Parents' Guide to Three Wishes for Cinderella

This beautifully shot, updated version of Cinderella features a Cinderella who enjoys being outside in nature more than being indoors. This Cinderella, in Three Wishes for Cinderella, is a solid horseback rider and amazing archer, taught by her deceased father. This Cinderella doesn't have a fairy godmother, magical pumpkin carriage, talking mice friends, or a glass slipper. Instead, magical acorns grant wishes, Cinderella rides her own horse to the ball, and her slippers aren't glass (but very sparkly). These changes to Charles Perrault's original folk/fairy tale are welcome, feel fresh (even if the original film version from 1973 did the same), and are almost necessary in order to justify the retelling of an outdated story of a man "getting to choose" any woman he wants. (Who cares what the woman thinks, because why would women need to think? He's a prince! Every woman should immediately want to marry a prince!)

For some viewers, mileage will vary given the above considerations. While this portrayal of Cinderella is a bit progressive, she's still immediately smitten with the prince, and for no clear reason beyond his love of being in nature. When the prospect of the ball comes up, Cinderella's interest in such a thing feels out of character, given what has been shown of her up to that point. Prior to this time, she's shown happily dressing as a young man (with a mustache), being alone and with her horse, and being an advocate for and protector of the forest. So, again, mileage will vary, because for some viewers, this is merely a clean, simple telling of a cute story. For others, however, the tale of Cinderella is one of exclusion, sexism, and abuse. (The story does overtly include and promote grand collective complicity in this "prince chooses the best-looking woman" system (no one has an issue with it) and the reinforcement of the outdated evil stepmother character (which is weird to say given that the original Cinderella story arguably did quite a lot to establish this stereotype in the first place).