Within the kingdom of Lamia, in the town of
Frell, a baby girl named Ella is born to Sir Peter
and his wife Lady Eleanor. She is given the "gift
of obedience" by a misguided and obnoxious
fairy called Lucinda. This turns out to be more of
a curse, as it forces Ella to do anything she is
told to do, even if the command is against her
wishes. Ella's mother, on her deathbed, warns
her daughter not to tell anyone about the curse
she is under, for fear that someone might use it
to exploit Ella. After her mother's death, only
Mandy, the household fairy, knows the secret.
Several years later, Ella's father remarries to
a wealthy socialite, Dame Olga, who dislikes
Ella. Her spoiled daughters Hattie and Olive
notice Ella's obedience and start to humiliate
her. Ella stumbles upon Prince Charmont, the
handsome heir who will soon take the throne, as
he's being pursued by his fan club of besotted
young women. He invites Ella to the Coronation
Ball, but Olga intercepts the invitation. Hattie and
Olive, fan club members themselves, are
overcome with jealousy. They force Ella to insult
and cut ties with her best friend Areida.
Ella cannot bear her situation a moment
longer, and resolves to find Lucinda, as she is
the only one who can reverse the spell. Mandy
helps by lending Ella her boyfriend Benny, whom
she accidentally transformed into a talking
magical book that can show people in their
current surroundings. During her journey, Ella
encounters an elf named Slannen, who wants to
be a lawyer instead of an entertainer as the laws
now require. They are both captured by a group
of ogres, who want to eat them. Prince
Charmont rescues them and accompanies them
to a wedding in the land of giants, where Ella
hopes to find Lucinda. En route, Ella opens
Char's eyes to the cruelty of the laws oppressing
elves and giants established by the acting ruler,
Char's sinister uncle Sir Edgar. Char invites Ella
to visit the palace's Hall of Records and find
Lucinda faster. But Edgar's talking snake,
Heston, the royal advisor, is spying on them.
At the palace, Heston tells Edgar about Ella's
obedience, which Hattie confirms when Edgar
offers Hattie Char's hand in marriage. Knowing
that Char intends to marry Ella, Edgar orders
Ella to kill Char when he proposes to her, and
also to keep this plan a secret. Edgar also
reveals that he murdered Char's father. To save
Char, Ella writes him a letter, saying she is
leaving permanently and cannot explain why,
which breaks his heart. She then asks Slannen
to tie her to a tree, and to go ask the giants for
their help. Eventually Lucinda stumbles upon
Ella, and Ella asks her to undo the "gift" of
obedience. Lucinda is offended that Ella doesn't
like her gift, and simply tells Ella to remove it
herself. She unties Ella, gives her a fancy dress,
and tells her to attend the ball. When Char sees
her he almost immediately takes her to the Hall
of Mirrors, and then asks her to marry him.
Ella is about to stab him with the dagger Edgar
provided, when she realizes Lucinda has
provided the answer: looking into a mirror, she
says, "You will no longer be obedient!" She
drops the dagger and Char sees it. Edgar has
been spying on them, and before Ella can
explain things to Char he orders the guards to
lock her up. Her execution is scheduled for the
following day.
Meanwhile, Benny informs Slannen, the
giants, and the ogres that Ella is in trouble, so
they all sneak into the castle to rescue her. They
find out that Edgar is switching the crown Char
will receive during the ceremony with a poisoned
crown. Ella and her allies burst in just in time to
stop Char from putting on the poisoned crown.
Edgar and Heston call for the knights and Red
Guards, and a battle ensues. Ella explains
everything to Char while she is fighting
alongside him. Meanwhile Mandy manages to
transform Benny back into a human. When
Edgar's forces lose the battle, Heston tries
to bite Char, but is stopped by Ella. Heston is
then trampled by Char's fan club. Caught trying
to kill the prince, Edgar admits to the crowd that
he killed the King, giving the explanation that
only he deserves the crown. Carried away by his
own rhetoric, Edgar crowns himself which
causes him to accidentally poison himself.
Char and Ella kiss; her stepsisters arrive and
order her to stop, but she happily refuses. Char
once again asks Ella to marry him, and she
agrees: "Now that I'll do." The movie ends with
their wedding and a musical number: "Don't Go
Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee.
During all this, it's shown that Slannen is in a
relationship with a giant named Brumhilda, Ella
has rekindled her friendship with Areida, and
Edgar has survived (albeit cognitively impaired
by the poison). The Narrator announces two final
words: The End
