I've never drawn Brandy's Cinderella before and thought it was time to cross that off the list. I so appreciate this adaptation for having a Filipino prince, what a dream! And Brandy's so angelic and perfect in this role.
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"No matter how your heart is grieving. If you keep on believing. The dream that you wish will come true"
Cinderella from 1950, 1997 and 2015 drawn by me :)
There is something so satisfying in every rendition of the Cinderella story, the moment when she is transformed by her Fairy Godmother. Seeing this young girl, who was mistreated and abused for years, suddenly receive this magical transformation and finally see herself as who she was meant to be all along is so beautiful.
DESCENDANTS: The Rise of Red! (or the REAL hidden story in the movie + what’s gonna happen in the sequel THEORY!)
So we ALL watched the movie right? We ALL thought the plot sucked and the movie ended abruptly with a underwhelming climax?
WELL HERES WHY WERE WRONG!
So I did some really deep thinking, and I figured, these writers can’t be THAT stupid? The director can’t be THAT idiotic, lame, and boring? That would just embarrass Disney, not to mention all the well respected actors that are in this!
So I thought hard. I thought hard and I thought long. Like hella long. And I tallied up all the plot inconsistencies, all the weird explanations, all the very specific lines in songs, and I did it. I fixed descendants rise of red! I FIGURED IT OUT!
So!! Here it is! What TRULY happened that crowncoming night! And what going back in time actually did!
(I intentionally put a keep reading so if anyone wanted to avoid spoilers they can)
So! Now that we’re under the keep reading. Anything spoilerly can be said!
So first things first. The biggest theory everyone is saying.
ELLA DID IN FACT POISON BRIDGET!
Yes! I said it! We all thought the movie was leading to this! So it was underwhelming when it was revealed it was Uliana and her crew were the origins behind the prank.
OR WERE THEY?
We all saw that once they opened the book; they were frozen. Because they were ‘bad’ and Merlin’s security system was set into place.
And many of you came up with the giant plot hole that this would have happened REGARDLESS of whether Red and Chloe interfered.
AND YOUR RIGHT!
This sole reason, is why the group COULDNT have done it! Not only were they frozen, but they couldn’t read the recipe, and were properly sent to detention, ergo exonerating them from being at the dance! Meaning their was literally no way they could have been behind the prank!
So with them being withheld from the dance, who could it be? Who was the one person who was originally at the dance, but now no longer could be? What was the one actual change that Red and Chloe set off?
ELLA. AND THE VASE!
We all see that when the two go into Ella’s house, Chloe knocks over a Vase. Breaking it. Lady Tremaine GROUNDS Ella! Meaning that she COULD NOT go to the dance!
This DIDNT happen originally! Meaning Ella DID go to the dance in the original timeline! Which is proven when Cinderella (I’m calling Adult Ella, Cinderella) talks to The Red Queen (I’m calling Adult Bridget The Red Queen) about how the prank being pulled was wrong. She had first handed knowledge of the prank. AND she told Chloe she fell in love with Charming at the dance.
But! Since Ella is the only difference in the two timelines in regarding to the dance, this is PROOF that she was the one who actually pranked Bridget, NOT Uliana and her crew!
So here’s what I think happened!
Ella, who saw Bridget being bullied about the cupcakes, and saw Uliana take all the cupcakes. And promptly being threatened by Uliana. Decided to bake Bridget something to cheer her up. However Bridget literally has all of the cookbooks in auradon. As shown. So she snoops around and finds Merlin’s cookbook! (Because it’s also shown she’s okay with breaking the rules if it’s for a good cause. From her get our hands dirty song!) and double and, the book WOULD open for her because she is a good person. AND she was doing it for a good reason!
she flips through the book and finds some simple blase recipe that cheers Bridget up. Maybe gives her cool hair (Red hair??). Something simple but sweet.
However. While doing this, she happens to see the Monster food recipe. She doesn’t look at it for long of course. Just enough to remember it’s a thing.
BACK TO BRIDGET!
Now! I swear to whatever’s out there that the person who played Chloe said there was a queer character in Dedcendants 4. I can’t find it now but it was some tumblr or insta post. I know cause I immediately told my friend afterwards.
Anywho. I think Bridget is the queer character! We see in the movie her only friend was Ella. Not only that but she YEARNS for someone to care about enough to ask her out (in a romantic way like charming just tried to do for Ella) Ella, who again. Is Bridget’s only friend. And ergo, shows her love no one else does, IMMEDIATELY asks her to go to the dance with her! (Might have said as friends in the other timeline too. Who knows)
But! This only makes Bridget’s crush on Ella even BIGGER. And she falls in love with her! She probably thinks they might have a chance!
This is also somewhat proven by The Red Queens song ‘Love Ain’t It’
Title ; Love Ain’t It
Red : “With all the Grief you’ve experienced”
Red (Speaking of Cinderella) : So you Knew her?
The Red Queen : I saw through her. Cinderella and I were classmates in a way.
(Notice how she uses Ella’s mocking name after she has time to recover from the interaction. She said ELLA originally when she caught her off guard. Also. The line. I SAW THROUGH HER. It’s a double edged sword. Saw through her fronts. Saw the hurting girl inside. Saw through her LIES saw the mean girl behind)
Proven by the next lines
The red Queen : I spent way to much time in this place
So I had to escape
the people might smile
but their two faced, too fake.
Girl was relentlessly bullied and betrayed by someone she loved
And Ella Knows it.
Cinderella : Some people act mean at first, because their too afraid to feel
[the reverse is also true]
Cinderella : Look hon. Back in high school, a mean prank was played
And ever since that fateful day
She was never the same, it’s quite a shame.
So the Red Queen sings a whole song about how Love isn’t it. And we ALL KNOW that her only connection to love as a kid was through ELLA. meaning Bridget HAD A CRUSH on Ella. Was IN LOVE. With Ella.
So. How did Crowncoming originally happen you ask?
Here’s my theory
Ella and Bridget go to the dance. They are happy! They have fun. Bridget falls further in love with Ella. Meanwhile. Ella falls in love with Charming!
Her and Charming hit it off. And Ella starts to feel loved and appreciated for the first time in her life.
Then, Bridget performs her ‘Shuffle of Love’ dance. All the attention is on her! Even Charmings.
Ella feels robbed. She feels jealous. She feels angry that her friend is stealing the one good moment she is finally having to herself.
And so she briefly remembers the spell. And in a moment of error, she either A. Remembers the recipe already and makes the recipe. Or B. Re-Sneaks back into the office to see it. However I’m going with A because the book wouldn’t have opened again for Ella because of her bad intentions.
Whichever way. Bridget eats the baked treat. (I think it was a cupcake. Ella could have lied and said it was from the earlier batch)
And then. IT HAPPENS! Bridget is turned into an ugly terrifying monster. Everyone LAUGHS at her. Everyone makes fun of her
And Bridget, who is confused, understands only ONE person could have done this to her. She looks at someone she was in love with. And just sees Ella and Charming laughing. Laughing at her. Bonding over laughing at HER.
Bridget runs off. In tears. Broken inside. With an equally broken heart.
Maybe if Ella had immediately realized her error and run after her she would have turned out differently. But no. It is proven that Ella stayed at the dance and stayed with Charming. They wouldn’t have had the chance to fall in love if she left.
So Bridget. Spends the rest of the night terrified. Looking like a monster. And being laughed and screamed and made fun of everywhere she goes. And not only that. But her ONLY FRIEND. Her CRUSH. Someone she TRUSTED did this to her
Now THIS! THIS is something can break a person. This is something that can change their views on the world. On humanity itself. She was a kind girl. Was kind to everyone no matter how meanly they treated her. But through it all, Ella was her rock. Her friend. Her secret love. Someone who was good and kind through it all.
But she betrayed her. Tbe one nice person betrayed her. Showing that being nice doesn’t do it. Being nice does not mean good things happen. Being nice doesn’t is worthless if this is what it gets you. Everyone is two faced. And the only thing that’s real. The only thing she CAN feel. Is hurt. And pain. And fear. And so that’s what she swears to become. That’s what she swears to do. Be mean and cruel and heartless so she never has to feel all this pain ever again. So her eventual DAUGHTER never has to feel this again. It’s better to be alone and feared. Then alone and broken.
Ella probably realized the error of her ways the next day. But as she said. It was too late. Bridget was never the same.
This Explains why they had so many odd interactions. The raw feral burning chemistry between them. All the odd phrase. Why The Red Queen would be okay sending her BEST FRIEND to death. Why she would be okay killing her. And taking over auradon. To Her? Cinderella is the one who made her this way.
but also part of her still remembers. Still cares. It’s why she gave her once chance to kneel to her. (And as we’ve noted in the books and movies. She doesn’t give ANYONE else a second chance. She punishes I’m immediately and harshly)
And so! With all of this happening. Theirs gonna be some catylist in recent times. The Red Queen might be nice now. But something will have changed. Ella never went to the dance. (She clearly fell in love with charming somewhere else cause otherwise Chloe would have disappeared) but something happened when she wasn’t at the dance. Something that caused another problem. And THATS gonna be the sequel to this movie. Descendants : Rise of Red part two.
(as we’ve seen the official script for the movie is literally called Descendants : Rise of Red part one. MEANING they wrote it with the purpose of being part one to either a sequel or a threequal)
And THAT! Ladies and Gentleman, is what I think the REAL plot behind Descendants : Rise of Red is! A movie that is not idiotically not thought out at all, but really something so secretly genuis is blows your mind!
“Midnight, gettin' uptight, where are you? You said you'd meet me, now it's quarter to two…”
“I think of you every night and day. You took my heart, and you took my pride away…”
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More D4 but make it 80’s thoughts. I didn’t like young Ella’s outfit in the movie at all! It didn’t even look like anything. I know it was supposed to be patchwork but you can’t match that to gold accessories if she’s literally coming from poverty. There was no shape or flow, and it just looked bad.
Ella’s doll actually has overalls without the weird top—which was a perfect fit for her so I went with that. I added a striped blouse with the classic big shoulders, and of course had her pant legs chinch at the ankles so they don’t catch on stuff while she’s working. The patchwork stays, natch, and I like the braided belt just not gold (maybe a straw or fabric belt).
I think, when she’s chilly, Ella wears SO much denim and has a huge patchwork jacket that she wears that absolutely dwarfs her and makes her look extra tiny.
I wasn’t originally going to keep Ella’s blue hair, but I wanted her to match Bridget so the color stays. And yes, it’s still poofy and curly cause the style works here because it’s the 80’s lol.
