The co-director of Steps, a retelling of Cinderella, has applauded Netflix's choice to release the movie digitally instead of in theaters. The tale of Cinderella is a timeless classic - a damsel being unfairly treated by her own family for years, only to find a reprieve just for a night that alters her fate forever. Obviously, the main villains of the story are the stepmother and her stepsisters, who mistreat Cinderella throughout her entire life. However, Netflix Animation Studios' Steps offers viewers a fresh perspective on Cinderella's not-so-evil stepsisters.

And when this fresh perspective was announced to be directly released for streaming by Netflix, it was welcomed with open arms by the co-director of the film.

Netflix is set to bring a new spin on the classic story of Cinderella with Steps, helmed by Alyce Tzue (Student Academy Awards gold medal winner) and John Ripa (co-director of Raya and the Last Dragon). One of them has applauded the streaming giant’s decision to go for a streaming-only launch for the film.

John Ripa stated that there are advantages to moving straight to the small screen, but Netflix's theatrical vs. streaming conundrum is always a heated topic, especially when it almost acquired Warner Bros. Discovery late last year. But Ripa’s support for the streaming-first approach completely shifts the narrative.

“Netflix can reach so many people at once and for this to be available after six years [of production], well you want it to be seen by as many as possible,” Ripa told Deadline in an Annecy work-in-progress session.

Short snippets of the film were shown to the Annecy audience today, June 23, and although Ripa acknowledged that it is good to watch it on a large screen, he also mentioned that he is excited for his first straight-to-stream film. This shows the director’s complete support for Netflix’s decision to bring the movie straight to streaming.

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While the release update of the movie is exciting, the cast details about the animated film are more intriguing.

Netflix's Cinderella spin-off, Steps, features Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Ali Wong (BEEF) as Cinderella's evil stepsisters. Comedian Nikki Glaser has also joined the cast as Priscilla, a cunning villain who will do whatever it takes to subjugate everyone in her path.

And the most anticipated part - who plays Cinderella in this latest project? Amanda Seyfried has given life to the character of Cinderella with her wonderful voice. Additionally, Bette Midler will play the Fairy Godmother in the animated movie. Steps is scheduled for a digital release later this year. The year seems to be big for Cinderella stories, with another one currently being developed by Disney on the same subject.

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What do you think of Netflix’s direct-to-streaming launch for Steps? Share your thoughts.