Ella and Rick

Ella and Rick is a 2001 Japanese-Australian animated movie directed by Jim Stenstrum in his animated directional debut and based on fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. It is the MTV Japan production and an animation by Mook Animation, released by Paramount Pictures Australia on 21 December 2001.

Plot summary:

After losing her mother at a young age, Ella promises to follow her mother's dying wishes: to have courage and be kind. Some years later, Ella's father remarries Frieda, the widow of an old acquaintance, who has two daughters of her own, Drisella and Anastasia. Ella welcomes her new stepfamily, despite the stepsisters' unpleasant attitudes. Her boyfriend at the palace is Rick, the palace dishwasher. Rick takes it upon himself to deliver the invitations to the royal ball to Ella. When Ella's father goes abroad for business, Frieda slowly reveals her cruel and jealous nature, as she pushes Ella to give up her bedroom to the stepsisters for the attic. When Ella's father unexpectedly dies during the trip, Frieda dismisses the household to save money and forces all of the chores on Ella. One morning, when her stepfamily sees Ella's face covered in cinders due to her sleeping by the fireplace for warmth, they mock Ella as "Cinderella" and forbid her from eating with them.

Crushed by their cruelty, Ella rides off into the woods, where she meets Kit, (also known as the Prince Duke), posing as a palace apprentice, along with his hunting party. Though Ella is unaware of the Prince Duke's true identity, they both take a liking to each other. The two part without the Prince Duke learning Ella's name. The King, upon learning he has little time left to live, urges the Prince Duke that, for the advantage of the kingdom, he should take a princess for his bride at the upcoming royal ball. The Prince Duke persuades his father to also invite every eligible maiden in the kingdom to the ball, hoping to see Ella again.

Upon receiving notice of the ball, Ella's wizard friends, including Mambo and Munk, Ella finds a gown that had once belonged to her late mother and decides to refashion it for the ball. On the night of the ball, Ella tries to join her stepfamily, but Frieda and her daughters tear her dress to shreds and leave without her. Ella runs into the garden in tears and meets an old beggar woman, who reveals herself to be her Fairy Godmother. To help Ella attend the ball, her Fairy Godmother magically transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, Cinderella's horse, Major into white horses, dog named Brian, into a footman and a mouse, into a coachman. She then transforms Ella's ripped dress into a blue ball gown, complete with a pair of magical glass slippers. As Ella leaves for the ball, the Fairy Godmother warns her the spell will break at the last stroke of midnight. Finally, she casts a spell to keep Ella's stepmother and stepsisters from recognizing her.

At the ball, the entire court is entranced by Ella when she appears. Ella and Rick proceed to have their first dance. This is much to the chagrin of the Prince Duke, who has promised Kit to Princess Chelina of Zaragoza, a comment which Frieda overhears. While surprised at Kit's true identity, Ella continues to bond with him, touring the palace grounds. As Ella is about to tell Rick her name, Ella hears the clock start to chime midnight and flees. As she flees the castle, one of her slippers falls off. After being pursued by the Prince Duke and his men, Ella manages to escape home before the final stroke of midnight chimes, causing the spell to wear off. After returning home, Ella hides the remaining glass slipper left behind under the floorboards of her bedroom.

The King passes away soon after, but not before giving his son permission to marry Ella. Now King, the Prince Duke issues a royal proclamation ordering every maiden in the kingdom to try on the slipper in an effort to find the girl. Ella hurries to retrieve the glass slipper to prove her identity, only to find her stepmother holding it. Having deduced that Ella is the mystery princess, Frieda tells her stepdaughter about her own tragic past and of the bitter effects it has caused on her life. She attempts to blackmail Ella to be made head of the royal household and that respectable husbands are found for the stepsisters, as conditions in order to give Ella's hand in marriage to Rick. When Ella refuses to meet her demands, Frieda smashes the slipper and locks Ella in the attic. Frieda then takes the shattered remains of the slipper to the Prince Duke, and manipulates him into agreeing to make her a countess and securing marriages for her daughters, in exchange for keeping Ella hidden. The trio set out to find the Prince Duke who has goes looking for his maiden (not knowing it was actually Ella) in hopes that he will defeat Frieda and save the day. After a short battle, in which Rick takes a blast meant for Ella and falls into a deep sleep, Frieda creates a portal by accident. Ella knocks Frieda back and punches her into the portal. Rick awakes from the spell, prompting Ella to rush forward and kiss him lovingly. When Rick asks why she didn't want a prince, Ella says she knew all along she was in love with him, and that he is a prince in her eyes.

The Prince Duke informs the King that Ella, who remains anonymous, has escaped, and that the Rick wishes to marry her. The lost glass slipper is the only piece of evidence. The King issues a royal proclamation ordering every maiden in the kingdom to try on the slipper for size in an effort to find the girl, but the slipper refuses to fit any other maiden. When they arrive at the Tremaine estate, the shoe fits neither of the stepsisters. After this news reaches Ella's household, Rumpelstiltskin overhears Ella humming the waltz played at the ball. Realizing that Ella is the mysterious princess, Rumpelstiltskin locks her in her attic bedroom. Later, the Duke arrives at the château, and Mambo and Munk steal the key from Frieda's dress pocket and take it up to the attic as Anastasia and Drisella unsuccessfully try on the slipper.

Frieda's cat, Lucifer, ambushes the mice, but Brian chases him out of the house, allowing the mice to free Ella. As the Duke is about to leave, Ella appears and asks to try on the slipper. Knowing it will fit, Rumpelstiltskin trips the footman as he brings the Duke the slipper, causing it to shatter on the floor. Much to her horror, Ella presents the Duke with the other slipper, which fits perfectly. The film ends with a now-married Rick and Ella at their wedding, sharing a kiss as they leave. In the final scene, Frieda is shown trapped in the Arctic surrounded by elephant seals.

Voice Cast:

• Rebel Wilson as Ella
• Hugh Jackman as Rick
• Simon Baker as Mambo
• Sam Worthington as Munk
• Joel Edgerton as the Grand Prince of Finland
• Barry Humphries as the Wizard
• Sia (musician) as Frieda
• Geoffrey Rush as Rumpelstiltskin

Additional Voices:

• Richard Newman
• Scott McNeil
• C. Ernst Harth
• Lee Tockar
• Tabitha St. Germain
• Garry Chalk
• Don Brown
• Sam Vincent
• Richard Ian Cox
• Brian Drummond
• Brian Dobson
• Jerry Nelson
• John Tartaglia
• Saffron Henderson
• Kevin Clash

Trivia:

• The beautiful animation was reminiscent of television series like Batman: The Animated Series as many Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
• The animation shows Ella and Rick in a different-looking style of Hanna-Barbera that resembles Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson from Batman: The Animated Series episode "Batgirl Returns".