Cinderella (Disney character)

Cinderella
First appearance	Cinderella (1950)
Last appearance	Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007)
Created by	Charles Perrault Marc Davis Eric Larson
Voiced by	Ilene Woods (original film) Jennifer Hale (speaking, sequels/merchandise) Tami Tappan (singing, sequels) Susan Stevens Logan (singing, studio) Kazumi Evans (singing, currently) Erin Fitzgerald (current)
Information
Aliases	Cinderelly (by mice)
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Occupation	Servant (formerly) Princess
Spouse(s)	Prince Charming
Relatives	Lady Tremaine (stepmother) Drizella Tremaine (stepsister) Anastasia Tremaine (stepsister)
Nationality	English

Cinderella is a fictional character and a main character in Disney's twelfth animated film, Cinderella (1950), and its two sequels. She is the second in the Disney Princess line-up. Cinderella was voiced by Ilene Woods in the original film with Jennifer Hale taking over in the sequels.

Development

The Disney version of the Cinderella was based on the protagonist of the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, Cinderella written in 1697 in Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé.

The character was animated by Marc Davis and Eric Larson., but the two animators did not have the same perception of the character, accentuating the elegance of Davis and Larson's opting for simplicity. As done with other Disney films, Walt Disney hired actress Helene Stanley to perform the live-action reference for Cinderella, that she before artists began sketching, playing the role of Cinderella in a particular scene, and artists to draw animated frames based on the movements of the actress. She later did the same kind of work for the characters of Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Anita Radcliff in 101 Dalmatians.

According to Christopher Finch, author of The Art of Walt Disney:

“

Disney insisted that all scenes involving human characters should be shot first in live-action to determine that they would work before the expensive business of animation was permitted to start. The animators did not like this way of working, feeling it detracted from their ability to create character. However they understood the necessity for this approach in retrospect and acknowledged that Disney had handled things with considerable subtlety.

”

Voice

About 400 contestants auditioned for the role of Cinderella. But of them all, Walt Disney chose Ilene Woods, who at the time worked on the radio and did not know anything about the audition for the role of Cinderella. But one day, her colleagues Mack David and Jerry Livingston asked her to sing a song from the Cinderella, and she agreed. Then, without saying a word to her, friends Ilene transferred to the office of film Disney. After listening to the material, Walt Disney decided immediately that he had found the voice with which to speak and sing its main character, and contacted Ilene.

Characteristics

Cinderella is 19 years old with strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. She is made a servant in her own home and is constantly tormented by her evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and two step sisters. Despite being shy and romantic, she maintains hope through her dreams and always waits for her prince to come. She is hopeful that someday her wishes of happiness will come true. When her evil step sisters and step mother prevent her from going to a royal ball for the prince, she is unhappy and fears that her dreams will never come true. However, her Fairy Godmother appears, restoring Cinderella's hope and transforming her rags into a light blue-silver ball gown.

In her childhood, she could not play with other children because of her forced servitude, so she befriended the mice and birds around the manor. She delights in her little friends and enjoys helping them.
Cinderella is strong-willed and determined, yet shy and passive; when the invitation to the royal ball arrives, she does everything she is told to do, believing that her compliance will result in her stepmother allowing her to attend. She is presented in the film as a sympathetic heroine; well-meaning, hard-working, kind and positive. She also loves to dream and always believes that her dreams will help her through anything.

In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, her determination is put to the test as she overcomes all obstacles in the way of convincing the prince that she is his true love. In this film, she's portrayed in a very empowering role and finally learns that she must work to make her dreams come true.

Costumes

In the beginning of the film, Cinderella wears a floor-length blue nightgown. She changes into her house dress which consists of a dark brown bodice with elbow-length light blue/green sleeves and a knee-length tan skirt. She also wears black ballet flats, a torn white apron, and an aqua hair ribbon.

Cinderella later wears an old gown that belonged to her mother after her friends, the mice and birds, alter it for her: it is pink with white lace held up by light pink sashes and bows, a light pink ribbon tied in a bow at the bodice, and short oval-shaped sleeves. Her accessories are pink dress shoes, a turquoise bead necklace, and a white hair ribbon. The stepsisters tear the dress apart when they accuse Cinderella of "stealing" their sash and beads.

Cinderella runs into the garden and weeps. Her fairy godmother restores hope. She turns Cinderella's torn dress into a beautiful light blue-silver ball gown with a glittering peplum and matching cap sleeves. She also wears a glittering headband, diamond earrings, opera-length white evening gloves, a black choker, and, of course, her famous glass slippers.

At the end Cinderella wears a long-sleeved, full-skirted wedding dress with a diamond tiara, a white Juliet cap, a long veil, a white choker, and her glass slippers once again.

Cinderella wears various outfits in Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. In the beginning of "Aim to Please", she wears a pink-and-white evening gown with a pink headband, white earrings, pink evening gloves, pink dress shoes, and a black choker. Later, she wears a blue version of her house dress. While being tutored by Prudence, she wears a big brown gown trimmed with light pink lace and ribbons. At the banquet, she wears a sea-green bouffant gown with a black choker with turquoise beads, turquoise earrings, a sea-green headband, sea-green evening gloves, and dress shoes. The king crowns her with a black tiara encrusted with aquamarines and amethysts. In "Tall Tail", Cinderella wears a blue gown to the fairgrounds, and a yellow gown to the festival. In "An Uncommon Romance", Cinderella wears her house dress for most of the story, and her signature ball gown at the ball.

In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Cinderella first appears wearing a brown house dress and brown ballet flats. The fairy godmother later turns her dress into her signature ball gown. She wears her house dress after being sent back in time. At the end, her wedding dress is torn, but her fairy godmother turns it into a stunning full-skirted wedding dress with a tiara and puffy veil, dress shoes, white choker, and diamond earrings.

Appearances

Cinderella

Main article: Cinderella (1950 film)

Cinderella appears at Disney Parks, based on her design in the 1950 film.

At the start of the film Cinderella is working as a scullery maid, domestic servant and, for the most part, slave in her own home for her cruel stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and two stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella. Her only friends are the birds and the mice who also live in the manor, including Gus and Jaq.

She prepares breakfast for the animals, then for her family, and finally begins her regular chores. An invitation to the ball arrives at the door and Cinderella desperately wants to go. Her stepmother tells her she may under the condition that she finish her chores and find something suitable to wear. Cinderella discovers her deceased mother's old party dress and hopes to fix it so it looks more modern, but she is too busy to do so. Meanwhile, the mice see shadows of Cinderella's stepsisters throwing down their old sash and beads, so Jaq and Gus quietly retrieve them. The mice use the unwanted items to spice up the dress. Later, Cinderella fears she will not be done working in time and not be able to attend the ball, but her friends reveal the updated dress. Cinderella is overjoyed and thanks her friends. She races down the steps just in time, but her stepsisters recognize their discarded items and accuse her of stealing the sash and beads. They tear the dress to shreds and Cinderella runs out to the garden, kneels with her face buried on a bench weeping.

Her Fairy Godmother appears to make her dreams come true and transforms her torn clothing into a beautiful ball gown. Before Cinderella leaves, her godmother warns her that the spell will be broken at midnight.
At the ball, Cinderella dances with Prince Charming and they immediately fall in love with each other. As twelve o'clock approaches, she hurries to leave, hoping to avoid the spell breaking at the ball, which would result in getting caught by her stepmother or stepsisters. In her haste, she losses one of her glass slippers on the staircase, but she knows there isn't time to retrieve it. Cinderella hurries into her coach as it prepares to leave. The spell breaks and Cinderella is in rags once more before reminiscing her dance with the prince and thanking her godmother for all she's done for her. The next day, the prince announces he will marry the woman whose foot fits into the glass slipper. Lady Tremaine hears Cinderella humming the same song that had played at the ball and figures out Cinderella was the girl Prince Charming fell in love with. Cinderella is locked in the tower by her stepmother, who doesn't want her to have the opportunity to try on the slipper, but her animal friends help her escape. She hurries downstairs to try on the glass slipper, but it breaks before she can try it on. Cinderella reveals that she has kept the other slipper. She tries it on, making a perfect fit. She and the Prince are married soon after.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

Main article: Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

Gus and Jaq, with help of the other mice, and, of course, the Fairy Godmother, set off to make a new book to narrate what happens after the ending of the previous story by stringing three segments of stories together, resulting in three individual stories: "Aim to Please", "Tall Tail", and "An Uncommon Romance". In the first story, Cinderella and Prince Charming return home and a party begins shortly afterward. In "Tall Tail", Cinderella works on planning to build up a festival. The mouse named Jaq in the previous film has become a human named Sir Hugh. In the third story, "An Uncommon Romance", Cinderella helps her younger stepsister Anastasia reconcile with the baker. Near the end of the film, she reads the book that the mice made for her.

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

Main article: Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

Cinderella and Prince Charming are celebrating their anniversary. Unfortunately, Lady Tremaine gets a hold of the Fairy Godmother's wand and uses her ill-acquired powers to reverse time, sending Cinderella back into the events of the first film. This time, however, the story is changed when new situations arise: the slipper is modified to fit Anastasia's foot and she, rather than Cinderella, is promised to Prince Charming. Cinderella, with the aide of the mice, sets out to restore her place as the prince's bride and finally bring her stepmother to justice once and for all, although she is unaware of the time reversal: Lady Tremaine, her daughters, and the fairy godmother are the only ones who know about it.

Sofia the First

Main article: Sofia the First

Cinderella appears in Sofia the First, where she helps Sofia make friends with Amber, her stepsister.

In other media

Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland.

Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World.

Cinderella appears as one of the Disney Princesses of Heart in the Kingdom Hearts series, captured by Maleficent, who destroyed her world. The main character, Sora, rescues Cinderella, as well as the other Princesses, and she returns home. She is only mentioned in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II. Her story prior to being captured takes place prominently with her home world, Castle of Dreams, in the prequel, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. In the Final Mix version of the game, her world is seen in the Realm of Darkness at the climax, Maleficent having destroyed it and captured her.

Cinderella is one of the official members of the Disney Princess franchise, appearing in several related video games, albums and other merchandise. Cinderella appears as one of the Disney Princesses in the manga, Kilala Princess.

The Cinderella Castle is an attraction at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Both serve as globally recognized icons for their respective theme parks. In 2013, Cinderella and the other Disney Princesses will have a new meet and greet attraction called Princess Fairytale Hall at the Magic Kingdom.

A live-action version of the character appeared in the first season of the TV series Once Upon a Time. She was played by actress Jessy Schram. Her Storybrooke counterpart is Ashley Boyd.

Cinderella will be played by Lily James in an upcoming live-action re-imagining of the animated film.

Reception and legacy

Cinderella has received positive reception over the years. Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times praised the voice acting of Woods by saying, "one of the things about her performance is the warmth she gave the character. As soon as she began to speak, her voice meshed with Marc Davis' animation to create a heroine you liked instantly." Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman wrote that while Cinderella is, "no feminist icon, she is the one vintage Disney princess who stays awake through the last act." Rob Burch of Hollywood News called Cinderella, "the archetypal fairy tale princess." Though he did say that what separates her from Snow White is that, "she does seem to have her own mind and does at least show a little defiance, once or twice." Ed Perkis of Cinema Blend wrote in his review that Cinderella has an, "optimistic attitude" but he felt she could have been, "a bit more assertive in her own story".

External links

• Cinderella at Disney Princess