When the retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale and a holiday spirit come together, viewers learn about class issues and perseverance despite setbacks.

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish is a Christmas movie combines the elements of the traditional fairy tale of Cinderella and the holiday spirit. The film is the fifth installment of the A Cinderella Story film series. Although the movie is classified as a teen comedy musical film and hence, the main target audience is teenagers, the songs within the movie’s soundtrack album would charm all viewers. A Cinderella Story: Christmas wish tells the story of a young teenage girl named Kat who dreams of becoming a successful singer and songwriter, but is left in the care of her stepmother, Deirdra, and her two stepsisters, Joy and Grace.

Throughout the movie, viewers will see some noticeable references to the more classic tales of Cinderella.

References to Cinderella

One major reference to the classic fairy tale of Cinderella is the stepmother and stepsisters’ treatment towards Kat. Like the stepmother and the stepsisters in the stories of Cinderella, Kat’s stepmother and stepsisters are cruel, evil, vain, and snobbish. They treat Kat as if she’s their maid, and work her to the bone. They even have full control over Kat’s inheritance money and her wages, knowing that there’s nothing Kat can do about her living conditions. The way Dierdra, Joy, and Grace view Kat as a servant rather than a member of their family reflects Cinderella’s cruel treatment by her step-family.

Kat’s dreams of becoming a great singer and songwriter reflect the common theme of Cinderella showcasing her singing voice throughout  traditional Cinderella franchise. Kat and her best friend, ISla, works as singers at a Christmas-themed entertainment park called “Santa Land.” Isla, along with Kat’s pet dog Bruno, are Kat’s best and only confidantes that she can rely on for company, support, and comfort. Bruno also plays a role in Kat’s life, similar to Cinderella’s animal friends in the traditional Cinderella franchise.

Kat’s invitation and green dress to the “Wintergarden” charity event are similar to the classic fairy tale’s iconic scene when Cinderella gets invited to the ball. Although Kat has a perfectly suitable gown to wear, her stepmother and stepsisters steal her dress, burn her invitation, and steal her snow globe. During the fight over the snow globe, it falls to the floor and shatters into pieces. The way the stepsisters steal Kat’s dress and destroy her snow globe reflects how Cinderella’s stepsisters destroy her dress in the original Cinderella film. Kat’s sobs over the loss of her snow globe is similar to Cinderella’s sobs over the loss of the only dress she could’ve worn to the ball.

Kat’s Love Interest

Kat’s love interest, Nick Wintergarden, is the son of a billionaire named Terrence Wintergarden. Nick’s family background is similar to that of Prince Charming from the traditional Cinderella franchise. Nick and Kat fall in love with each other at first sight; Nick’s interest in Kat grows when he gives her an invitation to the Wintergarden charity event. Although Kat is immediately unappreciated by Nick’s friends and his girlfriend, Skyler. Nevertheless, Nick still holds his feelings for her.

The way Nick and Kat fall in love with each other is similar to how Prince Charming falls in love with Cinderella in the classic tale. Prince Charming sees Cinderella as “a woman like no other,” similar to how Nick sees Kat, despite her socioeconomic class and the fatigue she endures due to her mistreatment. At the charity event, Kat is at nervous to sing in front of a large audience. Her anxiety increased when she sings poorly the first time, but with some encouragement from Nick, she sees this as a chance to follow her dreams . She redeems herself with a wonderful performance and dazzles everyone with a new song she wrote. In addition, Kat’s solo performance symbolizes Kat’s freedom from her stepmother and stepsisters and lifelong achievements.

Her ability to hold her head up high and sing her heart out encourages young viewers to boldly show off their talents. After all, passion is priceless and a quality everyone has a right to.