Disney’s third full-length trailer for Cinderella has it all: Glass slippers, evil stepmothers and a dashing prince charming in the form of Game of Thrones star Richard Madden. But the studio also attached a message that underpins all of the footage, teasing that there is “more to the legend than you ever dreamed.”
With Downtown Abbey‘s Lily James in the title role, Disney’s live-action retelling will deviate from the established lore in a variety of ways. For one, as the trailer above attests, Cate Blanchett’s evil stepmother will play a much more prominent role in this modern release, influencing our budding heroine beyond preventing her from attending the fabled ball.
Speaking of which, it is Helena Bonham Carter’s Fairy Godmother who will transform Cinderella from rags to riches, bestowing her with a proverbial golden ticket to take part in the event regardless of what her close family think. Rounding out the cast for Disney’s upcoming visual delight are Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgård and Holliday Grainge.
The studio’s reimagined Cinderella will trot into theaters in time for March 13, where it will open with hotly-anticipated animated short, Frozen Fever. For now, you can let us know if you’re excited for the live-action retelling down below.
The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella whose merchant father remarries following the tragic death of her mother. Keen to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drisella into the family home. But, when Ella’s father suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope.
Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who abuse her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods.