Why is Cinderella the most adapted story of all time?
A pumpkin that transforms into a glittering carriage; a fairy godmother ready to make dreams, desires… come true; a slipper capable of reuniting the mysterious girl with Prince Charming. The story of Cinderella is the fairy tale that most of all has found space on the small and large screen. Over time, this incredible story has been adapted and declined in different forms and mediums: from the 1950 Disney classic, to theremake of the same name of the 2015 Of Kenneth Branagh to that of 2021 with Camila Cabellopassing through A Cinderella Story And Another Cinderella Story, even going as far as the musical Cinderella by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
But why Cinderella is the most revisited and appreciated story? The reason is very simple: he owns a narration capable of modeling itself easily and adapting to the times naturally, as it is always able to show itself in a new light without ever losing its charm. But even more for her heroine, nice and loving, whose message of hope conveyed by her makes the story very understandable. At this point, let’s try to better understand what makes Cinderella an immortal classic and worthy of continuous adaptation.
3Cinderella has a storyline that fits easily
At the base of Cinderella there is the glaring transformation of a poor girl who becomes a princess. The leap in social status made by the protagonist is easy to remodel, since it is a condition that can also be adapted to the contemporary world. It is enough simply to change the motivations and the elements that drive this change. So the ending doesn’t count, it counts the emblematic passage: if we take it as an example Another Cinderella Storyhere the heroine manages to achieve fame, starting from a disadvantaged and marginal position.
What matters in Cinderellaand which therefore can be represented in different ways, is his metamorphosis and how it is received. Thus keeping the integrity of the story intact. Since this is the backbone of the story, depriving it of its magic becomes simple, because it doesn’t distort it. Eliminating the fairy godmother is not a problem, in the “real” counterpart there are solutions that fill this absence while being equally credible. And this is not a luxury that all fairy tales have. Just think of all those fairy tales that have to do with curses and spells!
