Cinderella is a fictional character who appears in
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 ...
' animated
film of the same name released in 1950. Voiced by
Ilene Woods, the character is adapted from the
character from folk tales, primarily the French version written 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 ...
in 1697. For the sequels and subsequent film and television appearances, Woods was replaced by actresses
Jennifer Hale and Tami Tappan, who provide the character's speaking and singing voices, although Hale later assumed the singing role in both ''
Sofia the First
''Sofia the First'' is an American animated fantasy children's television series created and developed by Craig Gerber (creator), Craig Gerber for Disney Television Animation and Disney Jr. The series follows a young peasant girl named Sofia, ...
'' and Disney's centenary short film ''
Once Upon a Studio''.
In the wake of her father's untimely demise, Cinderella is left in the care of her cruel stepmother and jealous stepsisters, who constantly mistreat her, forcing Cinderella to work as a
scullery maid in her own home. When Prince Charming holds a ball, the evil stepmother does not allow her to go. Cinderella, aided by her kind Fairy Godmother and equipped with a beautiful silver gown and a unique pair of glass slippers, attends, only to have to leave at
midnight
Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours.
...
when the Fairy Godmother's spell is broken.
Reception towards Cinderella has been mixed, with some film critics describing the character as much too passive,
one-dimensional, and less interesting than the film's supporting characters. Other critics found her endearing, charming, and timeless. Woods' vocal performance has also been praised. Cinderella has nonetheless become one of the most famous and recognizable princesses in the history of film. She is also the second
Disney Princess. With her iconic glass slippers, silver gown, hairstyle, and transformation, one of the first on-screen makeovers of its kind, the character has been established as a fashion icon, receiving accolades and recognition from ''InStyle'', ''Entertainment Weekly'', ''Glamour'' and ''Oprah.com'', as well as footwear designer and fashion icon
Christian Louboutin, who, in 2012, designed and released a shoe based on Cinderella's glass slippers.
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 ...
played a live-action version of the character in the
2015 live-action adaptation of the original film.
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist ...
portrayed her in the live-action films ''
Descendants: The Rise of Red'' and ''
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland'', with Morgan Dudley playing her teenage self in ''The Rise of Red''.
Development
The Disney version of Cinderella was based on the French version of the tale 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 ...
, ''Cendrillon'' written in 1697 in ''Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé''.
Personality
The script for the original film went through revisions by various writers, sometimes with different interpretations of the character.
Maurice Rapf tried to make her a less passive character than
Snow White
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
, and more rebellious against her stepfamily. Rapf explained, "My thinking was you can't have somebody who comes in and changes everything for you. You can't be delivered it on a platter. You've got to earn it. So in my version, the Fairy Godmother said, 'It's okay till midnight but from then on it's up to you.' I made her earn it, and what she had to do to achieve it was to rebel against her stepmother and stepsisters, to stop being a slave in her own home. So I had a scene where they're ordering her around and she throws the stuff back at them. She revolts, so they lock her up in the attic. I don't think anyone took (my idea) very seriously."
Appearance
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 with other Disney films,
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
hired actress
Helene Stanley to perform the live-action reference for Cinderella and the artists drew animated frames based on the movements of the actress.
This technique was also used for the characters of
Princess Aurora (
Mary Costa) in ''
Sleeping Beauty
"Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...
'' and Anita Radcliff (
Lisa Davis) in ''
101 Dalmatians''.
Inspiration for Cinderella’s facial features were said to have been inspired by
Grace Kelly and
Ingrid Bergman.
According to Christopher Finch, author of ''The Art of Walt Disney'':
Voice

In the original 1950 film, Cinderella is voiced by American singer and actress
Ilene Woods. In 1948, Woods was a young eighteen-year-old singer working as a radio personality at the time and hosting her own
eponymous
An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
radio program
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio netw ...
''The Ilene Woods Show''.
While working at
ABC Radio, Woods would regularly be visited and approached by various songwriters who wanted the singer to perform their compositions, which is ultimately how she met and befriended ''Cinderella ''songwriters
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 ...
and
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 ...
. Ultimately, David and Livingston "would play ... an important role in Woods's career."
At the behest of David and Livingston, casually described as "a favor", Woods agreed to record a series of demos of three songs that the songwriters had recently written for the studio's then-upcoming animated film ''Cinderella''. Woods'' ''recorded the songs "
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", "So This Is Love", and "
A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", which the songwriters then submitted to Disney himself. Upon reviewing and listening to the tracks, Disney, impressed, decided to contact Woods personally. Two days afterward, Woods received a telephone call from Disney, with whom she immediately scheduled an interview. Woods recalled in an interview with the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', "We met and talked for a while, and he said, 'How would you like to be Cinderella?'", to which she agreed.
International voices
Cinderella was originally dubbed into eight other languages aside from English upon its release in 1950. In later years, more countries would dub the film and its sequels, and several dubs were replaced or redubbed.
Characteristics
Cinderella is a young woman with medium-length strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion. After her father dies, she is forced into servitude in her own home and is tormented by her evil stepmother,
Lady Tremaine, and two stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella. Lady Tremaine's hatred stems from the fact that Cinderella is more beautiful than her own daughters. Despite this, she maintains hope through her dreams and remains a kind, gentle and sweet person. She has faith that someday her dreams of happiness will come true and her kindness will be repaid. Cinderella is shown to have a down-to-earth attitude, but she is also a daydreamer. For example, in "Sing Sweet Nightingale", she becomes distracted with the bubbles, allowing Lucifer to smudge the floor she was cleaning. Also, after hearing that the Grand Duke is traveling the kingdom with the missing slipper, she dreamily dances back to the attic humming the song she heard at the ball. She is also shown to have a sarcastic side and a sharp wit.
With the help of her animal friends, she fixes up an old party dress of her mother's so she can attend a royal ball. However, when her evil stepsisters brutally tear the dress apart, she is heartbroken and fears that her dreams will never come true until her
Fairy Godmother appears, restoring Cinderella's hope by transforming her torn homemade dress into her now-iconic sparkling, silver
gown with a glittering crystalline puffy bustle, a delicate laced white
petticoat
A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries.
According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British E ...
, and puffy cap sleeves. Her hair is worn up in a
French twist supported by a silver headband with diamond earrings, a black choker, silver
opera gloves and glass slippers.
Her look was probably inspired by 1950s French haute couture, while her torn dress is clearly inspired by Salvador Dalì and Elsa Schiaparelli's Tear dress.
As a servant, she wears her hair down in a ponytail, held in place with a light blue ribbon, a white scarf, and wears a brown dress with light blue sleeves, a white apron, and black flats.
Appearances
''Cinderella''

At the start of the film, the titular character Cinderella is working as a scullery maid in her own home for her stepfamily. She is close friends with the animals around the home; specifically, the birds, the mice who also live in the
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
, including
Gus and Jaq, her pet dog Bruno and her father's horse Major.
She prepares breakfast for the animals and for her stepfamily before beginning her regular chores. When the invitation for the ball arrives, Cinderella wants to attend. Her stepmother tells her she may only go if she finishes her chores and find something suitable to wear. Cinderella decides to wear her deceased mother's old party dress and hopes to fix it to make it more modern, but before she can do so, her stepfamily calls her downstairs to do constant chores to prevent her from attending the ball. Meanwhile, the mice and birds decide to surprise Cinderella by fixing the dress themselves. When they see Cinderella's stepsisters throwing down their old sash and beads, Jaq and Gus quietly retrieve them. Using the discarded items, the animals successfully fix the dress. By the time a carriage arrives to take the family to the ball that night, Cinderella has finished all her work but is despondent over having no time to fix the dress for the ball. She is overjoyed when her friends present her with the fixed dress. Cinderella hurries downstairs to join her stepfamily to go to the ball, but her stepsisters recognize their discarded items and accuse her of stealing their sash and beads. They tear the dress to shreds, leaving Cinderella behind, and she runs out to the garden, crying.
As she sobs over a stone bench, her
Fairy Godmother appears to make her dreams come true and bestows her a beautiful silver gown and glass slippers. 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 prevent the spell from breaking at the ball, which could cause her to get caught by her stepmfamily. In her haste, she loses one of her glass slippers on the staircase but fails to retrieve it in time. Cinderella hurries into her coach as it prepares to leave. Soon, the spell breaks and Cinderella's dress reverts to its ruined state. Reminiscing her dance with the prince, Cinderella thanks her godmother for her help.
The next day, the prince announces he will marry the maiden 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 refuses to let her have the opportunity to try on the slipper, but her animal friends help her escape. She hurries downstairs to try on the glass slipper. Knowing the slipper will fit her, Lady Tremaine intentionally causes the footman to trip and shatter the slipper. However, Cinderella reveals that she has kept the other slipper. She tries it on, and it fits perfectly. She and the Prince are married soon after.
''Cinderella II: Dreams Come True''
Gus and Jaq, with help of the other mice, and 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 the second story, "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. And in the third story, "An Uncommon Romance", Cinderella helps her younger stepsister
Anastasia
Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe.
Origin
The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...
reconcile with the baker, even though her stepmother Lady Tremaine has forbidden it. Near the end of the film, she reads the book that the mice made for her.
''Cinderella III: A Twist in Time''
In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Cinderella's hard-working ethics, optimism, and devotion are put to the test, when she is magically stripped away from her "happily ever after" by a vengeful and then magically-empowered Tremaine and is forced to jump into physical action to restore her happy life and relationship with Prince Charming. During these events, Cinderella is shown to be cunning, tactical, persistent, and a fierce rival to those who oppress her. With no magic, being forced to rely solely on her intelligence and fearlessness, Cinderella is able to defeat her stepmother, repair her relationship with a reformed Anastasia and retain her much-deserved life of happiness, proving both her independence and strong will.
2015 film
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 ...
portrays the character, named Ella, in Disney's 2015 live-action version of ''
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 ...
''. Like in the original film, her father remarries after the death of her mother but after he dies as well, she then becomes the horribly mistreated servant of her stepmother Lady Tremaine and her two stepsisters, Anastasia and Drisella. They give her the nickname "Cinderella" when, one morning, she wakes up with soot on her face after sleeping near the fireplace the previous night. Unlike the original film, however, she meets the Prince (named Kit) before the ball while out in the forest. She is also shown to be more assertive when she actually stands up to her stepmother in the film's final act; Lady Tremaine attempts to blackmail Ella by only agreeing to let her try on the glass slipper if Ella will make her head of the royal household and provide suitable husbands for her stepsisters, but Ella rejects this idea, refusing to give Lady Tremaine power over Kit after the way she ruined Ella's life.
In other media

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
Cinderella Castle is a fairy tale castle at the center of two Disney Experiences, Disney theme parks: the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Based on Cinderella (Disney character), Cinderella's f ...
is an attraction at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, 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 Wa ...
's
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 ...
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. Both serve as globally recognized icons for their respective theme parks. Cinderella and the other Disney Princesses have a meet and greet attraction called ''Princess Fairytale Hall'' at the Magic Kingdom.
In the season six episodes of the sitcom series ''
Full House
''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about the recently widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend ...
'' known as ''The House Meets The Mouse Parts 1 & 2'', Cinderella makes cameo appearances in both Parts 1 & 2.
Cinderella is also voiced by the American voice-actress
Patricia Parris in Disney's read-along version of ''
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 ...
'', and Susan Stevens Logan, who provided the studio singing voice of Cinderella, also voiced her in various Disney albums and projects.
Kate Higgins,
Jennifer Paz, and Juliana Hansen for ''
The Legacy Collection: Cinderella''.
Cinderella appeared as a recurring guest character in ''
House of Mouse
''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001 ...
'', and has minor appearances its films ''
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse'' and ''
Mickey's House of Villains''.
Cinderella also appears in various Disney books published by
Random House
Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
.
Jessy Schram played a version of the character in the television series ''
Once Upon a Time'' and its spin-off ''
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'', taking elements of the Disney version of the character.
Dania Ramirez portrays
another version of the character in season 7 as a main character with a different storyline.
Cinderella appears in the ''
Sofia the First
''Sofia the First'' is an American animated fantasy children's television series created and developed by Craig Gerber (creator), Craig Gerber for Disney Television Animation and Disney Jr. The series follows a young peasant girl named Sofia, ...
'' pilot movie ''
Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess'', where she helps Sofia make friends with Amber, her stepsister.
In the television series ''
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
'', Cinderella appears in the episode "
Le Croissant de Triomphe", where while Mickey hurries and flies through Paris, he accidentally lands in
a castle where
Prince Charming tries to fit the crystal slipper into Cinderella's foot. She was still dressed in her regular maid clothes. At that time, Mickey accidentally passes in his motorcycle and breaks the glass slipper.
Cinderella, alongside other Disney Princesses, appeared in the film ''
Ralph Breaks the Internet'', as was announced at the 2017 D23 Expo.
In the ''
Descendants'' franchise, Cinderella and Prince Charming have a son named Chad, who appears in the first three films of the franchise, and a daughter named Chloe, who appears in the fourth and fifth films. Cinderella has cameo appearances in the
first film during Prince Ben's coronation, and in ''
Descendants 2'' during the Cotillion, in both cases portrayed by uncredited actresses. She later appears in a major role in the fourth film, ''
Descendants: The Rise of Red'', being portrayed by
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist ...
(who previously also portrayed a version of Cinderella in the 1997 television film ''
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella''), while Morgan Dudley plays a young "Ella". Norwood reprises the role in the fifth film, ''
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland''.
Cinderella appears in the short film ''
Once Upon a Studio''. She comes down the stairs with Prince Charming when he loses his shoe on the stairs and Prince Eric's dog grabs the shoe. She and charming chase after it and they are both seen in the group photo.
Video games
In the ''
Kingdom Hearts'' series, Cinderella is depicted as a
Princess of Heart, a group of maidens who possess no darkness in their hearts and can open the door to Kingdom Hearts, the source of all hearts. In ''
Kingdom Hearts'' (2002), Cinderella is captured by
Maleficent, who destroyed her home world, the Castle of Dreams.
Sora rescues Cinderella, as well as the other Princesses, and she returns home. Cinderella also appears in the prequel ''
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' (2010), where she meets
Ventus,
Aqua, and
Terra.
Cinderella appears in the
Nintendo 3DS game ''
Disney Magical World''. Cinderella's world is one of the four Disney movie worlds accessible to the player in this game, and many characters and items related to the movie appear. Additionally, the player has the option of attending balls at Cinderella's castle. Cinderella also appears in ''
Disney Magical World 2'', though she now hosts balls at the Magic Castle.
Cinderella is a playable character in the
world builder 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 ...
''.
She also appears in ''
Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure'', ''
Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey'', ''
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures'', ''
Cookie Run: Kingdom'', ''Disney's Princess Fashion Boutique'', ''Disney Princess: Cinderella's Castle Designer'', ''Disney Dreamlight Valley'', and ''
Disney Mirrorverse''.
Reception and legacy
Critical response
Although the film has garnered critical acclaim,
Cinderella herself has attracted mostly mixed reviews in modern times. ''
Variety'' disliked the character, describing her as "colorless."
Calling her an "oppressed drudge," ''
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' panned Cinderella, describing both her and Prince Charming as "bland and colourless characters - particularly when compared to
Beauty
Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...
and her
Beast." ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
'
Bosley Crowther similarly wrote, "The beautiful Cinderella has a
voluptuous face and form—not to mention an eager disposition—to compare with
Al Capp
Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (w ...
's
Daisy Mae." However, criticizing her role and personality, Bosely opined, "As a consequence, the situation in which they are mutually involved have the constraint and immobility of panel-expressed episodes. When Mr. Disney tries to make them behave like human beings, they're banal."
Film4 negatively described Cinderella as "
one-dimensional." Criticizing her design,
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' wrote, "If there is an obvious difference between ''Cinderella'' and such predecessors as ''
Pinocchio
Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...
'' and ''
Snow White
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
'', it's in the general smoothing-out of the character's appearances," concluding, "
Snow White
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
herself looked fairly bland, but the other characters in the first decade of Disney animation had a lot of personality in their faces. They were allowed to look odd. ''Cinderella'' seems to come right out of its time, the bland postwar 1950s," likening the character's flawless design to that of a "Draw Me girl." Concerned about the negative effects Cinderella's passivity could possibly induce upon children, Nell Minow of
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. expressed, "Cinderella is the quintessential passive heroine rescued by a male character ... so discussions about her meekness might be in order."
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...
's Laurie Boeder simply described Cinderella as "blah." Desi Jedeikin of
Smosh included the character in the website's "8 Fictional Characters That Are Horrible Role Models For Girls" list, explaining, "I'm like so happy that Cinderella found true love with a rich stranger who rescued her from her horrible life. But wouldn't it have been better if she did it for herself?" Additionally, critics have also expressed favoritism towards ''Cinderella''
's
supporting cast of
animal characters, particularly the comic interaction and dynamic between her pet mice
Jaq and Gus and her stepfamily's pet cat
Lucifer
The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology.
He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
, often preferring them to Cinderella herself while noting ways in which the heroine is constantly being "upstaged."
Among Cinderella's positive reviews, Michael Scheinfeld of ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' drew similarities between the character and
Belle from ''
Beauty and the Beast
"Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales'').
Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
'' (1991), writing, ''
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 ...
'' holds up better because the heroine seems timeless in her courage and resourcefulness, a closer cousin to Belle in Disney's ''Beauty and the Beast'' than to other fairy tale protagonists." Hailing Cinderella as "the most famous and beloved princess of all time,"
HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks is an American commercial infotainment website founded by professor and author Marshall Brain, to provide its target audience an insight into the way many things work. The site uses various media to explain complex concepts, term ...
' Vicki Arkoff defended the character, writing, "highly sympathetic Cinderella is endlessly kind, patient, hard-working, and unassuming -- no matter how cruelly she is treated by her exaggerated, cartoonish foes." Arkoff elaborated, "Unlike Disney's passive, naive Snow White, Disney's Cinderella is a princess who decides to take charge and change her life for the better, rather than just wait for things to happen that might solve her problem."
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
' general consensus reads that, in addition to "The rich colors, sweet songs, adorable mice," the "endearing (if suffering) heroine make
''Cinderella'' a nostalgically lovely charmer."
Jennifer Lee, Disney's chief creative officer, said in 2023 that the character helped her in times being bullied in middle school recalling, “I had a very, very difficult three years, and I would come home and put ''Cinderella'' on when I would do homework, because to me, it seemed like she was so mistreated and she held on to herself” while also adding, "For anyone who’s gone through that, it’s hard. You believe the noise, and she never did."
Woods herself has collected widespread acclaim for her performance. ''Variety'' wrote, "Ilene Woods, as Cinderella’s voice, uses a sweet
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
."
Craig Butler of
AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was ...
opined, "
Ilene Woods makes a marvelous Cinderella, her voice a combination of girlishness and sophistication; she also possesses a serenity and assurance which makes one feel she is more in control of her life than might be guessed by her surroundings."
At the time of Woods' death, animation critic and historian Charles Solomon told the ''Los Angeles Times'', "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."
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 ...
' portrayal as Cinderella in the
live-action film adaptation was generally well-received by critics.
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern (born October 3, 1932) is an American writer and retired film critic. He wrote for ''Newsweek'' from 1965 to 1983, and then for ''The Wall Street Journal'' from 1995 to 2022. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005. Morge ...
of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' commended James for her performance. ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' Betsy Sharkey wrote that James makes the character "seem as if the sweet and spirited young maiden is infused with an inner glow."
Richard Corliss of ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' said that James created a version of the character that is "both classic and modern." Lawrence Toppman of ''
The Charlotte Observer'' wrote that James played the character, "with the right mixture of composure and pluck." ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''s David Rooney wrote that James brought "unaffected sweetness" to the role and also had "lovely chemistry" with her co-star
Richard Madden, who played the Prince.
Accolades
Cinderella has since become one of the most famous, recognizable and popular princesses, both fictional and non-fictional, of all-time. According to the ''
San Antonio Express-News
The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1865. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the sta ...
'', Cinderella is one of the ten most famous princesses of all-time. In 2013, ''
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan ...
'' ranked the character the ninth greatest Disney Princess.
In 2003 Woods received a
Disney Legends
Disney Legends is a Hall of Fame award that is awarded by The Walt Disney Company to individuals who "ave
is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
made a significant impact on the Disney legacy." The honor was established in 1987, and was traditionally awarded annually during a spe ...
award for her role as the voice of Cinderella. In 2010, she died at the age of 81 of
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. In an interview with ''
Starlog
''Starlog'' was an American monthly science fiction magazine that was created in 1976 and focused primarily on ''Star Trek'' at its inception. Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs were its creators and it was published by Starlog Group, Inc. in Aug ...
'' in 2006 Woods said, "I love the idea that after I’m gone, children will still be hearing my voice
s Cinderella” In 2013,
Film School Rejects recognized Woods as one of "7 No-Name Actors Who Had Iconic Roles", ranking the actress first and writing, "Woods ... really set the bar high, as she managed to audition for the part of Cinderella without even realize she had done it."
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 ...
' performance as Cinderella in the
2015 live-action film earned her nominations for the
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Sci-Fi/Fantasy and the award for "Favorite Movie Actress" at the
2016 Kids' Choice Awards. She also won the 2015 Breakthrough Award at the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards.
Cultural impact
Culturally, Cinderella has had a profound influence on the
fashion industry
Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
. According to Sarah Osman of
Young Hollywood, "Cinderella’s gown in this film is so iconic that it's become canon that Cinderella wears a light blue dress to the ball." To coincide with the release of the diamond edition of ''Cinderella'' in 2012, French footwear designer
Christian Louboutin created and designed a contemporary rendition of the character's iconic glass slipper. In an interview with ''The Express Tribune'', Louboutin said that Cinderella is "not only an iconic character when it comes to beauty, grace and fairytale love, but also shoes." The shoes are described as "made of delicate lace
nstead of glassto give them a look of transparency, and adorned with butterfly designs at the vamp and atop the Swarovski-crystal covered heel," completed by Louboutin’s signature red soles. Only twenty copies of the shoes were manufactured. In 2014, ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked Cinderella tenth in its article "Disney Princesses: Ranking Their Hairdos -- and Don'ts!", writing, "The lowly maid's typically rage-inducing bangs somehow develop an almost stately character once the rest of her follicular baggage has been swept into an updo closely resembling a perky butt."
At the
86th Academy Awards
The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2013 in film, films of 2013 and took place on March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5: ...
in 2014, Kenyan actress and
Best Supporting Actress recipient
Lupita Nyong'o donned "a light blue
Prada gown." Subsequently, the media responded by drawing similarities between Nyong'o's dress and Cinderella's
ballgown
A ball gown, ballgown or gown is a type of evening gown worn to a ball or a formal event. Most versions are cut off the shoulder with a low décolletage, exposed arms, and long bouffant styled skirts. Such gowns are typically worn with opera- ...
. ''Cosmopolitan'' wrote that Nyong'o "took a cue from Disney with a blue iridescent gown and matching headband ''
a la'' Cinderella," while the ''
Daily News'' similarly opined "channeled another Disney princess for her Oscars gown." Acknowledging the comparisons, Nyong'o's stylist Micaela Erlanger described the actress' appearance as "Lupita + Cinderella=Lupitarella." Additionally, several critics have deemed Nyong'o's success a "Cinderella story." According to
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
, several other Academy Award attendants wore similar outfits that were reminiscent of Disney characters in addition to Nyong'o.
Under current US copyright law, Disney's version of Cinderella is due to enter the US public domain in 2045. However, this will only apply to her appearance and characters that were in the 1950 film. Later versions of her appearance may persist under copyright until the works they were introduced in enter the US public domain themselves.
Makeover sequence
The iconic "
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"
musical sequence in which Cinderella's Fairy Godmother magically transforms the character's tattered rags into a beautiful ball gown has garnered widespread critical acclaim, receiving positive reviews, accolades and recognition from several entertainment critics. AllMovie described the sequence as "splendidly done,"
while HitFix deemed it the film's best moment. According to
Disney.com
disney.com is a website operated by Disney Digital Network, a division of The Walt Disney Company, that promotes various Disney properties such as films, television shows, and theme park resorts, and offers entertainment content intended for ch ...
, the transformation of Cinderella's dress into a ballgown remains a common favorite and "one of the most iconic pieces of Disney animation because of what it means for the titular character." StyleCaster wrote that the scene is responsible for introducing the common "movie makeover," writing, "Ever since Cinderella ditched those rags and threw on a ball gown and a pair of glass slippers, movie audiences have fallen for the beloved transformation storyline." Featuring Cinderella in its list of "13 movie makeovers that still totally rock our socks off", ''
Glamour'' summarized the scene's role in the film as "The movie makeover that sees a merry band of rodents help Cindera
'sic''la to make the perfect dress, eventually go to the ball and ultimately win the heart of a prince."
Oprah.com also included Cinderella in its "Favorite Movie Makeovers" list, accrediting the film and Disney with "first introducing us to the head-to-toe makeover," concluding, " Unrealistic expectations are born."
Likewise, both the sequence and Cinderella's magical transformation have been featured on several "best movie makeover"
countdown lists. On ''
Stylist''
's list of the "50 Best Movie Makeovers", Cinderella placed first, with the magazine labeling her the "Recipient of the original makeover." Additionally, ''Stylist'' coined the list's other candidates "Cinematic Cinderellas," alluding to the character's legacy. ''
InStyle
''InStyle'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith, and started originally as a brand extension of ''People (magazine), People'' before carving out its own ide ...
'' ranked ''Cinderella'' second on its list of "The Best Movie Makeovers", writing, "Cinderella’s fairy tale transformation is the stuff that many a little girl's real-life makeover dreams are made of." Hailing it as "
hemakeover of makeovers" and "the movie that started it all," ''
The Independent Florida Alligator'' ranked ''Cinderella'' first in its list of "The best of movie makeovers". Style Blazer also ranked ''Cinderella'' second on its list of the "Top 11 Favorite Makeover Movies of All Time", concluding, "Cinderella and her pauper to princess makeover have already gone down in movie history as one of the best transformations." Calling Cinderella the "Original Fairy Godmother ... makeover," ''
Total Beauty'' ranked the character fifth in its article "11 Best Movie Makeovers".
Notes
References
External links
Cinderellaa
Disney Princess
{{Authority control
Animated characters introduced in 1950
Characters created by Walt Disney
Cinderella (franchise)
Cinderella characters
Disney Princess characters
Fictional maids
Fictional French people
Film characters introduced in 1950
Orphan characters in film
Walt Disney Animation Studios characters