To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Sofia and I attended a special screening of Walt Disney’s Cinderella, playing at the Studio’s main theater on February 12th.
As the lights went down, we first saw a 1952 Chip and Dale short called Two Chips and a Miss. It was a perfect love story to set the tone for the evening. Immediately after, Walt Disney’s Cinderella began. This was the first time I had seen the film on the big screen and I appreciated its animation and storytelling in a whole new way. Not only that, but I thought about the importance Cinderella played to the success of the company in 1950 and how we were watching this timeless classic sitting on the Lot – the place it was conceptualized, where it was animated, and where it was screened for Walt to critique and complete.
Almost 70 years ago during the 40’s, Walt Disney was in serious debt due to a series of catalysts; the outbreak of World War II, many of his films struggled to break even or bring in a profit, competition began to form including MGM and Warner Bros. – to name a few.
Like he had done with Steamboat Willie and Snow White, Walt decided to gamble everything he had on a single film; Cinderella. This wasn’t the first time he had worked with this story. In 1922, Cinderella was the last of the six Laugh-O-gram fairy tales Walt produced in Kansas City, Missouri. In this updated version, the Fairy Godmother presented Cinderella with a jazzy modern car instead of the traditional pumpkin coach. At one time a Silly Symphony was also on the cards.
Walt’s talented animators (his 9 Old Men), used skill and imagination when making the animated feature film of Cinderella. They took a well known story where the audience knew how it was going to end, and kept them filled with suspense as the story unraveled. Many animation artists agree that Cinderella remains one of the finest examples of storytelling at the Studio.
An interesting fact about the production of Cinderella is that Walt decided to film most of the story in live action for his animators to use as a guide. They didn’t trace the footage but instead learnt from the actions, making their drawings more real. They changed the proportions of many of the characters so it is difficult to see the live action references. This amount of live action footage had never been used before on the production of an animated feature. It allowed the team to edit the film together to see what worked to prevent unnecessary scenes being animated. This of course saved time and money which was crucial for the struggling Studio.
One of the scenes that stands out the most for me is Cinderella’s transformation with the help of the Fairy Godmother. The Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo sequence is a true Disney magical moment. The song was Oscar nominated for Best Song and the film was also nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Sound Recording.
Another character that stood out for us as we watched the film again was the evil villain. The Stepmother, Lady Tremaine, has no supernatural powers and no magic, yet she comes across as one of the darkest villains in a Disney movie. This is all done through the voice talent and acting skills of Eleanor Audley and the animation by Frank Thomas. The Stepmother’s power is simply her control to take away what the heroine wants.
Another character that stood out for us as we watched the film again was the evil villain. The Stepmother, Lady Tremaine, has no supernatural powers and no magic, yet she comes across as one of the darkest villains in a Disney movie. This is all done through the voice talent and acting skills of Eleanor Audley and the animation by Frank Thomas. The Stepmother’s power is simply her control to take away what the heroine wants.
And finally I want to mention that the basic look and palette for Cinderella was created by Mary Blair, one of the few women to play a major creative role in American animation at the time. During production, the designs lost some of her modern simplicity but her style can still be seen throughout the film, especially when looking at the dynamic castle shot.
When Cinderella was released to the world on February 15, 1950, it received positive reviews and brought in the needed profits for the Studio. Without that success, we most likely would not have been watching the film, sitting in a theater where the very film was devised.
After the film, Sofia received a white rose with silver glitter and we celebrated Valentines with a cupcake decorated with a slipper and pink lemonade in a champagne glass. It was an evening to remind us that dreams really can come true!
When Cinderella was released to the world on February 15, 1950, it received positive reviews and brought in the needed profits for the Studio. Without that success, we most likely would not have been watching the film, sitting in a theater where the very film was devised.
After the film, Sofia received a white rose with silver glitter and we celebrated Valentines with a cupcake decorated with a slipper and pink lemonade in a champagne glass. It was an evening to remind us that dreams really can come true!
* Information from the book: A Wish Your Heart Makes by Charles Solomon
Cinderella's slipper welcomed us to the theater.
Sofia's cupcake and white rose.
A royal celebration on the Studio Lot.
Walt used live action more than he had ever done before for Cinderella.
The wedding scene - live action reference and the final animation.
Eleanor Audley's voice brought the Stepmother to life.
In 1922, Walt made a short based on the Cinderella fairytale.
The magical Disney moment Cinderella's rags turn to riches.
Mary Blair's original concept painting of Cinderella's castle.
