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Cinderella (1950 film)

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Cinderella
File:Cinderella-disney-poster.jpg
Original one-sheet poster
Directed byClyde Geronimi
Hamilton Luske
Wilfred Jackson
Written byKen Anderson
Perce Pearce
Homer Brightman
Winston Hibler
Bill Peet
Erdman Penner
Harry Reeves
Joe Rinaldi
Ted Sears
Produced byWalt Disney
StarringIlene Woods
Eleanor Audley
Verna Felton
Rhoda Williams
James MacDonald
Luis Van Rooten
Don Barclay
Mike Douglas
Lucille Bliss
Narrated byBetty Lou Gerson
Edited byDonald Halliday
Music byPaul J. Smith
Oliver Wallace
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Release date
  • February 15, 1950 (1950-02-15)
Running time
74 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.9 million[2]
Box office$85 million[2]

Cinderella is a 1950 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault. Twelfth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film released on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske and Wilfred Jackson. Songs were written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman. Songs in the film include "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", "So This Is Love", "Sing Sweet Nightingale", "The Work Song", and "Cinderella".

Cast

Production

Made on the cusp between the classic "golden age" Disney animations of the 1930s and 1940s and the less critically acclaimed productions of the 1950s, Cinderella is representative of both eras.

Cinderella was the first full-bodied feature produced by the studio since Bambi in 1942; World War II and low box office returns had forced Walt Disney to produce a series of inexpensive package films such as Make Mine Music and Fun and Fancy Free for the 1940s. Live action reference was used extensively to keep animation costs down. According to Laryn Dowel, one of the directing animators of the film, roughly 90% of the film was done in live action model before animation, using basic sets as references for actors and animators alike.

Both Helene Stanley (Cinderella's live action model) and Ilene Woods (Cinderella's voice actor, selected from 400 other candidates) heavily influenced Cinderella's styling and mannerisms. Stanley was the live-action model for Anastasia Tremaine as well.[3] She would be so again for Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Anita Radcliffe in One Hundred and One Dalmatians.[4] Animators modeled Prince Charming on actor Jeffrey Stone, who also provided some additional voices for the film.[5] Mike Douglas was the Prince's singing voice while William Phipps acted the part.

In earlier drafts of the screenplay, the Prince originally played a larger role and had more character development than what he ultimately received in the final version of the film. In one abandoned opening, the Prince was shown hunting a deer, but at the end of the sequence, it was to be revealed that the Prince and the deer were actually friends playing a game. In an abandoned alternate ending, after the Duke discovered Cinderella's identity, she was shown being brought to the castle to be reintroduced to the Prince, who is surprised to learn that Cinderella was actually a modest servant girl instead of the princess he thought she was, but the Prince's feelings for her were too strong to be bothered by this and he embraced her; the Fairy Godmother was to reappear and restore Cinderella's ball gown for the closing shot. Walt Disney himself reportedly cut the alternate ending because he felt it was overlong and did not give the audience its "pay off", but the scene would later be incorporated in the video game, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.

Other deleted material included an abandoned song that was tentatively titled the "Cinderella Work Song", which was part of a fantasy sequence that was set to take place after Lady Tremaine told Cinderella that she could only attend the ball if she finished her chores and found a suitable dress. In this abandoned sequence, Cinderella imagined herself multiplying into an army of maids in order to deal with her massive workload, all the while pondering what the ball itself would be like; the sequence was cut, but the title was applied to the song the mice sing when they work on Cinderella's dress. Additionally, there was a scene that took place after the ball in which Cinderella was seen returning to her home and eavesdropped on her step family, who were ranting about the mystery girl at the ball, and Cinderella was shown to be amused by this because they were talking about her without realizing it. Walt Disney reportedly cut the scene because he thought it made Cinderella look "spiteful" and felt the audience would lose sympathy for her.

For the first time, Walt turned to Tin Pan Alley song writers to write the songs. The music of Tin Pan Alley would later become a recurring theme in Disney animation. Cinderella was the first Disney film to have its songs published and copyrighted by the newly created Walt Disney Music Company. Before movie soundtracks became marketable, movie songs had little residual value to the film studio that owned them and were often sold off to established music companies for sheet music publication.

"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" became a hit single four times, with notable versions by Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters. Woods beat exactly 309 girls for the part of Cinderella, after some demo recordings of her singing a few of the film's songs were presented to Walt Disney. However, she had no idea she was auditioning for the part until Disney contacted her; she initially made the recordings for a few friends who sent them to Disney without her knowledge. Reportedly, Disney thought Woods had the right "fairy tale" tone to her voice.

Interestingly, almost 30 years before he made "Cinderella" into a feature-length animated film, Walt Disney already made a short film of it as the last of the Laugh-O-Gram series, as a Roaring 20's version. This short is included as an extra on the Cinderella Platinum Edition DVD.

During production, Walt Disney pioneered the use of double tracked vocals for the song "Sing Sweet Nightingale", before it had been used by artists in studio recordings such as The Beatles. When Ilene Woods had completed the days recording of "Sing Sweet Nightingale", Walt listened and asked her if she could sing harmony with herself. She was apprehensive about the idea as it was unheard of; though she ended up singing the double recording, including second and third part harmonies. Ilene Woods reveals the innovation in an interview.[6]

Music

  • "Cinderella" - The Jud Conlon Chorus, Marni Nixon
  • "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" - Cinderella
  • "Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale" - Drizella, Cinderella
  • "The Work Song" - The Mice
  • "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" - The Fairy Godmother
  • "So This Is Love" - Cinderella, Prince Charming
  • "So This Is Love (reprise)" - Cinderella
  • "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (reprise)" - The Jud Conlon Chorus

On Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic, this includes "The Work Song" and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" on the first disc, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" and "So This Is Love" on the second, and "Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale" on the fourth. On Disney's Greatest Hits, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" is included on the first volume and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" on the second.

Soundtrack

Untitled

The soundtrack for Cinderella was first released by Walt Disney Records on February 4, 1997 and included a bonus demo.[7] 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 song cut from the final film, a new song, and a cover of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes".[8] The soundtrack was released again on October 2, 2012 and consisted of several lost chords and new recordings of them.[9] It was released a third time in 2012 in a limited edition "Music Box Set" consisting of the soundtrack without the lost chords or bonus demos, the Song and Story: Cinderella CD and a bonus DVD of Tangled Ever After.[10]

All tracks are written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman

No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Cinderella (Main Title)"The Jud Conlon Chorus; Marni Nixon2:52
2."A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"Ilene Woods4:34
3."A Visitor/Caught in a Trap/Lucifer/Feed the Chickens/Breakfast is Served/Time on Our Hands"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:11
4."The King's Plan"Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace1:22
5."The Music Lesson/Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale/Bad Boy Lucifer/A Message from His Majesty"Rhoda Williams; Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace2:07
6."Little Dressmakers/The Work Song/Scavenger Hunt/A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes/The Dress/My Beads/Escape to the Garden"James MacDonald; Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith9:24
7."Where Did I Put That Thing/Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"Verna Felton; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace4:48
8."Reception at the Palace/So This Is Love"Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Mike Douglas; Oliver Wallace5:45
9."The Stroke of Midnight/Thank You Fairy Godmother"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:05
10."Locked in the Tower/Gus and Jaq to the Rescue/Slipper Fittings/Cinderella's Slipper/Finale"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith7:42
11."I'm In The Middle Of A Muddle" (Demo Recording)  

All tracks are written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman, except track 12 written and composed by Larry Morey, Charles Wolcott and track 13 written and composed by Jim Brickman, Jack Kugell, Jamie Jones

2005 Special Edition
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Cinderella (Main Title)"The Jud Conlon Chorus; Marni Nixon2:52
2."A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"Ilene Woods4:34
3."A Visitor/Caught in a Trap/Lucifer/Feed the Chickens/Breakfast is Served/Time on Our Hands"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:11
4."The King's Plan"Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace1:22
5."The Music Lesson/Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale/Bad Boy Lucifer/A Message from His Majesty"Rhoda Williams; Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace2:07
6."Little Dressmakers/The Work Song/Scavenger Hunt/A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes/The Dress/My Beads/Escape to the Garden"James MacDonald; Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith9:24
7."Where Did I Put That Thing/Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"Verna Felton; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace4:48
8."Reception at the Palace/So This Is Love"Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Mike Douglas; Oliver Wallace5:45
9."The Stroke of Midnight/Thank You Fairy Godmother"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:05
10."Locked in the Tower/Gus and Jaq to the Rescue/Slipper Fittings/Cinderella's Slipper/Finale"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith7:42
11."I'm in the Middle of a Muddle (Demo Recording)" 1:55
12."Dancing on a Cloud (Demo Recording)"Ilene Woods; Mike Douglas3:49
13."Beautiful"Jim Brickman; Wayne Brady3:43
14."A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"Kimberly Locke4:41
Total length:56:58

All tracks are written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman

2012 Collector's Edition
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Main Title/Cinderella"The Jud Conlon Chorus; Marni Nixon2:52
2."A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"Ilene Woods4:34
3."A Visitor/Caught in a Trap/Lucifer/Feed the Chickens/Breakfast is Served/Time on Our Hands"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:11
4."The King's Plan"Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace1:22
5."The Music Lesson/Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale/Bad Boy Lucifer/A Message from His Majesty"Rhoda Williams; Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace2:07
6."Little Dressmakers/The Work Song/Scavenger Hunt/A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes/The Dress/My Beads/Escape to the Garden"James MacDonald; Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith9:24
7."Where Did I Put That Thing/Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"Verna Felton; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace4:48
8."Reception at the Palace/So This Is Love"Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Mike Douglas; Oliver Wallace5:45
9."The Stroke of Midnight/Thank You Fairy Godmother"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:05
10."Locked in the Tower/Gus and Jaq to the Rescue/Slipper Fittings/Cinderella's Slipper/Finale0"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith7:42
11."I'm In The Middle of a Muddle" (Lost Chords) (Demo)  
12."I'm In The Middle of a Muddle" (Lost Chords) (New Recording)  
13."I Lost My Heart At the Ball" (Lost Chords) (Demo)  
14."I Lost My Heart At the Ball"  
15."The Mouse Song" (Lost Chords) (Demo)  
16."The Mouse Song" (Lost Chords) (New Recording)  
17."Sing a Little, Dream A Little" (Lost Chords) (Demo)  
18."Sing a Little, Dream A Little" (Lost Chords) (New Recording)  
19."Dancing On A Cloud" (Lost Chords) (Demo)  
20."Dancing On A Cloud" (Lost Chords) (New Recording)  
21."The Dress My Mother Wore" (Lost Chords) (Demo)  
22."The Dress My Mother Wore" (Lost Chords) (New Recording)  
23."The Face That I See In the Night" (Lost Chords) (Demo)  
24."The Face That I See In the Night" (Lost Chords) (New Recording)  

All tracks are written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman

2012 Limited Edition Music Box Set
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Main Title/Cinderella"The Jud Conlon Chorus; Marni Nixon2:52
2."A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"Ilene Woods4:34
3."A Visitor/Caught in a Trap/Lucifer/Feed the Chickens/Breakfast is Served/Time on Our Hands"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:11
4."The King's Plan"Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace1:22
5."The Music Lesson/Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale/Bad Boy Lucifer/A Message from His Majesty"Rhoda Williams; Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace2:07
6."Little Dressmakers/The Work Song/Scavenger Hunt/A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes/The Dress/My Beads/Escape to the Garden"James MacDonald; Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith9:24
7."Where Did I Put That Thing/Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"Verna Felton; Paul J. Smith; Oliver Wallace4:48
8."Reception at the Palace/So This Is Love"Ilene Woods; Paul J. Smith; Mike Douglas; Oliver Wallace5:45
9."The Stroke of Midnight/Thank You Fairy Godmother"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith2:05
10."Locked in the Tower/Gus and Jaq to the Rescue/Slipper Fittings/Cinderella's Slipper/Finale"Oliver Wallace; Paul J. Smith7:42

Release

The film was originally released in theaters on February 15, 1950, followed by theatrical re-releases in 1957, 1965, 1973, 1981, and 1987.[11] Cinderella also played a limited engagement in select Cinemark Theatres from February 16-18, 2013.[12]

Home media

It was released on VHS video and laserdisc in 1988 as part of the Walt Disney Classics collection. The release had a promotion with a free lithograph reproduction for those who pre-ordered the video before its release date. In 1995, the film received a Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection video issue. Disney then restored and remastered the movie for its October 4, 2005 release as the sixth installment of the Walt Disney Platinum Editions series. According to Studio Briefing, Disney sold 3.2 million copies in its first week and earned over $64 million in sales.[13] The Platinum Edition DVD of the original movie along with its sequels went on moratorium on January 31, 2008. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a "Royal Edition" of Cinderella was released on DVD on April 4, 2011. This release had a unique limited edition number on every slip case and an exclusive art card.[14] Disney released a Diamond Edition in October 2, 2012 in a 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo, a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo and in a 6-disc "Jewelry Box Set" that includes the first film alongside its two sequels. A 1-disc DVD edition was released on November 20, 2012.[15]

Reception

Cinderella currently has a score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The overview of the film is, 'The rich colors, sweet songs, adorable mice and endearing (if suffering) heroine make Cinderella a nostalgically lovely charmer'.

The profits from the film's release, with the additional profits from record sales, music publishing, publications and other merchandise gave Disney the cash flow to finance a slate of productions (animated and live action), establish his own distribution company, enter television production and begin building Disneyland during the decade.

Disney had not had a huge hit since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The production of this film was regarded as a major gamble on his part. At a cost of nearly $3 million, Disney insiders claimed that if Cinderella failed at the box office, then the Disney studio would have closed (given that the studio was already heavily in debt).[16] The film was a huge box office success and allowed Disney to carry on producing films throughout the 1950s.[17] It was the 5th most popular movie at the British box office in 1951.[18]

Awards

The film received three Academy Award nominations for Best Sound (C. O. Slyfield), Original Music Score and Best Song for "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo".[19] At the 1st Berlin International Film Festival it won the Golden Bear (Music Film) award and the Big Bronze Plate award.[20]

In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "10 Top 10"— the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Cinderella was acknowledged as the 9th greatest film in the animation genre.[21][22]

American Film Institute recognition:

Sequels and other media

References

  1. ^ "CINDERELLA (U)". British Board of Film Classification. 1950-03-09. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  2. ^ a b "Box Office Information for Cinderella.". The Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  3. ^ AFI's 10 Top 10 Cinderella Retrieved February 2, 2013
  4. ^ "Cinderella Character History". Disney Archives.
  5. ^ "Jeffrey Stone, 85, was model for Prince Charming". Big Cartoon Forum. 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  6. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Prjci0Hu4
  7. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Original-Disney-Records-Soundtrack/dp/B000001M2M/
  8. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disneys-Cinderella-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B000AYYUGG/
  9. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Various-Artists/dp/tracks/B008XNPMP4/
  10. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Cinderella-Music-LIMITED-Tangled/dp/B009M64C1Q/
  11. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042332/
  12. ^ Cinemark Announces the Return of Favorite Disney Classic Animated Movies to the Big Screen
  13. ^ "Hand-Drawn Cinderella a Huge Hit Again". October 12, 2005. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  14. ^ "Cinderella: Royal Edition - The official DVD website". Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  15. ^ Katz, Josh. "Cinderella: Diamond Edition Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  16. ^ "Cinderella". The Walt Disney Family Museum. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  17. ^ Gabler, Neal (2006). Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. New York: Random House. pp. 476–478. ISBN 978-0-679-75747-4.
  18. ^ "Vivien Leigh Actress Of The Year". Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1885 - 1954). Qld.: National Library of Australia. 29 December 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  19. ^ "The 23rd Academy Awards (1951) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  20. ^ "1st Berlin International Film Festival: Prize Winners". berlinale.de.
  21. ^ "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. June 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  22. ^ "Top Ten Animation". American Film Institute. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  23. ^ Disney's Cinderella KIDS
  24. ^ Cate Blanchett Up For A Wicked Role In Disney's Live Action Cinderella Feature Retrieved November 28, 2012
  25. ^ a b c Lily James is Disney's Cinderella Retrieved April 30, 2013
  26. ^ a b c 'Downton Abbey' actress Lily James cast as 'Cinderella' opposite Cate Blanchett Retrieved April 30, 2013
  27. ^ Cate Blanchett In Line to Play Wicked Stepmother Retrieved November 28, 2012
  28. ^ Cate Blanchett Poised To Join Disney’s New ‘Cinderella’ Retrieved November 28, 2012
  29. ^ Disney's new 'Cinderella' loses director Mark Romane Retrieved January 18, 2013
  30. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Claude (31 January 2013). cinderella.html?mid=twitter_vulture "Disney Negotiating With Kenneth Branagh to Direct Cinderella". Vulture. Retrieved 31 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  31. ^ [1]
  32. ^ Glass Slipper Didn’t Fit Emma Watson
  33. ^ Three Actresses Testing To See If Glass Slipper Fits For ‘Cinderella’ Lead
  34. ^ Disney Casts 'Game of Thrones' Actor as 'Cinderella's' Prince
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