Film

Ella Enchanted

Name: Ella Enchanted
Genre: Family, Fantasy, Comedy
Released: 2004
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes, Aidan McArdle, Joanna Lumley

Fairy tale
Light-hearted

A slyly funny fairy-tale musical: Anne Hathaway plays a girl cursed at birth to obey any order given to her, which turns out to be less charming and more terrifying than it sounds. It's broad, bright, aimed at kids but stuffed with knowing jokes and pop songs for the adults dragged along. Good for a rainy afternoon, not for anyone allergic to whimsy.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a bright, witty fairy-tale romp where the jokes come from clever wordplay and a heroine who turns a literal curse into a running gag, closer in spirit to Shrek than to a sugary princess film.

Skip it if you want a tight, fast plot, since this 96-minute film wanders through a lot of episodic detours and its humour leans on its cast's charm more than on any surprise.

What it asks of you: Little of you beyond attention for the wordplay; it moves briskly, stays light throughout, and rewards you for keeping up with its banter rather than demanding emotional investment.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Enchanted2007

Amy Adams as a cartoon princess literally sung into modern-day New York — it does the fairy-tale-meets-reality trick with even more wit and a genuinely great musical number in Central Park.

But The fish-out-of-water jokes are broader and the satire is gentler than Ella's.

Shrek2001

The gold standard for fairy tales that mock fairy tales while still believing in them — irreverent, quotable, and surprisingly sweet under the pop-culture gags.

But Two decades of sequels and memes have worn the freshness off some of the jokes.

The Princess Bride1987

The template for smart, self-aware fantasy adventure — funny, romantic, quotable in every scene, and about as purely enjoyable as this genre gets.

But It's gentler and slower-paced than the pop-song energy of Ella, with no musical numbers at all.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Ella Enchanted

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Court Jester1955

Same premise decades earlier: someone else's control over your body played as slapstick and suspense at once, in a medieval musical-comedy package.

Danny Kaye plays a man secretly hypnotized to become someone else entirely, and the comedy runs on the exact same engine as Ella's curse: a person who cannot control their own actions, played for both laughs and real tension.

But Black-and-white, stagey, and fifty years older in its comic rhythms — this is old-Hollywood musical comedy, not CGI spectacle.

A Knight's Tale2001

Medieval jousting scored to Queen and Bachman-Turner Overdrive — the same joyfully anachronistic spirit as Ella's musical numbers, just aimed at teenagers instead of kids.

But More sports-movie structure than fairy-tale quest, and Heath Ledger's earnestness plays straighter than Hathaway's comedy.

EverAfter1998

A Cinderella retelling with real stakes and a heroine who fights her own battles — the grounded, romantic cousin to Ella's zanier magic.

But No comedy songs, no talking elves — this one plays its fairy tale mostly straight.

Stardust2007

A scrappy fantasy quest through a magical kingdom next door, with a starry cast having a lot of fun and a villain (Robert De Niro) even weirder than Ella's uncle.

But Slightly more adult in its violence and innuendo than Ella's family-friendly tone.

Penelope2006

A modern fable about a girl cursed at birth trying to break the spell — smaller and quieter than Ella, but built from the same fairy-tale-curse DNA.

But Lower budget, lower energy — this is a whisper next to Ella's shout.

Hoodwinked!2005

Fractured fairy tales told Rashomon-style as a comic mystery — the animated, jokier cousin if you liked Ella's habit of winking at its own genre.

But Cheaper animation and a jokes-per-minute rate that can feel exhausting rather than charming.

The Princess Diaries2001

Hathaway again, pre-Ella, doing the ordinary-girl-thrust-into-a-fairy-tale-life bit with real charm — a nice companion piece if you're now an Anne Hathaway completist.

But No fantasy or magic at all — it's a modern-day royal comedy, not a quest.

Princess Tutu2002

Swaps Hollywood musical comedy for Japanese TV animation, but keeps the core idea: a girl fighting to author her own story against a spell that scripts her actions.

A Japanese anime where a duck-turned-girl must dance to save a prince's heart whether she wants to or not — a magical-girl fairy tale obsessed with the same question Ella asks: what happens when your fate is written by someone else?

But Subtitled, episodic, and aimed at a young anime audience — a real tonal and cultural jump from a Hollywood family comedy.

The Stepford Wives1975

Same nightmare — a woman stripped of the ability to say no — stripped of magic and comedy and shown as social horror instead.

A chilling satire about women in a picture-perfect town who obey their husbands utterly and smile while doing it — Ella's magical curse taken out of the fairy tale and put back in the real world, with the horror left in.

But It's a slow-burn 1970s thriller with genuine dread, not a single laugh or song in sight.