''Cinderella'' is a

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

franchise that commenced in 1950 with the theatrical release of the 1950 film ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

''. The franchise's protagonist is the titular character

, who was based on the character of the same name from the ''Cinderella'' fairy tale.

Overview

MCNG Marketing wrote "Cinderella alone is a brand that is easily worth hundreds of million of "bippity boppity" dollars." The blog Fragments said "Cinderella seems to be the main princess in the

Disney Princess ''Disney Princess'', also called the ''Princess Line'', is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who hav ...

franchise–there are 108 items for Cinderella on DisneyStore.com ... Cinderella is the alpha-princess of the Disney Princess franchise, which seems a bit odd since she is from the second-oldest film that is included in the franchise." The paper ''Saving Cinderella: From Disney to Cyborg Princess'' examines why Cinderella is such an enduring franchise:

Animated feature films

''Cinderella'' (1950)

''Cinderella'' is a 1950 American animated romantic musical

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...

produced by Walt Disney and released by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

. Based on the fairy tale '' Cendrillon'' by

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his ...

, it was released on February 15, 1950. The film was directed by

Clyde Geronimi Clito "Clyde" Geronimi (June 12, 1901 – April 24, 1989), known as Gerry, was an American animation director. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Productions. Biography Geronimi was born in Chiavenna, Kingdom of Italy, Italy, immigrati ...

Hamilton Luske Hamilton Somers Luske (October 16, 1903 – February 19, 1968) was an Americans, American animator and film director. Career Luske joined the Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions animation studio in 1931 and he was soon trusted ...

and

Wilfred Jackson Wilfred Emmons Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, musical arranger and film director, director best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Productions. Jackson joined Walt Dis ...

. The songs were written by

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

Jerry Livingston Jerry Livingston (born Jerry Levinson; March 25, 1909 – July 1, 1987) was an American songwriter and dance orchestra pianist. Life and career Born in Denver, Colorado to Sam and Dora (Lazarus) Levinson, Jerry Livingston studied music at the ...

, and

Al Hoffman Al Hoffman (September 25, 1902 – July 21, 1960) was an American song composer. He was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number-one hits through each decade, many of wh ...

; they include "

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is a song written and composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston for the Walt Disney film ''Cinderella'' (1950). In the song, Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods) encourages her animal friends neve ...

", "

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" (also called "The Magic Song") is a novelty song, written in 1948 by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston. Performed in the 1950 film ''Cinderella'', by actress Verna Felton, the song is about the Fairy Godmother tr ...

", " So This Is Love", " The Work Song" and " Sing, Sweet Nightingale". In 2018, ''Cinderella'' was selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". With a wicked

stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a female non-biological parent married to one's preexisting parent. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Culture Ste ...

and two jealous stepsisters who keep her enslaved and in rags,

stands no chance of attending the royal ball. When her fairy godmother appears and magically transforms her reality into a dream come true, Cinderella enchants the handsome

Prince Charming Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character archetype who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales ...

at the ball, but must face the wrath of her enraged stepmother and sisters when the spell wears off at midnight.

''Cinderella II: Dreams Come True''

''Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' is a 2002 American animated romantic musical

, the first

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to the 1950 American romantic musical film ''

''. It was released on February 26, 2002. It was followed by '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'' in 2007. It consists of three segments featuring Cinderella planning a party, Jaq the mouse being turned into a human and living as Cinderella's page boy, and one of Cinderella's brutal stepsisters (Anastasia, the redheaded one in a pink dress) reaching her redemption through falling in love with a young baker, a low-class man of whom Lady Tremaine and Drizella do not approve. Estimated to cost $5 million, ''Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' was Walt Disney Pictures' top selling animated sequel that year, grossing approximately $120 million in direct-to-video sales. The film received negative reviews. This is the only film with opposite reception.

prepares for her first royal ball and tries to help her stepsister find love.

''Cinderella III: A Twist in Time''

''Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'' is a 2007 American animated

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

, the second

to the 1950 American romantic musical film ''

''. Canonically it is a continuation of the original Cinderella, rather than '' Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'', though due to its unusual chronological sequencing it acknowledges the events of ''Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' by using some of its characters. The film was released on February 6, 2007, directed by Frank Nissen and features the voices of

Jennifer Hale Jennifer Hale is a Canadian voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', ''Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', '' Halo'', '' Overwatch'', and '' ...

and

Susanne Blakeslee Susanne Blakeslee is an American voice actress. Her notable roles include the voices of Wanda, Anti-Wanda, and Mrs. Turner on '' The Fairly OddParents''; and as the voices of Cruella de Vil, Evil Queen, Lady Tremaine, Maleficent and Madam ...

. For the UK release of the film, it was simply titled "Cinderella: A Twist in Time", without mention of it being a sequel. It made its world television premiere on

Toon Disney Toon Disney was an American multinational pay television channel owned by Disney Branded Television, a subsidiary of Disney-ABC Television Group. The channel's target audience was children aged 7–11, and older children and adolescents aged 8� ...

on December 3, 2007. The film received generally positive reviews (the first film received more positive reception than the third film, but the second film received contrasting reviews). On the first anniversary of

's marriage to

, her stepsister Anastasia finds the Fairy Godmother's wand in the forest. Cinderella's cruel stepmother,

Lady Tremaine Lady Tremaine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Productions' animated film ''Cinderella'' (1950) and its direct-to-video sequels '' Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' (2002) and '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'' (2007). In the ...

, uses it to reverse time, making the famous glass slipper fit Anastasia's foot before Cinderella has a chance to try it on. But, no longer retaining any memory of who Cinderella is, the prince prepares to marry Anastasia, and Cinderella is forced to jump into action to regain her happy ending.

Live-action remake

''Cinderella'' is an American

romantic fantasy Romantic fantasy, or "romantasy", is a Genre, subgenre of fantasy fiction that combines fantasy and Romance novel, romance, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre. One of the key featur ...

film directed by

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

from a screenplay written by

Aline Brosh McKenna Aline Brosh McKenna (born August 2, 1967) is an American filmmaker. Her credits include writing '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008), ''Morning Glory'' (2010), '' We Bought a Zoo'' (2011) and co-creating The CW's '' Crazy Ex ...

and

Chris Weitz Christopher John Weitz (; born November 30, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for his work with his brother Paul on the comedy films '' American Pie'' and '' About a Boy''; the latter earned ...

. Produced by David Barron and Simon Kinberg for

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...

, the film is inspired by the folk tale ''

'' by

and the 1950 American romantic musical film of the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...

. It stars

Lily James Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (born 5 April 1989), known professionally as Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series '' Just Wi ...

as the titular character,

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

as Lady Tremaine,

Richard Madden Richard Madden (born 18 June 1986) is a Scottish actor. He was cast in his first role at age 11 and made his screen acting debut in 2000. He later began performing on stage whilst a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2007, he t ...

as Prince Kit,

Sophie McShera Sophie McShera (born 17 May 1985) is an English actress known for her roles as Ros McCain in the fifth series of the BBC television series '' Waterloo Road'', as Daisy Mason in the ITV television series ''Downton Abbey'', and as Drizella T ...

as Drisella Tremaine,

Holliday Grainger Holliday Clark Grainger (born 27 March 1988), also credited as Holly Grainger, is an English screen and stage actress. Some of her prominent roles are Kate Beckett in the BAFTA award-winning children's series '' Roger and the Rottentrolls'', Lu ...

as Anastasia Tremaine and

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, List of awards and nominations received by Helena Bonham Carter ...

as The Fairy Godmother. Principal photography on the film began on September 23, 2013 in London. The film was released on March 13, 2015. After her father unexpectedly dies, young

Ella Ella is a feminine given name, which also used as a surname. Ella (or similar) may also refer to: Places United States * Ella, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Ella, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Ella, Pennsylvania, an unincor ...

finds herself at the mercy of her cruel

and stepsisters, who reduce her to scullery maid. Despite her circumstances, she refuses to despair. An invitation to a palace ball gives Ella hope that she might reunite with the dashing

stranger A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of ...

she met in the woods, but her stepmother prevents her from going. Help arrives in the form of a kindly beggar woman who has a magic touch for ordinary things.

Theme park attractions

Cinderella Castle

Cinderella Castle is the fairy tale castle at the center of two Disney theme parks: the

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

at the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

, and

Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney park t ...

at the

Tokyo Disney Resort The (local nickname ''TDR'') is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. The resort is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, the Oriental Land Co., a subsidiary of the Keisei Electric Rai ...

. Both serve as worldwide recognized icons and the flagship attraction for their respective theme parks. Along with

Sleeping Beauty Castle Sleeping Beauty Castle is a fairy tale castle at the center of Disneyland and formerly at Hong Kong Disneyland. It is based on the late 19th century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany.Imagineers (1998). Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind t ...

, the Castle is an iconic symbol of

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

as a whole.

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (formerly Cinderella's Golden Carrousel) is an authentic carousel ride in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. Similar attractions under varying names can be found at two other Disney parks, including Tokyo Disneyland and

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (abbreviated HKDL; also known as HK Disneyland or Disneyland Hong Kong) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It opened to visitors on Monday, September 12, 2005, at 13:00 H ...

. This 90-horse carousel plays organ-based Disney songs during the two-minute ride period. Hand-painted scenes from Disney's Cinderella can be seen on the ride; hence the name "Prince Charming".

L'Auberge de Cendrillon

L'Auberge de Cendrillon (French for Cinderella's Inn) is a restaurant located in Fantasyland in

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...

, which opened in 1992 with the park. It is themed to the Disney movie Cinderella.

Cinderella Castle Suite

A suite, which can be compared to the size of a master bedroom and bathroom in an average house, exists inside the upper levels of Cinderella Castle.

Cinderella's Royal Table

Cinderella's Royal Table is a restaurant "event" held daily within the Cinderella Castle's upper level at Disney World, Florida. While lunches are sometimes available, the primary meal served is Dinner. Reserved Guests are admitted to a waiting alcove before proceeding to a French-styled eating area with a number of coves, tables, and various Baroque props and chandeliers. Menus are provided for ordering a number of entrees, all of which are typically found in mid to upper level dining restaurants (beef and chicken tend to dominate). During the dinner, the Cinderella characters (usually Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Godmother) will circulate with and briefly chat with the guests, often posing for pictures. Reservations are required, and over the years wait times have ranged from two days to (for dinner) nearly 6 months.

Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall

In Tokyo Disneyland, Cinderella Castle contains a walk-through attraction. At the lobby and corridor, guests will find eight murals showing how Cinderella changed from beloved daughter, to servant girl, and then to Princess. They will also see a diorama of Cinderella magically transformed into wearing a beautiful ball gown, and other artworks made from various materials such as paper, wood and glass. In the Grand Hall guests will find a magnificent chandelier, the renowned glass slipper, a throne, and special paintings that reveal a magical message when photographed using a flash.

Stage musical

''Disney's Cinderella KIDS''

''Disney's Cinderella KIDS'' is a scaled-down stage musical version of the film known as Disney's Cinderella KIDS is frequently performed by schools and children's theaters.

Video games

''Cinderella: Magical Dreams''

''Cinderella: Magical Dreams'' is a video game based on the film of the same name. The game was released September 20, 2005.

''Cinderella's Dollhouse''

''Disney's Cinderella Dollhouse'' is a point-and-click computer game released by Disney Interactive in 2000.

''Cinderella Dollhouse 2''

''Cinderella Dollhouse 2'' is a point-and-click computer game released by Disney Interactive in 2000.

''Cinderella's Castle Designer''

''Cinderella's Castle Designer'' is computer game that allows players to build the castles from 1950's ''Cinderella''.

Disney Princess games

Because Cinderella is a

, there is an overlap between the Cinderella and Princess franchises. '' Disney Princess: Enchanting Storybooks'' is a video game based on the Disney Princess franchise, developed and published by THQ and was released for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS on November 8, 2011. '' Disney Princess Cinderella'' is a 2003 adventure video game developed by Art Co., Ltd for the Game Boy Advance. The game has the princesses completing several levels. '' Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey'' is a 2007 video game released for PlayStation 2, Wii and PC.

''
Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. A collaboration between the two companies, it was conceptualized by Square employees, Japanese gam ...
'' series

Cinderella and Fairy Godmother appear in the first ''

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. A collaboration between the two companies, it was conceptualized by Square employees, Japanese gam ...

'' video game. A world based on the film, Castle of Dreams, appears in ''

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the '' Kingdom Hearts'' series. The game was rele ...

'', in addition to them two also appearing Jaq, Lucifer, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, Drizella and the Grand Duke. Fairy Godmother returns in the ''

Kingdom Hearts III is a 2019 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Nintendo Switch. It is the third main installment in the '' Kingdom Hearts'' series and the twelfth game overall, and ser ...

'' DLC ''Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind'', and in '' Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory''.

''Disney Magic Kingdoms''

Cinderella, Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella appear as playable characters in the video game ''

Disney Magic Kingdoms ''Disney Magic Kingdoms'' is a 2016 city-building game developed and published by Gameloft for iOS, Android, and Windows. It is themed off the Disney Parks. The game was officially launched on March 17, 2016. Gameplay and story The game ta ...

''.

Music

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for ''Cinderella'' was first released by Walt Disney Records on February 4, 1997 and included a bonus demo. On October 4, 2005 Disney released a special edition of the soundtrack album of ''Cinderella'', for the Platinum Edition DVD release, which includes several demo songs cut from the final film, a new song, and a cover version of "

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is a song written and composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston for the Walt Disney film ''Cinderella'' (1950). In the song, Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods) encourages her animal friends neve ...

Other

The franchise's titular protagonist,

, is part of the characters in the ''

'' franchise.

References

{{Cinderella Mass media franchises introduced in 1950 Musical film series Romance film series American romantic musical films Walt Disney Studios (division) franchises Fantasy film franchises Films based on Cinderella