A wicked stepmother, a pumpkin turned into a horse-drawn carriage, Prince Charming: The basic plot of Cinderella should be familiar to everyone who grew up reading fairy tales and watching Disney movies. The story is a classic, if maybe a touch out of date. Before you head to the theater this Friday, here's a quick refresher—updated for 2015. Think of it as SparkNotes meets Tumblr with a side of Beyoncé.
Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a pretty girl named Cinderella.
Cinderella lived with her wicked stepmother and two stepsisters, who treated her like a slave in her own home. They made her do all the chores, like cleaning the windows and shining the floors.
Her stepsisters were spoiled. They wore beautiful clothes while Cinderella had to wear rags.
Cinderella's life was incredibly boring. She hated waking up to her mean stepmother making her do all the housework.
Her only friends were the birds and mice who kept her company while she cleaned the house.
Despite her life’s less-than-perfect circumstances, Cinderella remained positive and dreamed of a better life.
One day, the king sent out an invitation to all the young girls in town to come to Prince Ferdinand’s ball, in hopes of finding a wife for his son. Excited, Cinderella’s stepsisters got primped for the big ball.
But with so much housework to do, Cinderella wasn’t able to put together a cute look for the ball. So her animal friends decided to help her out.
The animals surprised Cinderella with a beautiful dress. Cinderella couldn't believe it! She slipped on the dress and ran downstairs just as her stepmother and stepsisters were about to leave for the ball.
But her stepsisters weren't impressed. Rather, they were horrified that Cinderella was able to find something to wear. In a jealous rage, her stepsisters destroyed the dress.
Sitting on the floor, her dress ripped to shreds, Cinderella started to cry. Life simply wasn't fair, and Cinderella's spirit was broken.
But then a fairy godmother appeared. “Don’t Cry Cinderella, I will send you to the ball!” With the wave of her magic wand, the fairy godmother turned Cinderella's mice friends into horses and a nearby pumpkin into a beautiful carriage.
Another wave of the wand, and the fairy godmother transformed Cinderella’s ripped dress into a beautiful gown, complete with glass slippers.
Cinderella dashed off to the ball in her new beautiful dress and regal horse-drawn carriage. Meanwhile, all of the young girls at the ball were vying for Prince Charming's attention. He wasn't interested.
That is, until Cinderella arrived. When she entered, no one recognized the beautiful young girl. The prince was immediately taken by her beauty, and asked her to dance.
Just as the prince asked Cinderella’s name, she noticed the clock—it was almost midnight, and her fairy godmother's magic was about to expire. Without explanation, she ran out, without telling the prince her name. In her rush, Cinderella left her glass shoe on the palace steps.
The next day, the prince announced that he was searching for the beautiful girl who left her shoe on the palace stairs. He promised to marry the girl whose foot fit the glass slipper. One by one, all of the women in the kingdom tried it on, but none of them was a perfect fit.
Cinderella's stepsisters tried on the shoe to no avail. Just before leaving the house, the prince heard Cinderella's voice coming from the kitchen and demanded that she try it on. Despite her stepmother's evil stare, Cinderella took her turn. The slipper fit perfectly.
The Prince immediately recognized Cinderella as the mysterious girl he had met at the ball the previous evening. It was true love. Then and there, the prince proposed, and Cinderella said yes. They lived happily ever after!
Watch Cinderella’s Lily James find the perfect pair of shoes: