ELLA ENCHANTED

Year: 2004
USA: Miramax Films
UK: Buena Vista International UK
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes, Aidan McArdle, Lucy Punch, Jennifer Higham, Minnie Driver, Jimi Mistry, Eric Idle, Vivica A Fox, Patrick Bergin, Joanna Lumley, Parminder K Nagra, Steve Coogan, Rory Keenan, Ron Yuan, Nora-Jane Noone, Heidi Klum, Jim Carter, Donna Dent, Ankita Malkan, Sally-Ann Tingle, Aimee Brigg, Helen Norton, Emmet Kirwen, Christopher Kelly, Audrey Hamm, Mikel Murfi, Aonghus Og McAnally, Aaron Monaghan, Alvaro Lucchesi, Paraic Breathnach, Daniel Naprous, Pat Kinevane, Andrea Irvine, Merrina Millsapp, Amelia Crowley, Pat McGrath, Susan Ward, Johnny Nguyen
Director: Tommy O'Haver
Country: USA
UK: 96 mins
USA Rated: PG for some crude humor and language
UK Certificate: PG contains mild comic violence
USA Release Date: 9 April 2004
UK Release Date: 17 December 2004

Synopsis

A comic-fantasy-adventure filled with magic and music, ogres and elves, giants and wicked stepsisters, ELLA ENCHANTED revisits a classic fairy-tale world with a distinctly 21st century twist. The film, directed by Tommy O' Haver (GET OVER IT) is based on the best-selling, Newbery Honor-winning novel by Gail Carson Levine.

It all begins when Ella of Frell (Anne Hathaway of THE PRINCESS DIARIES) is given a fairy's "gift" at birth - the gift of perfect obedience. Forced to do anything she is commanded - no matter how silly or dangerous - Ella's life hardly seems to be in her own control. Things only get worse when Ella's father (Patrick Bergin) remarries, bringing into her life a stepmother, the dastardly Dame Olga (Joanna Lumley of ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS), and two sinister stepsisters, Hattie (Lucy Punch) and Olive (Jennifer Higham), who get a kick out of watching Ella obey their every request at the "Frell Galleria."

Now, Ella is newly determined to gain her independence and break free of the spell that binds her once and for all. She sets off on a quest of discovery that will take her through the Kingdom's most dangerous and darkest forests - where she finds a fellow traveler in a go-getting Elf (Aidan McArdle) - to the King's spectacular castle. Along the way she crosses paths with the idolized Prince Char (Hugh Dancy), who so often graces the cover of Medieval Teen, only to turn the tables on fairy tale history and rescue him with true love. But most of all, Ella will discover her own power to fight for what's in her heart.