Cinderella: The Girl with Golden Hair
"
Cinderella" (
1950), directed by the team of
Clyde Geronimi,
Wilfred Jackson and
Hamilton Luske, was a big hit for
Disney. In "Cinderella," the beautiful
Technicolor animation of Disney movies combines with top voice talent to create a magical aura. Based the
classic fairy tale,
Al Hoffman,
Mack David and
Jerry Livingston wrote inspiring songs for this Disney movie that resonate to this day, and young actress
Ilene Woods perfectly captures the attitude and spirit of the beautiful fairy tale Cinderella who defies the odds and becomes a princess.
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| Lady Tremaine has things for Cinderella to do |
Disney's animation studio was at its peak (technically, 1930s were the trued "Golden" age and this period usually referred to as the "Silver," but the Disney team remained in top form, and film quality and color processes had improved greatly). The "Package" era during the war years had come to a close, and the entire staff that had avoided wartime cutbacks was ready to roll. This was right before Disney got heavily into television, so the animated feature films remained the studio's main focus.
Mary Blair was in charge of color and styling, really the key position in the whole film production staff after Walt Disney himself, and she maintained an air of cool sophistication throughout. The colors are usually muted and clear, shining through without being a distraction. The hand-drawn animation was superb, not yet subject to the cost-cutting of the xerographic process used in the 1960s onward.
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| Lucifer was the first of many snarky Disney cats |
The adorable animals will draw you in, if nothing else does. The Wicked Stepmother's cat Lucifer and the others are not mere help-mates, but instead enhance the nuances of the characters around them. Lucifer (
June Foray), in particular, is a brilliant creation, based by animator
Ward Kimball on his own pet. He serves as an extension of the Wicked Stepmother's evil ways (she is known as Lady Tremaine and played by
Eleanor Audley). It's difficult not to be amused by Lucifer as Lady Tremaine strokes him, giving snide looks while Lady Tremaine gives Cinderella a list of chores to complete. Lucifer is the forerunner of many similar cats, mice, and other small animals with attitude in future Disney movies.
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| The fairy godmother measuring Cinderella |
Lucifer is hilariously malicious, walking with an arrogant and snobby gait and expression while lording it over poor Cinderella. The character of Salem Saberhagen in the Television show "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" (1996) (Salem being the best thing about that show) clearly is a wacky take-off on him. The mice that befriend Cinderella are charming and musical, particularly amusing when working hard to make a dress for her. They serve as the Disney movie's comic relief, necessary because the rest of the film is rather straightforward and, in places, dark.
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| Isn't she lovely? |
Everybody knows the basics of Cinderella the story, based on the classic Grimm Brothers tale. There are no surprises in this film, though it skips the parts about Cinderella receiving help directly from her dead mother in heaven via birds. Instead, it invents a "Fairy Godmother" to take care of all the magic (though other classical versions did have such a character). Fairy tale Cinderella is a lovely girl whose wicked stepmother unfairly and cruelly favors her own very ordinary daughters over her. While they play, Cinderella slaves away in the house, cooking and cleaning without complaining. When an invitation to the King's (Luis Van Rooten) Ball arrives, at which the eligible young prince (un-named, but Prince Charming in the fairy tale and voiced by Mike Douglas, who later became the famous talk show host) will be present. Cinderalla works and works to earn an invitation, but her wicked step-mother reneges on a promise to allow her to go with the other girls. Not only that, she destroys the dress Cinderalla would have worn.  |
| Dancing the night away.... |
Cinderella is distraught, but her Fairy Godmother (Verna Felton) appears and creates an elegant carriage out of the mice and some other items. The prince sees Cinderella and falls in love with her, to the dismay of her step-sisters and Lady Tremaine, but she has to hurry home before midnight when the spell that allowed her to attend the Ball expires. All she leaves behind is a glass slipper. The prince then embarks on a search with the slipper to find his true love. |
| The prince is enchanted with Cinderella |
Cinderella is one of the most endearing characters in the Disney catalog. She is pleasant with a touch of humor, and is well-drawn. She looks even better in the restored version which you are likely to see now. She is not overly romantic, so we don't feel excessively sorry for her as a victim, but instead as a fighter determined to work through her troubles and achieve her destiny. Ilene Woods, who voiced her, quickly had three children and didn't try to cash in on her fleeting fame, leaving this as a unique voice of the fairy tale Cinderella.
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| Hurrying down the step, watch out for that slipper! |
If there is anything bad to say about this Disney movie, it is that it is not very original, but that was always the case with the classic Disney movies. Changing things, though, would have ruined the entire story and required someone else to do a lesser job of just telling Cinderella the story the way it is known by everyone.
Walt Disney just got the pure version that had to be made out of the way with this Disney movie, which was a huge hit and continues to sell in the restored DVD version.
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| The magic slipper.... |
This is worth watching for the animation alone, or the songs alone, or the story alone. Taken all in a package, everyone interested in animation should see this endearing version of Cinderella the story at some point. The long-awaited sequel "
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True" came out in 2002, but fairy tale "Cinderella"is one Disney movie that most definitely stands on its own.
Below is the original 1950 trailer.
2012
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