I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Disney’s new live-action version of Cinderella, and I even had some doubts about how it might turn out (and I am definitely not the doubting sort).  With Maleficent, it was clear from the outset that we would be seeing a familiar tale retold from the villain’s point of view, and this focus allowed the cast and crew to breathe new life into a well-known story.  Cinderella, on the other hand, presented itself as a straight-forward adaptation, and I was worried that it would either feel dull or unnecessary as a result, with nothing new to bring to the conversation.  (In the spirit of full disclosure, Cinderella was always my least favorite of the classic Disney princess films.)  Could Cinderella find a way to be engaging and feel fresh despite its old-fashioned approach?  In the end I was wrong to doubt, because Cinderella succeeds not in spite of its old-fashioned approach, but because of it.

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