Ella Enchanted is a Newbery Honor book written by Gail Carson Levine and published in 1997. It is also the title of the American movie based on the novel and released April 9, 2004 directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy. The story is a retelling of Cinderella featuring various mythical creatures including elves, ogres, dwarves and giants. Plot outline (book)When Eleanor (Ella) of Frell, was born, she was given the "gift" of obedience by a fairy named Lucinda, to stop her from crying. Ella must obey any direct order given to her, no matter what it is or who gives it. Her mother forbids her to tell anyone, including her father, so that it will not be used against her. When she is fourteen, her mother dies.At the funeral, Ella meets Prince Charmont, in the graveyard next to a large willow tree, and they have a long conversation. After the funeral Ella meets Dame Olga and her daughters, Hattie and Olive who are being sent to finishing school. Ella's father decides to send her to the school as well because he is a merchant who must travel often, and he does not want her to be raised at home by the cook, Mandy. The night before she is sent away, Mandy, who is also a fairy, and Ella's fairy godmother, gives her a magical book that can show her stories, journal entries, maps and, most precious to Ella, letters from friends and family.On the way to finishing school, Hattie notices that Ella will do anything that she says (although she does not know the extent of the curse, or the curse itself) and automatically begins to take advantage of the curse. When they arrive at finishing school, Ella befriends an Ayorthian girl named Areida and the two become very close until Hattie orders Ella to end their friendship. From her magic book, Ella learns of a Giant's wedding which both her father and Lucinda will attend. Eager to be free from the curse and not to hurt Areida's feelings, she flees from finishing school in the night and makes her way to the Giant's wedding.On the way, she meets a group of elves who give her a gift (a beautiful sculpture of a howling wolf) and a pony. After she leaves the elves, she's kidnapped by ogres who eat her horse and make plans to eat her. However, after learning the Ogres' language overnight (the ogres use their words as a method of getting people to do what they want, including submit to being eaten), she hypnotizes them and is soon saved by Char and his knights. They bind the ogres and take them in, and Char lets one of his knights take her to the wedding. Ella meets Lucinda and begs her to remove the curse. Lucinda refuses and orders her to be happy with her obedience.She meets her father at the wedding, and they return home. He is now a ruined man for selling an estate that did not belong to him. In order to keep his family from being thrown into the streets, he plans for Ella to marry a rich man. At first Ella is happy, as Lucinda ordered her to be, and meets one of her suitors at dinner. However, Mandy orders her to feel however she feels about her curse she changes her mind. Her father refuses to give Ella's hand to the man who came to dinner after finding out that he lost most of his wealth in a fire. He decides to marry Dame Olga instead, as she is very wealthy.At the wedding, she meets with Prince Char again. They find glass slippers in a garden and Ella wears them as they dance together. It is the last time they see each other for some time, for he has to leave for Ayortha for a year, but they promise to keep in touch through letters. Lucinda arrives at the wedding and bestows a curse on the married couple, granting them eternal love. Any chance of Ella's father leaving Dame Olga has now been ruined, although he decides to spend as much time travelling and being away from his wife as possible, despite their newly-bestowed love. After he leaves Ella is turned into a slave in her own house, working with the servants and following Hattie and Olive's petty and ridiculous orders - including when Hattie, jealous, had ensured that Char saw Ella as little as possible before he left, by ordering her to stay in her room whenever he calls.After six months of correspondence with Char during which their easy friendship blossoms, Ella receives a letter from him in which he proposes to her. Having been in love with him for quite some time, she is ecstatic, but soon realizes that marrying Char would make things much worse. Her stepsisters would completely take advantage of her position as queen, and enemies could force her to reveal state secrets, not to mention someone ordering her to kill Char. Ella forges a letter to him from "Hattie" attached with a note from herself, saying that she, Ella, has run away with a wealthy man and will be "smiling at her jewels and laughing at the world." Her fairy book shows a picture of Char burning her letters as well as a page from his journal stating how he despises her. It breaks Ella's heart, but she is happy that he is safe.Mandy, fed up with Ella's torment, challenges Lucinda to a small game. She tells her to spend three months as a squirrel and three months cursed to be obedient, just to get a taste of what her "gifted ones" go through for their entire lives. At the end of this time, Lucinda has learned her lesson and no longer wishes to do "big magic." She does not undo the curse, since this would require big magic, but tells Ella that she will help whenever Ella calls. Char, returned from Ayortha, holds a royal ball that lasts for three nights. It is rumored that Char will pick his future queen at the end of the third night. Lucinda uses her magic to turn mice and pumpkins into horses and a coach, jewelry, and Ella dresses in beautiful dresses her mother had owned, altered by Mandy with "small magic," and the mask from her father's wedding. Ella, now under the alias Lela, can go to the ball and see Char again.During the three nights, "Lela" becomes quick friends with Char, who dances almost exclusively with her but also tells her that he has resolved never to marry. On the third night of the ball, when she's dancing with Char, Hattie (who is still trying to engage Char's attention and is jealous of "Lela") snatches off her mask in hopes of showing Char a deformed, or aged face so he will stop being friends with "Lela". Ella flees from Char, who is in complete and utter shock, and runs to the manor. Ella and Mandy plan to run away and make their living as cooks, but Char and his knights come to their house before they can leave. Ella puts on servants' clothes and dirties her face, in hopes that Char will not recognize her. But, of course, he does. Ella tries on the glass slippers from her father's wedding, and they fit her perfectly. Char unintentionally orders Ella to tell him honestly if she loves him or not, which she says she does, and, unintentionally again, happily he tells her, "Marry me, Ella. Say you'll marry me." Olive adds, "Marry him and give me your money." Ella realizes that she has put him in danger and fights the curse to refuse their orders. In the end, her love and her willpower break the curse.In the end, Olive marries a count only for food and money, Dame Olga and Sir Peter are left still in eternal but long-distance love, and Hattie never marries; Ella and Char live happily ever after and have children. Ella and Areida reunite at the royal wedding. Characters (story relationships)Ella of Frell: Ella is a spunky character with a rebellious yet down-to-earth personality. She is witty and quirky. She is under a spell cast by the fairy Lucinda which makes her obey every given command. It is possible to resist, but then complaints start (nausea, headaches, breathlessness etc...). She endures and resents torment and abuse within her household, and only finds consolation in her encounters with Prince Char. During the novel, she ages from 14-16. She felt an undeniable closeness to her mother, and feels utterly bereft when she dies. Her closest mother-figure then becomes Mandy. Ella demonstrates an amazing capacity of mental strength, supported by a playful personality. Throughout the book she displays a talent for, and extreme interest in, languages, learning several and using them to her benefit on numerous occasions. Ella's nature is less forgiving than Areida's, and often takes revenge upon Hattie for her cruelty.Mandy: Mandy is the household cook, and Ella's fairy godmother. Her recipes are adored by all, and it is her talent for cooking that places her in a high position among the others. She looks after Ella by teaching and caring for her as one of her own.Lady Eleanor: Lady Eleanor is Ella's mother, and dies early in the story. She had a playful spirit and a close relationship with her daughter Ella. They slid down the stair banisters together, yelling and screaming during the rides. They were also notorious for climbing to the top of trees and knocking apples down at those who passed beneath them. Despite her playful and trouble-making spirit, Lady Eleanor taught virtuous values to Ella — such as the wrongs of using her fists for fighting. Her death was triggered when, already ill, she did not consume the unicorn hair in Mandy's "Curing Soup."Sir Peter: Sir Peter is Ella's father. He's a greedy and selfish merchant. Bertha, a maid, describes his character as "ashes mixed with coins and a brain." He tries to use his clever ways to gain riches. He gained his wealth through trickery and deceit and loses it the same way. Sir Peter takes pride in Ella for being a brave, sassy child. He notes their resemblance, and laughs at her attitude. Yet he deals little with his child and is more concerned for his business than her well-being. They have a distant relationship, as Ella acknowledges his corrupt, greedy nature and finds it unpleasant - especially during his attempts to force her to marry.Prince Charmont: Prince Charmont is with whom Ella falls in love. He is honest and has a balanced nature. He also laughs easily, but is slow to forgive. Being a prince, he's "eager to learn things right." They meet at Ella's mother's funeral, during which Prince Char talks of how Lady Eleanor had a playful, funny spirit. In time, he and Ella develop a close friendship which soon becomes love; Prince Char finds comfort in Ella's presence - rather than treating him as royalty, she talks to him as if he were a normal person. He is based on the character of Prince Charming from Cinderella and other fairy tales and "Charmont" also means charming in French.Dame Olga: Ella's stepmother in the story. In the beginning, she is portrayed as an overbearing (in her coy and melodramatic nature) and odious woman when they meet in the aftermath of the funeral of Ella's mother. In her letters to her daughters at finishing school, she talks mostly of her social events and her attire while attending. Infatuated, she marries "Sir P." when he proposes to her (he does so for her wealth, as he is bankrupt), and once she learns of this, she makes Ella suffer through housework. Although a fairy cast a spell of "eternal love" on her and Sir Peter, Ella's father refers to her as "odious" and prefers to love her from afar.Hattie: Hattie is Ella's stepsister in the story. Although she is somewhat simple-minded and unimaginative, she is relatively quick-witted and clever. She quickly realizes that Ella will do whatever she wants (the reason remains unknown), and uses it to her advantage. She enjoys ordering Ella around and using her to complete unpleasant tasks, including cleaning Hattie's feet and plucking out the hair above her lip. She and Ella tortu