Ella Enchanted is a fantasy story written by Gail Carson Levine and published in 1997. This fantasy novel is a twisted retelling of the classic story Cinderella, intertwined with mythical creatures such as fairies, elves, ogres, gnomes, and giants. In this story, the main character, Ella, was given the gift of obedience by a fairy, Lucinda. Due to this gift, Ella could not disobey a direct order given to her. Till the time her mother was alive, Ella was safe, however, when her mother passed away and her father remarried, her misfortunes began, particularly due to the cunning works of her step mother, Dame Olga. Ella faced various adversities due to this gift, however, in the end, she lived happily ever after.
In April, 2004, a movie based on the novel was released, directed by Tommy O'Haver, starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy as Ella and Prince Charmont, respectively. The film received mixed reviews as the critics stated that it was very dissimilar from the book.
