Cinderella

Cinderella (1950)

*** (out of 4)

Very charming animated feature from Disney about the abused Cinderella who is kept from a Royal ball by her wicked stepmother. Thankfully, with the help from some birds and mice, Cinderella manages to get to the ball where she's a hit with the Prince. Cinderella isn't the most original Disney film when you consider that the story had already been filmed before and I'm sure most little girls already knew of it. With that said, as familiar as the story is, the movie still makes for an entertaining 74-minutes. I think the biggest reason for the success is that the story itself is one I'm sure most little girls dream about and I'm sure many can connect with the lead character. I think the film remains entertaining for boys as well thanks to the supporting players including the mice who easily steal the picture. The battles between the mice and the overweight cat were a lot of fun and there are some terrific sequences with the two including one where two of the mice try to get some jewelry but the cat isn't going to turn them over without a fight. Another great sequence happens towards the end when Cinderella is trapped in an attic and the mice must come to her rescue. The vocal performance are all extremely good with Ilene Woods standing out as the title character. The animation is at the highest level, which you'd expect from Disney. Again, I think this falls well short of being a "great" film but there's no doubt that it's fast, fun and contains some memorable characters and a charming story.