First post: Snow White
Cinderella
Cinderella was released in 1950, which was a while after Snow White (1937). Cinderella's tale is probably the most iconic fairy tale of all time. It's the tragic, rags-to-riches tale of a beautiful girl who loses her father and is made a slave by her step-family. I probably watched this movie 5,000 times in the course of my childhood, and I still love it. However, as I got older, I grew rather annoyed with Cinderella. She's just so...PERFECT. She somehow gets everything she wants, and she's supposed to be miserable and underprivileged, right? Overall, the original fairy has a better, more satisfying story...and, dare I say it? A more likable heroine.
Personality Rating:
Recalling our scale of 1-10 (one being 'I can't stand this grating female' and ten being 'I WISH I COULD BE HER!'), she gets a 4. Overall, she's neither her nor there for me personality-wise.
Interestingly, I was just discussing this with some girls. In a heroine, it's difficult to strike a balance between helpless and overly independent. Cinderella comes across as pretty helpless to me...what could she accomplish if not for the many birds, mice and dogs in her life? Not to mention her wish-granting Fairy Godmother...
Movie overall:
There is so much sentimentality childhood nostalgia for me in this movie, so I still love it. The plot is really good, because the 1950's was back when if you were animating a movie, you were gonna do it RIGHT. None of these plot holes, OH NO! Disney had class back then.
Supporting Characters:
ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE ANIMALS. This irritates me. But, the human supporting characters are PHENOMENAL! From the step-sisters to the epic Duke who goes around with his lame little monocle, I love them all. My sisters and I still quote the scene where the King tries to kill him all the time, especially when we're making our mom mad.
Villain:
I think there are two villains in Cinderella: The Wicked Stepmother and the Possessed Cat. Lucifer scares me out of my mind. Maybe that's where my deep-rooted cat trauma comes from. Huh. Anyway, we'll just stick with The Wicked Stepmother. Like the Queen in Snow White, Cinderella's stepmother is creepy and wicked. She is looking out for the interests of her own daughters, and sees the beautiful Cinderella as a threat to their success. She's the meanest thing to hit television, quite frankly. The scene where she endlessly lists Cinderella's 'chores' always made me what to hit her...if it weren't for that stupid cat cuddled up next to her, grinning like a demon. Yuck.
Prince:
On my last post, I complained that Snow White's Prince had no name, but a commentor informed me he DOES indeed have a name; Ferdinand. So I won't proclaim Cinderella's prince to be nameless. I just don't know what his name IS.
That being said, Prince Charming disappoints me. He is so daring and romantic when he meets Cinderella at the ball, but when push comes to shove, it is NOT the prince who goes forth to find his fair maiden, but the Duke. Seriously? This is true love we're talking about here, pal. Did you need to sleep that badly? Or maybe a prince rushing off in the wee hours of the night to try shoes on random women simply isn't done. Oh well. On our prince scale On the scale of prince-ness (one being 'no comment' and ten being 'WHY CAN'T HE BE REAL SO I CAN MARRY HIM!?!?), he gets a 5.
Best song:
Favorite line:
Grand Duke: "Now, Sire, remember...your blood pressure!!"
* This post and all similar posts may be classified as pointless ramblings. I feel very strongly about Disney Princesses in general, and as this is my blog, I would like to share those strong feelings. Feel free to ignore them, or even deign to agree with me.
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