I’ve watched Cinderella (2015) at least five times, and I can confidently say that it’s my comfort movie. Firstly, the movie is beautiful. Cinderella’s ball gown is my favorite live-action dress I’ve seen from Disney, possibly from any company. The dress is a striking shade of blue, distinguishing it from its animated counterpart. The tulle layers are so elaborate, and I love the iridescent butterfly details on the bodice. The dress just screams “princess.” Of course, the legendary glass slippers are perfect as well. I got the chance to see them in person during a special Disney movie exhibit at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, and they are just as sparkly as they look on-screen. Without fail, I’m enchanted every time I watch Cinderella’s transformation scene with her fairy godmother. Her original dress, ripped up by her stepmother and stepsisters, blooms like a flower into a beautiful ball gown as Cinderella twirls around. It’s one of those moments that fills you with childlike wonder and makes you want to believe in magic. All the costumes are gorgeous though, and the sets are immaculate.
Second, the 2015 version of Cinderella enhances the story from the original animated film. One of my pet peeves with live-action remakes of animated movies is that they don’t add anything to the original. One example of an improvement this version makes is that it introduces us to Ella’s mother, providing a backstory for Ella’s strong morals. There is also more backstory and motivation for Ella’s stepmother, but she is still as wicked as a villain should be. Notably, this version adds scenes to make the love story between Ella and the prince more believable. They connect over shared values rather than just looks, as it seems in the original fairy tale. Similarly, I appreciate that Ella’s stepsisters are beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. This detail goes against the traditional fairy tale rule of beauty equating to kindness and ugliness equating to wickedness.
Cinderella (2015) has all the emotional elements of a classic comfort movie in my opinion. This film makes you laugh, smile, tear up, and wraps everything up with a happy ending. When there’s doom and gloom in the world, the film reminds me that courage and kindness pay off in the end. It always makes me feel better in tough times. I encourage anyone who needs a comfort movie to watch Cinderella (2015).