Cinderella (1950)

Princess Cinderella is the main protagonist of Disney's 1950 animated feature film Cinderella, and its two direct-to-video sequels Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) and Cindrella III: A Twist in Time (2007).

Cinderella, the daughter of a deceased widower, is forced into servantry by her cruel stepmother and jealous stepsisters. With the help of her fairy godmother and some very reliable mice, Cinderella is able to go to the ball and meet the prince of her dreams.

In the original film, Cinderella is voiced by the late Ilene Woods. In the first sequel, Jennifer Hale provides her speaking voice, while Brooke Allison provides her singing voice. In the third film, Hale reprises he role as Cinderella's speaking voice, while Tami Tappan replaces Allison as her singing voice.

Personality and Physical Appearance[]

Physical Apperance[]

Cinderella is a stunningly beautiful young woman. She is slender and attractive with medium-length strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin and bright pink lips.

In her initial appearance before changing to her maid outfit, she wears a light blue long-sleeved collared nightgown adorned with a blue ribbon and black ballet flats from her maid outfit. Her strawberry-blonde hair is tied in two low pigtailed braids before removing the blue ribbons on each side to make it loose.

During the bath scene, when she removes her collared nightgown and being showered by her several bird friends using a wet sponge, Cinderella's hair is tied into a bun.

In most of her appearances, she was seen in a maid's outfit, which consisted of a dark brown bodice with long, light aquamarine sleeves and a brown, knee-length skirt. Her hair was softly tied back into a low ponytail with an aqua ribbon. She also wore a white apron and a pair of black ballet flats. On her occasional tasks, she wore a white apron and a scarf in her hair. At the near end of the movie, her hair is now loose rather than in a low ponytail. In later appearances in both sequels, Cinderella's maid outfit sleeves are now pale blue, and her hair remains loose.

For her first ball gown, modified from one that belonged to her late mother, she wore a frilly, sleeveless, pink-and-white dress with pink ribbons and a sash with jade beaded necklace before her stepsisters violently mess up with it after seeing their discarded items being sewn onto it. She also wears red dress shoes.

Her second dress and most commonly seen sleeveless dress is a sparkling light cornflower bluish-gray ball gown with a low-cut neckline, pale cornflower blue bustle, white-capped sleeves, white armpit length opera gloves, a delicate laced white petticoat (or petticoats), and glass slippers topped with sparkly hearts. (It should be noted, though, that the ball gown is often colored light powder blue in merchandise and later productions and was even digitally recolored as such in the original film's DVD and Blu-ray releases.) Her hair is pulled up into a variation of a French twist complimented with a very light cornflower blue band over it with large gems on both ends of the band (in recent merchandise, the two gems of the band have been replaced with diamond earrings). She also wears a simple black choker around her neck.

Her wedding dress consists of a beautiful white dress and petticoat that exposed little cleavage. She uses her hair in a bun (though in the original film, we do not see where her bun is. In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, we see it as a low bun) with a white tiara and a cap. Her veil is pulled back from her hair. The dress has long triangular sleeves, with a black choker around the neck (a white ribbon in Cinderella III), along with white dress shoes.

In Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, she wore a pink-and-white version of her original iconic Princess dress. While getting ready for the banquet in the same segment, she had to wear was a pink, formal, and rather puffy dress with a cage crinoline underneath, an elaborate hairstyle with several pink bows and pearls, pearl earrings, white armpit length opera gloves, and pink high-heeled shoes.

The dress she wears to the royal ball she arranges is a sea green/teal ball gown rather like her original, but with a corset attached to a flat triangular overskirt and a spiky-laced white petticoat. She has a simple black choker with emeralds hanging on it. Cinderella wears a more sea green version of her original headband and evening gloves. She also has the same French twist hairstyle from her original Princess dress.

In both "Aim to Please" and "Tail Tail", she wore a blue-and-white version of her maid outfit. During the party in "Tail Tail", she wore a yellow ball gown with the same French twist hairstyle from her original Princess dress.

In "An Uncommon Romance" she has the same maid outfit and a light blue coloured variant of her ball gown from the original film.

In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Cinderella wore two wedding gowns along with her maid outfit. She also has two normal outfits at the beginning of the movie. In her initial appearance before Lady Tremaine altering the time using the Fairy Godmother's wand, Cinderella was seen in her normal outfit similar to her husband Prince Charming's; a light brown formal vest with a pale yellow long-sleeved collared shirt, cream-colored long skirt and brown heels. Her hair is left loose while wearing this outfit. Her other outfit which it was seen in her portrait with her husband, she was seen wearing a similar outfit as the first outfit as her formal vest is brown, her long skirt is gold with a light yellow petticoat as the length of the skirt covers her brown heels and has a matching light yellow tie on the collar.

While wearing her maid outfit when she is about to be banished whilst riding in the ship and being reunited with Prince Charming, her hair is loose to show her full fringes.

Towards the climax, she wears her wedding dress from the first movie (albeit recoloured pale blue). When Cinderella is transported to the twisted pumpkin carriage by Tremaine, her dress becomes shredded; the sleeves are now short, her shoes and veil are completely gone and her hair is now in a messy bun.

At the end of the film, her second dress is a white elaborate long-sleeved wedding gown with its V-neck line has three linings to show her cleavage. She also wears an elaborate diamond tiara along with a long sparkling wedding veil and white heels. Her hair is changed to her signature French twist. The edge of the dress skirt from her wedding gown has diamond designs. In the final picture in the credits sequence, her veil and tiara are erroneously replaced with a white headband.

Personality[]

Cinderella is a strong willed and independent young women who is truly beautiful because she doesn't let her anger and sorrow get the better of her. She is kind to most and is in no way depicted as naive or childish. She is extremely mature and has shown that she can overcome her obstacles without the aid of magic. She has also been shown to have a slight sarcastic side to her, as seen in her comments about her stepfamily and Lucifer, but usually keeping such comments to herself. Cinderella has shown to be rather intelligent and/or clever especially thinking of how poorly raised she was after the absence of her parents. She also has a tendency to take public baths allowing the whole world to look upon her beautiful skin.

Backround and Developement[]

Origins[]

Cinderella is based off of the main protagonist of the famous folktale Cinderella and the Little Glass Slipper. Although there are many different versions of this folk tale, they all basically have the same plot, about Cinderella being a slave to her wicked stepmother and step sisters, and a fairy godmother, who helps her meet the Prince Charming, and Cinderella marrying the Prince when he finds she was the girl with the glass slipper. The Disney version has the same plot.

Developement[]

Design and Characteristics As done with other Disney films, Walt Disney hired actress Helene Stanley to perform the live-action reference for Cinderella. She later did the same kind of work for the characters of Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Anita Radcliffe in 101 Dalmatians.

According to Christopher Finch, author of The Art of Walt Disney: Disney insisted that all scenes involving human characters should be shot first in live-action to determine that they would work before the expensive business of animation was permitted to start. The animators did not like this way of working, feeling it detracted from their ability to create character. The animators understood the necessity for this approach and in retrospect acknowledged that Disney had handled things with considerable subtlety.

Voice Actress[]

She was voiced by the late Ilene Woods in the original film and currently by Jennifer Hale since 2000.

Role in the Films[]

Cinderella (1950[]

Cinderella is the only daughter of a wealthy young widow. After the death of her mother, Cinderella's father marries Lady Tremaine, the mother of two ugly daughters named Drizella and Anastasia. Sadly, Cinderella's father soon passes away, leaving her in the unfortunate care of her stepmother, Lady Tremaine, who siezes the opportunity to have a household servant, and forces Cinderella to be a scullery maid. One day, a letter arrives at the Tremaine household, inviting the family to a royal ball at the castle. The invitation declares that every eligible young woman in the kingdom must attend, and out of them, the Prince will choose a wife. Hearing this, Cinderella asks her stepmother if she may go. Despite cruel laughter and mockery from her step-sisters, Cinderella is given permission, under the circumstance that she finishes her work first. Little does Cinderella know that Lady Tremaine has no intention of letting her go to the ball at all. Cinderella is kept so busy preparing her step-family for the ball that she has no time to ready herself. So, Cinderella's mice and bird friends help her out by making a dress for her, using old supplies that Anastasia and Drizella discard. Cinderella has since given up all hope of attending the ball because she doesn't have a dress to wear. Just as Lady Tremaine and her daughters are leaving, the mice reveal Cinderella's dress to her, and she puts it on immediately. When Drizella and Anastasia see Cinderella in the beautiful dress made from materials that used to belong to them, they viciously tear it while Lady Tremaine looks on sadistically. When Cinderella is dressed in rags once again, Tremaine and her daughters leave for the ball without her. Shortly afterward, while crying in the courtyard, Cinderella is visited by her Fairy Godmother. After turning a pumpkin into a lovely coach, Bruno the dog into a footman, Major the horse into a coachman, and the mice into seven white horses, she tranforms Cinderella's ruined dress into a beautiful ball gown. The Fairy Godmother gives Cinderella leave with the stern warning that she returns home before midnight, when the spell shall be broken. When Cinderella arrives at the ball unrecognizable by her step-family, Prince Charming instantly falls in love with her, and the two dance with each other all night. Unfortunately, Cinderella loses track of time, and is forced to flee from the castle, leaving behind one of her two glass slippers. When the Prince finds the slipper, he orders the Grand Duke to find the girl it fits, for she shall become his wife. By the time Cinderella arrives home, the spell wears off, and Cinderella is in rags once again. The only thing reminiscent of the previous events is the other glass slipper; the one that managed to stay on Cinderella's foot. The morning after, Lady Tremaine and her daughters prepare themselves for the arrival of the Grand Duke. Upon hearing this, Cinderella begins humming the tune she sang with the prince the night before. Realizing Cinderella is the mysterious girl from the ball, Lady Tremaine locks her away in her room to prevent her from trying on the slipper. Fortunately, Jaq and Gus (with the help of Bruno) retrieve the key, and manage to free Cinderella. Just as the Grand Duke is leaving after being unsuccessful with Lady Tremaine's daughters, Cinderella arrives, and is about to try on the slipper, when Lady Tremaine causes it to break. Fortunately, Cinderella, having kept the other glass slipper in her pocket, tries it on instead. And of course, it fits. At the castle, Cinderella marries the Prince and they live happily ever after.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True[]

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time[]

Cinderella and Prince Charming are celebrating their first anniversary when Fairy Godmother accidentally loses her wand to Anastasia. She immediately takes it to Lady Tremaine and Drizella, who learn the power of the wand and how to wield it properly. After the Fairy Godmother is accidentally transformed into a statue, Lady Tremaine then reverses time to before Cinderella tried on the slipper. By using magic, the slipper is able to fit Anastasia. Cinderella tries to convince Lady Tremaine that the slipper belongs to her by showing her that she has the other one. Instead, Lady Tremaine calls her night with Prince Charming nothing more than a dream and destroys the other slipper. Cinderella is left at the château while her stepmother and Lucifer make way to the castle to meet her prince. Devastated and confused, Cinderella begins to attend to her normal duties, but regains her confidence and decides to meet with the prince herself, knowing he should recognize her when he sees her. Cinderella, Jaq, Gus, and two bluebirds, sneak into the palace and begin their search.

When she finally bumps into him, however, he fails to recognize her. Heartbroken, Cinderella cries at the loss of her former love, until Jaq and Gus arrive to expose Lady Tremaine's villainy. Upon finding out that Lady Tremaine used the wand to wipe Charming's memory of herself and make him believe Anastasia was the one he danced with, Cinderella forgets her sorrows and jumps into action. At Lady Tremaine's room, Jaq and Gus sneak in to grab the wand. They are almost exposed by Lucifer until Cinderella enters disguised as a maid. Lady Tremaine discovers her anyway and a chase follows. While Jaq, Gus, and Cinderella evade Tremaine and the palace guards, the bluebirds rush to warn Charming of the danger, hoping to lure him to Cinderella's location for the spell to be broken. Meanwhile, Jaq and Gus hand the wand over to Cinderella just as Charming arrives onto the scene, but before she could flip the spell, the guards arrest her. Lady Tremaine regains the wand and orders the guards to send Cinderella to the next ship leaving the kingdom to have her banished, although she narrowly manages to touch the Prince's hand.

Jaq, Gus, and the bluebirds meet up with Prince Charming. They explain that his memory was altered (referring to Cinderella as Cinderelly), and he rushes off on his horse to find her before the ship sets sail. He is too late, but narrowly manages to find himself on board, reintroducing himself to Cinderella (whom he calls Cinderelly before she corrects him), and immediately takes advantage of the moment by proposing to the girl, which she gladly accepts. With their love having prevailed over Lady Tremaine's curse, the two return to the palace and explain the situation to the King and Grand Duke. Infuriated, the King orders the Grand Duke and the guards to search the castle for the stepfamily to have them arrested, while other members of the castle prepare for a wedding, which is set to take place that same night. Cinderella is preparing for her wedding with the help of her animal companions, Lady Tremaine and Lucifer appear out of the shadows. Not only that, Tremaine soon summons Anastasia, who is revealed to have been magically transformed into an exact copy of Cinderella. Tremaine explains her plot to have Anastasia marry the prince under her guise. Seeing her apprehension, Cinderella makes an attempt to talk down her stepsister, but fearing Cinderella could conjure a change in heart in Anastasia, Tremaine sends her off to be killed by a human Lucifer.

Still, Cinderella manages to escape her death and uses her time to make her way to the castle. Prince Charming and "Cinderella" are ready to marry, but to the real Cinderella's amazement, Anastasia refuses to marry the Prince, having realized that she doesn't truly love him. An infuriated Lady Tremaine tries to turn Anastasia into a toad, until Cinderella steps in to defend her, horrified by Tremaine's ruthlessness. Lady Tremaine then attempts to turn them both into toads, but Prince Charming intervenes by reflecting the magic with his sword, causing it to hit Drizella and Lady Tremaine instead. They are transformed into toads and fall into the palace's basement. Anastasia brings the real Cinderella and Charming together and transforms herself back to normal. Cinderella thanks Anastasia, and the two reconcile, putting their animosity firmly behind them. Together, they restore the Fairy Godmother, who gives Cinderella a brand-new wedding attire. As they are unaware of the twist in time, Cinderella and Prince Charming decline the fairy's offer to restore the timeline, and the two finally tie the knot, and they live happily ever after...again. She subsequently invites Anastasia to live in the Palace with her, which saves her from becoming a scullery maid like Lady Tremaine and Drizella.