Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted is an award-winning book written by Gail Carson Levine and published in 1997. The book was the basis for the American movie of the same name released April 9, 2004 directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy. The movie is a modern remake of the story of Cinderella but adds some plot elements, removes others, and drastically changes the mystical creatures (including elves, ogres, and giants).

Plot outline (movie)

Shortly after her birth, Ella (Hathaway) is granted the "gift" of obedience by a fairy named Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox). She now is forced to obey anything and everything anybody tells her to do. Several years later, Ella's mother passes away, and she is left with her father who, in need of money, remarries a wealthy socialite. His snobbish new wife and her two spoiled daughters treat Ella poorly. The oldest daughter soon figures out Ella's "gift" and takes advantage of it. (In the book, the older step-sister takes advantage of Ella's obedience but does not figure out that Ella is incapable of disobedience.) Ella cannot bear to live under the obedience spell any longer and sets out to find Lucinda in hopes of getting her to remove the spell. (In the book, Ella's father sends her to finishing school, which was cut out of the movie entirely and replaced with a scene at an anachronistic community college in the beginning of the story.)

Related Topics:
Fairy - Vivica A. Fox - Finishing school - Community college

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Ella soon runs into trouble with a group of ogres but is rescued by Prince Charmont (Dancy), the heir to the kingdom of Frell. Ella and the Prince go to his palace so Ella may search the Hall of Records for Lucinda and the Prince may attend his coronation. (This middle section is very different from the book, in which Ella finds Lucinda quite unintentionally at a Giant wedding she attends after running away from finishing school, and Prince Char's father is alive and well and has no brother out to steal the throne.) On the trip back, Ella and Prince Charmont fall in love.

Related Topics:
Ogre - Coronation

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At the palace, Ella's "gift" is soon brought to the attention of Sir Edgar (a character who does not exist in the book, played by Cary Elwes in the movie), the Prince's uncle and the regent of Frell until Char's coronation, by Ella's stepsisters. Edgar assumed the throne after the death of the Prince's father, whom Edgar had secretly killed. He does not wish to relinquish the throne to Prince Charmont, so he orders Ella to stab the Prince when they are alone and also orders her not to tell anyone of his plan. With no help from Lucinda (who learns the folly of her ways in the book, but not in the movie), Ella must figure out a way out of her curse and to save the Prince from his uncle's treachery.

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