Lady Tremaine

DisneyChar
name = Lady Tremaine


first appearance ="Cinderella" (1950)
created by = Charles Perrault
voiced by = Eleanor Audley (original)
Susan Blakeslee (sequels)
aliases = The Wicked Stepmother

Lady Tremaine (also known as Stepmother to Cinderella) is the main villain from Disney's animated classic "Cinderella". She is based on the original character from the Cinderella fairy tale created by Charles Perrault. Her original voice actress, Eleanor Audley, would later be the voice actress for the evil witch Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty", which was released nine years later. There can be many likenesses drawn from the art styles of Maleficent and Lady Tremaine.

Role in story

Lady Tremaine is the second wife of Cinderella's father, whom he married so Cinderella could have a mother figure. She was a woman of good family and had also been married before, and had two daughters, just Cinderella's age, named Anastasia and Drizella. Both were rather plain and socially awkward (although Anastasia is reformed in ""). She also owned a very stubborn, malicious tabby cat named Lucifer, who was just like her in terms of personality. Lady Tremaine was nice to her stepdaughter and treated her just like her real daughters if not better, but upon the time of her husband's death (Cinderella's Father), her dark secret, which was to be kept hidden, was revealed; she was a bitter, cruel, selfish, and snobbish woman determined to forward her own interests as well as that of her daughters. She was openly jealous of the kind and beautiful Cinderella, who was hampered and abused by her stepfamily until she became a maid in her own household.

Personality

Cold, ruthless, calculating, and snobbish, Lady Tremaine's primary role as antagonist is simple: to oppress Cinderella and shatter her dream of a happily ever after. Throughout the film, Lady Tremaine repeatedly tries to keep Cinderella as downtrodden as possible and will stop at nothing to prevent her from being happy. A few mere words from her can be just as damaging as a magical spell, such as the ones woven by the witches from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. For example, in the original Cinderella film, Lady Tremaine recognises the ball gown Cinderella is wearing had been made from her own daughters' rejected clothing. After casually pointing this out to her daughters, the stepsisters viciously attacked Cinderella and left her beaten and her dress torn to shreds.

Drizella and Anastasia

Lady Tremaine has two daughters by her deceased first husband. Drizella is the firstborn daughter with dark hair, and a cruel and snobbish streak to her; Anastasia is the younger daughter with red hair and is slightly more compassionate than Drizella. Eventually, in the sequels Anastasia reforms her selfish and snobbish personality and reconciles with Cinderella, especially when her stepsister counsels and helps her in regards to her love for a commoner man in a story called "An Uncommon Romance".

Both sisters are very plain in appearance, have been spoiled and doted upon by their mother, and they are bitterly resentful and jealous of Cinderella, whose beauty and virtues surpass their own.

Drizella and Anastasia not only have ugly personalities, they are also physically ugly. They force Cinderella into becoming a housemaid and only speak to her when they are verbally abusing or berating her. Their mother, Lady Tremaine, is aware of their faults and is determined to better the two girls to ensure that they find husbands. She attempts to teach them to sing and play musical instruments, all in vain, and fears that Cinderella's beauty shall put the two girls in the shade. Drizella and Anastasia are unbearable to be around, as they are constantly bad-tempered, and even resort to physically assaulting each other and Cinderella.

Other appearances in movies

She made her second appearance in the direct-to-video sequel "", this time voiced by Susan Blakeslee. In this film, she only appeared in the "An Uncommon Romance" segment, where Anastasia has to go against her mother for the first time.

Her latest appearance was in the second direct-to-video "Cinderella" sequel, "" (once again voiced by Blakeslee). This time, she acquires the Fairy Godmother's magic wand after Anastasia finds it. Lady Tremaine, strangely still bent on ruining Cinderella's life (in what she believes to be revenge) then uses the wand to reverse time to undo Cinderella's "happily ever after"; she manipulates the glass slipper to fit Anastasia so that Cinderella never gets to try on the slipper herself, then she brainwashes the Prince into forgetting Cinderella and marrying Anastasia. When Cinderella tries to set things right, Lady Tremaine thwarts her efforts, aided by the magic wand. Ultimately, Anastasia is the one who is her mother's undoing; feeling guilty about marrying someone she does not love and knows in her heart does not truly love her, she rejects the Prince at the altar. Furious, Lady Tremaine tries to turn Cinderella and Anastasia into toads, but the Prince defends the two from the spell and reflects it back with his sword, turning Lady Tremaine and Drizella into toads. Anastasia then gives the magic wand to Cinderella so that she can undo all the wrongs that had been committed. During the end credits, Lady Tremaine and Drizella have been restored, but are wearing work clothes identical to those Cinderella used to wear, which hints that they will be working in the palace as servants.

Other appearances

Aside from the films, Lady Tremaine has also made various appearances on the Disney Channel series "House of Mouse"; she frequently shares a table with another famous wicked stepmother, the Evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Again, in these appearances, she is voiced by Susan Blakeslee.

She also makes an appearance in the "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" Special Edition DVD in one of the menus.

ee also

*List of Disney villains