Ironically, these transformations rarely involve ducks. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best makeover scenes and total character transformations in film.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best makeover scenes
00:10and total character transformations in film.
00:20We are not including male characters in this list.
00:2530.
00:26Edna Turnblad – Hairspray Inspired by the changing times, irrepressible
00:31dancing teen Tracy Turnblad convinces her reclusive mother to embrace the world again.
00:36Of course, she does so through song.
00:38In Welcome to the Sixties, Tracy takes her mom Edna on a whirlwind adventure to a dress
00:42shop, where she's outfitted in the latest fashion.
00:49Edna's glittering makeover is easily one of the movie musical's peppiest numbers.
01:00You can just feel her become more confident.
01:03Since the original 1988 flick, the character has traditionally been played by an actor
01:07in drag, while John Travolta's performance is a bit uncanny at times.
01:12It's kind of what makes it all the more memorable.
01:2129.
01:26Velma Dinkley – Scooby-Doo 2 – Monsters Unleashed
01:29Like with most cinematic makeovers, it's kind of hard to seriously believe that the
01:33person, in this case Linda Cardellini, is not attractive to begin with.
01:38But you can chalk that one up to movie magic.
01:40Hiding from her crush, the nerdy, bespectacled, orange sweater-wearing Velma Dinkley is terrified
01:45she can't live up to his idea of her.
01:47"...but I'm more comfortable in the world of logic and facts, and I'm not hot."
01:59With a little help from Daphne, she ditches her signature look.
02:02She transforms herself into a sixties-inspired, catsuit-wearing, high-heels-stomping, international
02:08woman of mystery.
02:10It's clear she's not all that comfortable, but it's a striking look, nonetheless.
02:2028.
02:21Tess McGill – Working Girl Melanie Griffith stars as a secretary in a
02:25corporate office who just wants to be taken seriously.
02:28While her loud clothing, chunky jewelry, and skyscraping hairdos are of the times, she
02:33realizes she'll need to ditch them all to continue her ruse as a big-time executive.
02:38And as such, we have a uniform.
02:40Simple, elegant, impeccable.
02:42Dress shabbily, they notice the dress.
02:44Dress impeccably, they notice the woman.
02:47Coco Chanel."
02:49She gets her equally 80s-tastic friend, played by Joan Cusack, to lop off most of her locks.
02:54It may just be hair, but paired with more toned-down clothes, the impact is immediate.
03:00Interestingly, she still stands out from the crowd of other professional women,
03:04appearing more traditionally feminine.
03:06Case in point, her new look catches the eye of a potential suitor.
03:09Because, of course it does.
03:11You're the first woman I've seen in one of these damn things that dresses like a woman,
03:14not like a woman thinks a man would dress if he was a woman.
03:18Thank you, I guess.
03:1927.
03:21Andy Sachs – The Devil Wears Prada Ann Hathaway plays Andy,
03:25personal assistant to the vicious and devastatingly stylish fashion editor Miranda Priestly.
03:29Her muted, trend-ignorant style and sneering condescension toward the industry doesn't do
03:34her any favors, so she goes to the magazine's art director, Nigel.
03:39Stanley Tucci milks the scene for all it's worth,
03:41as his character begrudgingly fixes her up with a whole new wardrobe.
03:45Uh, it might fit.
03:47It might.
03:48Okay, now Chanel, you're in desperate need of Chanel.
03:51Darling, shall we?
03:53We have to get to the beauty department, and God knows how long that's going to take.
03:56Watching her stomp back into the office with the Chanel boots — yes,
03:59the Chanel boots — to Emily Blunt's character's stunned look is nothing short of exhilarating.
04:04It's got to be the greatest revenge moment since Julia Roberts told off that snooty
04:08salesperson in Pretty Woman.
04:10More on that later.
04:11Are you wearing the...
04:12The Chanel boots?
04:13Yeah, I am.
04:17You look good.
04:1826.
04:20Olive Pendergast – Easy A A series of misunderstandings and
04:24white lies about her personal life leads to Olive Pendergast being ostracized from some peers.
04:29Conveniently, the kids are reading The Scarlet Letter in English class.
04:32Taking a page from Hester Prynne herself, Olive decides to live up to her newfound,
04:36unintended reputation and wear the most school-inappropriate outfit ever.
04:41I don't give a damn about my reputation.
04:46Living in the past, it's a new generation.
04:49She stitches a big, red A into a provocative top and struts across her high school without shame.
04:54Although this probably isn't the best solution to her problem — and arguably contributes to
04:59making it bigger — it's certainly the most iconic one.
05:02Hey, handsome.
05:03Hey.
05:04I just realized the funniest thing.
05:06My name is an anagram for I love.
05:10It's moments like this that made the movie's lead, Emma Stone, a star.
05:1425.
05:15Selina Kyle – Batman Returns Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman is unforgettable.
05:20From her cool one-liners to her skills with a whip, it's easy to forget how she starts the movie.
05:26We're introduced to Selina Kyle as the frazzled,
05:28glasses-wearing assistant to Christopher Walken's creepy business mogul.
05:32Go ahead.
05:33Intimidate me.
05:35Bully me if it makes you feel big.
05:36I mean, it's not like you can just kill me.
05:39Actually, it's a lot like that.
05:41She's a meek pushover whose mother is constantly bothering her.
05:45It's only after her evil boss pushes her from a high window and she's licked back to life by a
05:50bunch of alley cats that she finds her new identity as Gotham City's feline Avenger.
05:55Relative to some of the other entries on this list,
05:57it's a shockingly brutal and gross makeover, but the result is everything.
06:03I don't know whether to hope in fire or fall in love.
06:07You poor guys, always confusing your pistols with your pride.
06:1124.
06:13Helen Tasker – True Lies
06:15This spy comedy stars Jamie Lee Curtis' Helen,
06:18a bored woman in the middle of a midlife crisis and desperate for some excitement.
06:22She's completely unaware that her husband is a secret agent.
06:25To spice up their stalled marriage,
06:27he tricks her into thinking she's being recruited by a shadowy spy organization.
06:32There's only one solution to your problem, Mrs. Tasker.
06:35You must work for us.
06:40What are you doing, Harry?
06:41Just giving you a little assignment.
06:43You gotta be shitting me.
06:44She wants a little adventure.
06:46Her task is to seduce an enemy.
06:48Before meeting up with this mystery man,
06:50Helen realizes she's dressed all wrong for the part.
06:53She rips her dress to shreds until it's a bit more sultry and flattering,
06:57and throws a handful of water in her hair.
06:59You can't say she wasn't ready to serve her country.
07:02My name is Michelle.
07:05Carla thought you'd like me.
07:0623.
07:08Katie Herron – Mean Girls
07:10What starts out as an experiment to infiltrate the most popular clique at North Shore High,
07:14soon sees transfer student Katie Herron in over her head.
07:17Her new friends give her a makeover,
07:19and it seems to turn her into a pinker and prettier Frankenstein's monster.
07:23Because being with the plastics was like being famous.
07:27People looked at you all the time, and everybody just knew stuff about you.
07:30Becoming drunk on the power of coolness,
07:32Katie starts dressing and acting like the girl she's supposed to be gathering intel on.
07:37Her clothes become a bit more provocative.
07:39Her face carries a little more makeup.
07:41She realizes she's teetering over the edge, and refuses to stop herself.
07:45Makeup and a new wardrobe never seemed so dangerous.
07:50Was I the new Queen Bee?
07:5122.
07:53Lainie Boggs – She's All That
07:55Zack is a popular high schooler who makes a bet that he can turn
07:58even the most hopeless girl into a prom queen.
08:01The target is Lainie Boggs,
08:03whose social clumsiness and lack of popularity make her a prime choice.
08:06The scene where Zack has his sister make Lainie over is a classic of the genre.
08:11Gentlemen, may I present the new, not improved, but different, Lainie Boggs.
08:19Her slow walk down the stairs as Kiss Me plays,
08:22and he realizes that she could actually be the girl of his dreams,
08:25is quintessentially 90s.
08:27You wear those shoes and that wear that dress.
08:31Oh, kiss me beneath the melty twilight.
08:37Then, of course, she nearly falls on her face.
08:39It was memorably recreated in the raucous spoof,
08:42Not Another Teen Movie, just a few years later.
08:5221.
08:53Sandy Olsen – Grease
08:55Summer lovers Danny and Sandy never thought they'd see each other again.
08:59But after spending the entire school year struggling to fit in each other's worlds,
09:03she decides to make a change once and for all.
09:06Tired of playing it safe,
09:07she says goodbye to the goody-two-shoes she's been for so long,
09:10and embraces a greasier aesthetic.
09:22She arrives at the school carnival dressed like hell on heels.
09:25It's an entrance to remember.
09:27Ditching her skirts and pretty delicate ensembles for black leather and tight pants,
09:31she's still finding her bearings as a bad girl.
09:34But with a little help from her friends, she pulls it off.
09:37You better shape up.
09:40Cause I need a man.
09:43And my heart is set on you.
09:52Jennifer Lopez stars in this modern-day Cinderella story
09:55that is an amazing early-oughts guilty pleasure.
09:58In Made in Manhattan,
09:59Marissa Ventura works as a member of staff at the Beresford Hotel,
10:03and a case of mistaken identity causes her to strike up a romance
10:06with a wealthy man.
10:08We finally get to see her ditch the maid's outfit at the end of the film
10:11when she gets all dolled up to attend a party.
10:14The fact that this scene is set to Diana Ross' hit
10:16I'm Coming Out only makes it all the more fun.
10:25When we first meet Anya,
10:27she's in fact Anastasia, the Grand Duchess of Russia.
10:30But through political unrest and the diabolical Rasputin's deeds,
10:34she's taken away from her family and heritage.
10:37I don't know my last name.
10:38I was found wandering around when I was eight years old.
10:42Ten years later, she's forgotten who she is, etiquette and all.
10:46Until Dimitri and Vlad rope her into a scheme
10:48to pass her off as the long-lost Grand Duchess.
10:51Simple, right?
10:52With their help, she gets a crash course
10:54in pretending to be someone of a higher station,
10:57and along the way becomes more comfortable in her own skin.
11:04That, and she gets to wear some new clothes
11:07that, frankly, we would really love to borrow sometime,
11:09animated or not.
11:11You have the beauty of your mother, Alexandra,
11:16empress of all Russia.
11:24Hilary Duff does what she does best in A Cinderella Story,
11:28playing a totally awkward yet endearing,
11:31playing a totally awkward yet endearing teenager.
11:35In this rendition of the classic fairy tale,
11:37Sam wants to meet her online crush at a school dance,
11:40but isn't allowed to go by her evil stepmother.
11:43I can't go.
11:44What?
11:45I don't have a costume.
11:49But you will.
11:51Are you coming, Zorro?
11:53She goes anyway,
11:54with the help of her friends at the diner where she works.
11:57Sporting an old wedding dress and a masquerade mask
11:59that somehow completely obscures her identity from everyone who knows her.
12:03Don't you know who I am?
12:05Of course I do.
12:07You're Princeton girl.
12:09You're the girl I've been waiting to meet.
12:10I know exactly who you are.
12:12What's your name?
12:13Believable?
12:15Maybe not, but it's magical nonetheless.
12:29A Violet Jawbreaker.
12:36The Flawless Four had it all,
12:38until a practical joke gone wrong resulted in the accidental murder of their clique leader.
12:44One is for witch,
12:46two is for bitch.
12:48Pop it, Marcy!
12:52Oh my god.
12:53To protect their secret and ensure their safety,
12:56the girls accept Fern Mayo into their clique.
12:59We're gonna make you one of us.
13:02Fern undergoes a complete transformation,
13:05and quickly goes from admirer of the girls to the most popular girl in school,
13:09and even changes her name to Violet.
13:11Violet.
13:15I like it.
13:16Her newfound popularity comes with both friends and enemies, however,
13:20as Violet learns the hard way that being the most popular girl in the school
13:24isn't all it's cracked up to be.
13:29Number 16,
13:31Vivian Ward,
13:32Pretty Woman.
13:36Let's be real,
13:36Julia Roberts is always gorgeous,
13:39but at the beginning of Pretty Woman when she's in her streetwalking getup and blonde wig,
13:43she definitely doesn't look her best.
13:45In one of the most satisfying scenes from this classic rom-com,
13:49we get to see her character Vivian go from underdressed to perfectly in style
13:53when she returns to that snobby Rodeo drive shop to tell them what a huge mistake they've made.
13:58I was in here yesterday,
13:59you wouldn't wait on me?
14:01Oh, you work on commission, right?
14:04Yes.
14:05Big mistake.
14:07Big.
14:07Huge.
14:08The shopping montage that takes place before,
14:10set to the song that gives the movie its name,
14:12is beloved for good reason.
14:18Number 15,
14:19Cinderella,
14:20Cinderella.
14:21Cinderella.
14:25Easily one of the most iconic transformation scenes in movie history,
14:29Cinderella trades in her rags for a beautiful gown with the assistance of her fairy godmother.
14:35Just leave it to me,
14:36what a gown this will be.
14:38Viviviviviviviviva!
14:45Timmy!
14:45Having been mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters,
14:48Cinderella desires to attend the prince's ball, only to have her dress destroyed by her evil step-sisters.
14:54Why, you little thieves!
14:56They're my thieves! Give them here!
14:59Luckily, her fairy godmother arrives, and gives her a new gown with glass slippers,
15:04as well as a horse and carriage, allowing her to attend the ball and earn the love of the prince.
15:09Dumb-a-dee-bumb-a-dee-doo!
15:11Number 14. Danielle de Barberac, Ever After
15:14A bird may love a fish, signore, but where would they live?
15:19Then I shall have to make you wing.
15:22Another interpretation of the Cinderella story is this late-90s flick starring Drew Barrymore.
15:27Marketed as the supposedly real story behind the much-loved tale,
15:31Ever After introduces us to Danielle de Barberac,
15:34whose father has died and who has long been mistreated by her stepmother and step-sisters.
15:39At the beginning of the film, she dresses like a common servant.
15:42These are my mother's.
15:44Yes, and she's dead.
15:49But when the time comes for the big ball,
15:52she pulls out all the stops and looks absolutely ethereal in a white dress and a pair of fairy wings.
16:07Number 13. Josie Geller, Never Been Kissed
16:10Josie, do you remember high school?
16:13It was a long time ago.
16:14Do you remember what they called you in high school?
16:18Josie! Josie! Josie! Josie!
16:22Whether you loved or hated high school,
16:24most of us would likely have no interest in living through it again.
16:37Unfortunately for Chicago Sun-Times reporter Josie,
16:40her boss assigns her to go undercover at her former high school.
16:43Josie Geller, you enroll Friday. Have fun!
16:47At first, Josie, who struggled mightily through high school the first time,
16:51reverts to her old geek persona, complete with the patchy makeup and bad perm.
16:56Hi. I'm Guy.
17:00Hi. Yes, you are a guy.
17:04Over the course of the film, however,
17:06she becomes more confident and is even crowned prom queen.
17:09More importantly, she learns that in the grand scheme of things,
17:13high school is just a blip on the radar and really doesn't matter.
17:16Find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it.
17:22Number 12. Joe Stockton, Funny Face
17:34One of the greatest fashion movies of all time,
17:37Funny Face let audiences see Audrey Hepburn decked out in Givenchy
17:40for the duration of the film.
17:42The movie tells the story of an intellectual bookstore employee, Joe,
17:45played by Hepburn, who is discovered by a fashion photographer
17:49and brought to Paris to work on his new campaign.
17:51Joe is subtly elegant at the beginning of the film,
17:54but seeing her dressed up in the Parisian high fashions
17:57is pure eye candy that we just can't get enough of.
18:01Number 11. Loretta Castorini, Moonstruck
18:07We'll admit it, most movies on this list are cheesy romantic comedies,
18:11but this film was actually nominated for Best Picture
18:14and saw Cher, who starred as Loretta Castorini, win Best Actress.
18:26After having a one night stand with her fiancé's brother,
18:28Loretta decides it's time for a new image.
18:31Rejecting her widowed accountant persona,
18:34she gets the gray removed from her hair while styling it in the 80s poof
18:37we all know so well.
18:40Throw in a glamorous evening gown and you have an entirely new woman,
18:45albeit one who still faces the tricky situation
18:47of having hooked up with her fiancé's brother.
18:59Number 10. Annabelle Fritton, Saint Trinian's
19:04Annabelle doesn't quite fit in at Saint Trinian's,
19:16a school for wayward girls because of her somewhat prissy attitude.
19:20So it comes as no surprise that her classmates kidnap her
19:23in the middle of the night to give her a new look
19:25that will fit the school's aesthetic a little bit more.
19:27The audience gets to see each different click trying out a makeover style for her,
19:32and the one they settle on is sexy, cute, and a little bit edgy.
19:36Yes, Annabelle was beautiful before, but she's got a lot more spunk after.
19:41How'd you feel?
19:44Like Saint Trinian.
19:45A lot of us have an overbearing family,
19:48but hopefully they aren't as exhausting as the porticollis
20:15clan.
20:16Listen, the family knows.
20:18Last night, Vicky Pavlopoulos saw you sucking the lips off his head in the Denny's parking
20:22lot.
20:23The Portocoloses want Tula to marry a Greek boy so that she can make Greek babies and
20:27cook for the rest of her life.
20:28But she strives for something more.
20:30Why you want to leave me?
20:34I'm not leaving you.
20:35Don't you want me to do something with my life?
20:37Oh yes!
20:39Get married, make babies!
20:42After enrolling in a computer class at the local community college, Tula decides to completely
20:46change her look in an effort to get out of her rut.
20:49She ditches her glasses for contact lenses, wears makeup, and gets a new hairdo.
20:55This transformation shows that it's never too late to change, no matter what your age
20:59is.
21:008.
21:01Katie Simpson – She's Out of Control
21:08When 15-year-old Katie's father leaves on a business trip, her typical look involves
21:12Coke bottle glasses, braces, and frumpy clothing.
21:15When he gets back, however, his girlfriend has helped Katie transform into a full beauty,
21:21who ends up causing trouble because she has all the boys in town in a frenzy.
21:30This movie may not have done well with the critics, with the legendary Roger Ebert particularly
21:35panning it, but we still love this transformation, even if Katie's father does not.
21:447.
21:47Ty Frazier – Clueless
21:53Another classic 90s film to make our list, Clueless stars Alicia Silverstone as Cher,
21:58her prototypical valley girl.
22:05Cher decides to use her influence to give back to the community by making Ty, the new
22:09girl, popular.
22:19Naturally this involves Cher and her best friend Dion giving Ty a much needed makeover.
22:29Unfortunately this move ultimately backfires when Ty becomes more popular than Cher, causing
22:34her to reflect on her priorities and what is actually important in life.
22:456.
22:47Charlotte Vale – Voyager
22:50Betty Davis is one of the greatest iconic Hollywood stars, but you'd barely recognize
22:55her at the beginning of this 1942 film.
22:58She plays Charlotte Vale, an unattractive spinster who's abused by her mother, and
23:02because of her emotional distress, looks about twice her age.
23:06After spending time away from her family at a sanitarium, and then on a cruise, she manages
23:11to flourish, and returns looking completely unrecognizable.
23:21Her eyebrows alone are a before and after that would be inspirational to anyone.
23:265.
23:27Gracie Hart – Miss Congeniality
23:33Gracie needs to undergo a significant transformation when she was tasked with the job of going
23:38undercover at the 75th annual Miss United States Beauty Pageant to investigate a bomb
23:43threat.
23:50Rough and tomboyish, Gracie didn't just get a makeover.
23:53She got an entire overhaul, including lessons on how to dress, walk, and act like a supermodel.
24:08Of course, while Gracie's appearance may have changed, she demonstrates how good of
24:11a cop she is by sussing out the real threat, and saving the newly-crowned Miss United States'
24:17life.
24:204.
24:23Alison Reynolds – The Breakfast Club
24:26One of the most iconic movies of the 80s also happens to feature one of the best makeovers
24:30in movie history.
24:32At the beginning of The Breakfast Club, Alison is the awkward and weird girl who is shown
24:36in sharp contrast to the pretty and popular Claire, played by Molly Ringwald.
24:41After spending their detention together, though, the two girls bond and Claire gives Alison
24:45a completely transformative makeover.
24:52She always had good looks, but thanks to Claire, Alison finally got the confidence boost she
24:57needed.
25:013.
25:06Eliza Doolittle – My Fair Lady
25:14Considering how beautiful Audrey Hepburn is, it's surprising that she starred in several
25:18films that feature ugly duckling transformations.
25:26She got her feet wet in 1954 as Sabrina Fairchild, but it was her performance as Eliza Doolittle
25:41in My Fair Lady that earned a spot on our list.
25:50Initially an unrefined street vendor with a thick Cockney accent, she slowly transitions
25:55into a well-mannered member of high society and is even mistaken for a princess.
26:07While this film suggests that enough effort and time can elicit a change in a woman's
26:12While this film suggests that enough effort and time can allow you to turn into a lady,
26:21we have to admit that looking like Audrey Hepburn certainly helps.
26:292.
26:34Fran – Strictly Ballroom
26:36Baz Luhrmann's amazing debut may not be as well-known as its successors, but that
26:40doesn't mean it should be overlooked.
26:42This charming film focuses on the Australian ballroom dancing world.
26:46And in a plot somewhat similar to the classic Dirty Dancing, an experienced male dancer
26:51finds himself taking on a raw beginner to be his partner.
27:01Fran is the baby of this story, and when we first meet her, she's one of the most awkward
27:06characters to ever grace our screens.
27:14By the end of the film though, she really comes into her own and shows an elegance and
27:18poise we never could have imagined.
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27:431.
27:44Mia Thermopolis – The Princess Diaries
27:50Anne Hathaway is no stranger to undergoing transformations, but we're choosing her
27:57debut film for the number one spot on our list.
28:00As a geeky and frizzy-haired teenager, Mia Thermopolis is stunned to discover that she's
28:08actually a princess and heir to the throne of Genovia.
28:11Mia receives princess lessons and is also given a glamorous makeover.
28:23Of course, true to form, when she accepts her role as the princess, she appears untidy
28:38and drenched, proving that character, not appearance, is the most important thing.
28:44Which of these makeovers do you remember the most?
28:46Tell us in the comments below!