Netflix’s Cinderella flip gives Jennie a new song—and the “evil” stepsisters the spotlight

The trailer puts Jennie’s song first

Netflix released the main trailer for Steps on Oct. 15, giving the first preview of “Someone to Hold,” a new song led by BLACKPINK’s JENNIE. billboard +1 The singer said it was her first song for an animated film. hollywoodreporter +1 The track is also the first taste of a four-song original soundtrack, due Nov. 20 alongside the film’s Netflix premiere. hollywoodreporter +1

JENNIE joins actor-singer Amanda Seyfried, Rose Gray and EMEI on the music; Justin Tranter wrote and produced all four songs. hollywoodreporter +1

Cinderella’s “villains” take the lead

The story shifts attention from Cinderella to her stepsisters Lilith and Margot, who are tired of living in her shadow. Lilith steals the Fairy Godmother’s wand and disrupts the Royal Ball; the mistake lets schemer Priscilla seize the throne. Lilith then has to join Cinderella on a quest to save the kingdom—and repair their relationship. netflix +1 Cartoon Brew likewise describes Lilith’s partnership with Cinderella as a bid to set the story right. cartoonbrew

Ali Wong and Stephanie Hsu voice the sisters, Seyfried is Cinderella, Bette Midler the Fairy Godmother, and Nikki Glaser Priscilla. It casts the sisters as comic leads rather than flat antagonists. netflix +1

Director Alyce Tzue told Netflix she wanted the story to speak to anyone who has felt they did not belong, making the sisters’ marginal status the premise rather than a side note. netflix

Four songs, several pop registers

“Someone to Hold” is one of four original songs Tranter wrote and produced. hollywoodreporter +1 EMEI performs “The Understudy,” Rose Gray sings “Meet Me on the Dance Floor,” and Seyfried performs “Smile and a Song.” The film also has a score by Kris Bowers. hollywoodreporter +1

The songs are not presented as one uniform pop package: Tranter describes JENNIE’s track as dance-pop, EMEI’s as an underdog anthem with French-electro elements, Gray’s as an electronic villain song, and Seyfried’s as musical theater. That range fits a story organized around characters with different claims to the spotlight. hollywoodreporter +1

A Netflix Animation milestone

Steps is directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, and produced by Amy Poehler, Jane Hartwell and Kim Lessing. Animation World Network identifies it as the first feature produced entirely in-house at Netflix Animation Studios, a notable production detail for a film built around an original soundtrack as well as a familiar fairy-tale property. awn +1

Both the film and soundtrack are scheduled for Nov. 20; the trailer gives listeners an early excerpt of JENNIE’s track. hollywoodreporter +1