Ella Enchanted

A surprisingly affable fairytale, Ella Enchanted may not deviate too radically from the established blueprint, but it's delivered with just the right balance of knowing humour and tongue in cheek sassiness to register as a success. Effective enough in The Princess Diaries 1 and 2, Anna Hathaway really impresses in the central role. She's a youngster whose life is turned upside down when her father (Bergin) marries Dame Olga (Lumley). A nasty sort, Olga brings her equally disagreeable daughters (Punch and Higham) into the marriage, both of whom delight in treating their stepsister with a unmitigated nastiness. But due to the intervention of her lippy fairy godmother (Fox), Ella is unable to refuse to do anything that is asked of her, leading to all sorts of bother when it comes to the object of her affections, Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy).

The most obvious relative might be Cinderella, but it's obvious that a significant reference point for director Tommy O'Haver was The Princess Bride (1987). Though he never quite matches the heights scaled by that movie (a stone-cold classic in this parish), there's a nice sense of humour at the heart of Ella Enchanted, complemented by its leading lady's endearingly goofy charms. O'Haver's direction is snappy and smart, even if he's giddily dependent on the blending of live action and computer generated effects.