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Official Synopsis:
It's musical. It's magical. It's Another Cinderella Story, the dancing-ever-after fairy tale. In this joyous update, Selena Gomez (The Wizards of Waverly Place) is Mary, a modern Cinderella complete with dancing shoes instead of a glass slipper. Drew Seeley (High School Musical) is Joey, a Prince Charming and dreamy new-guy-in-school looking for a girl to love. Could Mary be that girl? With your kind of music and dance, your kind of romance and all kinds of surprises, you'll find that Another Cinderella Story is a perfect fit.
Our Take:
Cinderella is a simple tale of someone who has unfairly received a poor lot in life, and miraculously has an opportunity to turn things around. It’s a universal concept that can be translated from culture to culture and stands the test of time. Another Cinderella Story (not to be confused as a direct sequel to the film A Cinderella Story) brings the enduring tale into 2008.
In this updated Cinderella story things are a little different. Instead of a glass slipper, prince charming finds his love by using her MP3 player. In the place of a Fairy Godmother, Mary has her best friend Tami, who is a spunky free-thinker who loves to design her own clothes and helps Mary with her ball gown. Of course the part of “Prince Charming” is pop-star Joey Parker, a child star that made it big at age thirteen and is coming back to his home town to finish his senior year of high school and “find his roots.” Practically stealing the show is Mary’s wicked step-mother, Dominique; a self-absorbed has been pop-star (think Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus in about thirty years) who just won’t fade out gracefully. Joining in the wickedness are Dominique’s equally self-centered and obnoxious daughters.
Audio & Video:
I don’t imagine this is the kind of film that’s going to draw a lot of scrutiny for its sound and video quality from its core audience, but for parents who are interested, here’s the scoop. The picture quality is good, if nothing terribly impressive. It features generally sharp detail (with some occasional softness) and bright, vibrant colors that mirror the production itself. There is some edge enhancement present, however. Not surprisingly, Warner Brothers chose not to upgrade to HD sound for this one, and we get the soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1. It’s a pretty standard affair, with most of the attention going to the pop music soundtrack and the dialogue all sandwiched smack in the center channel. Nothing bad here, but nothing great, either.
Extra Features:
Another Cinderella Story doesn’t have any giant pumpkins that turn into carriages, or mice that are magically transformed into horses, but it does have quite a few DVD extras!
Blu-ray Exclusive Features:
There are no Blu-ray exclusive features.
Standard Extras:
* Another Cinderella Story: Just That Girl Music Video (3 minutes) – Nothing too special here, just a music video strewn together with clips from the movie and behind the scenes footage.
* Mary: Dancing Ever After: The Movie's Musical Pulse (6 minutes) – Interviews with the actors discussing the movie and its music.
* Mary: The Cinderella of the Story - Spotlight on Selena Gomez (3 minutes) – The actors discuss the character of Mary, the modern day Cinderella.
* A Pop Star Prince: Joey Parker - Spotlight on Drew Seeley (4 minutes) – Joey Parker, the new Prince Charming who also happens to be a world famous Pop Star.
* The Diva Dominique: Spotlight on This Cinderella's Pop-Singing Socialite Stepmother (6 minutes) – The Step-Mother of this movie is the egotistical Pop-Princess past her prime (by about twenty years, and several facelifts) is discussed here.
* Tami's Fantastic Fashions (5 minutes) – Get some fashion tips from Mary’s BFF and “Fairy Godmother” Tami as she takes us on a tour of her closet and tells us how she puts her wardrobe together.
* Another Cinderella Story Singalong: 3 Awesome Audio Tracks – “Hurry Up & Save Me” by Tiffany Giardana, “Just That Girl” by Drew Seeley and “New Classic” by Selena Gomez & Drew Seeley.
Conclusion:
I swore I’d hate this film after the first twenty minutes, but there is just something likable enough about this film that kept me watching. Of course, I’m not Another Cinderella’s Story’s target audience, which would be the generation being raised on the likes of High School Musical and Hannah Montana. In that aspect, Another Cinderella Story does not disappoint, as it provides plenty of catchy teenie-pop songs and overly choreographed dance numbers to keep ‘em wanting more.
Overall Picture:
Movie: B-
Video: B
Audio: C+
Extras: B+
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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