Cinderella (1950 film)

Hamilton Luske
 Produced by
 Written by
Ken Anderson
Perce Pearce
Homer Brightman
Winston Hibler
Bill Peet
Erdman Penner
Harry Reeves
Joe Rinaldi
Ted Sears
 Starring
Eleanor Audley
Verna Felton
Rhoda Williams
James MacDonald
Luis van Rooten
Don Barclay
Mike Douglas
Lucille Bliss
 Music by
Paul J. Smith
 Editors
 Cinematography
 Studios
 Distributors
Buena Vista Distribution
 Release date (s)
 Language
 Preceded by
 Followed by

For the main character, see *Cinderella (character)*.

***Cinderella*** is a 1950 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and is based on the fairy tale "*Cinderella*" by Charles Perrault. However, "Cinderella stories" can be found in cultures throughout the globe. This is the twelfth feature in the Disney Animated Canon. The film had a limited release on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske And Wilfred Jackson. The songs were written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman. Songs in the film include "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes", "Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale (also from: "Jimmy's Great Adventure")", "The Work Song (Cinderelly, Cinderelly)", "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo", and "So This Is Love" except for "The Cinderella Work Song" and "Dancing On A Cloud".

The film was a massive critical and commercial success upon release and reinvigorated the Disney company when they were nearing bankruptcy after a loss of over $4 million from the then failures *Pinocchio*, *Fantasia* and *Bambi*. The film's "classic" status and success continues to this day.

## Plot

Cinderella is the much-loved daughter of a widowed aristocrat. He decides to remarry, believing his beloved daughter needs a mother's care. Ultimately, Cinderella's father marries Lady Tremaine, a proud and confident woman with two daughters just Cinderella's age from a previous marriage named Drizella and Anastasia. The plain and socially awkward stepsisters are bitterly envious of Cinderella's beauty. After Cinderella's father dies, Lady Tremaine reveals herself to be a cold and cruel tyrant who shares her daughters' jealousy of Cinderella's charm and beauty. She and her daughters take over the estate and begin to abuse and mistreat Cinderella, ultimately forcing her to become a scullery maid in her own home, while also squandering off the fortune until there was nearly nothing. Despite this, Cinderella remains a kind and gentle woman, befriending the animals in the barn and the mice and birds who live around the chateau. For with each dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness will soon come true.

One morning, Cinderella and the mice found a new mouse in the house (whom she names Octavius, or Gus for short) who was caught in a mouse trap. She gives Gus some new clothes and informs Jaq to warn Gus about Lucifer. The two mice spy on Lucifer as Cinderella starts her chores. When Cinderella is giving breakfast to the animals, Lucifer chases Gus and he hides under Anastasia's teacup. Cinderella delivers breakfast to her stepfamily. When Anastasia opens her teacup and finds Gus, she screams to her mother about it. Lady Tremaine punishes Cinderella with extra chores.

At the royal palace, the King and the Grand Duke organize a ball in an effort to find a suitable wife for Prince Charming. Every eligible maiden in the kingdom is requested to attend. Cinderella asks her stepmother if she can attend, since she is still part of the family. Lady Tremaine agrees, provided if Cinderella finishes her chores and finds a nice dress to wear. With Cinderella too distracted with extra chores, her animal friends, led by Jaq and Gus, fix up a gown that belonged to Cinderella's late mother. They go downstairs and scoop up Drizella's old beads and Anastasia's old sash after they throw them on the floor, escaping with them before Lucifer catches them. The animals finish Cinderella's dress just as the carriage arrives. When Cinderella comes down wearing her new dress, Lady Tremaine compliments the gown, pointing out the beads and sash. Angered by the apparent theft of their discarded items, the stepsisters rip the gown into rags. Heartbroken, Cinderella runs outside to the garden.

At the point of giving up her dreams, Cinderella's Fairy Godmother appears and bestows upon Cinderella a new ball gown with a pair of glass slippers. She also transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, the mice into horses, Major the horse into a coachman and Bruno the dog into a footman. Cinderella departs for the ball after her 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. Her stepfamily thinks there's something familiar about her, but are unable to make the connection before the Grand Duke closes the curtain to give the couple some privacy.

As the clock starts to chime midnight. Cinderella flees to her coach and away from the castle, dropping one of her glass slippers by accident. The Duke sends the guards to stop them, but Cinderella and the animals hide from them. 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 disaster. He also reveals, however, that the Prince will not marry anyone except the owner of the slipper, and set out to find her.

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, so that she can be married to the Prince. When news reaches Cinderella's household, her stepmother and stepsisters prepare for the Duke's arrival. Overhearing this, Cinderella dreamily hums the song played at the ball. Realizing that Cinderella was the girl who danced with the Prince, Lady Tremaine locks her stepdaughter in the attic.

When the Duke arrives, the mice steal the key to Cinderella's room but before they can deliver it, they are ambushed by Lucifer. With the help of the other mice, birds and Bruno, they chase him out the window and Cinderella is freed. As the Duke prepares to leave after the stepsisters unsuccessfully try on the slipper, Cinderella appears and requests to try it on. Knowing the slipper will fit, Lady Tremaine trips the footman, causing him to drop and shatter the slipper. Cinderella then produces the other glass slipper, much to her stepmother's horror. Delighted at this indisputable proof of the maiden's identity, the Duke slides the slipper onto her foot and it fits perfectly.

Cinderella and Prince Charming celebrate their wedding and lived happily ever after.