Product Description
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The most celebrated of all the Disney classics, CINDERELLA, is
also known as one of Walt Disney's all-time favorite films.
CINDERELLA has enchanted generations with its spellbinding story,
charming music, and endearing characters that live in your heart
forever. The beloved fairy tale becomes pure Disney magic as
beautiful Cinderella shares her dreams of romance and a better
life with the lovable mice Gus and Jaq. When Cinderella's cruel
stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, the
delightful Fairy Godmother appears! With a wave of her wondrous
wand and a bouncy "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," the Fairy Godmother
transforms a simple pumpkin into a magical coach -- and
Cinderella's rags into a gorgeous gown. At the ball, Cinderella
falls in love with Prince Charming, but must flee before the
stroke of midnight breaks the spell! Now with an all-new digital
restoration, Disney's Enhanced Home Theater Mix, and all-new
games and music videos, this 2-Disc Special Edition of Cinderella
is the perfect fit for everyone who believes dreams really do
come true. Also available on Video.
.com
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Worry not, Disney fans--this special edition DVD of the beloved
Cinderella won't turn into a pumpkin at the strike of midnight.
One of the most enduring animated films of all time, the
Disney-fied adaptation of the gory Brothers Grimm fairy tale
became a classic in its own right, thanks to some memorable tunes
(including "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,"
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," and the title song) and some endearingly
cute comic .
The famous slipper (click for larger image) We all know the
story--the wicked stepmother and stepsisters simply won't have
it, this uppity Cinderella thinking she's going to a ball
designed to find the handsome prince an appropriate sweetheart,
but perseverance, animal buddies, and a well-timed entrance by a
fairy godmother make sure things turn out all right. There are a
few striking sequences of pure animation--for example, Cinderella
is reflected in bubbles drifting through the air--and the design
is rich and evocative throughout. It's a simple story padded here
agreeably with comic business, particularly Cinderella's rodent
pals (dressed up conspicuously like the dwarf sidekicks of
another famous Disney heroine) and their misadventures with a
wretched cat named Lucifer. There's also much harrumphing and
exposition spouting by the King and the Grand Duke. It's a much
simpler and more graceful work than the more frenetically paced
animated films of today, which makes it simultaneously quaint and
highly gratifying. --David Kronke
DVD Features
For another of its classic films, Disney delivers another
dazzling DVD with a gorgeous, razor-sharp picture and 5.1 sound.
(Note: the 1949 film is properly presented in full-screen format,
1.33 aspect ratio, because widescreen films weren't made until
the '50s.) The best part of the supplemental features is the
archival material, the absolute highlight of which is two unused
songs, "Cinderella's Work Song" (in which Cinderella imagines
multiplying herself à la the Sorcerer's Apprentice) and "Dancing
on a Cloud."
Bippity-boppity-boo! (click for larger image) Because these
numbers were never animated, they're accompanied by stylish
illustrations from the Disney artists, and they're simply
marvelous to look at. The artist of much of that material, Mary
Blair, gets her due in a 15-minute featurette, while the better
known "Nine Old Men" are the subject of a round-table discussion
among some of today's top animators. In addition, a 38-minute
documentary covers their contributions to specific characters of
Cinderella as well as the film in general and the vocal cast.
Also on the historical side is "The Cinderella That Almost Was,"
tracking the development of the project through decades of
original Disney concepts, characters, and songs, including the
1922 silent "Laugh-o-Gram," which is also included in its
entirety.
The pumpkin transformed (click for larger image)
Additional musical material includes three radio programs and a
short promo of the movie by Perry Como, in which he summarizes
the plot amid some songs by the Fontaine Sisters, star Ilene
Woods, and the host himself. Seven other unused songs (17 minutes
total) are available in audio-only. The material for kids is on
the sparse side, consisting of two music videos, Disney Channel
personality Sally (from "Mike's Super Short Show") learning how
to become a princess with the help of the Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition crew and others, a minor dancing-princess feature, and a
DVD-ROM design studio. Oddest extra: ESPN's "top Cinderella
stories," including the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and Joe
Namath's New York Jets, although stories on Mia Hamm and tennis's
Williams sisters should appeal to the film's primary target
audience of young girls. --David Horiuchi
Cinderella Throughout the Years
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957 Television Production)
( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B00068NVG6/ref=d_ap_cinderella_1 )
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1965) (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005RYKY/ref=d_ap_%20cinderella_2 )
The Slipper and the Rose (1976) (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004RFEI/ref=d_ap_%20cinderella_3 )
Faerie Tale Theatre - Cinderella (1982) (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00061UI0A/ref=d_ap_%20cinderella_4 )
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997) (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004Z4SE/ref=d_ap_%20cinderella_5 )
Ever After - A Cinderella Story(1998) (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006ZXSK/ref=d_ap_%20cinderella_6 )
