Following the success of films like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Maleficent’ (two films not highly regarded by critics, but highly regarded by people who like buying movie tickets), it wasn’t a surprise that Disney would continue the trend of adapting some of their classic animated tales into live-action movies. Today, we get our first real look at their next effort, a live-action version of one of their most revered tales, ‘Cinderella’.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film feels very much like, well, a live-action version of Cinderella. There’s really no other way around that. For all their foibles (and, trust us, there were many) in both ‘Alice’ and ‘Malifecent’, at least they tried to distance themselves from the originals. ‘Maleficent’ was ‘Sleeping Beauty’ told from a different character perspective; ‘Alice’ was told from Tim Burton’s very different perspective. Unless Disney is holding something back in this first trailer, Branagh’s ‘Cinderella’ feels like a cover version of a classic song; hitting all the popular beats and sounding just enough like the original to keep people interested.

It’s also not helping that this trailer essentially tells the entire story of Cinderella in just over two minutes. Her evil stepmother arrives with her two daughters, they’re mean to Cinderella, she befriends some mice, meets a prince, wears a beautiful pink dress, her stepmother destroys it, her fairy godmother arrives, transforms a pumpkin into a carriage and mice into horses, gives her a glass slipper and beautiful, sends her to the ball, she dances with the prince, charms the crowd, she runs out before the clock strikes midnight, leaves the slipper behind—sorry, you get the idea. It’s all in there, and needlessly so.

Regardless of what people like me might think or say about these adaptations, they’ve been hugely popular; ‘Maleficent’ is the fifth biggest movie of the year despite a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. All Disney really needs to do is make a movie, call it ‘Cinderella’ and the money rains down upon them.

In addition to the trailer, we’ve included the poster (shot by Annie Liebovitz) and some new photos from the movie below. ‘Cinderella’ opens in theaters on March 13, 2015.

The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an apprentice at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit (Richard Madden). Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand, and a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham Carter) steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella’s life forever.

Cinderella poster
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Cinderella movie
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Cinderella movie
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Cinderella movie
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Cinderella movie
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