Ella Enchanted (2004) triggers my bookworm baggage

[@allyspock]

"the elves are barred by law from any profession other than entertainment" so what you're saying is they're... BARD by law

[@Jemini4228]

I see what you did there XD

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

This is the best joke in this comment section.

[@RedSpade37]

I need a Cleric! For I am *deceased*!

[@xxDeeMmmVeexx]

I totally read this as bird law in Charlie Days voice until I reread and still chuckled at what you did there.

[@meimei51793]

😂👏👏

[@Charliebeth]

Let's not forget how Lucinda came to realize that her gift of obedience was a curse but was unable to do anything because she gave up her magic... Forcing Ella to ultimately break her own curse.

[@wimsylogic65]

Yeah instead of just being Being a alcoholic fairy Who's often under the influence while flying.

[@RilianSharp]

she only vowed to no longer do big magic and said that removing the curse would also be big magic.

[@eveedanielle]

I mostly missed her language ability in the film. It meant that all her wins felt so earned, as her abilities were made by practice, making friends and curiosity, not because of curse given skills. It felt tangible to me, as something that I could relate and aspire to.

[@Jemini4228]

I think Ella joking about giving the orders now is very tongue in cheek and is flirtatious teasing rather than a serious life direction she's choosing.

[@leerylynx]

Yeah, I think so too. I've watched the movie several times and never got the impression that after breaking the curse Ella will be bossing around everyone else.

[@Cdr2002]

She’s a top now lmao

[@Kyra_Blackwood]

I think that's probably the intended meaning of it by the writers, but thematically (especially combined with the breaking of the curse by giving herself an order) it can also suggest that the cure for one's oppression is to simply become the oppressor yourself. Again, it's probably not the writers' intent, but it's a perfectly valid reading of the themes to be a little icked by the messaging, purposeful or not. And let's be clear, I absolutely *loved* (and kinda still do love) the drama of that moment in the movie when she orders her reflection not to obey, it's cinematic *gold*. But when the rest of the film's messaging about racism/oppression is so ... painfully reductive ... it's absolutely right to criticize it as potentially contributing to the same mishandling of the theme.

[@williammiller3277]

I think the expression of concern at the end of this video was very tongue in cheek, but ya know . . . Shrugs . . .

[@steffi1833]

I think char saying “that wasn’t an order” before he knew about the curse had to do with him being a prince who could order people around like him saying even tho he’s sort of in a position of power over her she can do what she wants?

[@megarakadmea]

Underrated character moment

[@RilianSharp]

in the movie when she breaks the curse by giving herself a command in the mirror, you don't *have* to interpret it as "she literally could have looked in the mirror at any point in the past 20 years and solved the curse". it could just be how she, in the moment, expressed how her love for char was able to overcome the curse.

[@moonlighthowling666]

I saw the movie before I read the book, and I remember liking the book a lot more but I never hated the movie. There was a part of the book that always stuck with me was how Ella always wanted to make Char laugh and that was the kind of energy I always wanted to bring to my romantic relationships ever since.

[@yltraviole]

Making someone you like laugh is truly one of life's greatest pleasures

[@beanbagbooks]

I think one reason the movie disappointed me (though I did enjoy it and was probably a little too harsh on it) was that this element of Ella and Char's relationship just wasn't there. I loved that in this pairing the girl is the funny one who makes the guy laugh, which is a role reversal that's rare even today and meant a lot to me as a girl who loved telling jokes and the people who laughed at them. The movie makes Ella the more serious one (a little of her sarcasm is retained, but in an antagonistic rather than a playful fashion). Honestly, Anne Hathaway is just playing Princess Mia over again, and I love Princess Mia, but I didn't want her here; I wanted Ella, and I didn't get her, and that's why I was disappointed.

[@moonlighthowling666]

@@beanbagbooks I never really thought about that but you're totally right about media never really depicting girls as the funny ones In romantic relationships. It goes back to how society doesn't treat women like they can be funny.

[@beanbagbooks]

@@moonlighthowling666 100 percent! I once saw a study which focused on humor in hetero romantic relationships, and in general, women wanted funny partners, but men wanted partners who thought they were funny. The men rated funny women as less attractive. I think it's starting to get a bit better now than it was in the 90s, but most of the time when you DO see a woman lead who's funny in a rom com, she's more kooky in a sincere way that presents as humorous, rather than crafting funny lines on purpose. Ella was so far ahead of her time.

[@onemillionpercent]

what i pull from this is that i should read the book, i really enjoyed the movie

[@chibipandora]

This review made me realize my biggest issue with this movie. And this is coming from someone who still has a vivid memory of finishing the book on a snow day and crying with a more deeply complex mix of feelings than I'd likely experienced up that that point. ... It's the costuming. I f*ing hate the costuming.

[@annelooney1090]

The female giant has maybe the worst costume of all, I'd forgotten how bad that was.

[@reesesbeanses]

The costuming looks like a Disney Channel renaissance faire

[@wimsylogic65]

@@reesesbeanses Oh my God great description yep. Core what about the nonchalant way that magic is being used when it's supposed to be a hidden almost secret thing. The oakers look like blue fat plumbers completely blow my crack. Where's the matted Fur where's the cakeed on blood where is the magically convincing honey's sweet words that convince you to let yourself be eaten.

[@raeanna451]

Yeah the costuming and the over the top parallels to real world politics are the two major ones that pop out to me.

[@cariwhyte]

omgg the costuming is one of my favorite parts likee it's so quintessential early 2000s cheese

[@Jemini4228]

To the point about Arieda, I always assumed that she knew or quickly worked out Ella was being forced to say those horrible things by her stepfamily on account of how visibly upset she was when speaking and how well they knew each other. While Arieda may have not known about the curse she was aware of what a hold they had on her for whatever reason. I like to think Ella explained to her off screen and Arieda had a "well now it all makes sense actually" moment before a big sister hug and Ella asking her to be maid of honour.

[@rusted_ursa]

There's nothing in the text that disagrees with your interpretation. But there is something wrong with the fact that this character who experiences racist oppression is not given the dignity of having her feelings put on screen. It says a lot about who the filmmakers presume their audience is able to relate to.

[@Jemini4228]

Absolutely the film could have benefited massively from that.

[@littlered6340]

@@rusted_ursa Agreed. They clearly didn't think their movie was going to be / meant to be seen by PoC, was my original thought.

[@tananario]

Sure, Jan.

[@DearxMyxSongs]

@Jemini4228 that was my reading of the movie as well at the time (I was 13/14), but now looking back it’s really weird that they didn’t do at least a comedic moment (given the nature of the film) of Ella explaining it to her in like 45sec. Also sad to realize there’s only two PoC named characters, one (Lucinda) is unintentionally a villain and then Parminda being more of a sidekick, neither of whom have much screen time at all, maybe 15 minutes cumulatively in total… they could’ve done so much more with casting and better writing

[@ysodora8030]

As a person who has always loved typically feminine things, who grew up right at the point where media decided that being like other girls is worst thing you could be. I was very conflicted. I really loved seeing women be tough and strong. But I also felt that if I wanted to be taken seriously I couldn’t remain attached to the the other things that I loved. If I wanted to continue doing martial arts, playing Lego, and watching Sci-fi, I couldn’t still have pink as my favourite colour, or continue to play with my Barbie dolls. I went through a very unfortunate faze between the ages of 10-12 where I attempted to abandon my love of the overly feminine. I’ve swung back around since, but i seriously hope young children these days don’t internalize the same harmful and degrading messages about what women are and aren’t allowed to do and like.

[@ailishmarsden4781]

A major conceit of the show buffy the vampire slayer was that buffy cares about stereotypical girly things like her hair and shoes and going to the mall and is still tough and a fighter! If you haven't seen it, it sounds like you'd enjoy it!

[@carriemoscoe3159]

Amen!!! This!! And I remember changing my behaviors of mine to be more tomboyish than I actually was to appeal to my male friends right when the NLOG attitudes were high in media...and there's an irony in this. You need to be more masculine than you really are...to appeal to men!!!

[@sophie3869]

YES! I went through the same thing. I'm still learning to re-embrace my feminine side (made more complicated by being gender-queer and wanting to be feminine but not seen as a girl)

[@idkthinkofsomething_0611]

When I was younger I was sooo obsessed with the "hyperfem but could physically kill you" type girl because it embodied everything I wanted to be. I so desperately wanted to be pretty and attractive but also be physically strong and not resort to backhanded comments and the like but now growing from a preteen to old teen(17) I realize that my hatred for "catty, backhanded, petty war amoungs girls" was definitely influenced by the "not like other girls media"

[@PhoebeTheFairy56]

I had the opposite sort of problem, I felt like I wasn't allowed to like any stereotypically masculine things because of being a girl, so when i did like some of those things i would hide it and never tell people about it

[@krapincorporated]

I really really appreciate your "Some girls are....not like other girls." Because the worst, laziest tropes can be done well of your take your writing seriously. Love it.

[@jenneacubero1036]

I still blame 90's-2000's media for this trope being so mainstream. Why was it to begin with?

[@BiratesoftheCaribbean]

@@jenneacubero1036 because hyper femininity was used to impose standards on women that were either harmful to follow of lead to harmful situations. The "not like other girls" trope at the beginning seemed like a way of escaping it, but instead turned against the girls that were girly or wanted to be. It's a double edged sword, on top of it being another way of following the norm by appealing to men (leading to what is now the 'pick me' trope).

[@jenneacubero1036]

@@BiratesoftheCaribbean True. But it seems like every is a double-edged sword nowadays. Be it wanting to be a home-maker or career woman, a liberal or conservative and so on and so forth. You just can't win, can you?

[@JDM-is-my-name]

@@jenneacubero1036 it's that the whole point? Firstly, we had the "good girl" and "bad girl" you were one or the other, either conforming or actively rebelling Then we got the "girly girl", "tomboy" and ofc "rebel girl". Be the standard, be the standard but pretend that your ugly or be the standard, but rebel against the system. You are not allowed to be ugly, you are not allowed to be girly and the clever, you are either fully feminine, pretending to be masculine or you are feminine with a twist Then, we introduce more and more "girl tropes" like the Mary-Sue, good Christian girl, good book girl, good rich girl, satanic bad girl, mean smart girl, bad rich girl, victim and bully and so on. I'm sorry to be ranty, but my whole point is that ever since we, as a species, discovered that we could make a "woman figure" in fiction, they were only allowed to be bad in some way. Be a prude, be a slut. Be academically good or bad. Dumb blonde, smart brunette, fiesty redhead, calm black haired girl and so on. There is a very real reason why male villians tend to be smart and blond and female villians tend be a sexy and blonde

[@tunemaiden]

THERE ARE SUBTITLES. This is a rant video about a topic I LOVE, it’s longer than an hour long, and there are subtitles. I cannot express my joy right now.

[@anonymouslucario285]

What?

[@RiaJaize]

I was an older teen, almost an adult, when I read this book the first time. It was just as impactful to me as it was to its younger audience. Ella and Char's relationship, of friendship to romance, was what I dreamed of finding. And having spent my teen years in a restrictive cult-like atmosphere, I resonated with how Ella had to find her own space while still being obedient, and how important it was that she finally could say NO. Hearing you read passages from the book and talk about its themes made me remember why this has been on my list of Favorite Books for so long. I refused to see the movie. It looked fun, but it took a story that was very important to me and missed its point completely, and I couldn't forgive that. To this day, I still trot out a line from the book to make people laugh: "I'm afraid of heights. It's only gotten worse as I've gotten taller." Thanks for this video.

[@wimsylogic65]

You expressed my feelings exactly. I was extremely obedient as a child I had to be. So this book he was important to me. I did watch the movie. It's a good movie if it's considered completely separate from the book. It was so upset by what they did that I happily wanted the movie just so I could yell at it. I even wrote essay papers about it How passionately I hated what they Changed in the movie. I was mad because I connected so much with the book and there was nothing in the movie I could connect with. Her personality her up bringing her challenges They changed them all. She didn't even get neglected and abused until the step family moved in. Her father was never a good man. And the book ella goes through real traumatic experiences abuse in neglect. In the movie at the most she's bullied. Even the mother's death in the movie was made less impactful. The movie made the mother's death Just a plot to move the storyline along give the character Some kind of motivation be the way she is. Instead of leaving this mental emotional hole And scar. Losing the only family she felt like she had, Aside from Mandy. Her only source of comfort after her mother died. The movie was a disgrace and dishonors The book.

[@melvasaiel]

I also fell in love during a difficult stage of my life, and so I've also refused to watch the movie.

[@Frenzywonder]

Do you ever stop mid task and clutch your heart because you just remember Char's pining in his letters to Ella and him falling back in love with her at the balls and her panicking but enable to stop because she loves him so much and no romance will ever come close? Yeah

[@likesunset03]

I loved your ending! Ella Enchanted is my favorite childhood book, and it still infuriates me to this day how they adapted it, and it's so much deeper than just "it's different!" I particularly despise how they portrayed women in this movie. Movie-Arieda became a carbon copy of movie-Ella with no personality of her own, while the Arieda of the book was kind, forgiving, family-oriented, and loyal and would in no way be confused with Ella's personality. Movie-Mandy was incompetent, young, beautiful, and hardly there or of any importance, while in the book she was wise and had that lovingly-firm maternal role, appeared old and not a great beauty, and was the consistent companion and guide for Ella. They replace these two women with Mandy's book boyfriend (the equivalent in the book just being a magical, non-gendered book) and Slannen who was in one chapter of the whole book. Who are both...men. Even Lucinda had a character arc and realized what she had done was awful, as opposed to staying an idiot like in the movie. They can spew all of the "girl power" and "feminism" they want, but they clearly had a problem with fully-dimensional women showing up in this movie. And for the "NLOG" behavior from Ella in the books, it still served a purpose and was explained. Ella was clumsy because of her small feet which fits into the whole Cinderella thing; Levine loves examining the real-world consequences of these fairy tale details. Her mother hadn't bothered to teach her the proper way of behaving like a lady, which helped her treat Char as a normal person, but also embarrassed her father and caused him to ship her off to finishing school. She becomes "finished" there and isn't clumsy anymore and she even teases Char about how she is very proper and able to be in high society now, so she doesn't really care that she's lost this clumsy quality. Plus it was published in 1997, so if anything it helped pioneered the "clumsy MC" trope, the other books that followed didn't actually do anything with it or have a purpose to it like Ella Enchanted did. Also, even as a white girl in the early 00s who had no idea about diversity, even I was like, "but why is Char white?" He's clearly described as having a "dark face" in the book, but I guess the only characters of color allowed have to be the fairy idiot or hardly even in it rather than the prince and love interest. Yeah, yeah, was 2004, but even my incredibly white-child brain could clearly read Char was not a white British dude.

[@catdragon2584]

To the point about how everyone was copying Fiona in the early days of the “Not Like Other Girls” trope, Fiona of the first movie would’ve finished that thought with “I’m not like other girls…but I want to be.” Looking back, it’s kind of amazing how many of us missed that. Also, thank you for increasing my appreciation for the Ella Enchanted novel! My favorite Levine book (and my favorite book period) has always been Two Princesses of Bamarre, but I enjoyed Ella growing up to and you made some points about the story that make me want to revisit the book. Have a relaxing holiday season, and a great start to the new year!

[@Anna-xh6fk]

Ugh girl characters can’t have any ounce of personality without being called “not like other girls”🙄

[@presumablyaury7965]

I love Two Princesses of Bamarre!! It’s been ages… now I have to go find a copy. I always borrowed my friend’s when I read it as a kid.

[@roselover411]

The Fairy's Mistake is my favorite!

[@Keltaryn]

Hell, yeah! No one talks about Twin Princesses of Bamarre, it's so good!

[@annceres1204]

Is that the one where she marries a warlock in the end?

[@Jemini4228]

I loved the movie and still do. I think it has an enjoyably camp, self referential feel with some genuine heart behind it, sold to perfection by the incomparable Anne Hathaway. It's basically the most high budget, high quality pantomime you've ever been to. It also features a Queen number :)

[@ForrestFox626]

It's is a Shrekest clone

[@thasmin]

I'm a fan of this movie, largely because I was obsessed with Anne Hathaway as a child. It's cool to hear about the book and critiques of tropes, but I'm head empty, just vibes when watching this.

[@blissfulrain]

I loved Ella Enchanted so much as a kid that when my Elementary school library was replacing their copy they gave the old one to me lol The movie devastated me when it came out. I was so looking forward to it that what I got was such a let down. As I'm older I understand why people would genuinely like the movie, it's lighted hearted goofy fun, but it's kinda still sad to me that we didn't get a closer adaptation to the book. There are so many great moments in the story that just don't get the weight it deserves. Like as someone who's fairly clumsy Ella's time in Finishing School had this subtle horror to me as Ella was forced to obey orders that pushed against her natural limits.

[@megarakadmea]

My favorite thing in the book was how unlike characters with informed academic skills, Ella actually delves into the culture each time she learns a language. She cares about connecting with the people she speaks to and is more understood on multiple levels. She is someone who puts genuine thought and work into her studying, which I related to. I also love languages and haven’t seen another character who treats linguistics the same way I do.

[@lily_lxndr]

That edit at 19:00 of “Can anybody find meee” into “someBODY” is just genius 😭

[@alisaurus4224]

It really is

[@osnatashtaralevin8944]

38:00 I disagree about Ella learning about the wedding being a convenient plot point - I mean, it is, but the explanation given about it satisfied me enough that I thought it clever, instead of clumsy or sloppy. In the Book Ella is given a magical fairy book by Mandy, which she says "this isn't a regular fairytale book, it will grow with you", and it does, accommodating to Ella's needs, without her having to tell it to do something specifically. The best example for it is when the girls are riding in their carriage to the school. Ella waits until Hattie and Olive fall asleep, before taking out her book, in the fear that Hattie would take it from her as well, but to her dismay, Hattie wakes up and catches her reading it and promptly orders her to hand it over. The book "becomes heavier" as Ella passes it along and suddenly the text changes to feature some study about dust or something, which Hattie is disgusted by and thus loses interest and returns it. When Hattie orders her to stop being friends with Arieda she turns to the book for comfort, which is when it gives her the tidbits she needs for a solution.

[@wimsylogic65]

I think one of the stories was the life cycle of the tick.

[@wimsylogic65]

I hate what they did to Mandy. I loved Mandy's character. They made her clumsy dits in the movie. Instead of just a responsible fairy, Made her fairy that does regularly use magic but not so much because she's bad at it.

[@osnatashtaralevin8944]

@@wimsylogic65 100% agree

[@emmaphillips459]

"The life cycle of the centaur tick, gnomish silver mining in hazardous terrain."

[@SilverTheLover]

i always loved the original book because of the way ella bends the rules of the curse, obeying without rly obeying. i found myself doing that a lot growing up, giving the appearance of being perfect while inside rebelling in subtle ways

[@brookb5890]

I clicked so fast. This was unequivocally my favorite book growing up, and I was devastated after the first viewing of the film. Since then, I've come to appreciate the film for what it is-a fun, silly jukebox musical. But anytime the book is brought into the public eye again, I can't help but be happy. It still holds a very special place in my heart and I love seeing it appreciated.

[@eileensnow6153]

Imagine if Harry Potter’s interpretation had been this unserious. I would’ve rioted

[@juliamar2372]

man the worldbuilding in all of gail carson levine's books was so good that it makes me sad they've never gotten a more faithful adaptation. I want to see something with a high budget and a high-fantasy aesthetic and for the girls!

[@Yep1850]

This book remains one of my forever favorites. I can appreciate the movie in the same way the author can - something completely different.

[@Jemini4228]

Also I love the shout outs to Ever After. It is the single best adaptation of the Cinderella story of all time and I will die on that hill!

[@frostfang1]

Just Ella is nice too but it's like the sad dark (and nonmagic) version of Ever After.

[@featheredskyblue]

I look more kindly on this movie now, but I VIVIDLY remember seeing this in theaters. I went with a friend. Three unattended children were playing in the otherwise empty audience. As the climax geared up, I told my friend "The only way this could be worse is if there were ninjas or a big musical number" (by which I meant a non-diegetic musical number) When I tell you that we SHOUTED.

[@briefisbest]

I saw it in theater with my dad and the film literally melted. Like went brown and bubbly as we were watching. We received tickets to redeem later, and they did play the rest of it but there was an unexpected pause.

[@annabunovsky5628]

It's funny you talked about the musical numbers and how they play a huge role in setting the tone of the movie apart from the tone of the book, and how Ella's journey & the experience of living with her curse had to be changed for a visual medium where you can't rely on first person narration. I've always thought a stage musical would've been effective at adapting the book to visual storytelling while retaining its tone. As you mentioned, the movie's musical numbers are very Dreamworks-esque, pop songs & parody abound. I think a musical more faithful to the book's tone & characters could be done through the Howard Ashman approach, that being Ella reaching a point where mere words can no longer express what she's feeling, and she has to burst into a sincere musical soliloquy that can translate that first-person narration in way that would grip an audience. Also, I too have been known to spend evenings sitting under blankets crying with Ever After on.

[@thesewinggeekmiri9029]

my parents stumbled across this movie at our local Blockbuster, and rented it for me and my best friend to watch at our sleepover--I swear we watched it 3 times back to back, danced along to the dance at the wedding, sang along to all the songs, giggled at all the jokes. I LOVED that movie so dang much. Then a while later, I discovered that there was a *book* with the same name in my 3rd grade teacher's rentable classroom library. I must have borrowed that book from her 4 or 5 times at *least*. I'm proud to say that now I not only have my own copy of Ella Enchanted (bought it one year at the Scholastic Book Fair, lol), but it still has a special place on my bookshelf, right between Fairest and The Wish. long story short, I have never been so grateful that I saw the movie first, *then* read the book. Book purest that I am, I just *know* that I would have hated the movie if I'd discovered the book first, and wouldn't have enjoyed it for the goofy, campy romp that it was!

[@adamgoodwin771]

This video slapped so goddamn hard. The standard for video essays is to make me sit back and have a realisation, and this video had about five of these moments. Absolutely fantastic work, can't wait for the next video

[@Invisibeller]

Great point! I’ve only been watching for 20 minutes and have felt like it could be neatly wrapped up here and I’m so pleasantly surprised that this high quality video still has so much left to it.

[@HowWonderfulLifeIs17]

Thank you for articulating what my younger self could not about why this movie hits such uncomfortable notes in my heart in spite of being superficially charming. Also, I would give my firstborn to know your thoughts on The Two Princesses of Bamarre.

[@isabellp.5730]

PLEASE O MY GODS I WAS OBSESSED WITH THAT BOOK AS A CHILD!!

[@Lohengrin1850]

@@isabellp.5730 I was too, I would LOVE that video (and maybe touch on the sequel??)

[@weathering-the-storm]

The two princesses of Bamarre is one of my all time favorite books! I would love to know your thoughts on it as well. I loved the epic poem of Drault weaved into the story and the lore of the kingdom and the relationship between the sisters was so special and sweet. I was always more interested in this book than ella enchanted.

[@aspentree242]

One of my childhood favorites! I was enthralled with the whole world. Time for a reread!

[@aishalee5924]

The book was a constant companion of mine during family road trips, summer camp, and sleep overs. I must have read it over a thousand times - it was that immersive and well written. The movie literally broke my heart😢

[@bobbycallaway1819]

The framing of your Shakespeare whinging was... bizarrely nostalgic for me. I used to fan out my texts like that, whether it was for directing insight or cross referencing for cuts or... you know, just reading the damned things.

[@lilamasand5425]

(spoilers for book and movie) I loved the book to DEATH and my biggest point of contention with the movie besides its drastic shift in tone was the ending. I LOVE the way that Ella breaks the curse in the book - it's so much more powerful to me that she was saying no to a marriage with someone that she loved so much! changing it to her being ordered to kill him just felt so cheap. there's so much more complexity and selflessness in the decision to deprive yourself of something that you so desperately want in order to protect other people.

[@darkninjafirefox]

This movie was a staple for sleepover birthday parties in my day. For that reason alone I'll love it but I remember liking the book too after finding it in middle school

[@JackedThor-so]

You know a video essayist can make an hour long video about a movie that I have never seen let alone heard of and still have me click, instantly.

[@WhyWeWatch1]

Sarah Z is also crazy good at this

[@wimsylogic65]

I wrote an essay about how much I passionately hate the movie based on the book. I thought the movie was good but based on the book Most frustrating movie ever.

[@dearprudence330]

Omg this was my favorite book growing up (and still is one of them tbh) and I was never more sad about a movie adaptation. Idk how it took me until now to realize that I was relating to her partially because I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that was diagnosed around when I was 7 or 8 - the time I read this book. The way Ella rebels against her curse’s compulsion in little ways… it almost brings tears to my eyes with the similarities between it and OCD. This video is amazing, thank you for making it!

[@bryanna9458]

I loved the movie and I love the book! I like them for different reasons, I think the movie is just really fun and camp and the book will always be one of my favorite Cinderella re-tellings because of how unique the premise is and how fleshed out Ella's character is.

[@katherinelynch4193]

Here's the thing that bugs me: Char in the book is Black. He is described as having dark skin and tightly curled hair. They should have cast a Black actor in the movie, and instead we got whoever this guy was. And then, completely oblivious to their own whitewashing, they inserted the half-baked "elf/ogre/giant racism" subplot.

[@inkylynx2777]

Just checked his description, here we go: "[Prince Charmont] looked like his father too, although the sharp angles of King Jerrold's face were softened in his son. They each had tawny curls and swarthy skin. I had never been near enough to the king to know whether he also had a sprinkling of freckles on his nose, surprising on such a dark face." - chapter 2, page 14 I looked up what swarthy means for complexion and it means someone with an olive skin tone or slightly darker, akin to Grecian skin tones. Tawny means a sort of orange-y color, so he could have either red-orange or just plain ginger hair, maybe even ginger-gold? It's a very lovely image evoked, with cute freckles for the touch! ....Actually, the addition of the freckles could imply more than expected? Freckles often (but not always) form from sun exposure, so he might spend a lot of time outside for them to form!

[@idrisa7909]

@@inkylynx2777 ...swarthy is specifically a term I consider racially charged. Wvile white characters could be described with that word, in my experience it's a word used to describe brown, "exotic" men, and the word construction feels derogatory to me. I'm not the only one either- there's a blog called Writing with Color that gives advice about writing non-white characters and some of the mods also consider it kind of offensive. And "olive" skin is predominantly brown as well- while its associated with Greece its found in. Literally every country near the Mediterranean (and then some). A significant portion of which are predominantly Arab. And further, olive isnt a tone in itself- its an undertone. Saying "olive is a very Grecian skin tone" is like Saying "cool tones are a very French skin tone". Black people can have olive undertones because anyone of any race can have those undertones. The description you shared is technically ambiguous, but to me I would also assume Char wasn't white. Tawny, to me, is a brown-gold color- sort of like the dark blond-brown you see on some Arabs. Char's hair in this movie is actually very close to what I'd picture, color wise! The coiled hair in addition to the colors mentioned brought to mind a man like Chad from high-school muscial to me honestly.

[@FEARSICKNESS]

@@inkylynx2777 i think that the phrase, "surprising on such a dark face" should be indicative of where to place his skin tone, to be perfectly honest. freckles are already generally pretty dark bits of pigmentation, and so for someone to be dark enough for it to be "surprising" (ignoring how kinda weird that phrasing is) that they have freckles would, in my mind at least, evoke the image of someone who is definitely in the deeper range of skintones. tawny is also a fairly broad range of hues, and generally just denotes a bronze-y undertone. but, again, i think that the key phrase is that it's "surprising" that he had freckles, with the implication that his skin was already quite dark. also, "swarthy" has fairly historically been used to specifically denote a character being black/north african/south asian. and it is also a pejorative; swarthy is also used to mean untrustworthy as well as deceitful. obviously, i'm sure the author had been using it in the former context, not the latter.

[@LexTime89]

@@idrisa7909This is so interesting because in my head I’ve always thought of swarthy of a descriptor for sailors or farmers unrelated to race. I always thought of it more in relation to sun and wind exposure giving a darker, more weathered appearance.

[@lizzieborden8180]

THANK YOU!!!!! I’ve been revolted about this for years

[@ophiedokie]

I feel like I am sitting here with myself at 12 watching her get excited to see someone else think and care about the stuff I always used to love and think about this book and that nobody wanted to hear me talk about lol this is so fun, thank you!!!

[@ophiedokie]

i would watch every possible video of you dinging bad shakespeare adaptations im having so much fun lmao

[@maicey_t.]

I loved the movie as a kid. Reading the book later I realized just how much I was missing. I have some real nostalgia for the movie but I struggle to watch it now because the book is so much better.

[@sammythehero]

This movie lives in the back of my brain coming out everyone once in a while to be like, "remember when you were a kid and got excited for this movie? 👻"

[@maggiedk]

This reminds me so much of my feelings about the Princess Diaries movies after the books were one of my favorite series as a preteen. I guess Anne Hathaway movies have triggered many of us with bookworm baggage lmao

[@Ariarth]

Loved this video!! I was in the same situation of being a huge gail carson levine fan and having this movie give me hives. Two quick things I'd like to add: 1. Char in the book is canonically brown-skinned! It's only mentioned a couple times, iirc (the one I remember clearly is that his freckles are described as surprising on "such a dark face") but that fact meant a lot to me and I'm really sad to see how few people picked up on it (which I partially blame on the movie). 2. The audiobook of this novel is one of the best audiobooks I've ever heard, it adds so much to the novel, and I can't overstate how much I'd recommend it to anyone looking to read or reread this novel.

[@keenjanene]

The first time I watched this movie I had no idea what to do with it. I mean the book is just so good. But I also couldn’t bring myself to hate the movie either. There was just something so gleeful about watching Cary Elwes having the time of his life and suits of armor dancing across the screen. It definitely wasn’t the the book, but it still had heart.

[@TheaSchererJohnston]

Rereading the book as an adult, I loved realizing that her mother and fairy godmother were actively teaching her disobedience through malicious compliance. Before Ella was sent away they played games of teaching her how to test the limits of her curse when she helped in the kitchen. Everyone had power over Ella, knowing or unknowing, but her mother and fairy godmother only used it to teach her how to survive rather than to make their own lives easier (like her father would have and her step-family did). The only intentional order Ella's mum ever gave (forbidding her to tell others about the curse) was in the end the order that gave her the most difficulty when saving herself and the kingdom. loved this essay, so glad to see my old childhood heartbreak given proper words

[@DanielFiala]

that edit around the word "Somebody" at 18 " 54 is divinely inspired.

[@dildev5478]

"May be telling that just straight up not falling in love is the least common way of way of not needing romantic love." I hollllllered at this. I'd sell my kneecaps for explicit aromantic representation in a movie.

[@lindsaymorrison7519]

I'm grateful to the movie because I saw it before I knew the book existed. I was surprised by how different the book was, but I was also delighted. I'd never read a retelling of a fairytale like that (as a kid I genuinely did not realize that the Ella Enchanted film was supposed to be Cinderella too... I mean, she never loses her shoe! Or dresses in tags or sleeps by the fire.) I consumed Ella Enchanted, and then Fairest, somehow still shocked by the twists (omg! She's snow white!). Gail Carson Levine's work directly inspired me to start writing my own stories and taught me authors could take inspiration from folktales while still doing something totally original. I self published a book a couple years ago that's a very different take on The Little Mermaid, and I probably would've never written it if it weren't for the journey begun by Anne Hathaway kicking ogres against her will.

[@frontporchcake7592]

For some reason I never knew Ella Enchanted was ‘based’ off a book, I just recently read it and was so surprised how different the two were. A Gail Carson Levine book I read cover to cover nearly every day for years as a kid was Fairest, I need a movie or series for that one.

[@matteusconnollius1203]

That is funny, as Fairest took place in the same universe as Ella Enchanted

[@taylorzamora2672]

I read Fairest literally 15 times as a kid😮 I forgot about it somehow???

[@grimmandtonics]

Personally I always wanted a movie of The Two Princesses of Bamarre. That book, much like Ella's Enchanted, taught me such important lessons and changed me deeply.

[@oomflem]

Hattie banning Ella from being friends with Areida broke my heart so damn much as a kid I always skipped that part of the book on my gajillion rereads. I was a sensitive soul.

[@tophtopherson8920]

ever after is brilliant, one of the most quotable under the radar classics. 💖

[@HayleighPaige]

It’s so realistic and sweet while also being a little campy at parts, I don’t think I’ve seen anything so genuine, I love that movie!!

[@FosukeLordOfError]

Anything you can carry

[@tophtopherson8920]

@@FosukeLordOfError why is there no salt on this table?! Dannieeeeeelllle

[@katiedalton9841]

Ella Enchanted was one of my first encounters of “the movie is wildly different than the book. And the book is better”. I watched the movie first and loved it as a kid. My mom then told me about the book and it gave the story so much more depth. The relationship with Char was friendship that turned into romance, she was cursed but she adapted to take control where she could. It is still one of my all time favorite books. On another note, I loved the comparison between Shrek, Ever After, and Ella Enchanted. Seeing them so close together it’s clear they share very very similar beats but is something I hadn’t picked up on explicitly. Ever After is such a beautiful movie and the sobbing with the wine glass clips where so accurate to any time I watch the movie 😂

[@manicmanicmanicmanic5082]

I'm so glad you give praise to Elwes's scenery chewing in this, its delightful.

[@actress5256]

You so perfectly explained why I enjoy the movie but will always say the book is superior! This was a joy to watch!

[@azuresquirrel]

Just seeing the title of this video made me so excited and the execution lived up to it. I too loved the book Ella Enchanted as a young nerd girl and the way that the movie was just annoyed me on a far deeper level than simply being "not like the book" and I like that while you pointed out some charming parts of the movie, the way that it ultimately diverges from the book re: Ella and her agency/the curse is the point that makes the movie feel much more meanspirited and NLOGy than the book.

[@15871622]

so I've now read Ella Enchanted, because i watched this essay. And it is excellent, brillaint. Almost more like a pychological horror mixed with a fairy-tale - I feel like Ella has more in common with survivor characters like Katniss, or even Ofred. She's the kind of super-rational guile hero protagonist playing speed chess through life that men keep wishing they could write. And the world around her is wonderfully fun - the grotesquery around the stepsisters aside. Lucinda is just amazing, and I was kind of sad when she was made to stop her chaotic ways - or at least, so easily. I realize i'm giving a review to you instead of good reads, i guess because i assume this book has all its flowers by now. But yeah, i wish i had read it before, and i'm so glad this video introduced it to me!

[@Kennisiou]

I was genuinely shocked at 12:23 to see album art from 90s electronica band Tokyo Ghetto Pussy in the background. Like I guess they're not that obscure and all but still, what a weird, random pull by the set designer.

[@mama456100]

I was one of those kids who fell in love with the movie and stumbled into the book years later. I recall enjoying the book but I just couldn't and still can't get over the movie. I even got chills when you played the line "You no longer will be obedient". I do however acknowledge the issues you brought up especially off of the basis of the love built between Ella and Char in the movie. It was very light and not heavily focused on in the film. Even more so when it's held side by side to Ever After (One of Drew Barrymore's best films). I do feel for you book readers I have been there way too many times.

[@Lohengrin1850]

I LOVED this book as a kid (read a million times, wanted to look like Ella, still own it at age 30, etc) so I was also so excited when the movie came out. I do have things I like about it (Ella singing Queen, the mustache-twirling villainy of Elwes) but it's SO much its own thing. Sometimes I wish we could get another version, closer to the book, but then I just read the book again!

[@eliloeb7760]

This is one of the "girly" books I stole from my sister's room I found myself reading again and again.

[@Broadwaychica]

Late to the party but GOD do I feel seen by this whole video, this so perfectly explains the good, the bad, and the ugly of this adaptation.

[@UsagiOhkami]

I love how you introduced the sponsor today! I'll often be watching ads with "Order Now" language and think about Ella in an ACTUAL modern world.

[@memesforthot1136]

I think KZbin picked up this video in an algorithm and dropped it into my recs because I haven’t so much of thought of Ella enchanted since I was also a very angsty 10 year old upset with every film adaptation. This is a great video! I love longform content and you’re super passionate and organized. Definitely subscribed! Thank you so much for all the work you put into this!

[@SS-mk2yp]

God, this movie makes me SO ANGRY. The book is beautiful and deep and emotional and powerful. The scene where she breaks her curse still gives me chills when I read it to this day. The movie makes me sad.

[@actress5256]

The cuts to you crying everytime you watch ever after is so relatable 😂 I also sob at all the beautiful sweet moments of that film

[@GiggleBard]

AH you hit EVERYTHING that I both loved and hated about all of this. Your channel was such a surprising delight to find and I look forward to seeing the rest of your work, you're amazing and thank you for putting this together!!!

[@Will_Picks_Mandolin]

I'm so glad you brought up Ever After growing up my two favorite movies were the princess bride and ever after. I've never really met anyone else who knew what ever after was much less love it as much as I do. So glad to see someone else who loves this movie as much as me!!

[@allegralarson5289]

Oh my god thank you for this! You perfectly articulated why I had such a strained relationship with the movie adaptation of one of my favorite books as a kid. I read and watched both before the age of 10 so I couldn't put my finger on it. It really means a lot, thank you so much for this video essay! Brava!

[@lilymoon2829]

the way I saw the Ogres was that they weren’t biologically predisposed to eat people necessarily but sort of did so out of necessity due to being pushed into a marignal existence in the woods where there was not enough food to sustain their diets. Looking back I guess it doesn’t make much sense that that would happen in just a few years but the characters always talk about King Char’s Dad like his reign was a whole other century so this seemed plausible when I was like 11 idk 😅 anyway this could have been a cool twist. Like, yes, they do eat people, their practices do in fact corroborate the stereotype, but a) there are complex political reasons for this and b) this fact was still unfairly weaponized against them. Kind of how crime statistics are weaponized against marginalized communities today (though somewhat simplified obvs).

[@camryngrace1]

I adore the Ella Enchanted book and it is still one of my favorites. Ella as a character is so well rounded and I love her. The movie bearing the sane title while doing no justice to Ella really upset me as a child

[@Funeral_Attire]

I didn't realize I wasn't alone in this, everyone I knew hadn't read the book but had loved the movie. I'm so happy I'm not alone in this! I want a better Ella Enchanted adaptation! Loved the actors and the performances, but I am so upset with this adaptation still!

[@shanstergoodheart5177]

Ella Enchanted is one of those adaptations, where if it didn't claim to be an adaptation or you didn't know the book, it would be quite a good film. Not high art maybe but a fun romp. However, if you do know the book, it makes you seethe with rage.

[@Nerd_with_internet_access]

Great, you made a video about Ella Enchanted. Now I have to re read the book, AND rewatch the movie 🙄 I can’t believe you’ve done this ☹️. (Obviously this is a joke, I love the book and movie, and I am so so so excited to see someone actually talk about it in a way that’s not like “wow, there’s singing, music is stupid, that’s not realistic! Ding!” I really enjoyed the video) 💜

[@angelaa7388]

We read midsummer nights dream in my high school English class and had to perform a scene with our classmates. So, even people who aren't interested in theater or acting have been involved in this play.

[@AnisaThePunk300]

Ella Enchanted is also a significant text from my childhood. Watching your video makes me want to reread it. Another title on the TBR pile!

[@plushdragonteddy]

i really thought i’d only read the book growing up, but apparently i’d only seen the movie - the only scene i remembered was the scene where ella drops the knife behind the prince’s back, and i thought “well, i remember that being set in a very empty room with glassy walls, surely that’s just my child self’s poor attempt at visualizing the room” BUT NO IT’S LITERALLY A ROOM FULL OF MIRRORS lmao

[@bessdavies6440]

Ever After is one of my absolute FAVOURITES

[@spruce73]

It's very late in my country right now and I can't stay up to watch this, but I really wanted to pop in and leave a comment in hopes it will add somewhat to the engagement! Will definitely watch this video to the very last second as soon as I can Edit: loved the video! But now I want an hour long essay on Ever After 😭

[@melvasaiel]

I've still never watched the movie, and I still won't. If anything, this video made me want to go reread the book for the gazillionth time. Ella and Char's friendship-to-romance is so lovely. The scene of them sliding down the banisters and they get caught all flustered and giggley and Char's buttons are missing...it's one of my all time favorite scenes in any book. *sigh*

[@junemck.5531]

I remember when I learned "Somebody to Love" wasn't an original song from Ella Enchanted and was actually a Queen song. I was around . . . eight at the time.

[@laurenm3148]

The unexpected love letter to Ever After was very appreciated. God, it's stunning.

[@CheyenneWise]

I’m rewatching this for like the hundredth time and I’ve just gotta say, the music edit from somebody to love into all star into the background at 19:00 is chefs kiss✨

[@IAmRachelQuirky]

Re: Midsummer. YUP i was in two different productions of this particular play in my small hometown within 5 years of each other! Its a staple kind of show, for sure!

[@razoreater6]

the sound in the end segment completely distracted me but otherwise i love this video!!! love this topic!!

[@thesewinggeekmiri9029]

my current obsession: that SUPER clever audio editing cut at 18:54 (but start at 18:52) "...can anybody find me, someBODY ONCE TOLD ME..." I keep rewinding and listening to it, I can't stop!!! 😍😍😍

[@johanandersson8252]

Chrismas Pud 🎄 for you Laura Crone.

[@melkapitan8531]

This was so good! I'm glad to see the love for Ever After.

[@plushdragonteddy]

god the editing at 18:50 is so genius,, cutting from the “can’t anybody find me” of Somebody To Love to the “someBODY” of All Star is just,, chef’s kiss

[@graveyardblunt]

I didn’t even know there was a book, I grew up loving the movie and now you’ve got me wanting to find this book

[@elfy-o]

I'm really glad you brought up ever after. I rewatched it the other day and was really struck by how hard Ella enchanted was trying to be it...

[@janeabernathy3237]

Thanks for making this video. I loved hearing your analysis! I wanted to let you (and everyone) know that there is a stage musical adaptation of Ella Enchanted! I only discovered it a few months ago, though it was written in 2016. From what I can gather it seems like they’ve had to cut some characters and plot points but really stayed true to the heart and overall plot of the book in a way that the movie doesn’t. There’s no official cast recording or anything, but you can watch clips from some past productions on KZbin! This is my favorite video! m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHa5lJR6eK6hp7c You make a really good point about it being difficult to portray internal struggle in a movie the way you can in a book. That’s why I think a musical is a great adaptation medium for Ella Enchanted. Ella can sing about how she is feeling and trying to resist to convey that message to the audience.

[@jonesyzajkolove]

The analysis of the Elle Enchanted Quandary that I always needed. Thank you. The tie ins with other prominent media at the time added so much as well.

[@genera1013]

Ever After was actually the first Cinderella movie I ever saw as a kid and it has maintained it's place as not only my favorite Cinderella movies but one of my all time favorite movies. Pretty sure it also started my love of Drew Barrymore.

[@reganlandau]

I've watched this way too many times. I love the topics you pick

[@Nerd_with_internet_access]

Ooohh, this is intriguing. I have loved the book since I was really little, (I own three separate copies). And the movie is somthing I like to put on when I don’t like how quiet is is (mostly when I’m home alone, btw this is not slander, it’s just a good brain off movie.) I always love a good long video, and I just got back into the content on this Chanel. This coming out when it did is a perfect storm. I’m working on a new knitting project, and I don’t like knitting without something to listen to. So, I am very much anticipating watching this!

[@hpfan]

My twelve year old soul has been waiting for this video for twenty years. Thank you.

[@___Music_Is_Life___]

I read the book and watched the movie as a kid multiple times each, only years later did it eventually click that the movie was supposed to be based off the book and the name being the same wasn't just because it was a logical name for a Cinderella story that multiple people could easily think of independently. Was soooo disappointed when I made that realisation.

[@dandelion6716]

I love this movie but one thing that bugged me was how Ella's never reconciled with her friend