Heartwarming / Cinderella (2015)

• Crosses over into Tear Jerker territory, but Kit's relationship with his father. In this remake, the King is really a great parent torn between wanting Kit to be happy and wanting what's best for their small kingdom. He reveals that while he does want a political alliance, his real motive for Kit getting married is that he knows that he is not long for the world and wants to die with peace of mind knowing that Kit will have a wife to look after him.
  • His last words to Kit: "I love you, son." And the last words he hears Kit say: "I love you, Father."
  • The last thing the King does: holds his son in his arms to comfort him through his grief.
• In a twisted sort of way, it's kind of implied Tremaine loved Cinderella's father (even if she admitted she married for the sake of her daughters), given how she blatantly envies his daughter's relationship with him. Unfortunately, this doesn't do any good on the greater scheme of things, only motivating her to stick it to Cinderella.
  • In a similar vein, in contrast to the original animated version, Anastasia and Drizella come off more as vain, spoiled and self-centred than malicious, and seem to be simply following their mother's example in Ella's treatment. While preparing for the ball, they even have a conversation with her that feels more teasing than cruel, and early on they refer to her as "our little sister".
• Ella's former servants being concerned for her even after being fired by Lady Tremaine, with one of them asking Ella why she still lived with her stepfamily after they treated her badly, and after Ella tells she stays at her house for her parents's memory, the former servant is touched and puts a hand on her shoulder.
• In a deleted scene, after Lady Tremaine sells all of her late husband's belongings, Ella goes to the buyer and offers him to pay for a toy butterfly her father gave her, but the man allows her to keep it for free.
• Even when her heart's been broken and her spirit has been seemingly crushed, Ella still has it in her to find some milk for an old beggar woman to drink when the crone asks her for some food. Good thing, too, because that woman is her fairy godmother!
• Small but significant: the Fairy Godmother calls Ella darling at least twice. Thinking about how long it's probably been that Ella has had any kind of positive maternal figure in her life, and how long it must have been since anyone referred to her with some kind of endearment, it's incredibly touching.
  • The Godmother offers to turn Ella's ruined dress into something new, but since it was her mother's, Ella wants to keep it. The Fairy Godmother instead asks if Ella's mother wouldn't mind her "cheering it up a bit", turning it into a full ballgown that somehow still resembles the original, and Ella breathlessly says that her mother would have loved it.
• Cinderella's footman, er, lizard, assuring Cinderella to enjoy the ball while it lasts, because he's enjoying being a human and knows that won't last.
• Even while trying to get back home in time before midnight, Ella still takes the time to let the King know that his son loves him, and how she thinks that Kit is the loveliest and kindest person she's ever met. This convinces the king to tell his son to find her after the ball, just before he dies.
• The entire romance between Ella and Kit, which is expanded upon from the animated original.
  • Before the ball, they meet in the forest. Kit claims to be an apprentice at the palace when he realizes that Ella doesn't know that he's the prince, and she immediately asks if they treat him well. He replies that they treat him better than he probably deserves- before asking the same of her and apologizing when she indicates how incredibly unhappy she is. They have a short conversation and Kit is completely charmed by Ella by the end of it- and Ella is so determined to see him again that she repairs her mother's dress in order to go to the ball, telling her stepfamily that she only wants to see her friend, and isn't interested in meeting the prince.
  • Kit is so obvious about wanting to see Ella again that both the Captain and the King notice, and realize it's partly why he extended the ball invitations. The Captain encourages him by saying that if Ella is as charming as he says, the King and the Grand Duke might change their minds about Kit marrying a princess. While the King is still firm on "it's a princess or nothing", he's obviously a little amused by his son's antics.
    The King: Who are you looking for?
    Kit: [nonchalantly] No one.
    The King: [slight smile] It's that girl in the forest, isn't it?
    Kit: [smiles guiltily]
    • When Ella arrives at the ball, Kit lights up at the sight of her.
  • At the ball, the romance between them during the first dance is so obvious that even Princess Chelina of Zaragoza, Drizella and Anastasia don't seem that upset by how the prince clearly only has eyes for Ella. Princess Chelina only asks who Ella is, seeming genuinely curious and smiling slightly, and Anastasia and Drizella are distracted and gushing by her dress and how pretty she is before Lady Tremaine reminds them that they're supposed to be snagging the prince for themselves.
  • When Ella has to run from the palace at midnight, Kit calls for his horse, intent on chasing her before the Duke warns that it could be a trap. He and the captain of the guard go to chase her instead, and the captain has this exchange with the prince:
    The Captain: [clearly teasing] I was having a fine old time. You had to go and pick that one, didn't you?
    Kit: [grinning unapologetically] Yes I did.
  • "They're all looking at you." "Believe me, they're all looking at you."
• Cinderella's final triumph over Lady Tremaine:
  Ella: I forgive you.
• Ella's talk with the prince just before she tries on the glass slipper. Kit's words before this make it clear that he recognizes her even before she tries on the slipper.
  Ella: Will you take me as I am? An honest country girl who loves you.
  Kit: Of course I will. But only if you'll take me as I am. An apprentice still learning his trade.
• Ella and Kit's kiss, after being interrupted the first time.
  • Also, said interruption being Anastasia and Drizella apologizing to Cinderella for their mean behavior toward her. Cinderella just smiles a forgiving smile at them, and as she and Kit walk away hand-in-hand, the stepsisters actually smile themselves, sincerely happy for Cinderella.
• The ending.
  Kit: My queen.
  Ella: My Kit.
• At the end, Ella's wedding dress is embroidered with flowers in the same style as her mother's dress at the beginning of the film. Even as she's crowned Queen, Ella is carrying her mother with her.
  • More than that; portraits of both Kit and Ella's parents are hanging in their room, with the newlyweds expressing certainty that each of their parents would have been good friends if they had all lived long enough to see the wedding.
• Lily James's cover of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes." Nostalgic and beautiful, and the perfect end to the movie.

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