Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Starring: Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verma Felton, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald
Running time: 71 minutes
Certificate: U
Extras: Tangled Ever After (Short), Disc Introduction By Diane Disney Miller, The Real Fairy Godmother,Personalized Digital Storybook: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-You, Behind the Magic: A New Disney princess, Fantasyland, The Glass Slipper & The Magic Of Make Believe: A Cinderella Story, Alternate Opening Sequence
Disney continues its schedule of releasing timeless classics on Blu-ray (including PINOCCHIO, SNOW WHITE and SLEEPING BEAUTY) with CINDERELLA an incredible 62 years after its first release. We all know the story from various D-list celebrity pantomimes, but for those not in the know: Cinderella (voiced by Woods) lives with her evil stepmother (Audley) and equally cruel stepsisters. When she is stopped from attending the Royal Ball by her stepmother she gets a little help from friendly mice Gus, Jaq (MacDonald) and her Fairy Godmother (Felton) to ensure she attends. Here she meets Prince Charming but has to rush off home – the spell runs out at midnight – losing a shoe when leaving. A search begins for the one it fits who will become the Prince’s bride.
Before CINDERELLA, Disney’s output had been odd: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES, their debut piece, is a tremendous story; PINOCCHIO, FANTASIA and DUMBO each have an hallucinogenic feel – the scene in which characters transform into donkeys in PINOCCHIO is one of the scariest you’ll ever see, and DUMBO is just absolutely mental. But each have their charm, and herein lies Disney’s well publicised magic. CINDERELLA is back to basics Disney. Based on Charles Perrault’s story, it begins with a written prologue, an effective tool Disney utilises well, and we are straight into it. With a run time of 71 minutes there is not a scene wasted, so we are introduced to the main protagonists (Cinders, step-mum, sisters, mice, and cat) within the blink of an eye, and see the King’s desire for grandchildren reach tipping point, arranging a ball for his son Prince Charming to meet a wife/baby-maker. In terms of children’s films, Disney get it pitch-perfect; the songs are happy, the animation is bright and beautifully crafted, and the characters each have their roles, with the mice stealing the film by a nose (or tail). It isn’t as perfect as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the benchmark for all animated cinema, but CINDERELLA does a fantastic job of keeping the kids (and adults) entertained for its short running time, and although it feels slightly rushed the ending is classic Disney. Cheers Uncle Walt.
Extras: Not available for review, other than the Tangled Ever After short, and Behind The Magic: A New Disney Princess that are entertaining, and interesting enough.
CINDERELLA is released on Diamond Edition Blu-ray on August 27th.
