THE STORY – Blamed for magical mischief at the Royal Ball, stepsister Lilith turns her sister into a frog. She must work with Cinderella and a troll to save the kingdom and prove villains deserve happy endings too.
THE CAST – Ali Wong, Amanda Seyfried, Nikki Glaser, Stephanie Hsu, Daniel Radcliffe, Bette Midler, Peter Dinklage & Young Mazino
THE TEAM – Alyce Tzue, John Ripa (Directors), Ava Tramer, James Madejski, Jen Chuck, Dana Schwartz & Felicia Ho (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 94 Minutes
Whether “Steps” owes more to “Shrek” or “Wicked” may be up for debate in the revisionist fairy-tale genre, but this modern spin on the Cinderella story is a far cry from either. Over the past two decades, we’ve seen no shortage of films and other media looking to turn classic evil villains into misunderstood heroes. They’re often attempts to revitalize tired stories, or find an unexpected angle to side characters that could turn the story on its head. But sadly, this has turned into a trope of its own, just as tired as the fairy tales themselves, but with less satisfying returns. “Steps” may churn out a brightly colored distraction for young viewers, but this twist on a classic is painfully unoriginal.
Directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, “Steps” begins in the most obvious fashion one might expect. An old book flips open, beginning to tell the audience the timeless tale of Cinderella. Still, as the narrator reaches the part about the evil stepsisters, a girl bursts into the frame, breaks the fourth wall, and grabs the camera (a device that’s never used again in the film), preparing us for the “real” story. This is Lilith, voiced by Ali Wong, the oldest of Cinderella’s stepsisters. She opens the story as her mother, a humble dressmaker, marries Cinderella’s more noble father, bringing Lilith and Margot (Stephanie Hsu) to live in the kingdom of Alouette. It’s not just a blending of families, but a blending of cultures, as Lilith’s family brings Asian traditions to the largely Caucasian kingdom, setting Lilith and Margot apart from the other girls their age. Even so, the girls are confident in themselves, so they’re rarely deterred by their differences. In fact, the sisters get along quite well with Cinderella (Amanda Seyfried) until prissy little Priscilla (Nikki Glaser) starts bullying them. Lilith blames Cinderella for not standing up for them, and their relationship begins to crumble.
The story of Cinderella is reframed in “Steps” as a story of teen rebellion. Lilith decides to act out and rebel if the other girls are going to bow to Priscilla’s pressure to ice them out. Why behave if they’re going to be treated like outcasts anyway? This culminates in the famous ball, when Lilith, seeing a Fairy Godmother (Bette Midler) bestowing gifts on Cinderella, snaps and steals the magic wand for herself. This puts the ball into a tailspin, as Prince Charming (Daniel Radcliffe), a nice guy cursed with face blindness, won’t be able to find his future wife.
Often, these new spins on fairy tales find a more modern maturity somewhere in there, but “Steps” just feels like a Disney Channel movie (in a bad way). To that end, there’s also one decent original song performed by Seyfried early on, which may deceive viewers into thinking this is a musical. Perhaps the rest of the original music got nixed along the way. From the oversaturated, garishly bright colors to the rubbery, big-eyed animation style to the already outdated Benson Boone and Olivia Rodrigo needle drops, the film drips with desperation to win over young kids. That may work on little ones, but not the teen crowd it seems like it’s aiming for. Sadly, that never improves as the movie rolls on, and “Steps” quickly runs out of steam. Priscilla steals the magic wand from Lilith, turning Margot into a frog and forcing all three sisters to go on the run. There’s frankly not much story to fill out the runtime, despite the six credited writers, so it’s packed with action scenes as the sisters flee through the forest from Priscilla’s henchman Roderick (Peter Dinklage), while Lilith and Cinderella work out their issues and try to get back to Prince Charming.
Though the film takes a largely forgettable swing at a familiar story, it’s certainly well-meaning. Rebelling and pushing people away when you feel wronged isn’t always the best answer. Neither is standing by while your friends are getting bullied. That only empowers the bullies to go further. Be true to yourself, and let others do the same. The themes are appropriately simple for little kids, though parents and other adult viewers will likely get tired of the film too quickly for them to sink in. The revisionist fairy tales, like “Steps,” once meant to liven up stale old stories, are now just as cliché and worn out. At this point, a throwback fairy tale in the style of the original Walt Disney films might feel downright revolutionary.
