready to give up being the king so that he could spend his life with Ella.
With these major changes to the iconic ‘Cinderella’ story, the makers and the actors will be hoping to give viewers something fresh that could be fondly remembered in the future as well.
‘Cinderella’ will be premiering exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, September 2021.