40 Fun Facts About Ella Enchanted

Which so-called gift does the fairy Lucinda give baby Ella at birth in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Obedience sounds harmless, but it forces Ella to carry out any order she hears, however cruel or careless. The author has said the curse explains why Cinderella puts up with her stepfamily.

Which actress plays Ella of Frell in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted, singing the part herself?

Anne Hathaway first read the novel at 16 and later said she preferred the finished film's habit of poking fun at itself for being a fairy tale.

Into which animals does the fairy Lucinda turn ungrateful recipients of her gifts in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Squirrels are the fate of anyone who complains, which is why Ella hides behind a false name when she finally asks the fairy for help.

How does Ella escape the ogres who capture her and plan to eat her in the novel Ella Enchanted?

She talks them to sleep by copying the ogres' own persuasive way of speaking, convincing them they are too full to eat her. An order not to run away had left her unable to flee.

Which objects do Ella and Prince Char discover while exploring the old castle in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Glass slippers turn up while the pair hunt for a secret passage, long before any ball, and the prince gets Ella to try them on and dance. She wears them again to his homecoming balls.

Which order from Prince Char does Ella finally defy, breaking her curse, at the end of the novel Ella Enchanted?

To marry him is the one command she refuses, fearing her curse would endanger a future king, and that unselfish refusal sets her free. She then says yes freely.

Which family cook turns out to be Ella's fairy godmother in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Mandy refuses to use what she calls big magic, fearing its side effects, so she will not simply lift the curse. She ends the story cooking at the royal castle.

Which Queen song does the star of the 2004 film Ella Enchanted sing on its soundtrack?

Somebody to Love is sung by the lead actress herself, one of three songs she performs on an album otherwise stocked with teen pop names.

Which fairy tale does Fairest, a later novel set in the same world as Ella Enchanted, retell?

Snow White is reworked in Fairest, published in 2006, whose heroine Aza is an innkeepers' adopted daughter with a remarkable singing voice and looks she has always hated.

Which poisoned object does Sir Edgar put on himself at the climax of the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

The crown was poisoned to kill his nephew at the coronation, but the scheming regent proclaims himself king, puts it on and collapses.

Which American author published Ella Enchanted as her first novel after nine years of rejected manuscripts?

Gail Carson Levine called the day the novel was accepted one of the happiest of her life, and its success let her leave her day job to write full-time.

Who tears off Ella's mask on the third night of Prince Char's ball in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Hattie, the elder stepsister, is jealous of the masked stranger who has the prince's full attention, and the unmasking sends Ella fleeing into the night.

At which occasion does Ella first meet and befriend Prince Char in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Her mother's funeral is where the two first talk, and the prince wins Ella over by telling her how fond he had been of Lady Eleanor.

Why does Ella's father, Sir Peter, marry Dame Olga in the novel Ella Enchanted?

To pay off his debts, the ruined Sir Peter marries for money without admitting he is bankrupt, and his bride is livid when she learns the truth.

Which role does Dame Olga force on Ella after learning about her curse in the novel Ella Enchanted?

A servant in the family home is what Ella becomes once her father leaves on business, because her stepmother cannot stay angry at him and turns her fury on Ella instead.

Which title does Ella refuse after marrying Prince Char at the end of the novel Ella Enchanted?

Princess is the title she turns down, choosing instead to be known as Court Linguist and Cook's Helper.

In which country was the 2004 film Ella Enchanted shot, at Ardmore Studios and the Luggala Estate?

Ireland supplied both the studio and the scenery: filming ran from August to December 2002 at Ardmore Studios and on location in County Wicklow.

The 2004 film Ella Enchanted ends with a dance to Don't Go Breaking My Heart, a duet by Kiki Dee and whom?

Elton John and Kiki Dee had the original hit, and the film's whole cast dances to a new version before the newlyweds ride off on honeymoon.

What does the elf Slannen want to become instead of an entertainer in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

A lawyer is his ambition, and after Ella rescues him he repays her by sneaking into the castle with a band of elves to free her from the dungeon.

Which Monty Python member narrates the 2004 film Ella Enchanted, speaking only in rhyme?

Eric Idle appears on screen as the Narrator, a rhyming storyteller who keeps breaking the fourth wall to address the audience.

At what kind of celebration does Ella finally track down the fairy Lucinda in the novel Ella Enchanted?

A giant's wedding draws the fairy, who promptly spoils it by cursing the bride and groom to be together always, to the dismay of two other fairies present.

Which gift from Ella's fairy godmother lets her read other people's letters and journals in the novel Ella Enchanted?

A magic book shows her other people's letters and journal entries, the prince's among them, alongside old fairy tales that vanish when it is closed.

Which keepsake of Ella's late mother does a stepsister order her to hand over in the novel Ella Enchanted?

A necklace from her mother is the first thing Ella loses once her weakness is spotted on the way to finishing school, and the same bully then keeps her from eating for three days.

Which gift does the fairy Lucinda give Sir Peter and Dame Olga when they marry in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Eternal love backfires at once, since the bride soon learns her husband is penniless yet cannot hate him. He later writes that he prefers to love his wife from afar.

Which false story does Ella send Prince Char to end their romance in the novel Ella Enchanted?

That she has eloped with another man is the lie that breaks his heart; she tells it because anyone who learned of her curse could use her against a future king.

Which American children's literature award named the novel Ella Enchanted an Honor book in 1998?

The Newbery Medal is run by a division of the American Library Association, and its 1998 Honor was one of more than fifteen literary awards the novel collected.

Which actor plays Sir Edgar, Prince Char's scheming uncle, in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

Cary Elwes plays the king regent, a villain invented for the film who secretly murdered the prince's father. The novel has no such character.

Which kind of animal is Heston, Sir Edgar's scheming adviser, in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

A snake voiced by Steve Coogan, Heston talks, serves as royal adviser and nearly kills the prince with a bite, which exposes his master's guilt.

Which pop singer covers Aretha Franklin's Respect on the soundtrack of the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

Kelly Clarkson shares the album with Raven-Symoné and with Jesse McCartney, who duets with the film's leading lady.

In the 2004 film Ella Enchanted, whose command finally frees Ella from her curse in the hall of mirrors?

Her own order does it: catching her reflection as she is about to stab the prince, Ella tells herself to stop doing as she is told.

On which kind of transport did the author of Ella Enchanted write the novel during her daily commute?

A train carried her from upstate New York to her job in New York City, and she spent two years of those rides writing the novel.

Which Ayorthan girl becomes Ella's only friend at finishing school in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Areida teaches Ella her native language and stays loyal even after Ella is ordered to drop her, later defending her to a disillusioned prince at her family's inn.

Which false name, an anagram of Ella, does the heroine use at Prince Char's balls in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Lela is the masked foreign noblewoman the prince finds so intriguing, largely because she keeps reminding him of the girl he lost.

Of which kingdom is Prince Char the heir in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Kyrria is the realm Ella fears for: a future king's wife who must do whatever she is told could be used to ruin it.

Which ingredient does Ella's ailing mother pick out of her soup before she dies in the novel Ella Enchanted?

Unicorn hair is what gives the soup its power: Ella drinks hers and recovers from the same illness, while her mother removes it and does not.

Which kind of creature is the toddler Prince Char saves beside the ogre pen in the novel Ella Enchanted?

A gnome toddler strays too close at the royal menagerie, and an ogre then orders Ella to bring the child over; only the prince's shout to stop saves them.

Which actor plays Prince Char, a heart-throb with his own fan club, in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

Hugh Dancy plays the heir, who is mobbed like a teen idol and dislikes the label. He has since appeared at fan conventions as the film became a cult favourite.

Which German model plays Brumhilda, the towering love interest of the elf Slannen, in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

Heidi Klum took the part as an occasional actress; she is far better known as a model and as the long-time host of Project Runway, which began the same year.

Which actress plays Dame Olga, Ella's cruel stepmother, in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

Joanna Lumley plays the wealthy socialite who mistreats Ella, and it is her daughters who later hand Ella's secret to the villain.

Which actress plays Lucinda, the fairy who curses Ella, in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted?

Vivica A. Fox plays the fairy godmother as angry and misguided; when a chained-up Ella begs her to reverse the spell, she simply takes offence.