Cinderella

After the release of Bambi, World War II started to break out in the U.S.  Disney could barely afford to make full length animated films at that time and was forced to squash different ideas of his into one film (he made six of these package films which I’m choosing to skip).  Cinderella was the first “non-package” film produced by Disney after WWII.  Cinderella actually saved Disney from going bankrupt when it was released, since it received great success critically and financially and is still much loved by Disney fans today.  I hope everyone loves this classic as much as I do! Whatever your thoughts I’d love to hear from you!

Cinderella (based on the classic fairy tale) is about a 19-year old woman   who is orphaned at a young age and forced to become a servant by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters who are actually abusive toward her (verbally and in other ways); but thanks to her fairy godmother, she finds a way to escape her old life. This movie might sound like a harsh movie but it’s actually quite lovely. Cinderella’s animal friends are precious and there are many memorable moments, like when the animals help her get dressed for the ball.  While I do admire Cinderella’s kindness to everyone she meets, I hate that she felt like she had to just accept the abuse of her “family;” it seems like she felt as if she had no other options.  I really do hate the thought of girls/women being trapped in abusive situations like Cinderella was.  Now, similar to Snow White, people have accused Cinderella’s character of being sexist (as in she needs a man to come and rescue her), but this is not actually the case.  The people who save her are her animal friends and her fairy godmother, and the prince is simply icing on the cake (so to speak).  There are, however, some intense parts that could make young kids upset (like a moment where Cinderella’s stepsisters get angry and tear her dress for the ball) but there’s nothing super spooky, except maybe a not-so-nice cat named Lucifer.  It’s interesting to me that there are so many different versions of the fairytale Cinderella that no one really knows who wrote the very first one.  In one of the versions, nature itself (via a flock of birds) decides to have a field day with Cinderella’s stepsisters, and let’s just say that it did not go so well for them.  Poetic justice perhaps!?!

“Perhaps the greatest risk any of us will ever take is to be seen as we really are.” (This quote is actually from the live-action movie version.)

[FYI: This is my very own fairy god-grandmother’s favorite of all time!]