Cinderella (1950)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Clyde Geronimi
Wilfred Jackson
(more)

Writers:

Charles Perrault (original classic fairytale)
Bill Peet (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 March 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The greatest love story ever told. (1957 reissue)

Plot:

When Cinderella's cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq, and from her Fairy Godmother.

Plot Keywords:

Ball | Cinderella | Fairy Godmother | Prince | Castle

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Ilene Woods	...	Cinderella (voice)
Eleanor Audley	...	Lady Tremaine (voice)
Verna Felton	...	Fairy Godmother (voice)
Rhoda Williams	...	Drizella (voice)
James MacDonald	...	Bruno / Gus / Jaques (voice) (as James Macdonald)
Luis Van Rooten	...	King / Grand Duke (voice)
Don Barclay	...	Doorman (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lucille Bliss	...	Anastasia (voice) (uncredited)
Marion Darlington	...	Birds (voice) (uncredited)
Mike Douglas	...	Prince Charming (singing voice) (uncredited)
June Foray	...	Lucifer (voice) (uncredited)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Earl Keen	...	Bruno (voice) (uncredited)
Clint McCauley	...	Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
William Phipps	...	Prince Charming (voice) (uncredited)
Thurl Ravenscroft	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Helen Seibert	...	Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
Jeffrey Stone	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
June Sullivan	...	Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
Lucille Williams	...	Perla - a Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
John Woodbury	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Clyde Geronimi
Wilfred Jackson
Hamilton Luske

Writing credits
Charles Perrault		(original classic fairytale)
Bill Peet		(story) (as William Peed) &
Erdman Penner		(story) &
Ted Sears		(story) &
Winston Hibler		(story) &
Homer Brightman		(story) &
Harry Reeves		(story) &
Ken Anderson		(story) (as Kenneth Anderson) &
Joe Rinaldi		(story)

Produced by
Amy J. Bailey	....	line producer: Lowry Digital Images (restored version) (as Amy Bailey)

Original Music by
Paul J. Smith		(uncredited)
Oliver Wallace		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Donald Halliday

Production Management
David Candiff	....	post-production manager (restored version)
Ben Sharpsteen	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mike Holoboff	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Larry Lansburgh	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Ted Sebern	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound recordist
Erik Flockoi	....	sound recordist: restoration (restored version)
Andreas K. Meyer	....	sound restoration: Sony Music Studios (restored version)
Terry Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer: restoration (restored version)
Keith Rogers	....	sound re-recording mixer: restoration (restored version)
C.O. Slyfield	....	sound director
Harold J. Steck	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Jack Boyd	....	effects animator
Rachel Clement	....	restoration artist: restoration (restored version)
April McMorris	....	digital producer: restoration (restored version)
Joshua Meador	....	effects animator (as Josh Meador)
George Rowley	....	effects animator
Bruce Tauscher	....	digital color timing supervisor: restoration (restored version)

Animation Department
Hal Ambro	....	character animator
Dick Anthony	....	background artist
Mary Blair	....	color and styling
Tim Campbell	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version)
Fox Carney	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version)
Les Clark	....	directing animator
Claude Coats	....	color and styling
Tom Codrick	....	layout artist
Merle Cox	....	background artist
Don DaGradi	....	color and styling (as Don da Gradi)
Marc Davis	....	directing animator
Phil Duncan	....	character animator
Doug Engalla	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version)
Norman Ferguson	....	directing animator (as Norm Ferguson)
Hugh Fraser	....	character animator
Don Griffith	....	layout artist
Ann Hansen	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version)
John Hench	....	color and styling
Hugh Hennesy	....	layout artist
Ray Huffine	....	background artist
Ralph Hulett	....	background artist
Ollie Johnston	....	directing animator
Milt Kahl	....	directing animator
Tamara Khalaf	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version)
Ward Kimball	....	directing animator
Hal King	....	character animator
Eric Larson	....	directing animator
John Lounsbery	....	directing animator
Don Lusk	....	character animator
Brice Mack	....	background artist
Fred Moore	....	character animator
George Nicholas	....	character animator
Lance Nolley	....	layout artist
Cliff Nordberg	....	character animator
Ken O'Brien	....	character animator
Kendall O'Connor	....	layout artist (as A. Kendall O'Connor)
Charles Philippi	....	layout artist
Vivian G. Procopio	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version) (as Vivian Procopio)
Thor Putnam	....	layout artist
Wolfgang Reitherman	....	directing animator
Art Riley	....	background artist
Lella Smith	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version)
McLaren Stewart	....	layout artist (as Mac Stewart)
Frank Thomas	....	directing animator
Harvey Toombs	....	character animator
Matt Tsugawa	....	animation research library: restoration (restored version)
Judge Whitaker	....	character animator
Thelma Witmer	....	background artist
Marvin Woodward	....	character animator
Edwin Aardal	....	animator (uncredited)
Blaine Gibson	....	animator (uncredited)
Jerry Hathcock	....	animator (uncredited)
Dan MacManus	....	animator (uncredited)
John McManus	....	animator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Cory Hansen	....	post-production coordinator: restoration
Timothy Peeler	....	digital colorist: restoration

Music Department
Mack David	....	songs by
Joseph Dubin	....	orchestrator
Al Hoffman	....	songs by
Jerry Livingston	....	songs by
Paul J. Smith	....	musical director (as Paul Smith)
Al Teeter	....	music editor
Oliver Wallace	....	musical director
Lyn Murray	....	music arranger: vocals (uncredited)
Edward H. Plumb	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Bagley	....	restoration team (as Robert H. Bagley)
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Claire Du Brey	....	live action model: Fairy Godmother (as Claire DuBrey)
Ub Iwerks	....	special processes
Bridgid O'Donnell	....	restoration specialist
Helene Stanley	....	live action model: Cinderella and Anastasia
Eleanor Audley	....	live action model: Lady Tremaine (uncredited)
Marie Dasnoit	....	secretary (uncredited)
Eloise Tobelman	....	secretary (uncredited)
Rhoda Williams	....	live action model: Drizella (uncredited)
Ruth Wright	....	secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1950) (France) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Film Distribution Company (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (2002) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Walt Disney Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Walt Disney Home Video (199?) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RKO (1952) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Kingdom (2006) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Library of Congress, Motion Picture Conservation Center  acknowledgment: restoration
• Lowry Digital Images  restoration
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital mastering (restoration)
• Buena Vista Sound  sound re-recording (restoration) (as Buena Vista Sound Studios)
• Sony Music Studios  sound restoration

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | USA:Approved (PCA #14083) (original rating) | Canada:G (video rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1973) | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | UK:U

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Gus' full name is Octavius, presumably after the Roman Emperor.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the dress-making scene (where the mice are using thread strings to put the dress together), a white string on the left disappears (and then reappears) after about 1 second.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Once upon a time in a faraway land there was a tiny kingdom, peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Here in a stately chateau there lived a widowed gentleman and his little daughter, Cinderella. Although he was a kind and devoted father...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The House of Morecock (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

A success, on the whole

People criticise Disney's animated features of the 1950s for being overly glossy, set in landscapes that are much too pristine. That criticism is just. And yet it can't be the whole story, because the two least glossy - "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan" - are also the weakest. "Cinderella", on the other hand, set in a world in which the very dirt sparkles, is clearly the best.

It DOES look good. The backgrounds are subtle and consistent; the colours are pure without being too bright. The animation varies a bit. I'll swear that some of the humans are rotoscoped - but then, the rotoscoped humans (including Cinderella herself) aren't full-blooded characters in the script, so this approach works well enough. It's really the animals that make the movie. I think the studio had never quite used animals in this way before, as totems rather than sidekicks. The mice, for instance, are the creatures who draw us into the story; but they are really representatives or allies of the more colourless Cinderella. The cat, Lucifer, is a kind of witch's familiar to the Wicked Stepmother. (The cat is brilliantly conceived and animated - one of the best feline creations of all time. The supervising animator was Ward Kimball and he modelled it on his own cat. I wonder how he put up with the animal.) This approach allows the animals to steal the show without drawing our attention from the main story. Their actions are of maximum interest only in the light of the main story.

Among the supporting cast the notable humans are the King and the Grand Duke. The King is a one note character - he wants grandchildren and appears to have no other desires at all - but the note is struck in a pleasing fashion. The Grand Duke is a put-upon character who deserves to be lifted out of his sphere as much as Cinderella does. (Although he, of course, is richer.)

"Cinderella" is Disney's return to features after an eight-year hiatus, and neither with it nor with any subsequent movie would he recapture the raw brilliance of his early years. Moreover he made things hard for himself by picking "Cinderella". She's a passive heroine and there's not much anyone can do about that. (Maybe I'm wrong on this score - I haven't seen the recent "Ever After".) Nonetheless it is remarkable how successful Disney was in bringing this unpromising story to life, without cutting across the grain of its spirit.