Review: A new twist on Cinderella mostly takes the right Steps

Fairy tales are arguably the bedrock (or a bedrock) of feature animation. From Disney's classics to modern twists like Shrek to cult favorites like Hoodwinked, these stories endure for good reason. They feature sturdy themes, simple plot structures, and iconic characters that can easily be played with, reshaped, made into new stories that audiences can get into without any ado. The challenge for filmmakers is to figure out why they're tackling such well-worn stories. What do they have to add? What new thematic territory are they exploring? Is their take really fresh, or just another forgettable retread to add to the ever-growing pile?

In the case of Steps, we land somewhere in the middle. This isn't the most daring or original take on the classic Cinderella story. It follows in the footsteps of Wicked and Maleficent in doing some villainous reframing, a story approach that itself already feels a bit stale these days. I would argue that Steps is, in many ways, the platonic ideal of big studio, broad-appeal animated entertainment. It's glossy, polished, packed with celebrity voices, full of pop music needle drops (Olivia Rodrigo's "brutal" pops up early on), and even features a blink-and-you-miss-it "exclusively gay moment." If that sounds like a bland corporate confection, fair enough -- this probably isn't for you. But for what it is, Steps hits most of the right notes. It's funny, propulsive, intermittently sweet. It has Amanda Seyfried singing a goofy Disney-ish spoof song. It promises a hot troll, and delivers. This is solid, goes-down-easy family entertainment. 

Spinning a new animated version of Cinderella is a tall oder when, you know, the most iconic cinematic adaptation of the story is a classic Disney movie, but Steps does a nice job of differentiating itself. The film interrogates the story itself: why do fairy tales exist, and why do the heroes and heroines of them get those starring roles? Here, Cinderella shares the spotlight with her "evil" stepsisters, Lilith and Margot. Their mom is a famous, accomplished dressmaker whose eye-catching Asian-influenced garments have her traveling far and wide to craft new pieces and make sales. But then, she falls in love with Edmund, Cinderella's father. The new family is a picture of happiness. Cinderella is a glowing vision, always surrounded by animal friends, ever the talk of the town. And she and her father are excited to hear new stories and try new foods (there's a cute moment of Edmund learning how to use chopsticks to eat dumplings). 

But the rest of the town isn't so welcoming to the newcomers. They lack imagination, don't try to stand out. They all want the same fashions, the same hairdos, the same foods. The local mean girl, Priscilla, is particularly nasty, and all but forbids her friends from taking an interest in the exciting stories Lilith wants to share. It feels like a rhyme to the real-world/often-cinematically-depicted scene of a kid from an Asian country being bullied for bringing "weird" food to the cafeteria. Things that look different, sound different, smell different, taste different, are bad. Sadly, during one such childhood incident, Cinderella fails to stand up for her stepsisters, and thus the wedge between her and Lilith is planted. (For her part, Margot is much more happy-go-lucky, and still gets along well with Cinderella.)

In a fit of jealousy, Lilith manages to snatch the Fairy Godmother's wand and wreaks some havoc at the ball where Cinderella is supposed to cement her Happily Ever After. More disastrous havoc is wreaked when Priscilla gets her hands on the wand, effectively dismantling the whole fairy tale shebang and positioning herself as the prince's bride-to-be. Cinderella loses the Prince, Margot is turned into a frog (her favorite animal, so not the worst fate), and Lilith is forced to team up with her perfect-pretty stepsister to try to set things right before the clock strikes midnight.

It's a fine setup that ends up feeling a bit convoluted. Lilith and gang set out from the castle, pursued by Priscilla's militant butler/bodyguard/de facto father figure, and then spend the rest of the movie trying to get back to the castle, since they have to return to the "scene of the crime" to go back in time and fix everything that went haywire. I guess it's the threat of the butler and his lackeys hunting them that forces them to go a roundabout way to get back. Obviously, it's better for the movie for this to be the case -- it's way more entertaining watching our heroes deal with goat-riding trolls and massive mechanical monsters -- but the story could certainly use a bit of beefing up.

Thankfully, the film does much better with its characterizations. Lilith (Ali Wong) presents an edgy, devil-may-care attitude, but we never stop seeing the sweetness (and the hurt) underneath that prickly surface. Cinderella (Seyfried) initially comes across as an ultra-sweet, somewhat bland picture of perfection, but reveals surprising depth and humor as the adventure continues. The supporting cast of characters is full of standouts. Bette Midler's Fairy Godmother is a hoot, with so many fantastic lines deliveries (and a lot of baked beans). Daniel Radcliffe brings a bit of bite to the prince, and Young Manzino makes the hot troll Gef (pronounced "Jeff") even hotter with his angsty performance. If you're going to fill your cast with celebrity voices, this is the way to do it -- a lot of really fun work.

While it doesn't tread much (if any) new ground in the realm of fairy tale retellings, Steps at least does what it does with a great sense of humor, a healthy dose of heart, and some style.