Cinderella (Disney character)

Cinderella
First appearance	Cinderella (1950)
Last appearance	Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007)
Created by	Charles Perrault
Voiced by	Ilene Woods (original film) Jennifer Hale (speaking, sequels/merchandise) Tami Tappan (singing, sequels) Susan Stevens Logan (singing, studio)
Aliases	Cindy, Cinderelly (by the mice)
Gender	Female
Nationality	French

Cinderella is a fictional character and is the main protagonist from Disney's twelfth animated film Cinderella (1950) and its two sequels. In the original film she is voiced by the late Ilene Woods. The Disney version of the character was based on the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, written in 1634 in Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé.^[1] She is also the second official Disney Princess and the first one with burnt orange (later changed to blonde in the franchise) hair.

Development

As done with other Disney films, Walt Disney hired actress Helene Stanley to perform the live-action reference for Cinderella. 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. The animators understood the necessity for this approach and in retrospect acknowledged that Disney had handled things with considerable subtlety.

Appearances

Cinderella

Main article: Cinderella (1950 film)

Cinderella is working as a scullery maid in her own home for her cruel stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and two stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella. Her friends are the birds and the mice who live in the house as well, including Gus and Jaq. She prepares breakfast for the animals and then for her family, and then begins her regular chores. An invitation to the ball arrives at the door, and Lady Tremaine and her daughters are very excited. Cinderella wants to go, but her stepmother tells her she can't unless she finishes her chores and finds something suitable to wear. Cinderella discovers an old dress which had belonged to her deceased mother and hopes to fix it so it looks nice, 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 fix the dress. Later, Cinderella is not done working and fears she will not go. But her friends reveal her fixed dress, and an overjoyed Cinderella thanks them. Cinderella races down the steps just in time, but her stepsisters recoznize their old items and tear the dress apart. Cinderella runs out in the garden, kneels with her face buried on a bench and weeps. Her Fairy Godmother appears to make her dreams come true by using her magic wand on objects to transform them into items such as a glittering coach, for her to go to the ball. 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 the clock strikes close to 12, she hurries home before the spell is broken. In her haste, she leaves her glass slipper behind. Knowing there is no time to get it, she gets into her coach as it prepares to leave. Soon the spell breaks, and Cinderella is in rags once more. The only thing left of the magic is the other glass slipper. 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 learns that Cinderella was the girl Prince Charming fell in love with. So she locks her up so she won't have the opportunity to try on the slipper. The mice and her other animal friends help Cinderella escape and she hurries downstairs to try on the glass slipper, but it breaks before she can try it on. Cinderella reveals that she has the other one. She tries it on, making a perfect fit. She marries the Prince and waves to her animal friends as the coach rides off.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

Main article: Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

Gus and Jaq 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, making three stories: "Aim to Please," "Tall Tail," and "An Uncommon Romance." In the first story, Cinderella and Prince Charming return home and soon a party begins. In "Tall Tail", she works on planning to build up a festival. The mouse named Jaq in the previous film has transformed into a human named Sir Hugh. In the third story, called "An Uncommon Romance," she helps her younger stepsister Anastasia reconcile with the baker. Towards the end of the film, she reads a book the mice have already made for her to them all.

Cinderella III: A Twist In Time

Main article: Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

Cinderella and Prince Charming are celebrating their anniversary. Lady Tremaine, however, gets a hold of the Fairy Godmother's wand, and uses her ill-gotten powers to reverse time and to send Cinderella into the events surrounding 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 is promised to Prince Charming. Cinderella, along with her mouse friends, sets out to put things right and bring her stepmother to justice once and for all, although neither she nor anyone else, except her stepmother and stepsisters, ever find out about the time reversal.

Other appearances

Kingdom Hearts series

Main article: Kingdom Hearts

Cinderella (シンデレラ, Shinderera^?) appears as one of the Disney Princesses of Heart in the Kingdom Hearts series who was captured by Maleficent who destroyed her world. The main character Sora rescues Cinderella as well as the other Princesses, and she returns home, only mentioned in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II. Her story prior to being captured takes place prominently with her homeworld, 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 Cinderella.

Disney Princess

Main article: Disney Princess

Cinderella is one of the official members of the Disney Princess franchise, appearing in several related video games, albums and other merchandise. She is considered the "leader" of the princesses being the most popular amongst children and often positioned in the middle or front in various promotional images and merchandise.

Kilala Princess

Main article: Kilala Princess

Cinderella appears as one of the Disney Princesses in the manga, Kilala Princess.

Disney Theme Parks

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 2012, Cinderella and the other Disney Princesses will have a new meet and greet attraction called Princess Fairytale Hall at the Magic Kingdom.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Walt's Masterworks: Cinderella". Disney Archives. http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/collection/masterworks/cinderella/index.html. 
2. ^ Rumor no more: Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion to include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Princess Fairytale Hall, The Great Goofini

External links

• Cinderella at Disney Archives
• Official Disney Princess site