Cinderella

Release Date: February 15, 1950

Walt's animation team had grown leaps and bounds since their first full animated feature. But whenever a new movie was released, the press always seemed to compare it to Snow White, and the new movies just didn't seem to compare. Walt, who was focused on the progress and improvement of the art of animation, grew frustrated that the progress seemed to be ignored. That all changed with his second princess movie: Cinderella.

The Cinderella story is a story that never gets old. I personally have no idea how many movies, plays, books and more have been done based on the Cinderella story, but Walt found a way to make it his own and to make it stand out among all other versions. Now when most people in America think of Cinderella, this is the movie they think of!

One cannot think of Disney's Cinderella without thinking of the supporting cast of characters--especially the mice Jaq and Gus. Ward Kimball, drawing inspiration from his own cat, brought the mischievous Lucifer to life in a way that simultaneously makes him a villain and a comedic character. He makes the best faces in the film and they make me laugh every time I watch the movie.

The voice cast for this film is also legendary. Ilene Woods knew the two composers who wrote the songs for the movie, and they asked her to sing the demos for the song. Walt listened to everyone who auditioned for the role of Cinderella, but he didn't like anybody as much as he liked Ilene Woods, and she ended up getting the part. She brought such a beautiful quality to Cinderella's character. My personal favorite moment is during the song Sing, Sweet Nightingale, which she sings in harmony with herself. My other favorite voice actress in the film is Eleanor Audley, who was a perfect choice for the Wicked Stepmother. She brought such richness to the character and made her a truly terrifying villain.

This movie also contains Walt Disney's favorite piece of animation--the transformation from Cinderella's rags to her beautiful ball gown. As I mentioned previously, Walt was irked when brilliant advancements in the art of animation went unrecognized. It must have been very satisfying to have the audience fall in love with a film that also showed so much progress in animation.

This movie proved that the Disney studio would have some of its greatest success with movies depicting fairy tales. Unfortunately, many years later (in my lifetime), the "Disney Princess trope" would be disparaged. People have spoken out about the danger Disney princess movies pose to a rising generation of girls, who feel that they need a man to whisk them away from all their problems. Such an idea is even made fun of in recent Disney films.

First of all, I think it's incredibly unfair to act like Disney is the only studio to use a "damsel in distress" trope. Most Hollywood movies of the early 1900's depict women being inferior to men. In fact, the most "helpless" and "dependent" women I've seen depicted in film weren't in movies done by Disney at all! So I personally really don't like that Disney has gotten a bad rap for that.

Second of all, one who says that Cinderella is just another Disney princess waiting for a prince to solve all her problems is missing a huge part of the story. Cinderella is trapped in an abusive household. Anyone in an abusive relationship understands how hard it can be to escape. At no point in the movie is she expecting to be rescued by a prince. In fact, when she's at the ball she doesn't even realize she is dancing with the prince! In her mind, she gets to escape her abusive situation and truly enjoy just one night of her life. When she discovers that the man she was dancing with was the prince and that he is looking for her, she is so shocked that she drops the tray of dishes and has a glimmer of hope to leave her awful life behind forever.

The fact that Cinderella marries a prince and becomes a princess is not what makes her such a timeless heroine. It is her fortitude to keep trying to be her best self when everyone around her treats her like dirt. As she sings, "No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing the dream that you wish will come true." At a particularly low point, a soft choir is singing these words to Cinderella, and she responds through sobs, "It's just no use. No use at all. I can't believe. Not anymore. There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing." At this moment, after years and years of abuse, she feels like she has finally broken. And at that moment, her fairy godmother appears and everything begins to change for her.

Cinderella's fairy godmother appeared because of who Cinderella was. Cinderella was rescued by Jaq and Gus at the end because she was kind to them. It was not the prince who saved Cinderella; it was her own faith and goodness that brought her a happy ending. I feel like this is made even more apparent in the 2015 live action remake, but it is all right there in the original animated film.

Cinderella deserves its place as a timeless Disney classic. It rightfully serves as a reminder that happy endings are possible to those who never stop believing in their dreams, and that find strength in kindness.