Cinderella

Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske,

Overview

Cinderella was Walt Disney's return to feature-length "story" cartoons after eight years of turning out episodic pastiches like Make Mine Music and Three Caballeros. A few understandable liberties are taken with the original Charles Perrault fairy tale (the wicked stepsisters, for example, do not have their eyes pecked out by crows!) Otherwise, the story remains the same: Cinderella, treated as a slavey by her selfish stepfamily, dreams of going to the Prince's ball. She gets her wish courtesy of her Fairy Godmother, who does the pumpkin-into-coach bit, then delivers the requisite "be home by midnight" warning. Thoroughly enchanting the prince at the ball, our heroine hightails it at midnight, leaving a glass slipper behind. The Disney people do a terrific job building up suspense before the inevitable final romantic clinch. Not as momentous an animated achievement as, say, Snow White or Fantasia, Cinderella is a nonetheless delightful feature, enhanced immeasurably by the introduction of several "funny animal" characters (a Disney tradition that has held fast into the 1990s, as witness Pocahontas), and a host of a sprightly songs, including "Cinderelly," "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," and -- best of all -- "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo."

Product Details

Release Date:	06/25/2019
UPC:	0786936863543
Original Release:	1950
Rating:	G
Source:	Walt Disney Video

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ilene Woods	Cinderella
Eleanor Audley	Stepmother,Lady Tremaine
Verna Felton	Fairy Godmother
Claire Du Brey	Voice Only
Helene Stanley	Live-action model Cinderella
Luis Van Rooten	King and Grand Duke
Don Barclay	Voice Only
Rhoda Williams	Drizella
James MacDonald	Gus/Jacques/Bruno
Sylvia Guillem	Voice Only
Charles Judels	Voice Only
Lucille Bliss	Anastasia
June Foray	Lucifer
Betty Lou Gerson	Narrator
William Phipps	Prince Charming

Technical Credits

Homer Brightman

Winston Hibler

Ken Anderson

Bill Peet

Erdman Penner

Harry Reeves

Joe Rinaldi

Ted Sears

Clyde Geronimi	Director
Wilfred Jackson	Director
Hamilton Luske	Director
Hal Ambro	Animator
Homer Brightman	Screenwriter
Mack David	Score Composer
Marc Davis	Animator
Walt Disney	Producer
Philip Duncan	Animator
Hugh Fraser	Animator
Donald Halliday	Editor
Winston Hibler	Screenwriter
Al Hoffman	Score Composer
Ollie Johnston	Animator
Ken Anderson	Screenwriter
Hal King	Animator
Jerry Livingston	Score Composer
Don Lusk	Animator
Fred Moore	Animator
George Nicholas	Animator
Cliff Nordberg	Animator
Ken O'Brien	Animator
Bill Peet	Screenwriter
Erdman Penner	Screenwriter
Harry Reeves	Screenwriter
Joe Rinaldi	Screenwriter
Ted Sears	Screenwriter
Paul J. Smith	Score Composer,Musical Direction/Supervision
Frank Thomas	Animator
Harvey Toombs	Animator
Oliver Wallace	Score Composer,Musical Direction/Supervision
Judge Whitaker	Animator
Marvin Woodward	Animator

Editorial Reviews

A sweet and simple girl. A wicked stepmother. A fairy godmother. A timeless fairy tale. Disney animation. Put them together and what have you got? “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” and one of company’s true masterpieces. Unavailable in any form for almost a decade, Cinderella emerges at long last on DVD to cast its spell on a new generation. Released theatrically in 1950, Cinderella was hailed as Walt Disney’s return to glory. The studio had not produced a full-length animated feature since Bambi eight years earlier. To Charles Perrault’s beloved story of the scullery maid who dances off with her Prince Charming, Disney added a gallery of unforgettable supporting characters, including the resourceful mice Jacques and Gus; the lovable, lazy dog Bruno; and the villainous cat, Lucifer. Cinderella is brimming with some of the most memorable tunes in the Disney songbook, including “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and the Oscar-nominated ditty, “Bibbi-Bobbidi-Boo.” And who can forget the animals frantically making a gown for their friend “Cinderelly,” or her fairy godmother transforming a pumpkin into a beautiful coach, or the heart-soaring finale as the Prince slips the glass slipper onto Cinderella’s foot? Cinderella will truly be the belle of the ball with this two-disc Platinum Edition, which contains a treasure trove of bonus features, including a tribute to the animators who defined Disney, the Nine Old Men; a segment about the making of the film; photographs of storyboards for a discarded version of Cinderella; and two deleted scenes. And in an award-worthy bit of cross-company synergy, Disney-owned ESPN Classics contributes a compilation of Cinderella sports stories.

Barnes & Noble - Donald Liebenson

Possibly the best version of what may be the most-told story of all time, Cinderella was a delightful return to form for Walt Disney and the Disney Studio. Directors Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske lavished a great deal of care and attention on the production, and it shows. The character designs are specific and precise, yet created without extraneous detail, making for easy, fluid animation. The transformation-for-the-Ball scene and the escape from the Palace, especially, are splendidly done. The story is compact and economical (notice how the picture moves from the breaking of the glass slipper to the wedding in a matter of seconds), yet maintains all of the necessary particulars. It has even been expanded to include the now-familiar Disney-talking animal friends. Here, they are charming and amusing -- and provide Cinderella with someone to talk to. Ilene Woods makes a marvelous Cinderella, her voice a combination of girlishness and sophistication; she also possesses a serenity and assurance which makes one feel she is more in control of her life than might be guessed by her surroundings. Eleanor Audley is an icily menacing Stepmother and Verna Felton's Fairy Godmother is the picture of warm befuddlement. Buoyed by a lovely score, Cinderella is a treat that bears many repeated viewings.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler