'Steps', An Animated Musical Spin On The 'Cinderella' Story, Headed To Netflix With Producer Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler and her Paper Kite Productions have another yet Netflix title on the way – Steps, an animated musical described as "a spin on the classic Cinderella story." Unlike traditional Cinderella adaptations, this story focuses on the step-sister characters. But here's a twist on the familiar formula: this time, it sounds like the stepsister characters are the heroes and won't be portrayed as wicked and mean as they appear in most tellings of the classic fairy tale that's been adapted several times before. Poehler will produce the film, which is written by Riki Lindhome and directed by Alyce Tzue. Lindhome and Kate Micucci, also known as Garfunkel and Oates, will create the film's music.

Netflix has announced that Amy Poehler's Paper Kite Productions will produce Steps, an animated musical-comedy written by Riki Lindhome, based on a story by Lindhome and Kate Micucci. Lindhome and Micucci will also handle the songs for the film, with Alyce Tzue (Soar) set to direct. Here's a synopsis:

In a spin on the classic Cinderella story, two stepsisters are overlooked for marriage by the Prince and embark on an epic journey, realizing that their own perfect fairytales might be different from what they originally thought.

Lindhome and Micucci have performed as the comedy–folk duo Garfunkel and Oates, and they'll no doubt bring their comedic songwriting talents to Steps. Here's a music video for one of their songs.

As I mentioned above, this won't be a traditional Cinderella-style story, since Cinderella typically portrays the stepsister characters as, well, wicked – and that's not what's going on here. "Our stepsisters are a pair of young Asian immigrants to a fairytale world, and their journey navigating the pressures of their kingdom to ultimately arrive at their true dream is a story that resonates deep inside my heart," said director Alyce Tuze. "Especially in light of the terrible acts of erasure against the Asian community, I am grateful to be working with this incredible team on a project where I feel so seen. We can't wait to bring Steps to the world!"

Amy Poehler added: "We are so excited to be working with Netflix and the great Riki, Kate, and Alyce on this joyful and much-needed story." Poehler is producing along with Kim Lessing for Paper Kite Productions, and Jane Hartwell. It's the latest in a series of Poehler-related titles, including the recent Moxie and the 2019 film Wine Country, both of which she directed.