Cinderella

Release Date: March 4, 1950

Watch Date: February 9, 2023

    What Snow White started, Cinderella came on to the scene to perfect.

    We’ve got another evil step mother, but good magic instead of bad. Our tiny animal friends can now talk, and sew. Cinderella is the most beautiful girl in the land, and the best singer, but she’s still treated like a servant. Our villain now has henchmen, but no song. There’s a prince we fall in love with immediately.

    Well, I say that, but Cinderella and Prince Charming actually seem to spend some time away from the rest of the party, getting to know each other. Of course, her name is never exchanged, her home address…so how well he actually knows her is up for debate.

    Cinderella is definitely a step up from Snow White in that she has a personality. Sure, it’s mostly the exact same ‘always look on the bright side’ as Snow White but it feels like there’s a bit more depth to it. She is a woman who can feel frustration, who can get annoyed. Barely. But it’s still there.

    The mice drove Bob crazy. Something about their voices, but I dunno, I’ve always found them to be kind of cute. Unlike future princess sidekicks they don’t have a ton of personality, but you can start to see the building blocks of the sidekick. The comedy relief. The attempts to support the princess. Getting up to their own hijinks separate from the princess. And usually being capable of expressing the negative emotions the princess is incapable of doing.

    I definitely appreciate this film more than I did Snow White. It feels like a much more cohesive story, Disney having learned in the intervening years. The songs are a lot more memorable, and the princess is a lot easier to root for. Also, I find Lady Tremaine a lot more intimidating than the Evil Queen.

    If you’re looking to start a marathon with the first Disney Princess movie that actually feels like a traditional Disney Princess movie this is where you should start. Cinderella still isn’t perfect, but Disney is definitely getting the feel for it – and I know for a fact it’s only going to get better.