Has anyone seen Cinderella?

[GoBlue]

And is it appropriate for a 6 year old?

We are huge Disney fans, and my 6 year old saw the Cinderella preview a few weeks ago, now really wants to see it. I am unsure from what I saw whether it is appropriate, and whether it will hold her attention.

I'd appreciate info from anyone who has seen it.

Thanks!

[Mopey]

I haven't but my 4 and 2.5 year old nieces went with their mom and their reviews were great!! They loved it. Even went in their dress up dresses - so cute!

[Indianamom2]

I took DD (10) to see last Friday night. We both really enjoyed it. I will always love the animated Disney version, so I was prepared to not love it, but it's different enough that it kept my attention and had some nice parts. I particularly liked Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother....I thought she was an odd choice, but it worked. I see no reason why a 6 year old wouldn't like it.

[TwinFoxes]

I went with my two six year olds, they loved it. Our five year old friend announced in the beginning it was "boooooring" but it was backstory. :) Only concern I could see is if your 6yo doesn't do well with death. Cinderella's. Mom, dad, and the prince's father all die after we've gotten to see them.

[wellyes]

I went with 11 girls aged 4-7 last weekend at a birthday party. They all, universally, absolutely loved it.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed it as well. It was just delightful. A great story with lots of beauty and magic and humor.

I really liked several of the modernizations to the film, including having a couple of notable characters being non-white, and a de-emphasis on Cinderella's beauty. The actresses playing the stepsisters are relatively plain compared to the Cinderella actress (and Cate Blanchett!), but there was a line in the film that was something like "They were as ugly on the inside as they were fair on the outside". Nicely done.

The only warning I have is that 3 parents die (2 have deathbed scenes) in the film. When Cinderella's mother dies, a few of the kids, and ALL of the adults, were crying. My daughter cried. But it was a satisfying, well done dramatic scene, not a gut-wrenching shock, and I think it's fine even for younger kids. BUT, it would obviously be a trigger for kids who lost a parent or have a sick parent.

[MMMommy]

I took DDs (ages 11 and almost 10) to see it over the weekend, and we all liked it. I think it was well done--good acting, beautiful costumes and great cinematography. I think it would be appropriate for a 6 year old and would not hesitate to take my daughters if they were 6. However, like PPs mentioned, there were 3 deaths in the film.

I think the fact that it wasn't a musical made me like it even more. :wink2:

[HannaAddict]

My five year old was fine. He wasn't as into it as his sister but it was totally appropriate.

[KrystalS]

How about for boys? DD really wants to see it but I don't have a sitter for DS. He loves movies and going to the theater but being a princess movie not sure he will like it

[lkoala]

And is it appropriate for a 6 year old?

We are huge Disney fans, and my 6 year old saw the Cinderella preview a few weeks ago, now really wants to see it. I am unsure from what I saw whether it is appropriate, and whether it will hold her attention.

I'd appreciate info from anyone who has seen it.

Thanks!

Other than the horrible acting from everyone (including Cate Blanchett - who I usually like) and all the parents dying, it was ok. We had a 4 year old with us and she did just fine and it did hold her attention.

Frozen Fever is also pretty fun...

[HannaAddict]

Other than the horrible acting from everyone (including Cate Blanchett - who I usually like) and all the parents dying, it was ok. We had a 4 year old with us and she did just fine and it did hold her attention.

Frozen Fever is also pretty fun...

It was a fairy tale and deliberately "cartoonish" and overwrought so didn't think it was horrible, just in case someone is scared off!

[wellyes]

How about for boys? DD really wants to see it but I don't have a sitter for DS. He loves movies and going to the theater but being a princess movie not sure he will like it

It's not a princess movie, it's a coming of age story about a girl who has to overcome adversity.
There are funny parts I'm sure he'll like, especially the fairy godmother and animals (goose, mice,lizards...)
There is a fencing scene and some court intrigue. The is a hunting scene with a big stag.
The prince is one of the more fleshed -out characters and there is a bit of talk about what he's learned from his father about ruling and responsibility. The father-son relationship he has with the king is really as important as the stuff between Cinderella and her mother, really, and is quite moving.

I don't think the acting was bad at all.

[Indianamom2]

I thought several times that Cate Blanchett (who I don't really have an opinion about in general) played the part well....but I distinctly remember thinking that she would have made an excellent Cruella da Ville.

[buddyleebaby]

I thought it was very well done. My girls (8 and 9) thought it was a little slow.

On a side note, my 8 year old asked if Disney was trying to show us all how germs spread after watching Frozen Fever.

[sariana]

10-year-old DS and 7-year-old DD both liked/loved it. They went with their grandmother though, not me, so I can't give a personal opinion.

[wendibird22]

I took DD2 who is five to see it. She liked it though I do think she got a bit bored. There's not a lot of action or humor to the story and no singing.

[twowhat?]

Thanks for posting, OP! And thanks, PPs on detailing the sensitive parts.

I thought it would be a little dark based on the first previews that come out but it sounds like something my kids could manage! Now I want to go see it!

[TwinFoxes]

It was a fairy tale and deliberately "cartoonish" and overwrought so didn't think it was horrible, just in case someone is scared off!

:yeahthat: I would describe it as a style of acting, rather than bad acting. They didn't play it straight, but it would be weird, and not very appealing to kids, if they had.

I had had no idea that Kenneth Brannagh directed until I was in the theatre. His affair with Helena Bonham Carter broke up his marriage with Emma Thompson, so that was interesting to the Anglophile celeb watcher in me. ;)

[MMMommy]

I didn't think the acting was bad at all! I thought it was quite good acting and full of humor! I liked it WAY better than Maleficent.

[bw52]

Do the death scenes happen in the first 10 minutes? Or are they unavoidable? My girls want to see it, but wouldn't do well with that. We could come in 10 minutes late though if it meant missing that.

[citymama]

I'm taking DD1 (9) and DD2 (4.5) this weekend - I was wondering about that too. Common sense media says ok for 6 and up. I'm a but nervous about the deaths and the mean words.

[magnoliaparadise]

Do the death scenes happen in the first 10 minutes? Or are they unavoidable? My girls want to see it, but wouldn't do well with that. We could come in 10 minutes late though if it meant missing that.

Yeah, my 7 year old will not do well with that (my 3 yo won't care because she doesn't really 'get' it). I was also wondering how close it was toward the beginning. I think even if at the beginning, it would be pretty hard (at least for my kids) to walk in after the show started, though. Dark theatre, people not wanting to be disturbed - a recipe for disaster for us!

[buddyleebaby]

Her mother's death is at the beginning of the film and her father's (which we don't see but only hear about) a little after that. The King doesn't die until much later in the film.

[wellyes]

Do the death scenes happen in the first 10 minutes? Or are they unavoidable? My girls want to see it, but wouldn't do well with that. We could come in 10 minutes late though if it meant missing that.

You know, I wouldn't have thought my daughter would be OK with it. She had to leave Paddington before the end because it was too intense / scary, for goodness sake. But she was fine here.

Cinderella is a fairy tale, and it helps that all the kids will know the beat of the story before it happens. There are no surprises in the film emotionally.

I wouldn't skip the first 10 minutes.....

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS


Prior to the mother's death, they set up Cinderella's character and her incredibly close and happy relationship with her father.
The mother-daughter scenes are also just so joyful and physically beautiful..... I wouldn't want to skip them and start straight at mourning, then meeting the stepmother.
The death is treated with a great deal of discretion. She's fine, she looks woozy, she's lying in bed but perfectly herself: not sickly, just sad
Her father dies off screen.
The king dies late in the film, there is a very sad shot of the prince lying curled up next to him in bed. He was old and they established in several prior scenes that he was prepared to hand over his kindgom.

Both death scenes are mostly parents telling their children how proud they are of them.

[twowhat?]

Thanks for the spoilers, wellyes...it helps a lot. I was starting to get worried about the death scenes but the way you describe them, it sounds manageable for my kids. Especially if the most emotional one was at the very beginning and then the movie quickly keeps going (kind of like when the parents in Frozen die and during the scene where Anna sings to Elsa on the other side of the door...I wanted to cry!! But then the movie quickly moved on after that).

[lizzywednesday]

...
I really liked several of the modernizations to the film, including having a couple of notable characters being non-white, and a de-emphasis on Cinderella's beauty. The actresses playing the stepsisters are relatively plain compared to the Cinderella actress (and Cate Blanchett!), but there was a line in the film that was something like "They were as ugly on the inside as they were fair on the outside". Nicely done.

...

That sounds like it's a takeoff from the Grimms' version of the story - the stepmother & stepsisters are described there with a line (which I'm taking from Into the Woods) that runs "all three were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart." (I've always preferred Grimms' to Perrault's.)

[Mopey]

I had had no idea that Kenneth Brannagh directed until I was in the theatre. His affair with Helena Bonham Carter broke up his marriage with Emma Thompson, so that was interesting to the Anglophile celeb watcher in me. ;)

She totally won though - have you SEEN her hubby?! It's Willoughby! hahahahaha ;) http://dealbreaker.com/uploads/2015/02/arts-graphics-2006_1174565a.jpg

[lkoala]

It was a fairy tale and deliberately "cartoonish" and overwrought so didn't think it was horrible, just in case someone is scared off!

It felt like a B production... I don't think the casting was that great. It kinda felt like the actors were, for the most part, absent... like they were going through the motions.

Anyway, to each their own... I think the kids will like it but it is not something I plan on buying.

[HannaAddict]

It felt like a B production... I don't think the casting was that great. It kinda felt like the actors were, for the most part, absent... like they were going through the motions.

Anyway, to each their own... I think the kids will like it but it is not something I plan on buying.

I would never buy it! But didn't expect serious "acting" either.

[wellyes]

It felt like a B production... I don't think the casting was that great. It kinda felt like the actors were, for the most part, absent... like they were going through the motions.

Anyway, to each their own... I think the kids will like it but it is not something I plan on buying.

Can you give an example of the kind of acting you were expecting?

[TwinFoxes]

She totally won though - have you SEEN her hubby?! It's Willoughby! hahahahaha ;) http://dealbreaker.com/uploads/2015/02/arts-graphics-2006_1174565a.jpg

I know, right!

BTW, if you miss the first 10 minutes you'll miss the "Frozen" short. Which would not fly with my DDs.

[twowhat?]

The Frozen short was great and I really enjoyed the movie!!! Yeah, there did seem like a lot of deaths, DD2 kept asking me to confirm that all those people did in fact die, LOL. I thought the acting was fine, LOVED the Fairy Godmother, and the Prince! The death scenes were well done, definitely heartbreaking though. So be prepared to talk about it.

I actually liked the actress choice for Cinderella...she had just the right amount of naive wonder and when her belief in any touch of magic (from her conversation with her mother) was crushed, that was so so sad!! And I loved the "been there, done that" vibe that the Fairy Godmother gave off, like she was trying to remember exactly what she was supposed to do based on the original animation, so that was really fun for the adults.

DDs loved the whole Fairy Godmother scene, as well as when everything went back to normal at midnight (they managed to turn that scene into an exciting heart-pounder!). The dance with the Prince at the ball was a visual stunner too with that blue dress! In fact, all the costumes were amazing!

[elbenn]

She totally won though - have you SEEN her hubby?! It's Willoughby! hahahahaha ;) http://dealbreaker.com/uploads/2015/02/arts-graphics-2006_1174565a.jpg

I had no idea that Emma married Willoughby!