Compare And Contrast Ella Enchanted

I read the book titled Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and watched the movie for the book and film analysis assignment. The book is intended for 3rd-6th graders but can be of interest for students from 3rd-7th grades. HarperCollins Publishers published the book in 1997 and it received the Newbery Honor Award. The film that is based off the book of Ella Enchanted is produced by Jane Startz and the director was Tommy O’Haver. The movie was rated PG and was officially released on April 9, 2004; which was eight years after the book had been published. Although the film was quite different from the book, I think it was a successful adaptation because the movie included elements like added musical songs, different character qualities, specific

In the book, Ella breaks free from the curse out of a fear of hurting Prince Char; while in the movie King Edgar demands Ella to kill Char by stabbing a dagger through his heart at the stroke of midnight. On page 184, “Suppose my obedience were discovered…In unscrupulous hands I would be a powerful tool. I could be made to reveal state secrets. I could even be forced to kill Char!” In the book, Ella was driven to not marry the prince because she was concerned that someone would force her to kill Char. In the movie, this fear is exactly what King Edgar demanded her to do because he believed in was the easiest way to kill of Char without having blood on his own hands. At 1:16:01 in the movie, Prince Char had just asked Ella to become his wife, but the curse had a hold on her as she was holding the dagger behind him ready to strike. In this moment, the thousands of voices are echoing in her mind of all the times that she was forced to submit with her obedience. Ella breaks the curse by dropping the dagger after saying the most powerful line, “You will no longer be obedient!” In both the book and the movie, Ella’s love for Char is what broke her free from the curse, but the story line to get to this exact point is completely opposite. I think the producers made this switch in the storyline because it kept

I think this is a good adaptation because the songs that were sung in the movie had extravagant dance routines, dancers, and songs that would perk the interest of viewers. Towards the end of the movie at 1:27:52, the entire kingdom breaks out in dance with Prince Char and Ella being the lead singers to a fast, upbeat, and appealing song. I think the producers added the extra songs because including singing and music is a piece that sparks the interest of a multiple range of viewers. In particular, the songs they picked were ones that the viewers would possibly know and gave their movie a face based on the song that they used. Now if viewers hear the songs that were in “Ella Enchanted” they will immediately think about this movie whenever they heard the songs again. In the book, the only evidence of Ella singing is when the Music Mistress demands her to sing in front of everyone at the finishing school. On page 70, “The next morning, Music Mistress led us in song, and singled out my off-key voice.” In the movie, it was evident that Ella did not have an off-key voice as she sang beautifully in the times that she did sing. This is one way that the producers added a film technique that made the movie a good adaptation to the viewers watching because of the music they