Over the weekend I had the pleasure of viewing the new “Cinderella” movie, which came out in theaters on March 13.

To be honest, I was almost positive that this would be a negative review, but it’s quite the opposite, actually.

At first, I figured the remake would be like so many others — a terrible imitation. But, after seeing the short, “Frozen Fever,” I was somewhat more optimistic about the feature to come.

The short animated film was most adorable and allowed me to reminisce about “Frozen”; it brought back some old jokes with different twists on them.

Finally, the movie was starting and I was a little less pessimistic after seeing the cartoon. From the start, everything about the movie seemed magical, and almost otherworldly.

I was immediately sucked into this beautiful and enchanting story. All the colors and costumes were breathtaking and the movie took me back to my childhood, where I believed magical pumpkins and fairy godmothers could exist.

The age-old story stayed the same, but was much more in depth than the “Cinderella” I grew up with. I saw characters in a whole new light; from both my maturity and the wonderful work of the director, screenwriters, and actors.

The movie starred Lily James as Cinderella, Cate Blanchett as Cinderella’s stepmother, and Richard Madden as the prince.

I felt that James did an amazing job conveying the emotions that Cinderella would feel. The wonder and joy in her face looked so genuine that it made the movie seem real.

Blanchett made me feel empathy for the stepmother; perhaps she was lost in her own grief for her first husband and tried to hide her sorrow with cruelty toward her stepdaughter. In this remake, I thought Cinderella was just the only one there that the stepmother could take her anger and grief out on.

As the tale always goes, the prince holds a ball to which all maidens in the land are invited. Cinderella attends and she and the prince fall madly in love.

However, it is not quite so easy to be together; in the new movie there are a few twists and turns they must encounter to live “happily ever after.”

Overall, I can see why this movie led the box offices on its opening weekend and made $23 million on its first day out in theaters. The choice to go to real life was well made, and it made the story more magical and dear to my heart.

I recommend that everyone see this movie even if the original is your favorite because it sticks to the story and even enhances it.