Cinderella (1950)

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.

Directors:

Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson

Writers:

Charles Perrault (from the original classic by), Bill Peet (story) (as William Peed)

Stars:

Ilene Woods, James MacDonald, Eleanor Audley

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ilene Woods	...	Cinderella (voice)
Eleanor Audley	...	Lady Tremaine (voice)
Verna Felton	...	Fairy Godmother (voice)
Claire Du Brey	...	(as Claire DuBrey) (credit only)
Rhoda Williams	...	Drizella (voice)
James MacDonald	...	Jaq / Gus (voice) (as James Macdonald)
Helene Stanley	...	(credit only)
Luis Van Rooten	...	King / Grand Duke (voice)
Don Barclay	...	Doorman (voice)
Lucille Bliss	...	Anastasia (voice)
Jeffrey Stone	...	(voice) (as John Fontaine)
Mike Douglas	...	Prince Charming (singing voice)
William Phipps	...	Prince Charming (voice)
Marion Darlington	...	Birds (voice)
Earl Keen	...	Bruno (voice)

Storyline

Cinderella, the beautiful and kind-hearted daughter, sees her world turn upside down when her beloved mother dies, and her pained father remarries another woman, the wicked Lady Tremaine, who has two equally cruel daughters, the jealous Anastasia and Drizella. But, once more, things will go from bad to worse, when Cinderella's father, too, dies, leaving her all alone in the Lady's clutches to serve as her maid-of-all-work. Under those circumstances, a shabby and neglected Cinderella doesn't stand much of a chance of attending the King's royal ball--let alone, captivate the handsome Prince--unless she turns to her loving Fairy Godmother who has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. Nevertheless, will the wronged damsel ever find peace--and with it--her own Prince Charming?

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Plot Keywords:

cinderella | ball | fairy godmother | midnight | fairy tale | 

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Taglines:

Here to set a spark in your heart and a sparkle in your eye...the world's best-loved story...told with Walt Disney's wizardry!

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cinderella

Filming Locations:

Château de Chambord, Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France

Box Office

Budget:

$2,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,300,000, 18 December 1981, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$85,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System) Mono (1939 Reissue) (Dolby Digital 1.0) (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono) (Mono) Mono (1939 Reissue) (RCA Sound System) (Mono) Mono (MovieTone) Mono (1939 Reissue) Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, Cinderella's dress is an incredibly pale and shimmery light blue, it almost looks completely white, but in promotional material and the 2015 live-action version, it's blue.

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Goofs

After Gus drops his breakfast in the kitchen, Lucifer starts to go after Gus. As Lucifer starts to creep up on Gus, Jaq pulls out one of Lucifer's whiskers. But after Gus drops his breakfast again and the next shot goes to Lucifer, Lucifer's whisker is back.

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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, and gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort, still, he felt she needed a mother's care. And so he married again, choosing for his second wife, a woman of good family, with two daughters just Cinderella's age, by name, ...

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Crazy Credits

In lieu of a cast list, the opening credits specify "with the talents of" followed by nine names: Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Claire Du Brey, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald, Helene Stanley, Luis Van Rooten, and Don Barclay. However, only seven of these persons provided voices for the animated characters (according to studio records) and are listed in the cast. Both Stanley and Du Brey were live action models to help the artists animate the humans. They were placed in the miscellaneous section.

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Alternate Versions

The 2005 DVD includes additional end credits listing members of the restoration team and previously uncredited participants of the voice cast.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Ghost Fever (2016)

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Soundtracks

Cinderella
(uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman
Performed by the Jud Conlon Chorus with Marni Nixon singing as a soloist

User Reviews

Delightful Disney animation with some pleasant songs...

When I first saw 'Cinderella', I found it surprising that the mice had so much to do whereas in the fairy tale they were just incidental creatures. But Disney saw that giving them a big role in the main storyline was the key to providing all the humor and suspense needed to spice up the predictable story. The leading mice, Gus and Jaq are delightful creations and the valiant band of mice are given amusing bits of business.

Artistically, the animation art has a rather glossy modern look despite the fact that it's an old, old story from 1697, a classic children's fairy tale that has been done countless times as either a film, a play or a ballet. But this version will charm Disney fans young and old with its imaginative use of animation and a splendid collection of tuneful songs.

A highlight is the 'Cinderella Work Song' in which the mice make a dress for the mistreated Cinderella, full of inventive comic touches and accompanied by the intricate blend of song and animation. Add to that 'So This Is Love', 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes' and 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo' and you have a charming version of the Charles Perrault story.

For villainy, the stepmother and her black cat (Lucifer) are two of the most brilliantly animated creatures in the film. The cat reminds me of a naughty black cat I once owned. The scene where the stepmother is stroking the cat as she gives Cinderella a list of chores is striking in its use of shadow and menace. Along with some dark touches, there is always a bubbling sense of humor, particularly in this sequence.

Cinderella herself comes across as a pleasant heroine with a sense of humor herself, lifelike in her movements and one of Disney's more successful human figures. Disney's artists did greater art work in other films but this is a well-structured work, a great combination of music and clever animation. The pace is fast, even allowing for extended scenes of the mice and their shenanigans for the sub-plot. And Lucifer, the cat, makes a wonderful foil for their tricks.

The Disney touch is evident in every scene and makes this charming blend of comedy, music and romance a film with timeless appeal.