Ella Enchanted | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Tommy O'Haver |
Produced by |
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Screenplay by | |
Based on |
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Eric Idle |
Music by | Nick Glennie-Smith |
Cinematography | John de Borman |
Edited by | Masahiro Hirakubo |
Production
companies |
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Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
Country |
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Language | English |
Budget | $31 million |
Box office | $27.4 million |
Ella Enchanted is a 2004 fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Tommy O'Haver and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith loosely based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name. Starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy, the film plays with the usual fairy tale genre.
The film is a co-production between companies in the United States, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Within the kingdom of Emir, in the town of Frell, a baby girl named Ella (Anne Hathaway) is born to Sir Peter and his wife Lady Eleanor. She is given the "gift of obedience" by a misguided and obnoxious fairy called Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox). This turns out to be more of a curse, as it forces Ella to do anything she is told to do, even if the command is against her wishes. Ella's mother, on her deathbed, warns her daughter not to tell anyone about the curse she is under for fear that someone might use it to exploit Ella. After her mother's death, only Mandy (Minnie Driver), the household fairy, knows the secret.
Several years later, Ella's father (Patrick Bergin) remarries to a wealthy socialite, Dame Olga (Joanna Lumley), who dislikes Ella. Her spoiled daughters Hattie (Lucy Punch) and Olive (Jennifer Higham) notice Ella's obedience and start to humiliate her. Ella stumbles upon Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy), the handsome heir who will soon take the throne, as he's being pursued by his fan club of besotted young women. He invites Ella to the Coronation Ball, but Olga intercepts the invitation. Hattie and Olive, fan club members themselves, are overcome with jealousy. They force Ella to insult and cut ties with her best friend Areida (Parminder Nagra).