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Cinderella, sometimes called The Little Glass Slipper, is a folk tale about a young woman who is stuck in a horrible living situation, usually after the death of her father. Through strange and magical means, Cinderella eventually escapes her abusers and marries into royalty, which eventually sees her sitting atop a throne.
There are quite literally thousands of variations of the Cinderella fairytale, with some of the most common being the 1812 version published in the Grimms' Fairy Tales collection, and Walt Disney's very own Cinderella (1950). Cinderella has become one of the most important and influential Disney princesses ever created, but Disney's version is hardly the only Cinderella known to the modern world. In November, Netflix will release its own take on the Cinderella folk tale, and it's shaping up to be the fantasy movie event of the year.
Steps Makes Its Way to Netflix on November 20, 2026
Steps is an upcoming animated musical fantasy comedy film that will hit Netflix one week before Thanksgiving. While Steps is based on the Cinderella story fantasy fans know and love, it aims to retell the story in a way that's never been seen before. Described as an "anti-Cinderella movie," Steps will actually draw the focus from Cinderella to one of Cinderella's step-sisters. Traditionally, Cinderella's step-sisters are seen as antagonists, but Steps seems to be rewriting that role by having Cinderella herself team up with one of them.
Steps was directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, with several writers working on the screenplay, including Ava Tramer, James Madejski, Jen Chuck, Dana Schwartz, and Felicia Ho. Steps is specifically based on Cinderella by French author Charles Perrault. Perrault's version of the fairytale was published in 1697, and it is credited as the version of Cinderella that the English-speaking world is most familiar with today.
So far, several key characters have been voice cast, including Ali Wong as Lilith, Cinderella's step-sister, and Amanda Seyfried as Cinderella. Other members of the voice cast include Stephanie Hsu as Margot (the other step-sister), Bette Midler as the Fairy Godmother, Nikki Glaser as the evil Priscilla, and Daniel Radcliffe as Prince Charming. Peter Dinklage and Young Mazino as Roderick and Gef round out the cast. With talented actors like Ali Wong, Amanda Seyfried, Peter Dinklage, and Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, at the forefront, Steps' characters are bound to be entertaining.
As mentioned, this "anti-Cinderella" retelling of Cinderella's story will shift more focus onto Cinderella's step-sisters, specifically Lilith. In Steps, Lilith is jealous of Cinderella's good fortune and decides to take matters into her own hands by stealing the Fairy Godmother's magic for herself and her sister, Margot. With the stolen magic, Lilith and Margot crash the Royal Ball, hoping to shine some of Cinderella's spotlight onto them. Things go horribly awry when Lilith accidentally turns her sister into a frog.
Lilith's meddling with magic, which she can't hope to understand, accidentally gives Priscilla a shot at the throne. Manipulative and controlling, Priscilla seizes the opportunity to snatch the crown for herself, so that she may rule the kingdom anyway she sees fit. With the crown lost to Priscilla's villainous scheming, Lilith must team up with Cinderella to save the kingdom and return Margot to her former beauty.
Steps Seeks To Break Traditional Fairytale Tropes
Unfortunately, Netflix hasn't released a full-fledged trailer for Steps yet, but the streaming service has revealed quite a bit about the movie already. One of the most important aspects to understand about what sets Steps apart from other popular Cinderella retellings is that it wants to break away from traditional fairytale tropes. Instead of focusing on one purely "good" character who is deserving of a happily ever after, Steps wants to explore the nature of every character in the Cinderella fairytale.
"Our goal was to break the fairy-tale mold by making every single character three-dimensional and worthy of a happily ever after," explained John Ripa, one of the directors working on the project. This brief explanation definitely puts into perspective what Steps is trying to do. In traditional Cinderella stories. Cinderella is left at the mercy of her wicked stepmother, who will do anything to push her own daughters forward. Due to the way their mother treats Cinderella, her step-sisters also tend to belittle and torment Cinderella.
In Steps, we're getting a new perspective on the step-sisters and how their lives may be impacted by Cinderella's family. Like Cinderella, they had no say in who their mother married or what kind of life they would have after that marriage. Like Cinderella, they have little choice but to try to find happiness and stability through a suitable marriage. Like Cinderella, they also must cope with and avoid their mother's ire.
Rather than paint Cinderella's step-sisters as villains, Steps will take a more thorough deep-dive into Lilith and Margot as characters. Arguably, the film will focus far more heavily on Lilith, as she is the main character. Through Lilith's eyes, fans will get to see the Cinderella fairytale from a whole new perspective and in a whole new light. Since Lilith is the star of the movie, it's safe to say that she will be a flawed but relatable character, one that fans will want to root for. After all, the whole point is that everyone deserves a happily ever after.
Netflix has already confirmed that a lot of the Cinderella staples will still be present in Steps. After all, you can't really have a proper Cinderella movie without the ball, the Fairy Godmother's magic, a midnight deadline, and a glass slipper. All of these things will still exist in Steps, but maybe not in ways the audience expects. If the evil step-sisters aren't actually all that evil, then what other twists and turns does Netflix have in store for the audience?
No matter what the answer to that question may be, it's safe to say that Netflix's Steps is going to be a fantasy movie for the ages. Cinderella is a beloved fairytale, and fans always love to see new imaginings of her story. So long as Steps doesn't turn Cinderella into a villain, which it likely won't, Cinderella fans are sure to flock to this new twist on a legendary classic.
