Cinderella

Plot synopsis:
The film opens in a tiny kingdom, and shows us a chateau, wherein lives a widowed gentleman, and his daughter, Cinderella. Feeling that his daughter needed "a mother's care," he remarried a woman with two daughters of her own, named Anastasia, and Drizella.However, upon the death of Cinderella's father, her Stepmother reveals a cruelty and jealous towards Cinderella's charms and beauty.The Stepmother chooses to focus all her attention to that of her own daughters, leading to a downfall of the family estate. The chateau soon falls into disrepair, and the family fortune is spent up on the two Stepdaughters.In the end, Cinderella is forced into becoming a servant in her own household, attending to her Stepfamily, and living in a high tower on the family property. Even though her life's conditions are deplorable, she still tries to keep herself going, by dreaming of a better life someday. She befriends a number of little birds and mice, of which she has made little clothing for several of them.One day, a little mouse named Jacque informs her that a new mouse has been caught in a trap. The rotund little mouse is at first scared, but upon Jacque and Cinderella welcoming him, they give him some clothes, and a new name: Octavius...but for short, they call him Gus.Jacque and some other mice show Gus around the house, and out into the yard behind the house to get corn that Cinderella is giving the other animals. However, in their attempts to return to the mice at the top of Cinderella's tower, they run into the Stepmother's cat, named Lucifer. Lucifer then attempts to get Gus, who hides in a teacup that is given to one of Cinderella's Stepsisters.Though it wasn't intentional, the Stepsisters blame Cinderella, and their mother demands she do extra chores for what has happened.Meanwhile, in the Kingdom's Castle, The King is having an argument with the Grand Duke. The King is tired of his son always being off and away from the Kingdom, and intends to find some way to get his son to marry, and provide Grandchildren for his father. The Grand Duke tries to tell the King he should not rush his son into such a thing, but the King proposes a rather devious scheme: with his son coming home that evening, he wishes a Grand Ball to be held that evening, inviting all the eligible maidens of the Kingdom, certain that his son is bound to show interesting in one of them.Later on that day, a royal messenger shows up at the chateau with an invitation. Cinderella delivers it to her Stepfamily, and upon hearing the proclamation, grows happy that she can also attend, given that it invites "every eligible maiden."However, her Stepmother says she can go, "if" she can complete all her chores, and "if" she can find something suitable to wear.Cinderella quickly returns to her room, and finds an old dress that was once her Mother's. As she looks in a sewing book on ways to improve it, she is called away by her Stepfamily. Jacques then tells the other mice that he's sure Cinderella's Stepfamily is going to work her so hard, she'll never be able to complete the alterations to her dress. It is then that one of the female mice claims that they will make the alterations for Cinderella as a surprise!Jacques and Gus rush off to get some extra trimming for the dress, and encounter the Stepsisters and Stepmother ordering Cinderella around with extra chores. As she leaves them, the sisters angrily claim that they do not have any good things to wear, and angrily throw down a pink sash, and some blue beads. Jacques and Gus quickly gather them up to use for Cinderella's dress, but are menaced by Lucifer. Luckily, they manage to get away.As the hour draws late, the carriage to the ball arrives. However, having completed her chores, but not having been able to work on her dress, she returns to her room, claiming she isn't going. However, upon arriving, she is surprised by the mice and birds, as they reveal the alterations to her dress!Quickly putting it on, she rushes downstairs, and happily prepares to go to the ball. The Stepsisters are at first incensed, but their mother quickly tells them that she did make a deal with Cinderella. However, she then takes note of the blue beads on her dress, which sets the sisters off, who chastise Cinderella for taking their things, and proceed to destroy the dress.After the Stepmother ushers her daughters out the door, Cinderella rushes out of the chateau and into the garden, crying on a bench, that no matter how hard she tries to believe, things will never get better for her. However, she suddenly hears a voice, and encounters an cheerful woman in a light-blue cloak. The woman claims she is her Fairy Godmother, and intends to help Cinderella go to the ball.Using her magic wand, the Godmother turns a pumpkin into a coach, 4 of the mice into horses, the farm's horse into a coachman, and the family dog into a footman. The final touch is fixing Cinderella's dress, which is turned into a beautiful white gown, complete with glass slippers.However, the Godmother cautions her that she all these things will only last until the final stroke of midnight, when everything will turn back to normal. Cinderella then quickly boards her coach, and is taken to the Castle.Meanwhile, the ball is in full-swing, with the Prince greeting every eligible, invited maiden in the Kingdom. Though the King and Grand Duke watch, the Prince himself is rather bored by the whole thing. However, as he officially greets the Stepsisters, he sees a girl having just entered, and goes over to her. This is immediately seen by the King, who demands a Waltz begin to play, sure that his son has found his bride. The King then retires for the evening, leaving the Grand Duke to supervise the two.The Prince then leads Cinderella out into the Palace Gardens, where they dance and wander. However, when the clock suddenly strikes midnight, Cinderella flees. The Grand Duke attempts to stop her, but she flees down the Palace's entry steps, leaving behind a glass slipper. A series of Palace Horsemen attempt to catch the coach, but eventually, the 12th chime of midnight strikes, Cinderella's entourage returns to normal, and rush off the main road, as the Horsemen's steeds trample what's left of the now-normal pumpkin.Cinderella apologizes to her friends for not leaving sooner, but claims she was so enchanted by her time with the Prince. Suddenly, she realizes that she still has one of her glass slippers left, and looking skyward, thanks her Fairy Godmother for allowing her these few hours of happiness.Back at the Palace, the Grand Duke awakens the King regarding what has happened. At first incensed that the maiden his son danced with has gotten away, the Duke claims that his son still wants to find and marry her. With the glass slipper the only clue, the King sets the Duke on a mission to have the slipper tried on every girl in the Kingdom, setting the Duke to task before the sun rises!The next morning, Cinderella's Stepmother quickly demands she help her daughters immediately. The two Stepsisters are slow to wake up, when the Stepmother tells of the proclamation, and how the girl that was seen dancing with the Prince is being searched for. The girls boredly wonder what this has to do with them, when their mother tells of the slipper, and how all one of them has to do is fit it, to become the Prince's bride!However, the thought of marrying the Prince sidetracks Cinderella, who drops the load of laundry the Stepsisters give her, and begins to 'dance' off back to her room to get dressed. However, the Stepmother follows her up the stairs, and locks the door, with Cinderella pleading to be let out of the room!Some time afterwards, the Grand Duke arrives, and the Stepmother and her daughters greet him. Jacques and Gus manage to get the key out of the Stepmother's pocket, and make the impossible task of climbing the stairs to Cinderella's room, only to be foiled by Lucifer, who traps Gus and the key under a bowl. The mice and birdsattempt to free Gus, but Lucifer has them at bay. Cinderella then suggests they get the family dog Bruno, and several of the birds alert the dog, who manages to scare Lucifer, sending him plummeting out of a nearby window.Meanwhile, the Duke has grown exasperated as the girls have angrily and vehemently tried to get the glass slipper to fit. With the claim by the Stepmother that there are no other maidens in the house, he is about to leave when Cinderella voice is heard, requesting to try on the slipper.The Stepmother and Stepsisters attempt to keep the Duke from Cinderella, but he claims that per his orders, he has to try the slipper on "Every Maiden."However, as the Duke's footman brings the slipper, the Stepmother causes him to trip on her cane, sending the slipper flying to the floor, where it shatters!The Duke is beside himself, over what will happen to him, but it is then that Cinderella claims that he shouldn't worry, as she has the other slipper! She then produces it (much to the surprise of her Stepmother), and the Duke places it on her foot, where it fits perfectly!The final images of the film are of Cinderella being married to the Prince, with her mice and bird friends watching her get into a carriage, and riding off to a Happily Ever After.

Tags: romantic, fantasy

Review:
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.
The leading mice, Gus and Jaq are delightful creations and the valiant band of mice are given amusing bits of business.Artistically, the animation art has a rather glossy modern look despite the fact that it's an old, old story from 1697, a classic children's fairy tale that has been done countless times as either a film, a play or a ballet.
Add to that 'So This Is Love', 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes' and 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo' and you have a charming version of the Charles Perrault story.For villainy, the stepmother and her black cat (Lucifer) are two of the most brilliantly animated creatures in the film.
Cinderella is one of the more endearing characters to come from a Disney feature, her stepmother and stepsisters some of the meanest, and her mice and bird friends, some of the most charming.
The sequence of the fairy godmother is one of the best of all Disney films (what a dream the transformation of the dress) and the ball episode is exciting and fascinating in both drawing (note the use of the shadows at a time when computer coloring was far away), dialogue and music (the Cinderella Waltz "So this is love" is enchanting)..
Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston provide lovely songs like "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" that enhance both the scenario and the characters.Even though CINDERELLA's story is predictable, it provides such thrilling melodrama that one shares the concerns and anxieties of the titular heroine and her animal friends.
Any child or family members will enjoy this wonderful and magical story.We have Cinderella who is a beautiful girl enslaved by her wicked step mother and ugly step sisters.
Not the best of Walt Disney's feature length animated films, but any film that has Bibidi Bobbidi Boo and A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes has to rate as good in anyone's standards.I saw this for the first time as a small child on Walt Disney's Disneyland hour and it was as effective on the big screen as well as the small.
This is very easily one of my Disney animated films ever made because it is such a delightful adaptation of the classic fairy tale.
Not only does this lack of development make the romance less interesting, it makes Cinderella look like either a social climber or an idiot, weakening her already tenuous appeal.Perhaps realizing how dull the main characters were, the animators chose to give excessive screen time to the movie's comic relief, Cinderella's friends, the mice.
Walt Disney's 12th full-length animated feature "Cinderella" (1950) was one of the first movies I ever saw as a kid along with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) and "Mary Poppins" (1964).
One of the great classics of Disney Studios, this film adapts to the film one of the most famous tales of Charles Perrault: Cinderella, the girl who lives on the shadow of a cruel stepmother and her two sisters.
The film exudes charm, largely thanks to the way the animals become active characters, assuming very human attitudes and characteristics, something that wasn't usual in the movies that time.
After having adapted Snow White for the screen in 1937, I don't think there was a better way for Disney to return to the fairy tale genre than with the world's second most famous tale that takes place once upon a time.At the time of its' release, Cinderella was the company's first full-length feature film after a six-year hiatus due to all of the financial straits that were brought on by WWII.
The backgrounds which were designed by the renowned female artist Mary Blair are not only beautiful to look at but are drawn in a way that gives them a breathtaking air of grandeur.The musical numbers by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston are endearing, catchy and will no doubt find their way into your head after you've watched the film.Cinderella (gorgeously voiced by Ilene Woods) is a strong-willed, optimistic and independent young woman who you'll be rooting for the whole time as she manages to get all of the work her evil stepmother mercilessly piles on her without a complaint.Her mouse friends (voiced by James MacDonald, who also voiced Mickey Mouse) unfortunately get a lot of hate as many say that they take up too much screen time.
Plus, with all the ways that they help Cinderella, I'd say that they are more likable and much better integrated into the plot than some of the comic-relief in today's Disney films (e.g. Olaf from Frozen, the Gargoyles from Hunchback.) The only thing that I would change about this film is the amount of screen time given to the Prince.
Instead of having another scene where the King/Duke argue following the Ball, there should've been a scene where the Prince discusses his feelings for the girl he met.Other than that, Disney's 1950 adaptation of Cinderella is one that delights me as much as it did movie-going audiences of the 20th- century and will continue to have a special place in my heart for years to come..
This is another Walt Disney Classic (I know every film from that Time Period is a classic but still!), we all know the story of Cinderella so no plot to spoil really.
But Disney's artists did a wonderful job in making this film truly look like an animated kids story book.
Among Disney's repertoire of classic animated films, their adaptation of the Cinderella fairy tale is one of their most renowned.
Even if you haven't seen it, you're probably already familiar with its whimsical magic, character archetypes, and symbolism.Disney's animation is a very short and brisk film, making it easily-digestible and accessible.
Music is catchy, but not the most memorable of Disney tunes.Cinderella is rather uneven and thin, but it's a good-looking animation with a few decent moments, and it tells a simple story that's worth seeing.
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.
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.
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 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's not clear where the story takes place, but I suppose it's somewhere in France because this is based in a tale by Charles Perrault.There are plenty of likable characters, such as Cinderella, the Prince, Bruno (the dog), Jaques and Gus (the two main mice), the Fairy Godmother (for a fairy she sure is funny), the birds, the King and the Grand Duke.Jaques is very smart and amusing.
I know full-well that the story of Cinderella was, pretty much, just an empty-headed, little fairy tale about wishful thinking, and such - But, all the same, I found that there was definitely some really peculiar problems with this tale (as a whole) that prevented me, as an adult, from giving it more than an average rating of 5 stars.I mean, not only was Prince Charming just another pretty face with no personality to speak of at all, and his father, the king, a blustering idiot of the highest order - But I also seriously thought that the Cinderella character was clearly missing some of her marbles and even teetering on the edge of insanity by having real conversations with a bunch of mice and actually fashioning clothes for them.Another thing that caused me to doubt Cinderella as being a rational-thinking person was the fact that she allowed herself to be locked up in a tower and treated like pure garbage by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters.
Surely Cinderella could've found a reasonable out from having to endure the torment from these decidedly wretched people.I also found it rather odd that this animated film's most entertaining moments had little at all to do with Cinderella and more to do with the slapstick shenanigans that went on between the non-human characters, like Lucifer, the cat, and the colony of smartly dressed mice..
It is still one of Walt Disney's best classics, I think.I haven't seen many renditions of Cinderella on TV or film, but this one could easily be the ultimate and timeless adaptations of the fairytale.
Cinderella is portrayed as kind and gentle, but strong-willed character that overcomes her adversaries and befriends her animal friends, including the lovable mice Gus and Jaq. They add comic and charm to the movie and helps Cinderella go to the ball to find her Prince Charming.
And, the Fairy Godmother, as portrayed in this movie, makes you believe in miracles.This movie is beautiful from start to finish - memorable characters, sweet and catchy songs, fast-paced plot, and a story development that just flows naturally and "magically," making it one of the those films you would know that has the definite Disney-touch, as opposed to the more recent movies from Disney.This Disney classic is a definite for the movie collection for any family.Grade A.
The friendly, chattering mice who help Cinderella provide the comic relief, there are at least two excellent songs ("Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" and "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"), and many gorgeous moments of animated magic.
And during these commercial breaks, they had another advertisement in the guise of a "TV show" hosted by the oh-so-annoying Kelly Rippa that loudly proclaimed the magical wonders of "Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True".Again and again, break after break, Disney took time out of the real movie to tell us, the loyal viewers, that we needed to get a copy of the sequel.
Cinderella is a very lovely fairytale.This movie is based on Charles Perrault tale(that one is way less violent than Grimm Brothers one and that one has the fairy).Cinderella is an interesting,although passive,heroine.The plot drags a bit because of comedy(Snow White for example has less comedic moments),but it is nice.Overall,very pretty.9/10.
Let's be clear: a lot of Disney movies are rather oriented for girls: royal romance, love songs, dance and dresses, we boys are not really into that, whatever the feminist and gender extremists would like!
If you add the crazy king father, the ugly bad characters (why this link?), the sadistic cat and helpful dog (why this discrimination), the abusive stepmother and stupid henchman, you find finally a universe in which I don't feel happy, in which family love is nonexistent and that's a bit hard!At last, we have those chipmunks-like mice that bring fun and lightness!
The other thing i notice is that for that date, this animation was showing the future of the live movies: Colored, powerful visuals and horizon lines, stunning effects, only those things was first delivered then by Disney and it would take 10 years before the gap would be shorten by true movies!If Snow White can appeal to every one, this Cinderella is above all a dream for girls and a honest time for boys!.
But that doesn't stop Cinderella as her fairy godmother transforms Cinderella's rags into a beautiful gown and she goes off to the ball and a prince is enchanted by her beauty.You can probably figure the rest for yourselves but personally I may be 19 years old going on 20 but I am a sucker for fairy tales and animated movies(depending on what they are about).
Disney changes this from the original fairy tale in a surprisingly good way, injecting clever plot turns ,such as the mice making the clothes and the key part (usually I do not like Disney films very much if they are not that similar to the original story, but with this I am not overly bothered.
But leaving its historical significance aside, watching Cinderella today as an adult, I realize how this animation is problematic.To start, this movie has several scenes of secondary characters just for comic relief - the mice and the cat - what absolutely does not contribute almost nothing to the central story, feeling as a filler.
But discarding the scene in which the fairy godmother appears to sing the song "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" (undoubtedly the pinnacle of the film) and the scene where the clock rings and Cinderella flees the Prince (which, together, does not reach even ten minutes), there is absolutely no magic remnant throughout the rest of movie - ever stopped to think about it?
Unlike the beautiful painting that was Snow White (for its time), or stylish, graceful and unique backgrounds of Sleeping Beauty, the animation in Cinderella doesn't have anything extraordinary for a studio like Disney, and there are times really ugly looking.
Lack of development is something of a general issue with the film, we never really know the true motivations of any of the characters outside of our main character and it does mean you struggle to get engaged in the story at times.On the whole Cinderella is a charming and enjoyable fantasy, yet despite its acclaim and iconic status I certainly don't think it's amongst Disney's best.
It doesn't feature the greatest bunch of musical numbers in an animated Disney movie, and the film is off to a shaky start with Cinderella waking up and talking to her animal friends.
The story gets more entertaining as it goes along, and most of the characters stand out, including the lead.During my childhood, I remember seeing part of an animated film featuring a cat named Lucifer, but didn't know it was this movie.
Like Snow White, Disney has some permanent impact on the story in popular culture---in most versions of Cinderella, the stepsisters are attractive, just not as pretty as Cinderella, and their character takes away from their otherwise nice appearance.Favorite Disney additions: the mice!
Walt Disney takes the fairy tale "Cinderella" and makes it into a nice movie.The movie sees the young pretty girl Cinderella who is used as a slave by her evil Stepmother and two ugly step sisters.It's enjoyable, funny, even thrilling for young children with the touch of little mice being Cinderella's only friends, who help her survive her terrors.
There's just not much to keep "Cinderella" going in levels of interest as it is just an animated rehash of a story that has been filmed and written way too many times.
This film's only highlight and mild levels of amusement comes from Gus and Jaq, Cinderella's two pet mice (these Walt Disney Pictures fairy tale adaptations usually add a couple of new characters in an effort to be more interesting and original).
Here the quality is topnotch, though we still have a few films to go before Disney would once again start to push the medium forward with Sleeping Beauty.The story is of course a classic, and nowadays the version almost all think of when they hear the name Cinderella.
Bruno the dog, Lucifer the Cat and especially Gus the mouse certainly add an element to the already beloved story; and while the musical numbers are certainly not among the best to come out of the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the songs are nevertheless fitting for such a wonderful and flawless tale.**** (out of four).
What Disney does is merely elaborating on the story and adding some helpful animals (especially mice) so Cinderella is not that alone in her duty to face the evil stepmother and stepsisters.
Long had I waited to see this movie for the first time (over 12 years old), not because I disliked the Cinderella story (in fact I love it) but I could not think a fairy tale with so little action (most takes place in the house) could actually make a good movie.
One of the most enduring animated films of all time, the Disney-fide adaptation of the gory Brothers Grimm fairy tale became a classic in its own right, thanks to some memorable tunes (including "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," and the title song) and some endearingly cute comic relief.
The famous slipper (click for larger image) We all know the story--the wicked stepmother and stepsisters simply won't have it, this uppity Cinderella thinking she's going to a ball designed to find the handsome prince an appropriate sweetheart, but perseverance, animal buddies, and a well-timed entrance by a fairy godmother make sure things turn out all right.
The story of Cinderella is one of my favorites from Charles Perrault, along with Sleeping Beauty which was also made into a Disney film in 1959.
You're going to Disney World!!!!!" Well, technically (I mean, look at the castle!!!!!)Anyways, Disney remains magical in his 1950 animated classic film "Cinderella," the movie that put fairy tale movies on the map.
"Cinderella" was one of the breakthrough films of its time, with some great animation work.