A royal ball. A lost glass slipper. A magical midnight deadline.
These are staple elements of the Cinderella story that have enchanted fairy tale fans for years. Now, Steps, from Netflix Animation Studios, will show audiences Cinderella’s not-so-evil stepsisters in a new light when the film premieres on Nov. 20.
Kris Bowers, the Oscar-winning composer behind Bridgerton, The Wild Robot, The Color Purple, and many other acclaimed projects, crafts a score befitting the classic fairy tale turned upside down. Recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, Bowers’s score dovetails with the themes of Steps. “The story gives us a totally different perspective on this fairy-tale landscape,” says Bowers. “There are moments where the score goes into this lush fairy-tale sound, and it’s doing that either very purposefully because of where the story is or playfully in a more comedic way.”
Steps, directed by Alyce Tzue (Student Academy Awards gold medal winner) and John Ripa (co-director of Raya and the Last Dragon), stars Ali Wong (BEEF) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Cinderella’s “evil” stepsisters, Lilith and Margot. Amanda Seyfried (Mank) voices Cinderella; see photos and learn about her take on Cinderella here. The latest images of Lilith and Cinderella were revealed at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.
Daniel Radcliffe is the story’s unconventional Prince, along with Young Mazino as Gef — an unexpected heartthrob — and Peter Dinklage as Roderick, a murderous man-nanny. “We feel incredibly lucky to have all three of these massive talents on our film,” says Ripa. “Our goal was to break the fairy-tale mold by making every single character three-dimensional and worthy of a happily ever after, and we couldn’t have done it without Daniel, Peter, and Young.” WWE wrestler Damian Priest brings his heavyweight talent as the voice of the intimidating Cracktor. “As WWE Superstars, we use our voices as an extension of our onscreen character,” says Priest. “I enjoyed channeling that energy into making Cracktor feel intense and larger-than-life. I think people are going to be surprised by how much of a show-stealing character he is.”
Who else will be filling out the magical world of Steps? The cast also includes Bette Midler as the Fairy Godmother. Allow us to grant your wish: See images of her character below.
“The beloved Fairy Godmother, the wholesome Fairy Godmother — the one with all the good intentions — has been around for a long, long time. This particular version of the Fairy Godmother has good intentions, but she’s a little bit of a bumbler, and she’s a little bit of a schemer,” says Midler. “I’m thrilled to be part of this film! And I’m thrilled to be with this cast!”
Comedian Nikki Glaser has also joined the cast as Priscilla, who can be glimpsed above. Priscilla is a villainous schemer who will stop at nothing to control everyone around her. Scroll on for everything else to know about Steps.
Think you know Cinderella’s evil stepsisters? Think again. Tired of living in Cinderella’s shadow, Lilith (Wong) steals the Fairy Godmother’s (Midler) magic wand and hijacks the Royal Ball with her sister, Margot (Hsu). This dooms the kingdom to the tyrannical rule of the villainous Priscilla, who swoops in and snatches the throne. Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella (Seyfried) to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods. Breaking with the Cinderella story as we know it, they go on an epic quest to save the kingdom — but most importantly, they must save their relationship.
Tzue emphasizes that the tale is mainly one of siblings with contrasting personalities. She tells Netflix, “This story is, at its core, about two very different sisters — one who fits perfectly into this fairy tale kingdom and one who doesn’t — realizing they’re more alike than different. It’s such a personal story for me because, growing up as an awkward, artsy Taiwanese kid in suburban New Jersey, I often felt like an outsider, like ‘happily ever after’ wasn’t meant for me. I wanted to create a film for everyone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong — and show how a single act of kindness can change everything.”
The story is largely what drew Ripa to Steps early on. “When I was introduced to Steps, I saw that it contained incredible artistry, beautiful storytelling, and most of all, that it had something important to say to the world,” he says, adding, “It’s like nothing else I’ve worked on in my 30-year career in animation. Steps also has an incredible first-time filmmaker in Alyce Tzue, who brings a totally unique voice and point of view. She’s championed this story about belonging that I’ve found to be both resonant and inspirational, and I feel privileged to be by her side on this journey.”
Work out where the stars shine.
Solve the classic numbers game.
Piece together the big picture.
Turn shapes into something bigger.
Swap letters and emojis into words.
Find the path hidden in words.
Just add vowels.
Put the words back together.
The Steps voice cast includes the talents of:
Tzue and Ripa direct Steps, which is produced by Amy Poehler, Jane Hartwell, and Kim Lessing. Ava Tramer, James Madejski, Jen Chuck, Dana Schwartz, and Felicia Ho wrote the screenplay based on a story by Tramer, Madejski, Schwartz, Ho, Riki Lindhome, and Kate Micucci.
Steps is part of Netflix’s original slate of animated features, which includes the most popular Netflix film ever, KPop Demon Hunters; Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio; and Academy Award–nominated films Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Nimona, The Sea Beast, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Over the Moon, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, and Klaus. Then there’s the BAFTA-nominated Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and the comedy fan favorites Swapped, Leo, and Back to the Outback.
Steps arrives on Netflix Nov. 20. Check back with Tudum for future updates.
