Steps review: Cinderellas story with a goth girl twist (plus, a hot troll!)

In 2025, The Ugly Stepsister is considered one of the year's best horror movies, reimagining the Cinderella tale as a critique of societal pressure on girls to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. However, Netflix offers a more gentle take on this story with Steps. This family-friendly film reimagines the classic princess narrative from the stepsisters' perspective, offering a fresh and charming take on the tale.

Steps follows the story of Lilith, the so-called "evil stepsister," voiced by Ali Wong, who is actually more misunderstood than menacing. Lilith and her younger sister Margot, played by Stephanie Hsu, travel with their seamstress mother, selling their wares until they are welcomed into a predominantly white kingdom. Despite the kindness shown by Cinderella's father, the step-sisters face prejudice and discrimination from the villagers, who mock their Eastern-style clothing and stories of a snake-woman.

The film's protagonist, Lilith, is a gothic fashionista who stands out from her seemingly perfect stepsister, Margot. Lilith's self-expression is a response to the pressure to assimilate and avoid alienation. When Cinderella, played by Amanda Seyfried, meets Lilith, she realizes that her stepsister has had a magical guardian all along in the form of a fairy godmother. This revelation highlights the theme of privilege and sets the stage for a collaborative effort by the sisters to rewrite their narrative and save the day.