A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song 2011

Katie Gibbs, Lucy Hale, is a teenage aspiring singer who endures relentless pressure from her adoptive family—the Van Ravensways: Gail Van Ravensway, [Missi Pyle], Bev Van Ravensway, [Megan Park], and Victor Van Ravensway, [Matt Lintz]. Despite the cruelty, she clings to her dream and even daydreams of performing a music video for her breakout hit, Run This Town.

At the Wellesley Academy of the Arts, Gail’s school becomes a launchpad for a new opportunity when Guy Morgan, [Dikran Tulaine], the English president of Kensington Records, enrolls his son Luke Morgan, [Freddie Stroma], at the academy. Katie, hoping for real change, slips her demo into Guy’s briefcase, nudging him toward a showcase for Luke. Luke, however, isn’t eager to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Back home, Bev pushes for a recording contract, but she cannot sing; Gail seizes the chance to manipulate the situation by claiming the demo is Bev’s and that Katie stole it. A chaotic night ensues when Victor steals Katie’s clothes and locks her out, leaving her to improvise with a borrowed jacket from Luke. Bev greets Luke at the door, while Gail doubles down on her plan to turn Bev into a star by using Katie’s voice.

At school, Katie and her best friend Angela, [Jessalyn Wanlim], hear Luke singing in the music room alongside his best friend Mickey O’Malley, [Titus Makin Jr.], and Katie is inspired to write a song for him. Angela urges her to perform at the Bollywood Ball that night, and lends her a costume. Gail, ever controlling, orders Katie to babysit Victor that evening so Bev can charm Luke at the Ball, while Katie pleads with Ravi, [Manu Narayan], Gail’s so‑called guru, to watch Victor. Katie takes the stage and belts out Extra Ordinary, drawing Luke’s fascination, though Angela distracts Gail by challenging her to a Bollywood dance-off (Oh Mere Dilruba). Gail loses and exits, but the seed of manipulation remains. She warns Katie that she’s grounded unless she cooperates, threatening Angela’s Juilliard dreams if Katie refuses to help Bev.

Luke’s pursuit to identify the girl who sang for him leads him toward the music room and past Ms. Plumberg, [Lucy Davenport], the assistant principal who tries to keep him in check. A mysterious “crazy girl” also adds chaos to his night. He eventually discovers Bev lip‑syncing to Katie’s voice during a rehearsal for Make You Believe, and he latches onto Bev’s apparent talent, inviting her to write more songs with him. Unbeknownst to him, Katie is quietly guiding Bev via text messages so the ruse can continue, even as Luke grows closer to Bev, who believes she’s the real singer.

As the conflict deepens, Gail reveals a financial threat: she has access to Katie’s late father’s savings, and she uses this leverage to pressure Katie into obedience. Victor, who has endured the family’s mistreatment, overhears the scheme and decides to help expose the fraud, recognizing that their manipulation hurts more people than just Katie.

The showcase arrives, and Victor sabotages Bev’s performance by destroying her iPhone—containing Katie’s recorded voice—to expose the ruse, much to Bev’s panic and Gail’s fury. Bev improvises with a live mic issue backstage, while Katie appears to be struggling to perform. Luke, curious and anxious, goes backstage and finally witnesses Katie in the flesh, realizing Bev isn’t the singer he believed she was. Bev falters, Angela pushes Katie onto the stage to finish the song, and the crowd rallies behind Katie as she delivers a powerful live rendition of her own material, Bless Myself. Luke records the moment, confirming Katie’s true talent, and the audience—and Luke—are won over. Katie and Luke share a kiss, and Luke green-lights a Kensington Records album for her, with him agreeing to help Angela gain admission to Juilliard.

In a mid-credits moment, Gail’s deceit is confronted when Guy decides to report her to the school board, ending her tenure as headmistress. Bev, relieved to be free from Gail’s manipulation, finds a sense of independence, and Gail’s downfall leaves her back where she began—singing, unwelcomed, at a ranch, where she’s booed by the crowd.