Cinderella

A timeless story. [07 Oct 2005, p.8E]

Excellent animation, marvelous color, and lovely music make Cinderella a delight all the way around.

The glass slipper, the Fairy Godmother, Jaq and Gus - Cinderella is a parade of majestic moments.

This 1950 effort shows Disney at the tail end of his best period, when his backgrounds were still luminous with depth and detail and his incidental characters still had range and bite.

Yes, it's beautiful, and yes, it's classic. But it's also got rather a bland pair of lead characters. That said, it's still enjoyable family entertainment, and shall remain forever so.

When those little mice bust a gut trying to drag that key up hundreds of stairs in order to free Cinderella, I don't care how many Kubrick pictures you've seen, it's still exciting.

Despite its prodigious charms, it has probably destroyed more lives than any other Disney film, forcing a specific, unrealistic romantic archetype that truly does only exist in fairy tales onto generations of impressionable children, who would grow up desperate, needy, and crushed.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-BEAUTIFUL! Legendary movie producer Walt Disney brought three of the world's greatest fairy tales to the screen. They remain among the most popular animated films of all time. The first was his groundbreaking classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" released in 1937. The last was the then-under appreciated "Sleeping Beauty" which made it's debut in 1959. In between these two was perhaps his most satisfying adaptation of a classic fairy tale: "Cinderella" (1950). Of the three films, "Cinderella" is the one most faithful to its origins. Ironically, unlike "Snow White", which for better or worse, became for many the definitive version of the story. "Cinderella" did not follow the same path. Although it was a hit and, like "Snow White", was responsible for restoring the dwindling Disney fortunes, it never achieved the same audience recognition which it certainly deserved. Disney, for once, did himself proud, electing not to tamper with a classic, instead elaborating and adding substance to the tale, rather than rewriting it for the screen. The result was enchanting. A combination of superb animation (in beautifully soft Technicolor) and the perfect voice talents brought the story to life with a radiance that endures to this day. Ilene Woods, who was a radio performer, recorded demonstration discs of the songs as a favor to the authors of the material, Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston. When Disney heard them, he knew he had found his Cinderella. And indeed he had. Woods heartfelt renditions of "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes", "So This Is Love" and "Oh Sing Sweet Nightingale" are perfect. Eleanor Audley, who would go on to voice Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty", masterfully captured the icy cruelty of the stepmother, while Rhoda Williams and Lucille Bliss were convincingly nasty stepsisters. Luis Van Rooten admirably performed as both the King and the Grand Duke, and James Macdonald was endearing as both Jaq and Gus, Cinderella's devoted mice. William Phipps has little dialog as the prince (future talk show host Mike Douglas provided his singing voice) but film (and Disney) veteran, Verna Felton was born to play the fairy godmother, and she made the best number, (the Oscar-nominated "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo") her own show-stopper. Among the artists responsible for the "look" of the film, was Mary Blair, whose inspired use of color was greatly admired by Disney. Her elegant French-period backgrounds add tremendously to the quality of the movie. But, most important of all' are the believable characters--from Cinderella, right down to Lucifer, the stepmother's deliciously evil cat. They bring both life and vibrancy to the often told story, something very difficult to create in an animated film. In conjunction with the film's 55-year anniversary, (and, not so coincidentally, the coming holiday season) "Cinderella" has just been released on a special edition DVD. It simply has never looked better. The fully restored film must be seen to be appreciated--suffice it to say, it looks wonderful. An enhanced stereo soundtrack has been added, and serves the music well. The DVD extras, now a standard part of Disney Platinum Editions, are too numerous to list here, but as usual, some are directed towards children, some are slanted to adults, and the rest fall somewhere in between. But real fans will want to get the Deluxe Gift Set, because, along with an actual cell from the film and eight character sketches, it includes a 160-page hardback book, which not only incorporates most of the material found in the book with the 1995 special edition home video release, but much more as well. As usual for Disney, "Cinderella" will only be available for a limited time. So, if like me, you are a "Cinderella" lover, get it NOW! This edition is truly a "Dream Come True."

A beautiful Disney classic that helped to rescue the studio when their Snow White follow-ups failed to meet box office expectations. It's been a good thirty-plus years since the last time I saw Cinderella, so I was surprised to discover just how much of the plot revolves around singing, talking, garment-stitching mice and not the title character, her family or her love interest. Where Disney is usually able to effortlessly inject extra life and substance when adapting the shorter fairy tales, here those additions just feel like a tonally-mismatched sidetrack. The animation is lovely, of course, with the roto-scoped human characters feeling silky smooth and elegant in comparison to the rounder, more exaggerated cartoon creations, and the scene settings and effects work can be downright magical. I'd consider it an art direction showpiece, if not exactly a storytelling one. Updated thoughts after a 2020 re-watch: Everything one might expect from a prime-era Disney animated feature: lovely damsel in peril, storybook royal involvement, enchanting songs, zany anthropomorphic animals and envelope-pushing (for the time) visual effects. It's also quite short (another calling card of those expensive early efforts) but the good stuff is dense and rich enough that we don't feel short-changed. Cinderella herself is the model of well-mannered restraint, taking all sorts of personal strife in-stride and enduring, though I guess it helps to be strikingly beautiful, filthy rich and under constant supernatural protection. She's an amiable, if shallow, centerpiece for the film, but is often overshadowed by the flashier adventures of her wacky rodent supporting cast. That makes it feel less like a timeless family tradition and more like a kid-friendly distraction, maybe a bit too loose and silly for its own good. It's able to compose itself for the important scenes, though, kicking the creativity into an especially high gear for the famous transformation and ballroom dance. A good installment that's borderline magical at its peak, but struggles to maintain at a high level.

신데렐라보다 생쥐들의 모험이 너무 사랑스럽다.그리고 손주가 보고픈 왕이랑ㅋㅋㅋ201022 (2.5) 그리고 노래들이 너무 좋다고 ㅠㅠ dream is a dream your heart ache 하하

Great for the kids. It's a classic. I'm not into cartoon movies. I prefer acting with real people.

this is somehow worse than snow guess why Disney my friend its sexist still and its just boring if you like history watch it if not stay away