At the preview for Disney’s live-action retelling of its 1950 animated favorite, I saw both young girls and grown women decked out in gowns and tiaras. The fans are ready, and, when the mood strikes me, I also can be swept up in watching two beautiful people fall in love. And beautiful they are: Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden as Prince Charming (in some very flattering tight pants) and Downton Abbey’s Lily James as the demure and free-spirited Ella, who wears butterflies in her hair because that’s just her brand of Manic Pixie Dream Girl. (Let’s also here bestow the praising-hands emoji upon James’ eyebrows, the boldness of which is unprecedented by any other Disney princess.)

The familiar plot has been gently tweaked. Prior to the fateful ball, Ella now meets Prince Charming in the forest, where he claims to be a humble apprentice working at the palace. Ella’s also been given more agency. Unlike most adaptations of the Perrault folk tale, this Ella is hardly embarrassed by her low station. She soon adopts a strong take-me-as-I-am attitude, surely designed to appeal to girls raised on Frozen. After being christened “Cinderella” by her evil stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, she chooses to reclaim the demeaning nickname and make it her own. Is that the best message for how to respond to bullying? Perhaps not the worst.

It’s fair to say that no one does Cinderella quite like Disney. My circle still speaks in hushed, reverent tones about Disney’s racially diverse 1997 TV adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Cinderella starring Brandy, with Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this bubblegum version doesn’t inspire quite the same adoration, though it features my favorite color palette: shades of sparkle. And the new Frozen short that precedes the film is alone worth your $12 ticket price.

dle@seattleweekly.com

CINDERELLA Opens Fri., March 13 at Ark Lodge, Majestic Bay, Varsity, and other theaters. Rated PG. 105 minutes.