See a Young (Red-Headed!) Anne Hathaway at the 2004 Premiere: Ella Enchanted Turns 20 Today

That's Princess Anne to you! Twenty years ago, a film named Ella Enchanted debuted, bringing together Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway and British Black Hawk Down actor Hugh Dancy in a flipped-on-its-head fairytale

Published Time: 09.04.2024 - 15:31:14 Modified Time: 09.04.2024 - 15:31:14

That's Princess Anne to you!

Twenty years ago, a film named Ella Enchanted debuted, bringing together Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway and British Black Hawk Down actor Hugh Dancy in a flipped-on-its-head fairytale.

PEOPLE's review at the time said that Hathaway, then 21, "shows again that she has that charming touch when it comes to playing regal characters," adding, "pre-teen girls will likely adore Ella."

They seemingly did: the movie made more than $20 million at the box office and helped Hathaway and Dancy's stars continue to rise.

The actress went on to The Princess Diaries 2 and later, Hoodwinked, also a fairytale film. "I have the rest of my life to play prostitutes and drug addicts, but you can only wear a tiara for so long," she said at the time, per a PEOPLE report. (In 2005 she starred in Brokeback Mountain, making what she called a "sharp left" from the "very sweet, nice path" she was on. The film earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.)

These days, both Hathaway and Dancy have moved on to myriad roles that have seen them everywhere from 1800s France (Les Misérables) to Downton Abbey.

But the Ella Enchanted press tour was pretty epic.

For instance, check out Hathaway's so early-2000s dress over jeans moment for the March 28 pr -

emiere at a theater on the Upper East Side of N.Y.C. The event was sponsored in part by Teen PEOPLE and fans crowded the street to get a glimpse of the star (then a redhead!).

Dancy, then 28, was also on hand, snapping photos inside a nearby candy store and rocking a Harry Styles-esque hairstyle.

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Inside the theater, costars Vivica A. Fox and Minnie Driver sported similar wedge heels and asymmetrical dresses, complementing Hathaway's pink top.

At a premiere in Las Vegas that same week, Dancy and Hathaway were glowing alongside director Tommy O'Haver.

"She's so beautiful and fresh, but there's also an innocent, flirty sense about her," makeup artist Kerry Malouf, who had worked with Hathaway on other projects, told Teen PEOPLE at the time.

The young stars truly emulated a modern-day Cinderella and Prince Charming when they brought the film to London later that year.

"I loved making that film," Dancy told Access Hollywood in 2022. "It was one of the rare occasions where the experience of making the film was a fun as, I think, the finished product is."

Ella Enchanted is available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV+.

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