Ella Enchanted

PG

Released Apr 9, 2004

1 hr. 41 min.

Kids & Family

Romance

Comedy

Fantasy

List

51%

116 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As a baby, Ella (Anne Hathaway) receives a visit from Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox), her fairy godmother, and is bestowed with a magical talent that requires her to obey anything that she is told to do. This proves to be more of a curse than a blessing, particularly once her mother dies and she is forced to live with the cruel Dame Olga (Joanna Lumley). Eventually, Ella embarks on a journey to find Lucinda and break the spell, accompanied by the handsome Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy).

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Critics Consensus

Hathaway is a charming heroine, but the simple storyline gets overwhelmed by silly gimmickry.

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Celeste S

It would be misleading to say that this film was released before its time, as its positive messages for children are timeless, but it certainly came out before mainstream audiences could fully embrace its wit and whimsical satire. Instead, it is remembered by many with nostalgic adoration, and perhaps that is the highest award any film can have.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

EllaJo r

So boring 😴 this could of had so much more something.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

Eye C

Uf, this was really hard to watch and almost impossible to finish it, by far the worst movie I watched in a long long time, I wish I could unwatching this.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/24

Full Review

Jacob B

Ella Enchanted has its moments, some nice-looking, if rather obvious, sets and a terrific performance from Anne Hathaway doing a good job bring funny, quirky, charming and selling serious scenes (not to mention some decent pantomiming given how her character does most things against her will) but the corny special effects, not especially immersive world-building, just coming off as a more fantasy-heavy version of The Princess Bride, predictable narrative beats and a climactic solution to our heroine's lifelong dilemma ending up spawning questions among the lines of "you mean to tell me, she never once in her life tried doing that, even out of curiosity?" make this fairytale film forgettable and likely to make you assume that this film was only greenlit because Shrek was a huge success, a pre-existing book be damned. Probably more worthwhile than Princess Diaries 2, however.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/02/24

Full Review

katie w

Constantly watched this movie when I was younger and it holds up as lighthearted fun.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/26/23

Full Review

Allen H

I hoped for the quality of The Princess Diaries. It's okay but weak. Gags are thrown in to try and give it substance. I don't know that those improve it. There are so many better ways to spend your viewing time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

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Tommy O'Haver

Director

Anne Hathaway

Ella

Hugh Dancy

Prince Charmont

Cary Elwes

Prince Regent Edgar

Vivica A. Fox

Fairy Lucinda

Joanna Lumley

Dame Olga

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53%

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93%

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Endearing, enduring, with just a few bits of crude humor

Rated: 4/5

Dec 24, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Avoids a misstep common among girl-empowerment flicks, which often emasculate the male lead to make the heroine truly heroic… manages to make both leads appealing.

Rated: B

Sep 16, 2004

Full Review

Steve Warren

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

The result isn’t consistently enchanting, but it is quite amusing in spite of its unevenness.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 7, 2023

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…For kids bored with repeated viewings of Frozen and Tangled, Ella Enchanted is a worthy next step; chunky and easy to watch, it’s got some hidden depths well worth exploring…

Rated: 3/5

Oct 13, 2022

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Anne Hathaway is the cheery spark in this glitzy girl's fantasy story from screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith ("Legally Blonde").

Rated: C+

May 4, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

As a baby, Ella (Anne Hathaway) receives a visit from Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox), her fairy godmother, and is bestowed with a magical talent that requires her to obey anything that she is told to do. This proves to be more of a curse than a blessing, particularly once her mother dies and she is forced to live with the cruel Dame Olga (Joanna Lumley). Eventually, Ella embarks on a journey to find Lucinda and break the spell, accompanied by the handsome Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy).

Director: Tommy O'Haver
Executive Producer: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Su Armstrong
Screenwriter: Karen McCullah, Laurie Craig, Jennifer Heath, Michelle Wolff, Gail Carson Levine
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Jane Startz Productions, Miramax Films, Blessington Film Productions, Momentum Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Romance, Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 9, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 17, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.9M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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