Zezolla and her family live mid 20th century, where fashion is practically everything. As her father is won over by a selfish woman named Claudette, Cinderella must keep her new step-mother from murdering the only family she has left. Add in an anti-social mermaid literally living in a cave, a bored prince with an ear for rock n' roll, and the glamour of the 1950's and one'll find that this story can't grow old.
Costume
1950s mod fashion as character development—every hemline tells a story.
Acting
Kathleen Turner devouring scenery as a murderous stepmother.

Director
Beeban Kidron
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Beeban Kidron had just directed Antonia and Jane (1991) and would later make the Bridget Jones sequel—this sits weirdly between her indie and studio periods.
The 'mods' keyword isn't incidental: this Cinderella explicitly engages with British class and youth subculture, making the 1950s setting politically charged rather than mere aesthetic.