#ella charming

The first thing I'd do is cut the Red/Louis romance subplot. As cute as they are, there's SO MUCH going on in this movie already and that precious screentime can be utilised better. Maybe we could have them exchange cute glances at the tea party at the end of the movie to hint at a future romance, but unfortunately their scenes have to go.

I'd probably cut Louis and Robbi's involvement in the rescue mission all together.

This means when Pink insists on joining the rescue mission, she and her fractured relationship with Red gets more prominence.

After escaping the house of cards, Red doesn't get separated from the rest because we're skipping Red/Louis scenes. Instead, we skip right to Chloe pointing out the spy dodo bird and Red blowing her off.

The VK vs HK song number centers Hazel and CHLOE, instead of Louis. Here, Red constantly switching sides holds additional weight because it signified the fracturing of Red and Chloe's relationship and further helps show why Chloe feels so betrayed by Red. Especially when Red declares that the VKs have won. Here, we very much see Red stuck between the VKs and Chloe & Pink.

On the chessboard, when Chloe tries to play chess the traditional way and Hazel mocks her, it's even more charged because they just had the dance off. Since Hazel won that dance off, this mocking is like rubbing salt into the wound for Chloe.

In "Dancing with the Enemy", Pink canonly gets into the no rules thing and has fun. Maybe elaborate on that and show in the dancing that she and Red are beginning to bond.

The same thing with Chloe and the flower happens, Red once again being more in sync with Hazel, and Chloe feels this is the final straw. In my version of events, we've seen the sense of isolation and betrayal grow more significantly, so it's no wonder Chloe snaps at Red.

Their fight happens as soon as they stop at the White Rabbit's abode. There's no Red/Louis duet filler, and so Red and Chloe's conflict comes to a head faster.

At the end of their fight, Chloe storms outside, where she will notice Max Hatter sneaking away towards his father's workshop. She confronts him about betraying them, and Max explains that no, he's trying to prove he's truly on their side and doesn't want to be accused of walking everyone into a trap. Chloe is sceptical and insists on accompanying him.

Meanwhile, things come to a head between Red and Pink. After "Dancing With the Enemy", Pink had been beginning to think that they were alright, but now Red is all hurt from the fight with Chloe and has zero patience for Pink trying to spend time with her.

Pink finally gets angry at Red, says just because she chooses to be nice doesn't mean she's blind and can't see that Red is only tolerating her. Pink is hurt and confused, because this change in attitude seems to have come out of nowhere, and she misses the sister she thought she knew.

This is where Red confesses to the time travel. She tells Pink that a few days ago she didn't even HAVE a sister, that Pink didn't exist, and sorry but the Perfect Princess™ Red that Pink knew has technically never existed either.

At the same time that Pink finds out about the time travel, so does Max Hatter. Just as in canon, he sees the old timeline where he had a good father who loved him, but this time Chloe is already there with him. Max lashes out at Chloe, accuses her of ruining his life, and there are echoes to her fight with Red when Red accused Chloe of being fine doing whatever it took to save HER mum, but not extending that when in comes to saving Red's mum. Max accuses Chloe of not caring about anyone else, as long as she gets to maintain her Perfect Princess™ life.

Maybe the camera cuts back and forth between the two confrontations - Red & Pink and Chloe & Max. Hell, maybe even out a song there.

At the end of the confrontations, Red is left standing all hurt over something Pink said, and Chloe turns into evil!Chloe. It's the lowest point of the movie.

Red and Pink's relationship seems irrevocably broken, but regardless they enter the maze together. They struggle to get through, to follow Chloe and Max. Maybe they get briefly separated? Either way, Red still finds that keepsake and gets memories of her and Pink's relationship. (Maybe their mum is also in some of those memories, showing how happy their little family is. This will be significant later.)

Red remembering Pink is like a miracle, something neither thought would happen, and they hug and reconcile. Now, united, the two princesses of Wonderland are able to command the hedge maze to part and get them where they need to go.

Just as in canon, Red manages to get through to Chloe. But here, part of Chloe turning evil also has to do with her feeling guilty about ruining Max Hatter's life. And Max doesn't just immediately get over his anger. Instead, Red tells them how she's been able to regain memories of her relationship with Pink; this means there's a way for Maddox and Max to regain their old relationship too. There's no more changing the past, but that doesn't mean they can't try to keep the good from both timelines.

They don't yet know how exactly they'll restore Maddox's old memories, but they'll "figure it out, figure it out together" (a reprise Red, Chloe, Pink and Max all sing together now).

Now, everyone working together (Hazel and the Smees somehow join back with them) they're able to defeat Maddox. It's clear that it's only through their newfound harmony that they succeed.

Once Maddox is captured, Red and Chloe confess to their mums about the time travel.

Bridget is initially opposed to giving Maddox a second chance, seeing as her letting him back into Wonderland WAS his second chance, and look what he did with it.

But Red argues that maybe Maddox didn't well use his second chance, but doesn't MAX deserve a second chance at a good relationship with his father? Red says that she is so happy to now have this amazing relationship with Bridget, and that Max deserves a chance at the same. That it's not fair that their family is happy and the Hatters suffer for it when they were once happy too.

Chloe reminds her mum that SHE is the one who taught her sometimes you need to break the rules. That life isn't as simple as black and white, hero and villain.

Bridget and Ella look at each other and are in agreement; their daughters are right.

They have a tea party, the end.