Cinderella

***Cinderella*** is a Disney animated film featured on ABC's *Once Upon a Time*. It was written by Ken Anderson, Perce Pearce, Homer Brightman, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Joe Rinaldi, and Ted Sears. It was released on March 4, 1950.

*Cinderella* is based on "Cinderella", a fairytale written by Charles Perrault.

## Plot

Cinderella is the beloved child of a widowed aristocrat. Anxious for his daughter to have a mother's love, he marries Lady Tremaine, a cold and cruel woman with two daughters from a previous marriage: Drizella and Anastasia. After her father dies unexpectedly, Cinderella is abused and mistreated by her stepfamily, who take over the estate and ultimately reduce her to being a scullery maid in her own home. Despite this, Cinderella grows into a kind and gentle young woman, befriending the animals in the barn and the mice and birds who live around the chateau.

One day, while Cinderella is preparing breakfast, Lady Tremaine's wicked cat Lucifer chases Gus, one of the mice, into the kitchen. Cinderella delivers breakfast to her stepfamily, unaware that Gus is hiding under Anastasia's teacup. The angry Anastasia tells her mother of the apparent joke, and Tremaine punishes Cinderella with extra chores.

Meanwhile, at the royal palace, the King discusses with the Grand Duke his desire for his son, the Prince, to settle down and have children. They organize a ball in an effort to find a suitable wife for the Prince without arousing suspicion. Cinderella asks her stepmother if she can attend, as the invitation says "every eligible maiden" is to attend. Lady Tremaine agrees, provided that Cinderella finishes her chores and finds a nice dress to wear. Cinderella's animal friends, led by Jaq, Gus and the other mice, fix up a gown that belonged to Cinderella's mother using beads and a sash thrown out by Drizella and Anastasia, respectively. When Cinderella comes down wearing her new dress, Lady Tremaine compliments the gown, pointing out the beads and the sash. Angered by the apparent theft of their discarded items, the two stepsisters destroy the gown.

Just as Cinderella is about to give up hope, her Fairy Godmother appears and turns the remains of Cinderella's dress with her magic into a new ball gown with glass slippers. She also transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, the mice into horses, her horse Major into a coachman, and her dog Bruno into a footman. Cinderella's godmother warns her that the spell will break at the stroke of midnight. At the ball, the Prince rejects every girl until he sees Cinderella. The two fall strongly in love and dance alone throughout the castle grounds until the clock starts to chime midnight. Cinderella flees to her coach and away from the castle, dropping one of her glass slippers by accident. After her gown turns back into rags, the mice point out that the other slipper is still on her foot.

Back at the castle, the Duke tells the King of the Prince's meeting with the unknown girl. The King, after hearing that the girl disappeared, and thinking that the Duke was "in league with the Prince all along", goes into a rage and tries to behead him. Fortunately, the Duke is able to calm him down with news of the girl's glass slipper and states that the Prince will only marry the girl who fits that slipper.

The next morning, the King proclaims that the Grand Duke will visit every house in the kingdom to find the girl whose foot fits the glass slipper. When news reaches Cinderella's household, her stepmother and her two stepsisters prepare for the Duke's arrival. Overhearing this, Cinderella dreamingly hums the song played at the ball. Realizing that Cinderella was the girl who danced with the Prince, Lady Tremaine locks her in the attic.

When the Duke arrives, Jaq and Gus steal the key to Cinderella's room, but Lucifer ambushes them before they can free her. With the help of the other animals and Bruno, they chase him out the window and Cinderella is freed. As the Duke prepares to leave after the stepsisters have tried to shove their enormous feet into the slipper, Cinderella appears and requests to try it on. Knowing the slipper will fit, Lady Tremaine trips the footman, causing him to drop the slipper, which shatters on the floor. Cinderella then produces the other glass slipper, much to her stepmother's horror. A delighted Duke slides the slipper onto her foot, and it fits perfectly.

Cinderella and the Prince celebrate their wedding and live happily ever after.