Cinderella's Steps get their own shaky stop on the villain image rehab tour
Animated fairy tale Steps undermines Cinderella in all the expected ways before it fully turns into a pumpkin.
The animated film Steps takes audiences on a self-referential journey through the world of fairy tales, focusing on Cinderella's stepsisters. Initially intended as a sharp parody of Disney films, featuring comedic songs by Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome, the film's tone shifted over production at Netflix. The stepsisters, initially portrayed as evil, were rewritten as Asian and then later dropped altogether, with the film struggling to maintain a consistent identity.
The most potential for originality lay in the stepsisters' Asian identity, but this concept was not fully explored. Instead, the story becomes a mix of various elements, including white privilege, a sisterly bonding adventure, and Prince Daniel Radcliffe identifying the Prince by shoe. Despite some attempts at humor and heart-to-heart moments, the film fails to connect emotionally with its characters, leaving viewers questioning the message behind the complex narrative twists.
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