Cinderella (1950) - A Movie Review

Have faith in your dreams and your wishes just may come true.

Released in 1950, Cinderella is an animated Disney film about a young girl who is treated as a maid by her own step-family. The castle announces a royal ball that night. Prevented from going by her step-mother, Cinderella gets some unexpected help to make her dream come true.

The instant I watched Cinderella again, I felt a wave of nostalgia. Cinderella was one of my favorite Disney films (out of many) when I was a kid. It is a beautiful tale about making dreams come true. While it is an enchanting story for all ages, does the film spend too much time expanding secondary characters rather than on the protagonist?

Cinderella is patient and tolerant of her step-family who treats her poorly. She stays positive that one day her life will get better. Viewers state that Cinderella is a passive person who lacks personality. While I may agree, I actually noticed subtle details about her personality that I never noticed before. Behind her step-families back Cinderella is sarcastic and she does stand up for her own good.

According to material that was scrapped fearing that it would reflect Cinderella in a bad light, I think these scenes would have expanded more of Cinderella’s personality to really get an understanding of how she feels about everything, including her insistence on going to the ball.

Cinderella’s step-family is one of my favorite parts of the film. Admittedly, the banter from the step-sisters makes the film hilarious. Anastasia and Drizella grew up under their mother’s ruling foot. Lady Tremaine always gets her way. She is ruthless, conniving, and a Disney villain to remember.

Cinderella has many little friends to guide her way. Mice, birds, a horse, and her dog. And Lucifer, the evil cat. These musical little creatures have more screentime than Cinderella! In the end, I love how they all assist her in helping her make a dress, most of their scenes consist of padding for the film.

Speaking of characterization, I forgot about the humorous scenes between the king and the grand duke. Unlike the prince who hardly has any time for his character to be explored, the king of Cinderella could have had his own separate movie.

Voice credits for Cinderella include the talents of Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, Lucille Bliss, James MacDonald, Luis Van Rooten, Mike Douglas, and William Phipps. Each actor did a terrific job exploring the vocals of their characters. Did you know that the king and grand duke are voiced by the same actor?

Animation for Cinderella is dazzling. I actually paused the film just so I could look at the beautiful paintings, attention to shading, and the overall animation. Walt Disney said that his favorite animation is of Cinderella’s transformation into her gown. It is stunning. The animators worked in little tricks to make the film run smoothly.

Walt Disney’s love for making films for audiences to enjoy will never be forgotten. Cinderella is a beautiful tale. However, I feel that more attention could have been given to Cinderella in order to expand her character. Cinderella is a story to remember.

Speaking of which, the late Ilene Woods, the voice of Cinderella, sadly had Altheimer’s Disease in the latter half of her life. Though, when nurses played her famous song ‘A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes’ she was happily comforted.

Cinderella is a story for all ages. The songs are fun to listen to. No matter how old you are, nobody is ever too old for Disney.