Bibbidi Bobbidi Beautiful!

Rating: 8/10 (11 July 2008)

"Cinderella" is one of the most beloved of all Disney classics, a status it deserves. Based on the classic fairy-tale as told by Charles Perrault, the film follows the trials and tribulations of Cinderella, a good girl who is mistreated by her evil stepmother and equally awful stepsisters. When a royal ball is held and all eligible young women are invited (read: the King wants to get the Prince to marry so he can have grandchildren), Cinderella is left at home whilst her stepmother takes her awful daughters with her. But there is a Fairy Godmother on hand, and if you don't know what happens next, then I would seriously want to know why.
I think we can all admit that the story of "Cinderella" as it appears in Perrault's collection wouldn't be able to pad out a feature on its own, so whilst generally staying true to the story, the fairly incidental characters of the animals whom the Fairy Godmother uses to help get the title character to the ball become Cinderella's true sidekicks, much like how the roles of the fairies were later fleshed out in "Sleeping Beauty", or how Jiminy Cricket in "Pinocchio" went from a minor character into the role of mentor. Two of the mice, Jaq and Gus, act as the principal sidekicks, with their own nemesis being a purely invented character, the obnoxious family cat Lucifer. The animal antics intertwine generally with the main plot, and reflect the general theme of the struggle between oppressor and slave (the little mice, birds and barnyard animals live in squalor, whereas the manipulative and selfish Lucifer lives in luxury). The film does slow down a bit between the main introduction of the characters and before the stepsisters depart for the ball, but after this slowdown, the film really gets going again and surprisingly (since "Cinderella" is the most worn down story of all time, probably) ends up as one of the most involving and engaging of Disney stories. The stepmother is one of the most alarming of Disney villains due to her having a sense of reality. She doesn't use black magic like to get her way like the evil fairy Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty" or the Queen in "Snow White", but regardless subtly controls and manipulates people to horrific effect, including her own blatantly insecure daughters. In short, she uses people skills to a truly terrifying effect.
The animation and art direction is lovely. All of the legendary Nine Old Men animated on this picture, and Mary Blair's colour styling and concept art (she also did concept art and colour styling for "Alice in Wonderland", "Peter Pan", "The Three Caballeros" and many many others) manage to wiggle their way on screen. The bold colours and whimsical, wavy designs are lovely, especially in the Fairy Godmother and ball scenes, where the characters often play against silhouettes of dark blues and violet. The staging feels theatrical and expressionistic, suiting the whimsical and romantic nature of the story adequately.
Overall, "Cinderella" ranks as one of the best Disney fairy-tales and comes recommended to young and all. It embodies that uplifting philosophy so present in many Disney films - dreams really can come true.