Steps movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: Steps

This spinoff of the beloved Cinderella story premieres on Netflix on November 20, 2026. There will also be a limited theatrical release.

RATING: PG (for action, thematic elements, rude humor, and brief suggestive material)

LENGTH: 102 minutes  (1 hour 41 minutes)

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

Featured Product About This Movie: Glass slipper replica ornaments or fairy-tale novelty wands

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IN A NUTSHELL: Netflix’s animated musical comedy Steps takes the classic Cinderella fairy tale and flips it on its glass-slippered head! Tired of being overshadowed by her “perfect” stepsister Cinderella, gothic underdog Lilith accidentally turns her sister Margot into a frog after swiping the Fairy Godmother’s magic wand. When a kingdom bully named Priscilla gets her hands on the magic wand, Lilith, Margot, and Cinderella must join forces on a hilarious, heart-filled quest to save their home and redefine what “happily ever after” really means.

The new animated feature film was directed by John Ripa and Alyce Tzue. In an interview with Netflix, they explained that they both had a love of fairy tales, but also felt a real kinship with overlooked characters. In this film, they wanted to honor the soul of the Cinderella story that has persisted in so many cultures throughout history, but also offer something fresh for audiences today.

Writing credits go to Jen Chuck, Felicia Ho, and Riki Lindhome.

Already, the HMMA Awards have nominated the film for Best Original Song called “Someone to Hold” performed by JENNIE.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Excellent for grade-school kids, tweens, and parents watching together. There is humor for everyone.

• Mild fairy-tale peril, magical action chaos, mild gross-out humor (frog transformations!), and brief rude humor.

• Talk to your kids after watching this because there are so many good themes and lessons to be learned.

• 

• THEMES:

• Sisterhood

• Perspective and seeing beyond stereotypes

• Self-acceptance and finding your own voice

• Redemption and second chances

• Blended families
• Hiding pain and loneliness
• Resentment and finding peace
• Physical insecurities
• Bullying

THINGS I LIKED:

• The vibrant and clever animation style by Netflix Animation Studios, and sharp comedic timing make for an entertaining family flick.

• The entire cast offers fantastic voice performances by Ali Wong (Lilith), Stephanie Hsu (Margot), Amanda Seyfried (Cinderella), Bette Midler (Fairy Godmother), Daniel Radcliffe (the Prince), and Nikki Glaser (Priscilla). This cast is packed full of new-ish comedians, as well as seasoned actors. Together, they embraced playful impromptu lines and empathetic moments that make it sound like everyone was having a blast and truly understood the core messages of the film.

• There are several original songs produced by Justin Tranter with a score by Kris Bowers.

• The first time I heard Amanda Seyfried sing was in the feature film version of Les Miserables. (By the way, I thought the Hugh Jackman version was absolutely stunning. It left me in tears by the end.) Anyway, back to Amanda Seyfried. When I first heard her sweet voice, I thought she sounded like a little bird. Believe it or not, this is the first time she has ever recorded a song for an animated film! In Steps, she sings “Smile and a Song”, which is sweet and sounds exactly like something Cinderella would sing. We see character growth with most of the characters, including Cinderella, who realizes that a smile and a song don’t guarantee life will go smoothly.

• This fresh, offbeat take on the classic Cinderella narrative gives the “evil” stepsisters real heart and depth, showing us how they were simply misunderstood.

• Amy Poehler, Jane Hartwell, and Kim Lessing co-produced the fantasy adventure.
• Director Alyce Tzue grew up as the only Asian girl in her class in a small town in Jersey. In an interview with Netflix, she revealed that she was convinced that finding real happiness just wasn’t in the books for her. Many times during the movie, she pointed out, “You will see a recurring image of hands actively reaching out towards someone, pulling them. That idea is what drew me to Steps: the idea of seeing someone who feels like they are on the outside, and actively being there for them.” I love that. We all need to feel wanted and appreciated for who we are.
• There is a lot of spoken and visual humor that made me laugh out loud.
• Gef.  ha ha
• I absolutely loved the choice that Cinderella made toward the very end of the film. It was perfect.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• Some jokes rely heavily on modern pop-culture tropes that might feel slightly dated down the road.

• The mid-movie quest pacing slows down just a bit before hitting the big climax.

• Some viewers may wonder why a cross-cultural element was added to the story, feeling it’s a distraction.
• The new songs are cute in the moment, but not necessarily memorable.
• There is no wicked step-mother. She’s super sweet and kind.

FUNNY LINES:

• “You broke the fairy tale!”

• “Why does everything around here have to revolve around glass slippers?”

• “I didn’t mean to turn you into a frog, Margot… but you do make a cute amphibian!”

INTERESTING LINES:

• “Every story depends on who is telling it.”

• “Villains deserve their own chance at happily ever after.”

• “Perfection is just a spell people put on themselves.”

MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE:

• Frozen

• Cinderella (Amazon live action)

• Cinderella  (Disney live action)

• Tangled

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Dr. Trina Boice is a university professor, author of 36 books, professional author coach, YouTuber, podcaster, film critic, and mom of 4 awesome sons.