Fun and Endearing

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2019)

I really didn't like Cinderella as a kid, but watching it now as an adult and in the company of my kids, I really enjoyed it. I know people have complained that the scenes with the mice and the cat feel like Tom and Jerry but it's great for kids. My son is 3 and he was thoroughly engaged in their interactions. Sometimes the chases made him giggle and other times they kept him on the edge of his seat. I think we should cut Disney some slack and give him credit for the fact that a film made in 1950 can be as entertaining for a kid in 2019 as it was back in the day. Plus why take a Disney film so seriously? While I hate when films insult my intelligence and that of kids, I also get weary of kid's films that take themselves too seriously. Simple, slapstick humor has its place too.
On the complaint about the main character, like other reviewers have noted, Cinderella is IMO a much stronger and likeable protagonist than later princesses like Arielle and Jasmine. Many modern Disney female protagonists are proclaimed to be endearingly free spirited and outspoken but if you really reflect on their behavior, they are self-centered, stubborn, and arrogant. They are quick to anger, they are self-righteous, and when someone has to save them from their own pigheadedness, they rarely express gratitude or acknowledge the trouble they've caused. Cinderella is the polar opposite. She is gracious and poised - she encourages the dog to try to make the best of things and get along with Lucifer the cat. Cinderella herself follows this lesson by good-naturedly serving her vile step-family with humor and a kind smile. People say she is naive or weak for not fighting back when her dress is ruined and when he stepmother locks her in her room. But from what I can tell she does stand up for herself as best she can. When her stepmother unfairly reprimands her for Gus' unexpected appearance on the breakfast tray, Cinderella does not cower in fear. She holds her head high, looks her stepmother in the eye, and calmly defends herself. When she is locked in the tower, Cinderella pounds on the door with all her might instead of sulking in a corner. She also reflects a humble and unassuming character. She is so grateful when the mice help with her dress. When the fairy godmother's magic wares off at midnight, instead of expressing disappointment, Cinderella thanks her godmother "for everything." She doesn't even realize that it is the Prince that she was dancing with, never expecting, it would seem, that someone in his position would be interested in her.
It saddens me to hear people complaining about Cinderella and confusing her strength for weakness. We talk so much today about accepting others, about refraining from violence, about love over hate. Well then, Cinderella should be one of the princesses we most revere and hope our kids look up to. We should all try our best to be grateful for whatever we have, to treat others the way we want to be treated - even our enemies, and to do our best in life. When we dissolve into a victim mentality or become self-righteous -quickly noticing the splinter in others' eyes yet completely unaware of the log in our own, that is when we become the weak, passive person we mistake Cinderella to be.