From Drab To Fab: 13 Amazing Onscreen Transformations

Nothing makes a heroine (or hero) quite like a physical transformation -- from ugly duckling to swan, from geek to chic, from fat man to Batman...and so on. You get the idea.

That's why the movie makeover is such a time-honored device for showing a character's development, often (but not always) accompanied by a montage of the plucky, waxing, fittings and grooming that usher him or her in the direction of greatness. Below, we round up 13 of our most favorite makeover moments, ever.

1. Olivia Newton John in "Grease"
   

   Sandy emerges as a leather-clad sexpot with a perm up to there, and the crowd goes wild.

2. Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games"
   

   In the first film from the franchise, Katniss starts as an un-coiffed huntress and finishes as the Girl on Fire.

3. Rachael Leigh Cook in "She's All That"
   

   This might be the one and only time in movie history when a makeover subject's "before" look involved a hat in the likeness of a falafel.

4. Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman"
   

   Although some snide Rodeo Drive beyotches tried to prevent this makeover from happening, they could not, for it was destiny.

5. Steve Carrel in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"
   

   Although Steve's character bailed halfway through being waxed (because Steve himself couldn't stand it), this was, nevertheless, a really excellent makeover scene.

6. Emma Watson in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
   

   Hermione's transformation for the Yule Ball was early notice of Emma Watson's eventual "fashion icon" status.

7. Anne Hathaway in "The Princess Diaries"
   

   Permanent favorite.

8. Anne Hathaway in "The Devil Wears Prada"
   

   In fact, Anne Hathaway might be the de facto queen of the movie makeover scene.

9. Anne Hathaway in... "Les Miserables"?
   

   Yeah, yeah, so this scene was actually the opposite of a fun movie makeover, what with the tuberculosis and poverty and pulling of teeth and stuff. But let's not pretend that the super-short cropped haircut wasn't fabulous, okay.

10. Brittany Murphy in "Clueless"
    

    Before she called poor Cher "a virgin who can't drive," Tai was treated to a makeover that turned her from a grunge girl into a queen bee.

11. Leonardo DiCaprio in "Titanic"
    

    The second man on our list. Look who cleans up real nice, eh, Rose?

12. Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality"
    

    So convincing, you could almost forget that Sandra is a total glamazon IRL.

13. Lily James in "Cinderella"
    

    THOSE SHOES DOE.