CINDERELLA – A Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD Review by John Strange
After World War II, Walt Disney needed a big hit to get the studio back on its financial feet. He decided to go with the fairy tale of Cinderella. Depending upon which of the extras you believe, the process took from 1946 to 1949 to develop and complete. Remember that every motion on the screen was drawn by hand. This meant literally thousands of separate drawings to bring us a 75-minute feature film.
Walt and the key members of the art and production team mapped out each scene step by step giving us a telling of the tale that has clear-cut good and evil characters. First they shot the film in live action to help the animators “see” what was wanted. Some scenes of the final cut of the film followed the live shots and some don’t according to what the animators felt worked.
The film is a wonderful blend of humans and animals interacting in ways only the artists at Walt Disney Studios could do. The story has been a favorite with the whole family from the day it premiered on March 4, 1950.
But the film is only a part of the wonder that the offerings of the Walt Disney Signature Series bring. We have so many wonderful featurettes giving us not only a reenactment of the discussions that are from Walt’s production meeting as the flow of the film was mapped out but a fun bit where Ruth Righi and Ava Kolker from Disney Channel’s Sydney to the Max give us a look at trivia from the film.
This disk has so many great featurettes that I could write a novel-length review as I talk about them. I truly loved them all! I will have to leave most of them for you to watch and enjoy for yourself. My personal favorites are “The Real Fairy Godmother”, “The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story”, and “In Walt’s Words: The Envisioning Of Cinderella”.
It turns out the team patterned the Fairy Godmother was patterned on Mary Alice O’Connor, the wife of Ken O’Connor, one of the film’s layout artists. He didn’t normally create characters but I think he hit this one on the nail-head! This featurette gives a look at Mary Alice and why she was the perfect inspiration!
“The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story” is from a 2012 collaboration between Disney and shoe designer extraordinaire Christian Louboutin to design an exclusive Cinderella slipper. The story is heartwarming and totally Disney in its use of animated characters blended into the live action story.
And finally, my third favorite is part of the Digital HD offering: “In Walt’s Words: The Envisioning Of Cinderella”. This is the equivalent of the director’s track for a live action film. We get to listen to a reenactment from the extensive notes and recordings taken during the production meeting talking about each scene of the film. It gives us reasons and ideas that either made the film what it is today, an American film classic.
On a side note, while there are no visuals, the radio programs from the ’40s and ’50s are very cool to listen to. They are totally different from the radio programs we have today.
It will take you several hours to watch (and listen to) all of the extras for this film. If you are like me, you will love all of them. Even if you already own a copy of the film (we owned a copy on DVD), this is one you need for your collection.
Directed By:
- Wilfred Jackson
- Hamilton Luske
- Clyde Geronimi
Cast:
- Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald, James MacDonald, Luis Van Rooten, Luis Van Rooten, Don Barclay, Claire DuBrey, Helene Stanley
Blu-ray Extras:
- Try This Trivia on for Size – Join Ruth Righi and Ava Kolker from Disney Channel’s Sydney to the Max and put your knowledge of Cinderella to the test.
Classic Bonus Extras:
- Diane Disney Miller Cinderella Film Intro – In this introduction to the animated classic, From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella
- The Cinderella That Almost Was
- The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story
- The Real Fairy Godmother
- Alternate Opening Sequence
- Storyboard To Film Comparison: Opening Sequence
- Cinderella Title Song
- From Walt’s Table: A Tribute To The Nine Old Men
- The Art of Mary Blair
- Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland
- 1922 Laugh-O-Grams: Cinderella
- Excerpt from The Mickey Mouse Club: with Helene Stanley (Original Airdate: January 24, 1956)
- Radio Programs – Original radio shows from the 1940’s/50’s
- Original Cinderella Theatrical Trailers
Digital HD Extras:
- In Walt’s Words: The Envisioning Of Cinderella
- Try This Trivia on for Size – Join Ruth Righi and Ava Kolker from Disney Channel’s Sydney to the Max and put your knowledge of Cinderella to the test.
Classic Bonus Extras:
- Diane Disney Miller Cinderella Film Intro – In this introduction to the animated classic, From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella
- The Real Fairy Godmother – Learn about the real-life inspiration for the Fairy Godmother: Mary Alice O’Connor, wife of Disney layout artist Ken O’Connor.
- Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland
- The Magic of the Glass Slipper – World-famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin creates a very exclusive “Glass Slipper” in honor of a beloved Disney classic.
Specifications:
Runtime:
- 75 Minutes
Studio:
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date:
- Digital HD:
- 06/18/2019
- Blu-ray/DVD:
- 06/25/2019
Region:
- A/1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Website:
MPAA Rating:
- G
Selig Rating:
- BRAND NEW
Selig Rating Scale:
BRAND NEW: Should add to your DVD collection at any cost
SALE ITEM: Worth owning, but try to catch it a sale
SECOND HAND: Plan to get it, but wait to buy it used
RENTAL: Worth taking a look at, but not owning
COASTER: Pick it up at a garage sale and use it for drinks
PULL!: Makes a great Trap Shooting target
