First Look at Bette Midler’s Fairy Godmother in Steps

Netflix has announced that award-winning actress Bette Midler will lend her iconic voice to the Fairy Godmother in the new animated original film, Steps.

Sick of living in Cinderella’s shadow, her two stepsisters steal the Fairy Godmother’s magic wand to hijack the Royal Ball… shattering the Cinderella story as we know it and dooming the kingdom to the tyrannical rule.

“The beloved Fairy Godmother, the wholesome Fairy Godmother, the one with all the good intentions, has been around for a long, long time,” said Bette Midler.

“This particular version of the Fairy Godmother has good intentions, but she’s a little bit of a bumbler, and she’s a little bit of a schemer. I’m thrilled to be part of this film! And I’m thrilled to be with this cast!”

Think you know Cinderella’s “evil” stepsisters? Think again. Sick of living in Cinderella’s shadow, Lilith (Ali Wong) steals the Fairy Godmother’s (Bette Midler) magic wand and hijacks the Royal Ball with her sister Margot (Stephanie Hsu), breaking the Cinderella story as we know it and dooming the kingdom to the tyrannical rule of Priscilla, a villainous schemer who swoops in and snatches the throne.

Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella (Amanda Seyfried) to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods on an epic quest to save the kingdom, but most importantly, their relationship.

Steps will be released on Netflix later in 2026 and is the first film to be fully produced in-house within Netflix Animation Studios.

The movie is directed by Alyce Tzue (Student Academy Awards gold medal winner) and John Ripa (co-director of Raya and the Last Dragon). The producers include Amy Poehler, Jane Hartwell, and Kim Lessing. Poehler and Lessing are producing for Paper Kite Productions.