Cinderella has had her glass slipper moment. Now, her stepsisters are ready to steal the show. Netflix Animation Studios, an in-house production subsidiary of Netflix has unveiled the teaser for Steps, a fairy-tale adventure that turns the classic Cinderella story upside down and puts its supposedly evil stepsisters firmly in the spotlight.
Voiced by actresses and writers Ali Wong and Stephanie Hsu, Lilith and Margot swap palace drama for a magical, chaotic quest when the film arrives on 20 November.
Lilith, voiced by Wong, is tired of playing second fiddle to Cinderella. So she steals the Fairy Godmother’s magic wand and, with her sister Margot, voiced by Hsu, hijacks the royal ball. One magical misstep later, the kingdom lands under the rule of villainous Priscilla, voiced by comedian Nikki Glaser.
Set in the fantastical kingdom of Alouette, Steps opens the fairy-tale rulebook and gives it a good shake. Directed by Alyce Tzue, a Student Academy awards gold medal winner, and Raya and the Last Dragon‘s co-director John Ripa, the film asks a simple question: what if Cinderella’s stepsisters were not quite as wicked as everyone thought?
The voice cast brings plenty of star wattage to the enchanted kingdom. Daniel Radcliffe voiced as the unconventional Prince, while Young Mazino lends his voice to Gef, a troll Lilith cheekily describes as a really hot troll. Peter Dinklage voiced as Roderick, a murderous man-nanny.
Ripa stated, “We feel incredibly lucky to have all three of these massive talents on our film. Our goal was to break the fairy-tale mold by making every single character three-dimensional and worthy of a happily ever after, and we couldn’t have done it without Radcliffe, Dinklage, and Mazino.”
The teaser, soundtrack by singer Charlotte Emma Aitchison professionally known as Charli XCX (Mean Girls), wasted little time establishing its rebellious streak.
Lilith must join forces with Cinderella, voiced by Amanda Seyfried, as the unlikely duo takes on biker trolls, evil henchmen and the terrifying Screaming Woods. Their mission? Save the kingdom and, somewhere along the way, salvage their sisterly relationship.
WWE wrestler Damian Priest brings his heavyweight talent as the voice of the intimidating Cracktor. “As WWE Superstars, we use our voices as an extension of our onscreen character,” says Priest. “I enjoyed channeling that energy into making Cracktor feel intense and larger-than-life. I think people are going to be surprised by how much of a show-stealing character he is.”
Famous American singer, actress, and comedian Bette Midler voiced as the Fairy Godmother. Midler shared, “The beloved Fairy Godmother, the wholesome Fairy Godmother the one with all the good intentions has been around for a long, long time. This particular version of the Fairy Godmother has good intentions, but she’s a little bit of a bumbler, and she’s a little bit of a schemer. I’m thrilled to be part of this film! And I’m thrilled to be with this cast.”
At its heart, Steps is less about finding the perfect prince and more about finding where you belong.
Tzue commented, “This story is about two very different sisters, one who fits perfectly into this fairy-tale kingdom and one who doesn’t realise they’re more alike than different. It’s such a personal story for me because, growing up as an awkward, artsy Taiwanese kid in suburban New Jersey, I often felt like an outsider, like happily ever after wasn’t meant for me. I wanted to create a film for everyone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong and show how a single act of kindness can change everything.”
Ripa mentioned, “I saw that it contained incredible artistry, beautiful storytelling, and most of all, that it had something important to say to the world. It’s like nothing else I’ve worked on in my 30-year career in animation. She’s championed this story about belonging that I’ve found to be both resonant and inspirational, and I feel privileged to be by Tzue’s side on this journey.”
With glass slippers being smashed, royal balls being hijacked and fairy-tale conventions getting a serious makeover, Steps is clearly not waiting around for a prince to rescue the story. This time, the stepsisters are taking the wheel and Cinderella’s fairy tale is along for the ride.
