When Netflix first announced Steps, its highly anticipated twist on the Cinderella story, it came with a very specific label: an animated movie musical. But as we get closer to its November 20th release date,...
Picture Credit: Netflix
When Netflix first announced Steps, its highly anticipated twist on the Cinderella story, it came with a very specific label: an animated movie musical. But as we get closer to its November 20th release date, fans have noticed a distinct lack of singing in the marketing, especially in the trailer that dropped yesterday. So, what happened?
With that first trailer now officially out in the wild, excitement is at an all-time high for Lilith (Ali Wong) and Margot’s (Stephanie Hsu) side of the fairy tale. However, the high-octane footage—featuring biker trolls, high-speed carriage chases, and a killer original score by Kris Bowers—has left many viewers wondering if the characters will actually be breaking into song.
The short answer? No, Steps is no longer a traditional musical. But the full story behind that decision is a fascinating look into how animated movies evolve during production.
When the project was first greenlit and spearheaded by Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions, Steps was heavily billed as a musical comedy. However, as the movie continued through production, we heard things had shifted creatively. That was confirmed during our massive deep-dive at the Annecy Film Festival; the creative team made the bold decision to redevelop the film midway through its production cycle.
As the story of Lilith teaming up with Cinderella (Amanda Seyfried) to take down the tyrannical Priscilla (Nikki Glaser) began to take shape, the pacing of the film naturally started leaning much harder into the realm of action and comedy.
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