Ella enchanted, by gail levine, tells the story of an ordinary girl struggling under the weight of an extraordinary curse. The question and answer section for ella enchanted is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Ella enchanted follows the grand tradition of naming books after the main character think jane eyre and oliver twist. She exhibits another themedeterminationto recover her lost free will, which grants her agency and independence. With anne hathaway, hugh dancy, cary elwes, joanna lumley. The storyline was full of colour and fun, with everything else in between. Ella s and chars letters reveal confident and clever people behind the pens, while the glimpses we get of hatties and olives letters thanks to ella s magical book reveal them to be dull and greedy. Ella enchanted is one of the most fantastic movies i have seen in the last few years. Levines other books include ever, a new york times bestseller. One of the elements of a story that impacts a plots wholeness and meaning is how the characters are crafted by the author.
If youve read harry potter, try ella enchanted publishers weekly. Ella enchanted is a modernday cinderella fairy tale staring anne hathaway. Starring anne hathaway and hugh dancy, the film plays with the usual fairy tale genre the film is a coproduction between companies in the united states, ireland, and the united kingdom. Ella enchanted is a 2004 american fantasy romantic comedy film directed by tommy ohaver and written by karen mccullah lutz and kirsten smith loosely based on gail carson levines 1997 novel of the same name. As the main character, ella is a young girl living in frell, a land within her magical world. The story is a retelling of cinderella featuring various mythical creatures including fairies, elves, ogres, gnomes, and giants. The father is an evil man and gives any young child the chills to think how unfair he can be. Like the movie, ella enchanted by gail carson levine is a wonderful book for kids and adults.
At night, ella reads her fairy tale book and sees letters from hattie and olive to their mother, dame olga. Her mother has recently passed away and to get out of debt her father plans to marry her to the richest suitor. Apr 09, 2004 ella enchanted is one of the most fantastic movies i have seen in the last few years. The protagonist in most novels features the main character or good guy. May 28, 2016 the book ella enchanted by gail carson levine was an adaption of cinderella in novel form, in which cinderella was cursed or, well, a blessing gone wrong to be obedient. Ella enchanted is a newbery honor book written by gail carson levine and published in 1997. At birth, ella of frell was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. The movie has a cute story line and anne hathaway really shines in her role as ella. Gail carson levines first book for children, ella enchanted, was a newbery honor book. Discuss how ella s character and story is similar and how it is different from the traditional tale. The major conflict in ella enchanted is ellas lack of freedom. When she started writing this novel, gail carson levine wanted to base her story on cinderella but didnt want ella to be a goody twoshoes. Discuss how ellas character and story is similar and how it is different from the traditional tale.
Ella enchanted is a rich and imaginative retelling of the cinderella story as a young adult novel. Ella enchanted is one of my daughters favorite movies from her childhood, and having the opportunity to surprise her with this dvd for christmas now that shes older and about to leave for college was awesome. Identify additional differences and similarities between ella enchanted and the classic fairy tale cinderella. In 2018, levine published ogre enchanted, a prequel to. In the land of kyrria, ella is born into a noble family. At birth, ella of frell is given the gift of obedience by the. I was starting a new writing class and needed an idea, so i thought maybe i could expand a fairy tale too. A book trailer that i created for my literature for children class. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, ella goes on a quest to break the curse forever. However, since its not just called ella, we have to assume that the enchanted portion of the title is also significant. Ella enchanted is 100 minutes straight of trope after endless overdone trope, cgi enhanced castles, juvenile slapstick, vaudevillecaricature that is ignorant of its own campiness, a terribly written screenplay with grating pacing, indecisiveness of which theme and genre mashups theyre going for, but worst of all weirdly uncomfortable sexual innuendo.
If we could change one thing about the book, it would be that gail carson levine used more of her own creativity, rather than the story of cinderella. The plot, the characters, even the tone are very different, but the books theme and lessons are all there, and in its own way, the film is endearing, enduring, and lots of fun. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom and shell have to obey. Fairest, a best book of the year for publishers weekly and school library journal, and a new york times bestseller. The major conflict in ella enchanted is ella s lack of freedom. Is ella enchanted the book the same as in the movie answers. With an engaging storyline, gutsy performances from an excellent cast starring anne hathaway of the princess diaries and lots of tongueincheek humor, ella enchanted packs a bit more punch than a runofthemill disney fairytale film, and gives those who might not be enticed at the thought of taking in a movie aimed at a younger audience. If you want to experience the real pleasures of ella enchanted, do not expect a faithful recreation of gail carson levines book. It is a fun twist on cinderella, but the narrator sounded as if she was about 10 years old and so did not match the romantic storyline. Ella enchanted is a book that is appropriate for young and old alike, and the other two follow suit. Oct 17, 20 at birth, ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent fairy named lucinda, who bestows on her the gift of obedience. Gail carson levines book was awarded the newbery honor in 1998 after its 1997 publication. The story is a retelling of cinderella featuring various mythical. Ella enchanted by gail carson levine chapters before you read the chapter.
Upon ellas birth, a fairy named lucinda gifts her with obedience. Identify additional differences and similarities between ella enchanted and the. So levine created the obedience gift, which forces ella to be good. As a baby, she was cursed with obedience by a littlethinking faerie. Time to bestow some beauty, grace, and intelligence, right. Ella enchanted by gail carson levine, paperback barnes. It is about a girl that has been given the gift of obedience at her birth. A lot of the fun is generated because it takes place in a world that is one part cinderella, one part shrek, and one part the princess bride. Unfortunately for ella, always having to do what shes told. Ella enchanted is a witty, refreshing take on the popular fairytale, cinderella which preserves the spirit of the original but adds plenty of humorous twists and a spunky, intelligent female protagonist. Ella enchanted tells the story of ella who at birth is given the. The ella enchanted community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Analysis of the characters of ella enchanted brighthub. In 2006, levine went on to write fairest, a retelling of the story of snow white, set in the same world as ella enchanted.
The beautiful princess giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modernday manhattan. Based on the beloved novel by gail carson levine, its a highspirited charmer, a fantasy that sparkles with delights. I found that i rather enjoyed the challenge of making it and im going to make some more book trailer for the future. The characters of ella enchanted all possess distinct personalities that together contribute to the success of the storyline and the triumph of the themes purposely illustrated by levine. Aug 23, 20 the near ending of the book copied the main storyline of cinderella. Ella enchanted by gail carson levine is a fairy tale novel based on the story of cinderella. Gail carson levines book was awarded the newbery honor in. She must obey every order whether it is hopping on one foot for one day or killing herself. With unnecessary flourishes and misspellings, hatties letter complains of course that ella was. She is cursed at birth with obedience, later on in the book her father remarries and her stepmother and stepsisters strip her of any. Ella also has a magical fairy book which tells her the private thoughts. Her mother knew about the spell and did not use it to hurt ella. Also, ella had a mean stepmother and stepsisters just like cinderella.
Ella enchanted by gail carson levine is a cinderella story with a twist. This lesson will focus on the characters and summary of ella enchanted. Jul 19, 2017 a book trailer that i created for my literature for children class. Ella hathaway lives in a magical world in which each child, at the moment of their birth, is given a virtuous gift from.
Ella enchanted is full of magic, fairies, and many other fantastic creatures. It was really too bad because it detracted from the story. Ella enchanted book report essaysella enchanted is a fiction newberry honor book written by gail carson levine. Ella enchanted is a smart and funny retelling of the clasic cinderella fairytale by author gail carson levine. The actors were perfect for their parts, none of them seemed out of place in the fairytale world. Hathaway is a charming heroine, but the simple storyline gets overwhelmed by silly gimmickry. Ella enchanted bluraydvd, 2012, 2disc set for sale. You may know that ella enchanted was my first published book after ten years of trying i wrote it because i love fairy tales and id just read beauty by robin mckinley, which i admired enormously. Reading guide for ella enchanted by gail carson levine. Growing up, she is very close to her mother, lady eleanor, and cook, mandy. Ella must obey any orders that are given to her by anyone. Ella is given the gift of obedience by her fairy godmother vivica a. The book ella enchanted by gail carson levine was an adaption of cinderella in novel form, in which cinderella was cursed or, well, a blessing gone wrong to be obedient.
I could almost believe that all the places, people and creatures were real. Ellas and chars letters reveal confident and clever people behind the pens, while the glimpses we get of hatties and olives letters thanks to ellas magical book reveal them to be dull and greedy. Its an exciting story of a young girl named ella and her adventures as she tries to rid herself of her gift of obedience. It even stars the hero from princess bride, cary elwes, who has grown up to become. Ella is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact she must hide from her new stepfamily in order to protect the prince of the land, her friend for whom shes falling. About the book ella enchanted by gail carson levine. Ella enchanted starts with explaining the curse of obedience that poor ella was cast under only hours after her birth. Ella enchanted is about a girl named ella who is extremely close with her mother. Ella must obey any order, whether its to hop on one foot for a day and a half, or to chop off her own head. The story has a definite fairy tale feel, but it goes beyond the original cinderella story with quirky characters and a strong female lead, one who doesnt. Gail carson levine fills her novels with humor and wit and tragedy and beauty, and any lover of fairy tales will appreciate her spins on the classics as well as her original tale of the princesses of bamarre. What are the differences between ella enchanted and. The protagonist of ella enchanted is ella of frell, a strongwilled young girl whose life is turned upside down as the novel begins.
Free will is an important theme of ella enchanted, as for much of the story, ella does not have free will. Goodreads members who liked ella enchanted ella enchan. Dave at night, an ala notable book and best book for young adults. Ella enchanted is a 1998 newbery medal honor book and a major motion picture. Against a bold tapestry of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters and fairy godmothers, ella s spirited account of her quest to break the curse is a funny, poignant and enchanting tale about an unforgettable heroine who is determined to be herself.
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