Ella Enchanted, based upon the novel by Gail Carson Levine and screenplay by Laurie Craig, is the Cinderella tale of Ella of Frell (Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries (Special Edition)), a girl cursed by wayward fairy Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox) with the "gift" of obedience. Ella must obey every command given her, which puts her at increasing risk as her stepsisters quickly deduce and exploit her vulnerability. Ella runs into Prince Charmant (Hugh Dancy, Blood & Chocolate), and goes on a quest to help several magical creatures and to find Lucinda and make her remove the curse.



The CGI elements felt outdated, more on par with a made-for-TV special than a feature film (of course, after The Shrek Trilogy (Shrek / Shrek 2 / Shrek the Third) (Full Screen Edition) raised the bar, it takes a lot to compete). The CGI snake kept reminding me of Sir Hiss in Robin Hood (Most Wanted Edition), with less charm. The odd visual mashup of CGI and sets felt jarring. The humor and visual gags felt lowbrow and flat.



The film had a promising premise and a strong cast, including Anne Hathaway, Vivica Fox, Cary Elwes (a far cry here from his breakout role in The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition)), and Eric Idle, but the film feels like it's pulling in several directions and can't make up its mind. At times, it tries to please preteens with the dreamy Prince Charmant and magical creatures. There are also dashes of adult humor thrown in, notably several Monty Python references. Several song-and-dance numbers also flit in and out, as do chases and action sequences. The musical numbers felt flat, including Darren Hayes' Strange Magic, played over the opening credits.



Overall, this was an adaptation where too many cooks spoiled the broth. Ella Enchanted wanted to be a hip, happening update on Fractured Fairytales like Shrek and The Princess Bride, but doesn't have a clear picture of what it wants to be or where it wants to go. This may amuse young viewers, but for older kids and teens, there are numerous fairy tale updates that are far more entertaining.