Cinderella (1950)

Directed by Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske & Clyde Geronimi. Starring (voices) Ilene Woods, Jimmy Macdonald, Luis van Rooten, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, William Edward Phipps, Lucille Bliss, Rhoda Williams. [G]

Delightful Disney re-telling of the centuries-old fairy tale of a put-upon pureheart whose dreams of attending a royal ball and falling in love come true after a visit from her Fairy Godmother. The simplistic plot is padded out with lots of animal hijinks involving a pair of talking mice called Jaq and Gus and a mean cat named Lucifer(!), not to mention a hearty helping of blustery bickering/slapstick between the local king and duke, but it’s good fun for kids and adults alike. Although one-dimensional as presented, Cinderella’s humility and patience and grace make her a worthy role model for small fries; her abusive stepmother is a classic villain, sinister yet guarded; her Prince Charming is exactly that and no more. Cute scenes of animals sewing a dress mingle with magical ones of a pumpkin transforming into a fancy coach for a joyful experience. Songs include the inspiring “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” the woozy “So This Is Love”, and the bouncy “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”. Big Band vocalist Mike Douglas provides the prince’s singing voice; June Foray is responsible for Lucifer’s cat noises. The “happily ever after” fantasy received unwarranted direct-to-video sequels in the 2000s, and a live-action remake in 2015 helped kick off that undesirable trend.

82/100