Disney’s Cinderella 2015 – Fun Facts & Trivia

Disney’s Cinderella 2015: Fun Facts & Trivia

The much-anticipated release of Disney’s 2015 live-action film, Cinderella, is mere weeks away. That said, it’s time to brush up on some pertinent fun facts and trivia bits about the film, the franchise, and its stars. Here we go.

The Cinderella story has been around far longer than the 1950’s Disney musical.

The Cinderella story may date back as far as the first century, according to some historians. One of these classic tales was recorded by a Greek geographer and featured a young Greek slave from Ancient Egypt. After having her sandal snatched by a desert eagle, the King of Memphis sent his men to find the woman who wore it. Upon finding her, they married and lived happily ever after.

The Fairy Godmother, the glass slipper, and the happy ending are all newer developments in the story.

The glass slipper is originally credited in the 1697 version of the story penned by Charles Perrault, titled Cendrillon. In addition, the fairy godmother didn’t exist until the Grimm version, and previous inclinations to Perrault’s 1697 retelling featured much darker content. Stepsisters that cut off parts of their feet to fit into the slipper, birds that pecked out the stepsisters’ eyes, and a prince that punished the stepmother and the stepsisters by forcing them to dance to their death in boots lined by hot coals, were all included in older versions of the classic story.

Director Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter have a history.

Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter seem to have a stable working relationship, but the pair didn’t meet on the set of Cinderella. It appears that in the 1990’s the two had an affair and a short-lived relationship that lead to an amicable split.

In fact, Cinderella was a reunion of sorts for Kenneth Branagh and much of the leading cast.

Branagh had previously worked with several cast members, including: Stellan Skarsgard (Thor), Helena Bonham Carter (Frankenstein), and Derek Jacobi (Henry V, Dead Again, Hamlet).

Emma Watson was the first choice for the leading role, but Lily James might not have even been the second choice.

In fact, she might not have been in the top five. After Emma Watson turned down the role, the production team considered Saoirse Ronan (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Alicia Vikander (Anna Karenina), Gabriella Wilde (Carrie), Imogen Poots (Need for Speed), Bella Heathcote (The Rewrite), and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) for the leading role before ultimately deciding on Lily James.

Speaking of first choices, Kenneth Branagh wasn’t the first choice to direct the film.

Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) was the original choice, but dropped out shortly into production planning due to creative differences.

Cinderella was set to be the first of three live action remakes of classic Disney films.

The Jungle Book and Maleficent are the other two. Due to the movie being pushed from a late 2014 release to the current March 13th (2015) release, Maleficent ultimately ended up being released first.

The film could possibly feature some of the music from the 1950’s Walt Disney classic.

If you listen closely, the second trailer features the classic song from the Disney musical, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” which leads many to believe that it won’t be the only homage to its Disney predecessor.

Lily James and Sophie McShera flip-flopped roles.

Well, kinda. James and McShera both have roles on BBC’s “Downton Abbey,” only their roles as Cinderella and Drizella (respectively) have been flip-flopped. In “Downton Abbey,” McShera plays the servant role as a kitchen assistant, while James plays Lady Rose, an aristocratic high society type.

Are there additional fun facts or trivia that you’d like to share about the film, its history, or the cast? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)