It was 1950, and Walt Disney animation was in trouble. Following the release of their first hit, the studio had been suffering from financial failures for their animated films. Movies such as Bambi, Pinocchio weren’t big money makers at the time due to World War 2. The only profit they made is when they did animated films for the U.S. military and package films. Anthologies that had short films with musical numbers. If it weren’t for Cinderella, we would not have Disney animation or the company in general.
1. Back to Basics
After the release of the package films, Walt Disney and his crew decided to go back to basics. They hadn’t done a fairy tale adaptation since the 30s. It was probably their best move because the film really resonated with Walt in some ways. Such as Cinderella being the underdog in her story since she is relegated to be the housekeeper. Even though, the chateau that she lives in is hers.
This is the film where the animation is a much significant upgrade in comparison to Snow White. The main character has that factor of being drawn so well. Ilen Woods voices her and she absolutely nails it. Her character is very humble and treats the animals around her with respect, including Lady Tremaine’s cat Lucifer. Just to put it out there, I hate that cat. One small detail that anyone can miss is that she treats Lucifer with respect, on the same token that she tries to find some goodness with the feline. Even when it stalks the mice.
It’s no surprise that Disney has a long list of baddies in their animation, Lady Tremaine has to be on the top of the list of Disney villains. She is the stepmother to Cinderella; she bosses her around with chores and gives more attention to her daughters Anastasia and Drizella. It’s her face that just has that selfish look and is voiced by Eleanor Audley that gives her total authority and just around meanness. Like she would talk to Cinderella with her usual voice and then snap to a more commanding tone to make her do more menial house chores.
I feel that in animation, there’s a clear choice to have the human characters look real and the animals look more animated. The animators had to look at film reference of Helene Stanley who was the stand in for Cinderella. Like it was intentional to have the stepsisters to be just ugly because that’s who they are Now, I know that the Prince is only there for a little bit and the legitimate complaints lobbed at him is that there’s nothing interesting about him. The point is that its intentional. Had we switched to see what the Prince is doing would derail a movie that’s mostly about Cinderella. Her being the focal point gives us an understanding of where she’s coming from.
What I think works is just by the action of what they do that justifies the creative choice. On the two sisters, yes, they look ugly, and their personalities are that of lazy and just needy. I think the best animation moment is when the Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella from having a tattered dress to the one everyone knows. It even has the sprinkles of magic that fall down to give it that touch of fantastic.
One last thing that I never thought of seeing in a Disney animated film is that there is lots of drama. For instance, when Cinderella finds her mother’s dress and the mice sing and make it more presentable, the stepsisters find that the dress has their necklace and fabric which makes them rip it apart. It’s tough seeing that play out since Cinderella didn’t deserve that. Another instance is when the Duke of the kingdom visits the chateau and his assistant is about to give him the slipper. Tremaine trips his assistant to breaking the slipper. It’s effective since the Stepmother is just petty and wants her stepdaughter to be miserable.
2. The Real Stars in Animation
People tend to never think of the actual workforce that went through animating the film especially during the early years of Disney animation. The group is known as “Disney’s Nine Old Men”. They should be credited or at least be talked about whenever a conversation on either Cinderella or any initial Disney film is brought up. Each of the men were assigned with the various animated parts on the film and it’s something where any film review that discusses Disney animation must bring them up because their work overshadows them. One even had a cat with him which prompted Walt to use his pet as a reference to Lucifer.
3. Legacy
Without a doubt, Cinderella is an important film for Disney and with motion pictures in general. It won critical praise and was the film that finally gave the studio its financial synergy to be stable. Couple that with the songs that were sold for commercial use and the tie-in merchandise gave enough money to Disney that the studio decided to branch off to do more than just animation.
I think it is intentional to have the princess be the icon or mascot of the Disney Princesses. She has that streak of her like an underdog or someone who is humble but deserves her time to wish for something. It’s a concept that any girl or audience member can really latch on to. Even the castle from the film is used for Walt Disney World, it goes to shows just how much the film really means to the overall corporate entity.
Lastly, why exactly did Cinderella deserve to have sequels 50 years later is beyond me. I did read that parts of it is good and that it gives more time to the characters than the original film. It’s just common knowledge that the sequels to the classic Disney films are inferior, but I think with the case of this film, the more time to the other characters are admirable in the least bit. The film was adapted to live action in 2015 by Kenneth Branagh. The film is quite good and is one of the few live action adaptations from Disney to be as comparable as the original.
4. Overall
Cinderella is the quintessential Disney film that remains the perfect example of doing a great animated movie. It still holds up, 70 years later and the character is who we root for and to have our own dreams come true.
Cinderella gets a four out of five.
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