Ella Enchanted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5_gtIj7L84



In class this week, Mrs. Robinson suggested that after we read the story, Ella Enchanted, we should watch the motion picture released in 2004. She explained that we should recognize that our princess veers away from her strong willed character in the paper back. Not only am I in full agreement with my instructor, but I also noticed that the film and the book were comprised of different story lines.
For example, in the novel Levine is adament about displaying a heartless father with love for only his possessions. However, the films shows us the opposite. Even though the father is not one of the central characters in the movie, he still shows unconditional love towards Ella.
The next series of differences occurs in the second half of the story. For instance, in the film Ella is asked by the current king (Char's uncle) to stab Char in the heart at the stroke of midnight after Hattie eagerly confesses Ella's curse. Ella chains herself to a tree to prevent her wrongdoings. To Ella's disadvantage, Lucinda appears in a cloud of fairy dust, unchains Ella and finally dresses her in an elegant garb for the ball. The actions of Lucinda practically enable our princess to murder the prince. The spell is broken when Ella commands herself not to kill the prince. A further attack is thrown in Char's direction when the king coats his nephew's crown in poison. The creators of the film seem to be so concerned with the elaborate plot that they lose Ella's witty character that we see from the book in the process.
Surprisingly, not a single event listed above from the movie is seen between the pages of the novel. Lucinda does put Ella into beautiful garments for the ball, however, this is after she has transformed herself into a squirrel and a small child to experience the effects of Ella's curse. Ella attends the ball and poses as Princess Lela. Her spell is broken when Ella tells the prince that she will not marry him after the many requests.
The website above is actually one of my favorite scenes of the film. It represents evidence of the embellishments in the plot. Here, we see Ella singing and dancing at the giant wedding celebration. Take a look. :)