As I read the screenplay, I immediately understood Ella’s connection to Nature, to the forest, and to the ever-mysterious moon.  My own love for Nature and for the moon has taught me to observe and to appreciate the changes that accompany natural cycles. 

Cinderella’s transformation takes her from loss of parental love, through despair, and then on to her discovery of a new kind of love (with the Prince).  At the beginning of the story, I see Ella as light: creamy and warm as the sun shining through a white flower.  In the middle, I see her light dimming:  shadow imprints of floral motives gradually become darker as she is covered with ash and dirt.  At the ball, she is at her brightest, and I imagine her light there as celestial:  she has been transformed by her Fairy godmother (the moon), and Ella herself becomes magical, a metaphor for the star-filled night sky. 

Screenplay by Chris Weitz based on the story by Charles Perrault

Production and Costume Design Collages