Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy and Minnie Driver star in the movie, Ella Enchanted. Check out Kidzworlds review of the newly released DVD.
When little Ella from Frell is born, she is given a gift from her fairy godmother. Most fairy godmothers give gifts that make their godchildrens' lives easier - but Lucinda isn't an ordinary fairy godmother. Her gift of obedience ensures that Ella will do absolutely anything she's ever told - which can get her into more trouble than you would think! Find out if Ella Enchanted is a magical movie or a fairy tale flop!
Ella Enchanted - The Story
As Ella grows up, she is faced time and time again with tricky situations that she can't get out of. Just think of all the times that your mom told you to, "eat your vegetables right now." If Ella's mom said that, she'd have no choice but to munch those veggies down right away. Luckily, as Ella grows up, the only people who know of the curse are her mom and her house fairy, Mandy. But, it's when Ella's mom dies and her dad remarries (you knew there would be an evil step-mother and demanding step-sisters, didn't you?) that things start to get messy. Sure, the Prince of Lamia is totally in love with Ella but there's not a lot of hope for a happily-ever-after-ending when her wicked step-sister finds out about the curse and plots to get the Prince for herself.
Ella Enchanted - Magical Moments
Ella figures the only way to ever lead a normal life is to find her godmother and make her take her gift of obedience back. On her journey, Ella meets some pretty cool friends. A few ogres, an elf who wants to be a lawyer and a man who's been trapped inside a book for 20 years all tag along to help Ella out. There are great villains, even better heroes and a story that puts a great twist on an old classic. Ella Enchanted has a real Shrek vibe to it with all the goofy characters and fun settings - it's definitely a flick that'll keep you amused.
Ella Enchanted - The Curse
The only thing that might have you cringing about Ella Enchanted is that it's another fairy tale movie. There have been a lot of these flicks lately and you might be tempted to skip this one over, but even if you're getting tired of the prince and princess genre, this movie is one that everyone will enjoy. Ella Enchanted may not be historically accurate (pretty sure they didn't have a magazine called Medieval Teen back then), but it's a really playful movie that the whole family can enjoy.
Ella Enchanted - DVD Features
Watch the movie all the way through, and then watch it again with commentary from Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy and director Tommy O'Haver. It's pretty cool to hear what the stars of the flick think about the final product or what they were thinking as they were filming. The Ella Enchanted DVD also includes a ton of deleted scenes, a music video and an interactive game where you get to be a part of Prince Char's official fan club. All these extras will keep you occupied for hours - perfect for a rainy fall afternoon.
Ella Enchanted - Bottom Line
Ella Enchanted puts an interesting twist on an old classic which definitely makes it a must-see. Unless you're DVD collection is already saturated with fairy tale flicks, you'll probably want to grab Ella Enchanted to have at home. The features alone make this a worthwhile purchase!
