I don’t get out much, and when I do, going to see a movie is not usually my first choice of things to do. Unless it’s of a particular genre. Specifically animated Disney movies. The last movie I saw in theaters was Big Hero 6 and this year that meant I was planning to see Inside Out in June, and The Good Dinosaur in November.

I was invited to a screening of Cinderella and decided to take my daughter to see it because it was a great opportunity for a mother-daughter date. And partly because (dare I admit) Frozen Fever– A short film featuring Anna and Elsa would premiere before the movie.

Lil’ J got dressed up in her Cinderella gown (the only way to do this ladies!) and off we went to watch the live action version.

Now I’m a big fan of the Cinderella story. We love the 1950s animated feature, and I adore the TV musical version with Brandy and Whitney Houston. I even love Ever After with Drew Barrymore (I have to watch it every time I catch it on TV).

Part of me was like Really? Another Cinderella movie? When I first heard about it over a year ago. But despite having the classic storyline memorized, we had to see this one too. Here’s a preview if you have no idea what I’m talking about.

I think Disney is doing a fantastic job taking movies we grew up on in animated form and bringing them back as live-action films with a twist. Maleficent is a great example of that (if you haven’t seen it, just buy it now, you won’t regret it!). Next spring they’ll add Jungle Book to the mix.

So how was Cinderella? We enjoyed it. Despite the “Old English” accents that were a little difficult for Lil’ J to follow, it had plenty of funny parts that held my 4-year-old daughter’s attention and kept her laughing. The costumes were beautiful and I loved the time the film took to delve into parts of the story we haven’t heard before.

I asked her review and she said it was “Awesome and cool” and when I asked her her favorite part she said it was the part with Elsa and Anna…

So if you have a Frozen fanatic in your family, he or she may be happy before Cinderella even starts. Here’s a preview of Frozen Fever:

I however happened to notice my daughter perking up the most when the fairy godmother was working her magic. I think they had her at “Elsa.” Add in the candy and lemonade, and she was in preschooler heaven before the show began.

Personally, I did miss the music and singing in this live-action film, but it just wasn’t that kind of movie. At times it seemed a little slow, and difficult for my preschooler to understand. Certainly a cute take on the classic though, and a perfect feature for our mommy-daughter date.

You can catch Cinderella in theaters NOW! Friday March 13th!

 

And if you love it so much, or need something to do in anticipation before your outing, here are some fun activity sheets. A clock craft  glass slipper! Click the links to download! A Disney Cinderella clock craft to make using paper plates, and an origami-like Cinderella glass slipper craft. Click the links to download!

Tags: disney, Disney movie reviews, mother daughter date, movie review, movies