Cinderella came out in 1950, the second “princess” in the Disney line up. As a child, I didn’t think about its creation or influences, it just was there. Watching it as an adult not distracted by small children, I had a bunch of revelations. I am not the only one with questions, but sometimes scrutinizing plot holes and inconsistencies can suck the fun out of entertainment, so I am not trying to pick it apart.
My realizations
The connection between current events and the movie. WWII ended in 1945, and by 1950, the baby boom was roaring along. In Cinderella, the unnamed prince is coming back from war, with his doting father desperate for grandchildren. A large group of women vying for one man, a mother going to extremes to try to marry off her daughters, marriage being viewed as a dream-like goal, are all part of US society at this time.All the characters speak in American accents, except for the mice who appear to have learned English inconsistently. Only a few names let you know this is supposed to be France.
Cinderella is not a pushover. While she is obedient, she protests her treatment and speaks up for herself. She keeps a pack of dressed mice in the house as her servants, and uses her untrained Druidic powers to communicate with them, and at times she can even bend her will on Lucifer the cat. She seems only mildly irritated at her lot in life, which is why she has never called out for help from the fae (also, bargains with fairies always have a price). Is she related to the fairies? I just thought of something- maybe the fairy godmother is unable to leave the willow tree, and can only do magic there with someone who trusts her.
The prince isn’t choosing between the stepsisters and Cinderella, there are many beautiful, elegant and probably charming women at that ball. He’s back from the war, tired, not feeling at home yet, and then he sees Cinderella, looking lost, confused and out of place. That’s why he goes to her, he has found someone who needs him, someone to take care of. Assumably they have a conversation and he sees her down to earth genuineness that courtiers probably lack, so it’s not just about rescue. Mysteriousness doesn’t hurt either.
The whole glass slipper thing, with tiny feet equating with worthiness, always irritated me about this story. At least they left out the bit about cutting off toes, ew.
I had the vinyl record of the soundtrack and played it on my record player over and over. I just noticed that the female mouse leader isn’t credited for her part of the work song. She must have been named by Cinderella (maybe some of this stuff was retconned in the sequels?)
I am watching through a checklist of Disney and Pixar feature films, in chronological order. If you want my list, just ask!
