I'm actually looking forward to watching this a little more than I did when I had to watch Maleficent. This remake may not live up to the standards of the original but personally it's always been enjoyable to watch.

Tonight's rewatch: Cinderella
Last time watched: 2017-2018

How much did I like this movie as a kid?
The first time I watched Cinderella I did like it and there were some changes I liked but then there were some changes I really had to question. Even with the problems I have with this movie I still like to watch it every now and then.

How much of this movie have I forgotten:

Since the last time I watched this movie wasn't that long ago there isn't much to forget. Except how...smiley Ella was. Like, okay, in the original Cinderella did smile and was always kind but Lily James in this smiled even during times that people normally wouldn't smile at, like when Lady Tremaine told Ella to have dresses commissioned for herself (Lady Tremaine) and the stepsisters or when she was locked up in the attic she sang and danced around. It's one thing to have courage and be kind, it's another thing to have her smile during her abuse. At least when Ella is smiling at little while talking to Farmer John after hearing about her father passing away it's more realistic because that's her trying to put on a brave face for him which is normal for a lot of people when they're grieving.

Oh, and I keep forgetting that Hayley Atwell, aka, Peggy frigging Carter played Ella's mother. I could not recognize her with blonde hair. And now that I've finally started Game of Thrones I have to say it's funny to see Robb Stark in this movie.

Old vs New:

For one thing I loved that we got to see Ella with parents and see her relationship with them. Other than the beginning of the movie Cinderella's parents are barely brought up in the original. In fact, there's a deleted scene that is really sad but I wish was kept in the movie; after Ella's father passes away Lady Tremaine has her pack up all his belongings and then sells off not only all of his things, but Ella's things as well. The only thing Ella was able to keep was the gift he gave her when she was a child. It would have made the movie a little longer but it was still a very nice scene and very emotional.

As interesting as it was to have Ella's father stay alive until she was older it didn't make sense to have her get her stepfamily when she's older and only endure their abuse for a short while. In the original she was abused for years and for abuse victims who have to live with it for years it makes it harder to leave home or get help. In the remake she only has to live with it for maybe a few months and then the excuse for why she doesn't leave is because she doesn't want to leave her family's home but then is more than happy to leave at the end of the movie.

Lucifer and the mice didn't have much of a point in being in this movie either. At least in the movie they had several scenes together and separated but in this, they're just...there. In my favorite Cinderella remake, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella starring Brandi and Whitney Houston, there's no cat but there are mice but they're just blink and miss, only appearing in one musical number and then again when Fairy Godmother makes them into horses so they at least aren't 100% useless. The mice and the cats could have been left out of this movie and there wouldn't have been much difference. Also, why was Jaq randomly changed into a female mouse?

I liked Lady Tremaine in the remake but not as much as the original and there's some things she does that to this day I still don't understand. Like when Ella and her father are talking the night before he had to leave and Lady Tremaine hears them talking she loses her smile and looks upset. And I have mixed feelings about her story about losing her husband and then losing another and then having to look at the reminder (Ella) every day. On one hand, nice delivery and it humanizes her a little but on the other hand it's so unnecessary. In the original Lady Tremaine didn't need a real reason to treat CInderella so poorly. I'm also disappointed that she wasn't as manipulative as the original Lady Tremaine. That's one of the reasons why loved Lady Tremaine in the original so much.

I liked that Ella and Kit had met before the ball, it was a cute scene and the deer hunting scene was something that was planned for the original (though it would have been different), the same with him meeting her again at the end to give her slipper back. I wondered how the original movie would have been if those scenes were added so it's nice to see them in this movie. After only watching the original and Cinderella II: Dreams Come True I'm so disappointed that the prince didn't have much screentime so I'm so glad we get to see more of him in the remake and get to know him better.

And I'm glad we got to see Kit with the King since in the original we never saw them together, only in the sequels. Again, I have mixed feelings about the changes for the King. I thought the King in the original was funny but I like how the King is in the remake. The same with the Grand Duke suddenly being a villain; I thought he was funny in the original but I liked the added threat in this movie.

I defintely wished that Ella didn't have human friends in this movie. Harsh, yes, but since she had friends it just makes the audience ask, "Why doesn't she leave? Why doesn't she find help?"

The dress being torn up could have been much better, too. In the original both the sisters went at her like wolves and it was more traumatic and upsetting. In the remake only a few parts of the dress were torn and it felt rushed. I could barely shed a tear watching her dress be torn in the remake.

I actually loved Helena Bonham Carter's portayal of the Fairy Godmother. She was more silly in this one but she looked fantastic and her silliness didn't feel forced like the fairies' "silliness" was in Maleficent.

The dress transformation, while pretty, was not as nice as the original. It probably would have been better if Lily James' spinning didn't look awkward.

As much as I liked her scene with Mr. Lizard before she went inside, it probably would have been much sweeter if we saw her with the lizards and the goose instead of just the mice. The original Cinderella had a loving relationship with all the animals we see in the movie, in the remake we only saw her with the mice and only a short scene at the begining with the goose.

I'm disappointed that the chase scene in the remake was more silly than intense like the first movie was. That was one of my favorite scenes in the original. And I'm even more disappointed that the reveal that the glass slipper was still there was taken out, that was another favorite scene of mine.

I still question Ella's decision to randomly sing and twirl around in the attic when she's locked up there instead of opening the window and asking for help. Instead the mice had to do the work for her. Jaq, Gus, and the other mice and birds did help her in the original but it's not like Cinderella relied on them to help her with the simplest tasks such as opening the window.

I'm still sad that Ella couldn't pull her slipper out of her pocket and say, "I have the other slipper!" but I thought it was interesting and intrigued that the slippers' roles were reversed.

But I'm still so angry that Ella forgave her stepfamily for what they did, especially after what Lady Tremaine did.

Movie:
Even with the differences between this movie and the original and as much as I hate how this movie used "have courage and be kind" in a way that had a woman let herself be a walking doormat, this is still one of my favorite remakes. The characters, original and new, are all interesting (except the mice and Lucifer) and this movie had enough changes in it that I was actually worried about what would happen next unlike the remakes that are made to be exactly like the original.

Rating: 7/10

How much has my opinion changed?
It's the same, I love this movie even with some of its frustrating flaws but at least they aren't as frustrating as Maleficent and Beauty and the Beast.

Would I watch it again?
Yes!

Next movie will be Frozen!