I love Disneyland. My husband and I have been numerous times. It is so much fun. We live too far away to have annual passes and have to save up to go; but believe me, if we lived in Southern California, I would have an annual pass! Anyway, like many people, I grew up with Disney movies. One of the first movies I remember seeing in the theater was The Little Mermaid in 1989 when I was 5. I was at the prime age to go to the theater and see the first-run releases of Disney films during the Disney Renaissance. I will admit that I have not seen the last three films during the Renaissance– Hercules, Mulan, and Tarzan.
However, in addition to the “new” Disney films, I also loved all the classic Disney films that were released during Walt Disney’s lifetime, specifically the films that were hand drawn by animators before Disney started using Xerox for their animation, beginning with 101 Dalmatians. Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella were my favorite films released during this era.
Cinderella is based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale of the same name. Disney stayed relatively true to Perrault’s original story, with only a few changes. At the beginning of Disney’s version of Cinderella, a narrator explains how Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods) ended up living with her stepmother, Lady Tremaine (voiced by Eleanor Audley), and her daughters, Anastasia (voiced by Lucille Bliss) and Drizella (voiced by Rhoda Williams). It is explained that Cinderella’s mother died, and her father remarried to the Widow Lady Tremaine who had two young daughters. Cinderella’s father dies, leaving her alone with her stepmother and stepsisters.
Lady Tremaine is jealous of Cinderella’s beauty and sees her as competition for her, to put it charitably, less attractive, less talented, less couth, daughters. As a result, she keeps Cinderella sheltered and basically forces her to become a servant in her own home. Nowadays the term “Cinderella” is often used when someone feels like they’re being taken advantage of and forced to be a maid in their own home. “I’m not Cinderella” is a common refrain. Lady Tremaine also allows her daughters and even her cat, Lucifer (voiced by June Foray), to treat Cinderella like garbage as well and the three seem to delight in making Cinderella’s life miserable.
The only happiness Cinderella has is through dreaming, such as at the beginning when she is heard crooning “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.” Because of her good heart and kindness, all the animals flock to Cinderella and serve as her companions. Cinderella even sews little clothes for the animals. The birds and mice wear adorable little hats, scarves, dresses, shoes, and shirts. The original Charles Perrault version does not include any delightful animals, which frankly is a shame. Every story needs a girl mouse who says “leave the sewin’ to the women, you go get some trimmin’ ” to the male mice (“The Work Song”). The animals help Cinderella get ready for the day, and a new mouse, Gus (voiced by James MacDonald), joins the gang.
After an especially miserable day, including Lucifer tracking dirt all over Cinderella’s freshly scrubbed floors, the women receive a notice from the palace. It seems that the King (voiced by Luis van Rooten) is desperate for his son, Prince Charming (voiced by William Edward Phipps, singing voice Mike Douglas), to marry and have children before he dies. His right hand man, the Grand Duke (also voiced by van Rooten), tries to calm him down, but is unsuccessful. The King puts on a ball and orders that every eligible maiden in the kingdom is invited. Thus, Lady Tremaine’s household receives an invite.
(Reading the notice sent by the kingdom)
LADY TREMAINE: And, by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend.
DRIZELLA: Why, that’s us!
ANASTASIA: And I’m so eligible!
Eleanor Audley voicing “Lady Tremaine,” Rhoda Williams voicing “Drizella,” and Lucille Bliss voicing “Anastasia.”
The women are ecstatic and go to work getting ready. Cinderella, hearing that the invitation was for *all* eligible maidens asks permission to attend. Lady Tremaine, the vindicative cruel woman she is, tells Cinderella she can *if* she gets her chores done and finds something suitable to wear. Cinderella is overjoyed and finds an old dress in a trunk and plans to spruce it up to make it fancier. However, Lady Tremaine sees to it that Cinderella is busy to the last minute so that she can’t possibly be ready in time. The animals, wanting to help their friend, go to work finding beads and ribbons and fix up “Cinderelly’s” dress.
Much to Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella’s dismay, Cinderella finishes her chores and makes it downstairs in her new gown in time to leave for the ball. Lady Tremaine, because she sucks, makes sure to point out to Drizella that Cinderella’s beads look nicer on her than they did on Drizella. The sash on Cinderella’s dress is pointed out to Anastasia. Lady Tremaine knows that her daughters will flip out that Cinderella is using their property, even though they’d dramatically discarded it previously. After Anastasia and Drizella are done, Cinderella’s dress is in tatters. The women leave for the ball, and Cinderella runs, sobbing, to the garden.
Suddenly, the Fairy Godmother (voiced by Verna Felton), materializes and consoles Cinderella. Through the delightful “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” the Fairy Godmother transforms a pumpkin into a carriage. She corrals the farm animals and mice and turns them into a team of horses, coachman and footman. Finally it’s Cinderella’s turn. With a twirl of her magic wand, the Fairy Godmother turns Cinderella’s tattered pink dress into a gorgeous silver and white ballgown. Cinderella is gifted a pair of glass slippers as that final touch to complete the look. The Fairy Godmother sends her on her way, but with one stipulation, she must leave by midnight. The spell will end at midnight and all will revert back to as they were previously.
At the ball, Prince Charming is bored to tears, until he spots Cinderella. The two dance a romantic dance, “So This is Love,” and it seems like Cinderella will soon be saved from her horrible home. Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella are fascinated by Cinderella, feeling like they know her from somewhere. Eventually, the clock strikes twelve and Cinderella races out of the castle, leaving a glass slipper on the stairs.
Enamored, the Prince announces that he met the woman he wants to marry, the only problem is he doesn’t know who she is or where she lives. Apparently, it didn’t occur to him to ask Cinderella her name while they were dancing. The King orders the Grand Duke to take the slipper and try it on every eligible maiden in hopes of finding its owner. My question is how can Cinderella be the only woman in town that wears her specific size? But I’ve decided that the shoes are enchanted and maybe they’ll ONLY fit Cinderella. My other question is why Prince Charming doesn’t go with the Grand Duke, because he could just look at the women without dealing with the shoe. But maybe that task is unbecoming of him.
(After the glass slipper shatters on the floor)
GRAND DUKE: Oh, no! Oh, no, no. Oh, no. Oh this is terrible! The King! What will he say?
(clutches throat)
GRAND DUKE: What will he do?
CINDERELLA: But perhaps, if it would help…
GRAND DUKE (crying): No, no, nothing can help now. Nothing!
CINDERELLA (revealing the other glass slipper) But, you see, I have the other slipper!
Luis van Rooten voicing the “Grand Duke” and Ilene Woods voicing “Cinderella.”
We all know how Cinderella ends, Anastasia and Drizella’s giant clown feet don’t fit in the slipper, no matter how much they try. The first slipper is shattered after Lady Tremaine trips the Grand Duke. Cinderella produces the second slipper, it fits, and she and the Prince are married. Cinderella gets to leave her hellish home, never to return and she and the Prince live happily ever after.
Cinderella is one of my favorite Disney movies. The music in this film is gorgeous. I love the animation, especially in the “Oh Sing Sweet Nightingale” number and the animation of Cinderella’s ball gown. The ball gown animation might be one of the best pieces of animation ever done. It is absolutely gorgeous. The voice acting is excellent and I love the relationship between Cinderella and the animals.
There are also many funny moments, such as the terrible music lesson with Anastasia poorly playing the flute (or perhaps the fife?) and getting her finger stuck inside one of the holes, while Drizella attempts to sing “Oh Sing Sweet Nightingale.” This moment is juxtaposed nicely with Cinderella’s beautiful rendition of the same song. I also like when Lucifer’s nose is hit with a button, leaving an imprint of the button holes. The King’s obsession with his son marrying and producing grandchildren is funny because it’s so manic, to the point where he’s attacking his Grand Duke with a sword and destroying his bedroom in the process. I also love the Fairy Godmother’s reaction to Cinderella’s tattered rag of a dress when Cinderella points out that she needs something suitable to wear to the ball.
(After creating the carriage, coachmen, footmen, and horses to take Cinderella to the ball)
FAIRY GODMOTHER: Well, hop in my dear. We can’t waste time.
CINDERELLA: But uh…
FAIRY GODMOTHER: Uh, uh, now, now, now, don’t-dont’ try to thank me.
CINDERELLA: Oh I wasn’t… I mean, I do, but-but, don’t you think my dress…
(Cinderella points to her tattered rag of a dress)
FAIRY GODMOTHER: Yes, it’s lovely, dear, lov…
(Sees the dress)
FAIRY GODMOTHER: Good heavens child! You can’t go like that!
Verna Felton voicing “Fairy Godmother” and Ilene Woods voicing “Cinderella”
Disney balances the romance and drama beautifully with the comedic moments interspersed throughout. The “Nine Old Men” out did themselves on the animation. As did artist Mary Blair, whose concept art for Cinderella lent to the film’s gorgeous and unique aesthetic. Blair is best known for designing the characters used in Disney’s theme park side, “It’s a Small World” which debuted at Disneyland in 1966 after originally appearing at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. She also completed concept art for other Disney films including Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland.