Young Ella's merchant father
remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her
father, she welcomes her new stepmother and her daughters
into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes
away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new
family. She is relegated to nothing more than a servant girl and
spitefully renamed Cinderella. Despite the cruelty inflicted upon
her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to
‘have courage and be kind’. In the woods one day she meets a
dashing stranger, unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an
apprentice at the Palace. It appears her life may be about to
change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens
to attend a ball. Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and
callously rips apart her dress. Ultimately, a kindly beggar woman
steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice,
changes Cinderella’s life forever. |