True Cinderellas have certain qualities -- they have big dreams and big obstacles to overcome; they labor in obscurity while the less deserving flourish. Cinderellas are never discouraged by their lot, and when the right moment comes their true qualities are revealed and they're finally catapulted into the position they've deserved all along, snagging Prince Charming along the way. The best Cinderella movies play with the formula, adapting it to the times at hand while never losing sight of the fairy tale. Here are the ten that swept us away.

Maid in Manhattan, Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, 2002. © Columbia. Photo courtesy of the Everett Collection.