Ella (Cinderella 2015)

Ella, also known as Cinderella, is the protagonist of Disney's 2015 film Cinderella. She is the daughter of a wealthy couple from a small kingdom, whose mother died when she was a child, but not before asking Ella to always "have courage and be kind." After her father remarried and died soon after, Ella found herself at the mercy of her envious stepmother and stepsisters, who misused her and turned her into a servant in her own home. Despite all the cruelty inflicted on her, Ella stayed true to her mother's last wish and eventually won the heart of the young king Kit, getting a chance at a better life as his wife and queen of their land.
She is based on both the titular protagonist of the 1697 fairy tale by and the character of the same name from the 1950 animated film.
==Background==
Ella was born to a wealthy merchant and his wife, who lived in a large house on the outskirts of an unnamed kingdom. She led a peaceful and happy life with her parents, who raised her in love and comfort and treated her like a princess. Ella's mother also taught her to believe in the existence of magic, allowing her to make friends with all the animals on the estate, particularly the mice. When Ella was 10 years old, her mother became terminally ill, and on her deathbed, she made Ella promise to "have courage and be kind" to overcome all possible difficulties that she might face in life.
===Personality===
Born into a loving and stable family, Ella was raised to be compassionate and caring to everyone around her, both people and animals. As a child, she shows immense love for the animal kingdom and carries it over into adulthood, becoming a friend to all the creatures living in her house, and always taking care of them (the only exception is her stepmother's pet cat Lucifer, from whom Ella often has to protect her mouse friends). Therefore, the idea of hunting animals seems terrible to her, and when Ella encounters a party trying to catch a stag, she instantly helps the animal escape, while also trying to reason with one of the hunters (Prince Kit) that this should not be done. Despite her wealthy background, Ella is not spoiled or arrogant and always treats others with respect and politeness; this is best seen through her interactions with the servants in her house, whom she perceives as family members and is always ready to lend a helping hand in their work. After her father dies, and she is forced to become a servant of her cruel stepfamily, Ella also shows herself to be extremely humble and down-to-earth, as she copes with her plight by finding joy in simple things and reminding herself that there are people who can be in a much worse position than her (even though her own situation is not fortunate either).
After losing her mother, Ella devotes her life to fulfilling her mother's dying wish for her to "have courage and be kind," which is manifested in her inherent kindness and strong sense of resilience; she always remains optimistic and steadfast in the face of difficulties, and shows grace and generosity to everyone she meets. These qualities become especially valuable to Ella when her father remarries, and Lady Tremaine and her daughters appear in her life. Trying to see the best in people, Ella eagerly accepts her stepfamily and puts up with their somewhat arrogant attitude and shallow remarks, but soon, the Tremaines gradually begin to take advantage of her good-hearted nature and push her around. Despite all the cruelty inflicted on her, Ella still manages to never despise those who mocked her. Furthermore, when she finally gets her chance at a happy life with Kit, Ella finds it in her heart to forgive her stepfamily for all their mistreatment of her. The only time she allows herself to get angry is when Lady Tremaine tries to stop her from seeing Kit on the pretext of being her "mother," which Ella perceives as an insult to her real mother's name and retorts. The loss of her parents also made Ella very susceptible to the thought of losing loved ones. When Kit reveals to her that his father is seriously ill and near death, Ella feels immense and genuine sorrow for him; later, when she flees the ball as the clock strikes midnight, she still finds a few seconds to make sure that the king knows how much his son loves him before it is too late.
Having led a relatively sheltered life, Ella is somewhat innocent in her views on life and the world around her. For instance, when the Tremaines reveal their true nature, she is appalled and genuinely cannot comprehend how they can be so vicious and insensitive. At the same time, Ella is outspoken in her beliefs and is never afraid to express her opinion when she feels that something is not right. This is best shown when Ella first encounters Kit (whom she does not recognize as the prince, nor does she have any suspicions when he introduces himself as an apprentice at the palace) and scolds him for trying to catch the stag. Although she comes off as a bit naive, Ella's honesty and pure heart truly captivate Kit, and as their relationship develops, he not only begins to support her beliefs, but also inherits most of them in his own worldview.
Throughout the film, Ella's beliefs and worldview are constantly being tested, especially by her stepmother and stepsisters. Despite Ella's resilience and faithfulness to the promise made to her late mother, it is clear that their attitude strongly affects her self-esteem and nearly breaks her spirit several times. That being said, Ella is not a pushover, and as she grows to realize how awful the Tremaines really are (especially her stepmother), she learns to stand up to them. When Lady Tremaine intends to exploit her connection to Ella to gain power and control Kit, Ella immediately confronts her and refuses, not wanting her stepmother to ruin Kit and his kingdom as she did with her father and home, even if it means that Ella herself will have to sacrifice her chance for a better life with the man she loves.
===Physical appearance===
Ella is a beautiful and slender young woman with long, wavy blonde hair and dark brown eyes, bearing a strong resemblance to her biological mother. As a child, she wears a white sundress with flower prints all over, and blue ballet flats. As an adult, her outfit consists of an aqua cotton gown decorated with pale pink flowers all over, a light maroon apron, and blue ballet flats. Over time, her gown becomes faded and dirty, and her flats have become darkened. In one scene her hair is tied in a bun and in other scene she has 2 lotus flowers on her head with a small braid on the right side of her hair. In one scene, she wears a white hairband.
When the girls around the kingdom are invited to the royal ball, Ella wears a pink gown that her late mother wore when Ella was young. The dress was simple-styled and somewhat old-fashioned, yet still elegant and beautiful made completely out of blush-pink soft chiffon, with puffed sleeves and a ruffled neckline. The dress is later torn by Ella's stepmother and one of her stepsisters, Drisella.
Her dress is modified by her Fairy Godmother and changes into a cerulean gown with a voluminous skirt composed of more than a dozen layers of gossamer-fine silk in different shades of aqua, cornflower-blue, and lilac. The puffy bertha of Ella's dress is decorated with light blue and light yellow butterflies, and her hair is decorated with small crystals. The glass slippers Ella receives have the appearance of shiny, iridescent, reflective crystal, complete with a gold butterfly on the topline of the slippers.
When married to King Kit, she wears a white wedding dress decorated with yellow, pink, and periwinkle flowers, and white heels.
==Role in the film==
Six years after her mother's death, Ella remains kind and courageous, following her mother's dying wish. One day, her father tells her that he wants to marry again to the widow of his acquaintance; keen to support him, Ella welcomes her new stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and her daughters, Drisella and Anastasia, into their house. Soon, Ella's father prepares to go on a business trip, asking her to get along with her stepfamily and take care of their house in memory of Ella's late mother, whom they both still miss very much. Unbeknownst to them, the conversation is overheard by Lady Tremaine, who grows resentful of both her new husband's memories of his late first wife and Ella for being the living embodiment of this.
When Ella's father departures, Lady Tremaine begins to take advantage of her kindness, persuading Ella to give up her bedroom to Anastasia and Drisella and move into the attic (ostensibly as a temporary measure). While waiting for her father to return, Ella spends her time helping the servants in the house and enjoying the company of her mouse friends. A few months later, Ella and her stepfamily are informed that her father fell ill during the trip and passed away, much to Ella's chagrin. Lady Tremaine dismisses the household and assigns Ella to do all the work so that she can "distract herself from her grief," and eventually Ella is relegated to the position of a servant in her own home. One day, after Ella falls asleep by the fireplace, her face is covered with ashes, prompting her stepsisters to spitefully dub her "Cinderella", while Lady Tremaine forbids her to dine with them from now on.
Overwhelmed by her stepfamily's mistreatment of her, Ella goes riding into the forest, where she encounters a hunting party. After her horse is scared by a stag, Ella meets one of the hunters, Kit, who helps her tame the horse and introduces himself as an apprentice at the royal palace. Unaware that he is actually a prince, Ella quickly becomes attached to Kit and asks him to leave the stag alone, to which he agrees. They depart, with Ella feeling she has finally met a kindred spirit. The next day, the palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens in the kingdom to attend a royal ball, which gives Ella hope to see Kit again. The Tremaines begin to prepare for the ball, but refuse to order a gown for Ella, so she decides to make it herself by repairing her mother's old dress. On the night of the ball, Ella attempts to join her stepfamily on the way out, but Lady Tremaine (not wanting Ella to overshadow her daughters) callously rips her dress apart and forbids her to go to the ball.
When the Tremaines leave, a heartbroken Ella runs out into the garden in tears, where she encounters an old beggar woman asking for nourishment. After Ella feeds her, the woman magically transforms and reveals herself to be Ella's fairy godmother, intending to reward her for her kindness and help her attend the ball. The Fairy Godmother turns a pumpkin into a carriage, Ella's four mice friends into horses, two lizards into footmen, and a goose into a coachman. She then transforms Ella's torn dress into an exquisite blue ball gown, complete with a pair of glass slippers, but warns her that the spell will only last until the last stroke of midnight. Ella thanks her godmother and goes to the ball, excited at the prospect of seeing Kit again.
Arriving at the ball, Ella instantly attracts the attention of the royal court and all the guests, and Kit welcomes her. They share the first dance, and Ella finally realizes that he is the prince. As the party ensues, Ella and Kit go to the palace garden, where they chat and enjoy each other's company. Kit reveals that he must marry for the good of the kingdom at the insistence of his father, who is terminally ill, and Ella sympathizes with him. Kit then takes Ella to a secret spot in the garden, where she almost tells him her name, but notices that the clock is striking almost midnight and runs away. Rushing through the palace, Ella runs into Kit's father, King Frederick; she praises his son and tells the king how much he loves him before continuing to flee. On her way out, Ella also accidentally loses one of her glass slippers on the palace stairs.
The royal guards pursue Ella's carriage, but she manages to get away just as the clock strikes midnight and the spell is broken, returning everything to what it was before, except for the glass slipper. Ella returns home right before her stepfamily does, and hides the slipper in the chimney (later relocating it to her room in the attic). Drisella and Anastasia tell her about the events at the ball and the "mystery princess", while Lady Tremaine becomes suspicious of Ella, noticing how uncharacteristically cheerful she is behaving. Soon after, King Frederick dies, but not before allowing Kit to find Ella and marry her, touched by the kind words she had said to him earlier and his son's feelings for her.
A month later, Kit (as the new king) issues a proclamation announcing that he is willing to marry the mystery princess who wore glass slippers to the ball. Upon hearing the news in the town, Ella is ecstatic and rushes home to retrieve the slipper from the attic to prove her identity, only to discover that her stepmother found it first. Lady Tremaine bitterly tells her how she lost her beloved first husband and had to marry Ella's father for the sake of her daughters, only for him to die too, leaving her stuck with his own child. Lady Tremaine then proceeds to blackmail Ella, agreeing to let her marry Kit if she makes her the head of the royal household after becoming the queen. When Ella refuses, making it clear that although she was unable to protect her father from her, she will protect Kit and the kingdom no matter what, Lady Tremaine shatters the slipper and locks her in the attic. Later, she brings the remaining piece of the slipper to the Grand Duke and makes a deal with him to keep Ella hidden until he convinces Kit to forget about her and marry for the advantage of the kingdom.
Refusing to believe that the "mystery princess" has simply disappeared, Kit orders the Grand Duke to find her by trying the intact glass slipper on every maiden in the kingdom. After weeks of searching, a garrison (led by the Grand Duke and Kit's friend, the Captain) finally arrives at Ella's house, where Drisella and Anastasia unsuccessfully try on the slipper. Still locked in the attic, Ella tries to cheer herself up by remembering the time she spent with Kit and singing "Lavender's Blue" (a lullaby her mother sang to her when she was little), while her mouse friends open the attic window, so the search company can hear her. Feigning ignorance, the Grand Duke insists on leaving, but then one of the guards reveals himself to be Kit in disguise and demands that the singing girl be found. The captain releases Ella from the attic and requests her to present herself to the king; Lady Tremaine tries to forbid her from going under the pretense of being her mother, but Ella retorts that she had never been and never will be her mother.
As Ella makes her way to meet Kit face-to-face, she draws the confidence and composure she needed from her promise to her mother. When she reunites with Kit, she introduces herself as Cinderella, a country girl who has no family or riches, but who is deeply in love with him and hopes that he will accept her as she is. Kit answers affirmatively that he will, and Ella successfully tries on the slipper. As the couple proceeds to leave the house, Anastasia and Drisella beg Ella's forgiveness for their mistreatment of her, while she herself turns to Lady Tremaine to say that she forgives her. Soon after, Lady Tremaine, her daughters, and the Grand Duke leave the kingdom, while Ella and Kit marry and eventually become the land's most beloved monarchs, ruling with courage and kindness, as Ella promised her mother.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*Saoirse Ronan, , , , Emma Watson, , and were all considered/auditioned for the role of Ella before Lily James was cast.
**Emma Watson nearly won the part, but eventually turned it down. She was later cast as Belle in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
**Lily James originally went in to play Anastasia, but the casting director suggested that she try out for Cinderella, and she got the part.
==See also==
*Cinderella (character)
*Cinderella (1997)
*Cinderella (Enchanted Forest)
*Cinderella (Into the Woods)
*Cinderella (Magical Forest)
*El Morales
*Cinderella (Descendants)
==References==
Category:Cinderella characters
Category:Live-action characters
Category:Queens
Category:Disney characters
Category:Orphans
Category:Spouses
Category:Females
Category:Adults
Category:Servants
Category:Siblings
Category:Horsemen
Category:Royalty
Category:Nobility
Category:Teenagers
Category:Heroines
Category:Lovers
Category:Characters in video games
Category:Protagonists
Category:Dancers
Category:European characters
Category:Magic Users
Category:Remake characters