''Cinderella'' is a

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

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

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. The series' protagonist is

, who was based on the character of the same name from the ''Cinderella'' fairy tale. The Disney film's character was originally voiced by American singer and actress

Ilene Woods Jacqueline Ruth Woods (May 5, 1929 – July 1, 2010) better known as Ilene Woods, was an American actress and singer. Woods was the original voice of the title character of the Walt Disney animated feature ''Cinderella'', for which she was nam ...

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 ha ...

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 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, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction ...

produced by Walt Disney and released by

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

. Based on the fairy tale ''

Cendrillon ''Cendrillon'' (''Cinderella'') is an opera—described as a "fairy tale"—in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn based on Perrault's 1698 version of the Cinderella fairy tale. It had its premiere performance on 24 ...

'' by

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic 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 tale ...

, it is the 12th Disney animated feature film, and was released on February 15, 1950. Directing credits go to

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, Italy, immigrating to the United S ...

, Hamilton Luske and

Wilfred Jackson Wilfred Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, composer and director best known for his work on the ''Mickey Mouse'' and '' Silly Symphonies'' series of cartoons and the ''Night on Bald Mountain''/''Ave ...

. 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, Livingston studied music at the University of Arizona. While there he com ...

, 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 ...

. Songs in the film 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 to ...

", " Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", " 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, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

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

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

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

stands no chance of attending the royal ball. When her

fairy godmother In fairy tales, a fairy godmother () is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's ''Cinderella'', he concludes the tale wit ...

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 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, includi ...

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, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

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 made in 2001 and 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, but the film itself was met with a mainly negative response from fans and critics alike.

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 characters are interwo ...

, 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-American 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'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...

and

Susanne Blakeslee Susanne Ellender Blakeslee is an American voice, stage and musical theatre actress. She is also known as Susan Blakeslee, Suzanne Blakeslee, and Suzanne Blakesley; Among her notable roles are the voices of Wanda, Anti-Wanda, and Mrs. Turner o ...

. 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 Channels Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney-ABC Television Group. The channel's target audience was children ages 2–11, and children ages 6–13 during the Jetix ...

on December 3, 2007. 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' 12th animated feature film, ''Cinderella'' (1950) and its direct-to-video sequels '' Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' (2002) and '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'' ...

, uses it to reverse time, making the famous glass slipper fit Anastasia's foot before Cinderella has a chance to try it on. 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 film

''Cinderella'' is an American

romantic fantasy Romantic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre. One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, ...

film directed by

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

from a screenplay written by

Aline Brosh McKenna Aline Brosh McKenna (born August 2, 1967) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. Her credits include writing '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008), ''Morning Glory'' (2010), ''We Bought a Zoo'' (2011) and co-cre ...

and

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

. Produced by David Barron and Simon Kinberg for

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

, the film is inspired by the folk tale ''

'' by

and the 1950 American romantic musical film of the same name. It stars Lily James as the titular character,

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received n ...

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 ...

as Prince Kit, Sophie McShera 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'', L ...

as Anastasia Tremaine and

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...

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 may refer to: * Ella (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Places United States * Ella, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Ella, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Ella, Pennsylvania, an unincorpora ...

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 to another person or group. Because of this unknown status, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of strangers have been identified ...

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, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The ...

at the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

, and

Tokyo Disneyland (local nickname ''TDL'') 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 Disney park to ...

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 fully owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company under a licence from The Walt Disney Company, who co ...

. 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. It appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures logos from 198 ...

, the Castle is an iconic symbol of

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

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 () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...

. 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 Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...

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

Cinderella Castle Suite

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

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). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square ...
'' 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). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square ...

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

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is an Action role-playing game, action role-playing video game video game developer, developed and video game publisher, published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the si ...

'', 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, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. It is the twelfth installment in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, and serves as a conclusion of the ...

'' DLC ''Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind''.

''Disney Magic Kingdoms''

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

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 to ...

References

{{Disney franchises 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