Cinderella
Recommended. Age: 6+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Ella's mother tells her to have courage and be kind. After her parents die, her stepmother and stepsisters treat her like a servant. A fairy godmother helps her go to the royal ball, where she meets the prince again. Ella stays kind when people are cruel, and at the end she forgives her stepmother. Some parts are sad because her parents die, and many of the dresses are low-cut. It is good for kids about six and up and their families. Branagh's Cinderella tells the old story straight and puts kindness, courage and forgiveness at the center. Ella's 'I forgive you' to the woman who abused her is the moral peak, and it is plainly Christian in shape. The magic is story-world fairy-tale magic, not occult practice. Know going in that the gowns are low-cut and that God and the Church are simply absent from a story full of weddings and funerals.
For parents
All ages per the Catholic classification. Common Sense Media says six and up for the parents' deaths and the stepmother's cruelty. Ask: why does Ella forgive Lady Tremaine, and does forgiving mean what was done was fine? See Matthew 5:44 and CCC 2843. The fairy godmother is make-believe. Who really watches over us? CCC 336 teaches that each of us has a guardian angel. Tell your children that hoping in magic is pretend, and that real help comes from God through prayer. The gowns are low-cut, so a word on modesty fits (CCC 2521-2522).