The Slipper Still Fits

Of all characters to get a makeover, the most drastic was Anastasia, who becomes a protagonist in this outing. “In the original movie, the stepsisters really are one-note characters, so we were thinking of things we could give her to do and react to that tell us she’s got a softer heart inside.” Nissen explains that a pivotal scene was a rehearsal dance before the wedding, in which the Prince is convinced that he danced with Anastasia at the ball, and her infatuation cannot compensate for her stepping on his toes. “By having her act genuine in her discomfort and contriteness as she says, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ and by playing it absolutely straight, you look at her expressions and your heart really goes out to her. But we had to carefully modulate how sympathetic she was throughout the whole middle of the story so when it comes time for her to say ‘I do’ at the final wedding scene, we’d have a little bit of ambiguity about whether she’d go through with it.”

Although the film is princess-themed, it tested well with boys and parents as well, which Nissen chalks up to the movie’s emotional core. “I think in a lot of projects, people are afraid to deal with strong emotions, particularly love. It’s either treated lightly or made fun of, and I didn’t want to do that. This is a wonderfully romantic property. It has a special place in a lot of people’s hearts, and I really wanted to respect that. There’s plenty of fun in it, but what Cinderella feels, and what the prince feels, it was really important to treat that sincerely. I think that’s what people responded to.”

(c) Disney