Cinderella (film)
"Cinderella" is a 1950 animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Studios, marking a significant turning point for the studio after a decade of financial struggle following World War II. The film, based on Charles Perrault's 1697 version of the classic fairy tale, tells the story of a young woman who, after the death of her father, is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. With the help of her fairy godmother and animal friends, she transforms for a royal ball, where she captures the heart of the prince. The movie's themes of resilience and the triumph of good over evil resonated with audiences, particularly in the optimistic post-war context.
Cinderella was hailed as a major box-office success, bringing Disney Studios back to financial stability and paving the way for future projects, including Disneyland. The film featured innovations in animation techniques and music, including the use of double-tracked vocals and professional songwriters. It also received three Academy Award nominations, recognizing its contributions to film and music. Cinderella's legacy continues to influence fashion and culture, reflecting societal changes in women's roles and appearances during the mid-20th century. The film remains a pivotal work in Disney's history, appealing to generations of viewers worldwide.
Cinderella (film)
- Release Date: 1950
- Director(s): Clyde Geronimi; Wilfred Jackson; Hamilton Luske
- Book / Story Film Based On: Cendrillon by Charles Perrault
Cinderella, a feature-length cartoon musical, went into production in 1947, just two years after the end of World War II. Walt Disney Studios had suffered several recent box-office flops, including Fantasia (1940) and Bambi (1942). Disney had not had a big hit in ten years, since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In addition, the war had closed the studio off from its profitable European market. Disney, like many companies, had joined the war effort after the United States entered the conflict, and most employees were involved in war-related enterprises, such as the production of training films. Roy Disney later called that period "lost time." He compared Disney Studios just after the war to a bear coming out of hibernation. By some accounts, the company was four million dollars in debt when Cinderella finally premiered in 1950.
For several reasons, the studio chose Cinderella over other classic stories, such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, also in development. Cinderella had key features in common with the studio’s biggest hit, Snow White. Both stories highlighted romantic princes and beautiful maidens in distress. Another consideration was the cast of charming secondary characters in Cinderella. Walt Disney selected a 1697 version of the story by Charles Perrault. The French Cinderella had additional appealing elements: a fairy godmother, a pumpkin that became a carriage, and animals that changed into horses and a driver.
Some observers saw Disney’s Cinderella as a parable for the war, with the evil stepmother and stepsisters representing the Axis powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy), and Cinderella and her confederates the Allied Forces (England, Russia, France, and the United States). Cinderella even featured a cartoon battle near the end of the film. Both the war and the film concluded with a victory of good over evil—and the movie’s glowing optimism matched the country’s hopeful, post-war mood. Cinderella had become the box-office smash that Disney desperately needed.
Plot
After the death of her aristocratic father, Cinderella is reduced to working as a servant to her abusive stepmother and stepsisters. Though her stepfamily offers no kindness, Cinderella enjoys the friendship of the mice, birds, and other farm animals. The only exception is Lucifer, the stepmother’s cat. After he chases a mouse under a breakfast teacup—terrifying a stepsister—Cinderella is punished with an endless list of chores.
In the meantime, the King, who wants grandchildren, plans a ball, hoping to wed his son, the prince. When Cinderella enquires about attending with her stepsisters, the stepmother deviously answers that she may go if she finishes her chores and if she finds proper attire. Cinderella’s animal friends secretly refurbish a gown, using the stepsisters’ cast-off materials. Just as the stepfamily is about to depart for the ball, Cinderella appears in the hallway in her restored gown. The stepsisters rip it apart, reclaiming their discarded items, and then leave without her. Just in time, Cinderella’s fairy godmother appears. She transforms a pumpkin into a carriage; Cinderella’s animal friends into the horses, coachman, and footman; and Cinderella herself into a princess. Then she warns Cinderella that the spell’s effect will remain only until the clock strikes 12. At the ball, the prince sees Cinderella and is immediately smitten. They dance the night away, but just before the stroke of midnight, Cinderella rushes from the castle, dropping her slipper.
The next day, the King sends the Grand Duke to find the maiden who fits the dropped slipper. When he arrives at Cinderella’s home, the stepmother realizes that her stepdaughter Cinderella is the mysterious maiden, and locks her in the tower. Cinderella’s animal friends set to work: The mice steal the key from the stepmother’s pocket, and a mistreated old dog stops Lucifer from ruining the day. At the last second, Cinderella emerges to pull out the second slipper and prove her identity. In the final scene, Cinderella and her prince leave their wedding in a royal carriage.
Significance
The success of Cinderella placed Disney Studios back on sound financial footing. A substantial infusion of cash allowed Disney to launch new film projects and to diversify. The company soon moved into television and, in 1955, opened Disneyland. In 2015, Disney was ranked fifty-seventh on the Fortune 500 list of top US companies. The movie’s domestic gross reached almost 90 million dollars, about thirty times the initial investment.
Cinderella turned out to be a big critical success, as well. Bosely Crowther of the New York Times, noted the wit of the film, its glamorous style, and its lushly romantic images. He expressed gratitude to the "fellows who dreamed up these fancies." Walt Disney himself was proud of the movie. The scene in which Cinderella transforms from ragged char girl into a princess was said to have been one of his favorites.
For the first time, Disney used professional songwriters not attached to the studio. Nevertheless, Disney owned the rights to the music. Following Cinderella’s musical success, the company launched the Walt Disney Music Company, which sold sheet music and, eventually, movie soundtrack albums. Cinderella received three Academy Award nominations, for best song ("Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo"), best original score, and best sound.
For the movie’s soundtrack, Disney employed a groundbreaking technique: double-tracked vocals. The same vocalist (Ilene Woods) sang the song on the first track and the harmony on the second and third tracks. Walt Disney pioneered this cost-saving method. To lower animation costs, Disney created most of the movie with live-action models, an innovation developed in earlier films. The animator sketched, while a live actor performed a scene.
Cinderella reflected a new, post-war, ultra-feminine look in fashion. With the end of the war and wartime rationing, women’s dresses became longer, frillier, and more opulent. Christian Dior, the distinguished couturier, referenced Cinderella in his autobiography, Dior by Dior. (Reflecting on Cinderella’s new clothing and lifestyle, some critics suggested, however, that Disney had turned the tale into a "bourgeois, capitalism fantasy.")
Despite his television presence, Walt Disney did not show his movies on television. In the days before DVDs and on-demand television, he trusted correctly that his animated movies would continue to attract new audiences. So he only re-released his movies every seven years. Cinderella was re-released in 1957, 1965, 1973, 1981, and 1987.
Awards and nominations
Nominated
- Academy Award (1950) Best Score (Original)
- Academy Award (1950) Best Original Song
- Academy Award (1950) Best Sound Recording
Bibliography
Carnahan, Alyssa. "Look Closer: The Art of Cinderella." The Walt Disney Family Museum. Walt Disney Family Museum, 2 May 2012. Web. 10 August, 2015. <http://www.waltdisney.org/blog/look-closer-art-cinderella>.
Crisman-Campbell, Kimberly. "Cinderella: The Ultimate (Postwar) Makeover Story." The Atlantic. Atlantic Monthly, 9 March, 2015. Web. 10 August 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/03/cinderella-the-ultimate-postwar-makeover-story/387229/>.
Crowther, Bosley. "Cinderella (1950)." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 February, 1950. Web. 10 August 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=990CE6DC1238E532A25750C2A9649C946192D6CF>.
Dior, Christian. Dior by Dior. United Kingdom: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2007. Print.
Halas, John, and Manvell, Roger. Design in Motion. New York: Hastings House, 1962. Print.
New Word City. Walt Disney: A Life. N.p.: New Word City, 2013. Electronic.
Perrault, Charles. The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault. London: George G. Harrap, 1922. Print.