Book vs. Movie - Ella Enchanted

Is it time for another Book vs. Movie Showdown already? You bet it is!

I got lucky this time around because Ella Enchanted was actually on Netflix and I haven't watched that movie in so many years. It's honestly one of my favorite movies, mostly because of Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy. Perfect movie boyfriend, am I right?

So as you probably guessed - because my excited personality gave it away already - this showdown will be on Ella Enchanted. If you haven't read my review, make sure you check it out! I'd appreciate your feedback. And here we go!

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So honestly, I remember the movie a lot more than I remember the book. Maybe that's because there seemed to be a lot more action in the movie and they aged up the characters to an age where I can relate to them better. I'm not really sure, but I know that the movie is one of my favorites while the book was less so.

Since the book was geared more towards middle school students, it made sense that Ella would be fifteen years old rather than eighteen or even nineteen like she seems to be in the movie. How would middle schoolers relate to someone that would be considered an adult to them? That's one part of the book that I could at least understand and respect.

However, to me, the book seemed to move rather too slow for me to actually enjoy, or maybe I just wasn't used to the pacing. I didn't really get a sense of adventure like I did in the movie. I wanted to see Ella really fight for her freedom of the curse, and it seemed like the biggest thing she did was run away from boarding school. Yes, that is a feat in and of itself, but it just wasn't enough for me.

I also didn't really care for the friendship that Ella and Prince Char had when they were children. It just seemed like that was the reason why she ended up loving him, and I didn't really see how Prince Char influenced her life or anything in the book. In the movie, Ella is the one that makes Prince Char realize that as the future ruler of Lamia and his kingdom, he has the power to make things change for the better especially in the cases that his uncle Edgar ruined during his rule.

Speaking of Uncle Edgar, where was he in the book? King Florian is still alive and well in the books, and so there's no real reason for Prince Char to figure out how to be a better person, and how to become a better ruler in the wake of a terrible one. There's no reason for him to grow, so why would he?

Some of the differences between the book and the movie:

• The ages of Ella and Prince Char
• Just how far Hattie and Olive go with abusing Ella's curse (book)
• King Edgar (Movie)
• The discontent state of the Kingdom (Movie)

After all of this, I have to say the winner is...

What do you guys think? Was I too harsh? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!