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 5 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:

Midnight never strikes when you're in love.

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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 earlier drafts of the screenplay, the Prince originally played a larger role and had more character development than what he ultimately received in the final version of the film. In one abandoned opening, the Prince was shown hunting a deer, but at the end of the sequence, it was to be revealed that the Prince and the deer were actually friends and playing games, thus establishing the Prince as an animal lover instead of a killer. The elements of the Prince's original character development would later be incorporated in the characterization of Kit (a.k.a. Prince Charming) in Walt Disney Pictures' 2015 live-action remake Cinderella (2015).

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Goofs

When the Duke tells the King that the Prince wants to marry the girl he danced with at the ball (Cinderella), he happily offers to knight the Duke. As a Grand Duke, the Duke holds a peerage; a knighthood can only be conferred on someone who does not hold a peerage (non-noble).

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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 Pay It Forward (2000)

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Soundtracks

So This Is Love
(uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman
Performed by Ilene Woods and Mike Douglas

User Reviews

Enchanting and enthralling adaption of a classic fairy tale.

Walt Disney's CINDERELLA takes a story everybody's familiar with and embellishes it with humor and suspense, while retaining the tale's essential charm. Disney's artists provide the film with an appealing storybook look that emanates delectable fairy tale atmosphere. It is beautifully, if conventionally, animated; the highlight being the captivating scene where the Fairy Godmother transforms a pumpkin into a majestic coach and Cinderella's rags to a gorgeous gown. Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston provide lovely songs like "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" that enhance both the scenario and the characters.

Even though CINDERELLA's story is predictable, it provides such thrilling melodrama that one shares the concerns and anxieties of the titular heroine and her animal friends. Both the wicked stepmother and her dreadful cat Lucifer present a formidable menace that threatens the dreams and aspirations of Cinderella and the mice. It is this menace that provides the story with a strong conflict that holds the viewers' interest. The film's suspense, however, is nicely balanced by a serene sweetness, especially in the musical numbers. It is in these segments that reveal the appealing personalities of Cinderella and her friends, moving the viewers to care for them. Overall, Walt Disney's CINDERELLA is wonderful family entertainment that has held up remarkably well after half a century.