Cinderella

Yay Cinderella!!!  So much happiness!  It is beyond wonderful to get back to the Disney full-length feature films as opposed to the package films we've been going through the past month and a half.

 

Cinderella premiered in 1950 and tells the story of a young girl who through a series of unfortunate circumstances ends up becoming a servant in her own house- forced to wait on her evil stepmother and nasty stepsisters.  Through it all, Cinderella never loses hope and with the help of her friends and her resourceful fairy godmother, she is able to fulfill her dream of going to the grand ball; and as happenstance (and Disney) would have it, she meets the prince and finds true love.  Now if only they can make it to that happily ever after part...

There were soooo many things that I enjoyed about Cinderella that it's hard to know where to begin.  Well, first of all this movie has a plot!  It was lovely to experience a story and not just be entertained with snippets.  The music of the film was also a return to the classic Disney magic.  From the opening "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" to the iconic "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo," Disney musical mastery was once again on the scene (or should that be scenes?).

 

What also makes Cinderella so great is the supporting cast of characters.  Cinderella's stepmother is wickedly cruel and thus easy to hate.  She is clearly a "bad" character (as in not nice)- there is no "gray area" of well maybe she had a bad childhood and her motives might be more understandable if you think about them while standing on your head nonsense.  Cinderella's fairy godmother is a real scene-stealer in "Bibidi Bobbidi Boo."  You just have to love her.  :)  The stuffy Grand Duke paired with the boisterous king makes for some very comedic scenes and interactions.  And last, but not least, are the mice.  Jaq and Gus.  Oh my goodness!  They are so cute!  And heroic!  And funny!  Love them!

I think my favorite part of the whole movie though is the actual character of Cinderella.  She is truly beautiful inside and out.  She remains gentle and kind in the face of blatant disparity and hardship.  She continues to hope even when the situation seems bleak.  She has gratitude for the gifts she is given (Thanks fairy godmother!).  She is real with her emotions.  She doesn't stuff her feelings.  She is not a gold digger.  She sings first thing in the morning.  She rocks the classic "black flat" as a shoe decades before the advent of fashion blogs. I like her.  I think we'd be good friends.  Now if only I could find directions to the castle...

It was such fun to revisit this classic!  I'm really looking forward to the upcoming films on this journey!

And with that I'll leave you with an opening quote from Cinderella:

And yet, through it all, Cinderella remained ever gentle and kind, for with each dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.

Coming Up Next Week: Alice in Wonderland