Why Camila Cabello Playing Cinderella (But NOT For Disney) Is Important

The classic fairy tale Cinderella got a new live-action version courtesy of Sony and Amazon Studios, with Camila Cabello playing the title character, which is a very important event as this is not a Disney movie. Movies led by female characters and based on fairy tales continue to be very popular with the audience, and while Disney has become a powerhouse in that area, the Mouse House is not the only studio that has brought these stories to life. A recent example is Cinderella, a new live-action musical adaptation of Charles Perrault’s tale of the same name.

Cinderella tells the story of the title character, who lives with her abusive stepmother and stepsisters after the death of her father. Cinderella is forced to perform all types of chores and activities and has no freedom, but when the royal family hosts a ball for the prince to find a wife, Cinderella is visited by the fairy godmother, who grants her a dress, glass slippers, and a carriage so she can attend, but she has to return home before midnight. The story of Cinderella is widely known thanks to Disney’s 1950 animated movie, and even though the studio has already made its own live-action version, 2021’s Cinderella is more relevant.

Directed and written by Kay Cannon, Cinderella follows the basic premise of Perrault’s tale but with a couple of changes to give it a somewhat modern touch. Starring as Cinderella is Camila Cabello in her acting debut, and as she’s best known for her music career, it makes sense to have her starring in a musical. Cinderella not only gave the title princess a new purpose as she wants to establish her own shop, “Dresses by Ella”, but it also made important changes to some characters, most notably the fairy godmother, now the Fabulous Godmother played by Billy Porter. Cabello playing Cinderella is also an important change and a step towards a more inclusive film industry, and what makes her role more relevant is that she isn’t playing it for Disney.

Given the weight that Disney has in the entertainment industry, it’s easy to forget that the studio doesn’t own the rights to the fairy tales it bases its movies on, as they are all public domain. This means that any other studio can make its own adaptation of them, though most have stayed away precisely because of the shadow Disney casts over them. Now, Camila Cabello, who was born in Havana, Cuba, is the first Latina to play a princess in a fairy tale as big as Cinderella, and most importantly, it’s not for Disney. This version of Cinderella represents many steps in the right direction as it shows that other studios can make fairy tale movies as big as those of Disney, and they are a lot more open to having diverse actors and changing the characters accordingly. Although Disney has certainly earned its place in the entertainment industry, it has also put a stranglehold on fairy tales and princesses, and Cinderella having a Latina performer as its lead offers more iconic roles to diverse actors and shows to other studios that they too can make their own versions of these stories.

Of course, these changes in perspective and opportunities take time, so it’s to be seen if more studios decide to take all those popular fairy tales to make their own adaptations and give them a fresh, more up-to-date twist that will set them free from Disney’s shadow. On the other hand, Disney continues working on different live-action adaptations of these stories, so the competition is about to get interesting.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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