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Sunday, November 02, 2008

My Top Disney Films #14

#14 Cinderella
"Oh, that clock! Old killjoy. I hear you. 'Come on, get up,' you say, 'Time to start another day.' Even he orders me around. Well, there's one thing. They can't order me to stop dreaming."

Cinderella (Woods) lives as a servant in her own house after her father dies and she is left in the care of her evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine (Audley). Every day she waits on Lady Tremaine and her two obnoxious stepsisters, Drizella (Williams) and Anastacia (Bliss), and their evil cat Lucifer. While her life isn't great, she still has hope: her entourage of singing animals (mice, birds), her dog Bruno, and her dreams.

Meanwhile, the King and Grand Duke (both Van Rooten) are looking for a way to get Prince Charming (Phipps) married. They decide to have a ball, where every "eligible young woman" is invited, and he gets to pick. The Tremaine's get all dolled up and destory Cinderella's hopes of going to the ball (her mice design a suitable dress, but her jealous stepsisters rip it to shreds, literally). Luckily, her Fairy Godmother (Felton) shows up and fixes everything with a little magic. A pumpkin carriage with mice as horses, the horse as coachman, and Bruno (the dog) as the other attendant, and a sparkly new dress (below).

Oooo sparkly!
BUT she only has until midnight to dance her heart out.
Reason I chose this film:
Apparently, this when this was rereleased in the 1980s this was my first Disney experience (in theaters, but I don't remember...so it doesn't count). While Snow White is the first Disney film (which I can respect as such, but it isn't one of my favorites), and the first Disney princess...this film is much more interesting, and the first definitive Disney Princess film (in my opinion). The mice, Jacques and Gus (both MacDonald), practically steal the entire film. They are the funniest characters and the most endearing (I didn't like cats for awhile because of Lucifer chasing the cute mice...not that I liked mice).

Besides that, there is so much to look at, and it pioneered many technical aspects used in later Disney films. According to imdb.com, this film was a gamble for Disney: Snow White was their only hit, and they didn't have much money...and none of those problems show. This film stands the test of time, and still gives little girls the hope that they too can become a princess! It was also the first Disney film to become a live action musical (Rogers and Hammerstein in 1957, starring Julie Andrews).

Cinderella (1950) 74 minutes
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Starring: Ilene Woods as Cinderella
Eleanor Audley as Lady Tremaine
Verna Felton as Fairy Godmother
Rhoda Williams as Drizella
James MacDonald as Gus / Jacques
Luis Van Rooten as King / Grand Duke
Lucille Bliss as Anastasia
William Phipps as Prince Charming

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