Ella Enchanted (2004)

Ella is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact she must hide from her new step-family in order to protect the prince of the land, her friend for whom she's falling.

Director:

Tommy O'Haver

Writers:

Laurie Craig (screenplay), Karen McCullah Lutz (screenplay),

Stars:

Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Hathaway	...	Ella
Hugh Dancy	...	Char
Cary Elwes	...	Edgar
Aidan McArdle	...	Slannen
Joanna Lumley	...	Dame Olga
Lucy Punch	...	Hattie
Jennifer Higham	...	Olive
Minnie Driver	...	Mandy
Eric Idle	...	Narrator
Steve Coogan	...	Heston (voice)
Jimi Mistry	...	Benny
Vivica A. Fox	...	Lucinda
Parminder Nagra	...	Areida
Jim Carter	...	Nish
Patrick Bergin	...	Sir Peter

Storyline

Based on Gail Carson Levine's award winning novel, this is the story of Ella, a young woman who was given a "gift" of obedience by a fairy named Lucinda. Anything anyone tells her to do, she must obey. When her mother passes away, Ella is cared for by her thoughtless and greedy father who remarries a loathsome woman with two treacherous daughters. This modern-day, fantasy Cinderella features fairies, ogres and elves...as well as a hero in the guise of Prince Charmont, whom Ella falls in love with. Unlike Cinderella though, Ella must depend on herself and her intelligence to get her through her troubles and find Lucinda in order for her "curse" to be broken!

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Plot Keywords:

fairy | prince | ogre | cinderella | curse | 

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Taglines:

Get enchanted

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some crude humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Official Facebook

Country:

USA Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ella

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£107,730 (UK) (17 December 2004)

Gross:

£535,758 (UK) (31 December 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Jane Startz Productions, Blessington Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Hall of Mirrors scene was the most difficult to film due to the mirrors and the complexity of the camera angles.

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Goofs

When Char cuts Ella free from the ogre pot, she falls. In the next shot, she's still upright and he grabs her onto his horse.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Fairy tales tell, as their labels imply / Stories of magic, of creatures that fly / With giants and dragons and ogres and elves / And inanimate objects that speak for themselves / There's romance and danger and plotting of schemes / There's good guys and bad guys and some guys in-between / A fairy tale also reveals some sort of truth / The perils of choices we make in our youth./ But our story today is different in theme./ For our hero had no choice or so it would seem./ It starts ...

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Crazy Credits

The cityscape of the Miramax logo dissolves into the cityscape of the medieval city in the movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Greek: Let's Make a Deal (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Crazy"
Written by Willie Nelson
Produced and Arranged by Shaun Davey

User Reviews

Surprisingly cute

It seems that many, many commentators disliked this movie because it wasn't at all like the book. Fair enough, I suppose, but movies seldom are. In any case, I haven't read that book, and was blissfully unaware that this film was supposedly adapted from one. I found it surprisingly cute. Many of the campy things hit the mark, like the "medeival modern" anachronistic setting, reminiscent of The Flintstones cartoon wherein it was filled with modern things constructed from prehistoric materials; and the modern songs transposed to the time setting herein. That last was a bit like Moulin Rouge, which annoyed me at first, but then grew on me. I don't believe that I've seen this Anne Hathaway before, but she is intriguing. Her vivacity and wide smile remind me a bit of Julia Roberts. Can't say that I was much impressed with Hugh Dancy or Aiden McArdle. Minnie Driver was most charming as the incompetent fairy, and Vivica Fox was quite amusing as the lush fairy. It's too bad that Parminder Nagra's part was so small, as she always lights up a screen. And Cary Elwes couldn't hide his amusement with the material as he munched on the scenery. I say check this out, if you aren't going to throw a fit over the book.