Post by musicradio77 on Oct 5, 2005 22:55:02 GMT -5
After seven years of making fragmented "package" films to cut costs with the world at war, Walt Disney's 1950 release Cinderella marked a return to the format with which he launched the animated feature film -- the fairy tale. Loosely adapted from Frenchman Charles Perrault's late-17th century book, Cinderella tells the story of a spirited young lady who is reduced to being an overworked servant at the hands of her relentlessly cruel stepmother and unpleasant stepsisters. News of a royal ball to which the attendance of all local eligible bachelorettes is sought gives Cinderella hope for a happy evening out and maybe more, for it is being thrown to find a handsome prince a suitable wife. But stepmother Lady Tremaine sees to it that only her daughters by birth, Anastasia and Drizella, go with the prospect of catching the prince's eye. Until, that is, the Fairy Godmother shows up, works a little magic, transforms Cindy's shredded dress into an elegant gown, and whisks her off to the dance.
Despite having a lovely night of waltzing with a charming stranger, the fact that the magic will wear off at midnight forces Cinderella to exit in a hurry, thus separating her from her newfound love and leaving only a glass slipper behind. I'm sure you know this much and the rest, and chances are you know it from Walt Disney's widely-seen and adored retelling.
With only that much to comprise the central plot, Disney's 74-minute feature (the DVD's new end credits bump it up to an even 75) would certainly need something more. To that degree, there are talking animal sidekicks, the oft-assumed "Disney fairy tale staple" which most truly exists in this film. Two mice, Jaq and the roly-poly Gus, are Cinderella's best friends and, along with their fellow creatures, are the only ones who seem to care about Cinderella (until later, anyway). Their chief nemesis is Lucifer, a pampered black cat with a mean streak. Throw in some slow-paced songs, a prolonged climax, and no shortage of animal antics, and you have a slight, but fondly-remembered classic that children of three different generations have now grown up with.
Cinderella is credited with reviving the Disney studio, for its massive success assured that feature-length animated magic was not to be a short-lived phenomenon. I'm glad that audiences connected with it, because the format has given the world countless great cartoon films since. But, personally, I cannot see Cinderella as one of Walt's best creations. For me, Disney's first five films stand out for unique reasons -- Snow White for its well-realized launch of the format, Pinocchio for its captivating story, Fantasia for its innovation, Dumbo for its heart, Bambi for its realism -- but no aspect of Cinderella makes a lasting impression on me nor gives it a special place in the canon. The film just does not seem to do a great deal in its running time, nor does it provide a story, music, or animation which really resonate with me in any way above the studio's works which came before or after.
There's a good chance I might be the reason the film doesn't have this great effect over me like it does for others and other Disney films do for me. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up watching it regularly and being enchanted by it (I believe my current viewing tally is five) or maybe it's because I'm not a girl and can't relate to wanting to dress up in a pretty gown and go dancing. Maybe it's quite simply because there must to some degree be a lesser entity among all great things.
As it is, I can certainly appreciate the film -- it's extremely watchable and has held up better than plenty of other studios' live action films from the '50s -- but I'm just not moved by it the way I am by Alice in Wonderland's wit, Peter Pan's imagination, Sleeping Beauty's visual beauty, or even The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad's winning atmosphere. Does that make me an anomaly among Disney fans? It seems like it, but then I have somewhat similar feelings, but and only a slightly greater connection to the much-loved Beauty and the Beast. So that's where I stand. I won't pretend that I am marveled by Cinderella and I can't vocalize entirely why that is. But I'd be a terrible critic if I weren't able to point out some things that do and don't work for me, so I'll proceed to briefly do that, if you haven't already skipped on to my critique of the DVD.
Most of the elements which make up Cinderella are fine but unspectacular. The two bounciest songs, the mice's infectious "The Work Song" and the Fairy Godmother's "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", seem to fail me only on account of being overplayed. The others are surprisingly solemn but slightly more appealing, with "Sing Sweet Nightingale" being my odd favorite. At its heart, Cinderella does have an interesting story of a likable girl overcoming her unappreciative obstacles. To compensate for the paucity of this tale, though, the film aims to divert early on with an excess of antics by animals whose presence is only paid off later. The lack of really interesting animation that feels important makes the affair seem especially thin and the proceedings lack a consistent hold on the attentions, especially for the modern viewer. Gags are called upon repeatedly to sustain interest when the simple plot does not move forward. Some of these are funny, including the fiery interactions of the Grand Duke and the King and the laugh-getting bits involving the mice and Lucifer, but they're not supportive of the film as a whole. Gus and Jaq may have our full support in the later portions of the film, but they are given too much time and not enough to do in their introductory sequences when they can only be recognized as the most sympathetic characters (along with Cinderella) on repeat viewings.
The animation relies heavily upon actual human movement, a fact this DVD points out with a glimpse of the extensive live action reference images used. While Cinderella seems believable and likable as a person, her stepmother wavers between too eerily realistic and just plain stiff, while her stepsisters are goofy caricatures. None of the design seems to coincide, and the intelligible animals appear to operate on a separate plane as well. As for the locations, most of the movie takes place in uninspired parts of the tangible domestic setting, where backgrounds are simply a color or two. The ballroom sequence and those immediately on either side of it do amplify the artistry and allow for the Disney animators to weave some indelible images, but too much of the film feels stagnant and drab, which I suppose is somewhat the point, but not an endearing one.
To its benefit, Cinderella does boast some potent sequences, and these are the ones you are most likely to remember even if you haven't seen it in a while. It's not easy to forget the mice and blue birds teaming up to make a suitable ball dress for their friend, nor the bell-ringing happy ending Cinderella is met with. Likewise, in case it's not clear, the film improves upon the themed short-compilations which occupied the Disney animators between Bambi and Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Those productions, particularly the two music-oriented ones and two with a Latin America flavor (pairs easy to confusedly reflect upon), do offer some creative artwork and tales amidst select vignettes, but their chief value is historical and artistic, rather than emotional. Cinderella most definitely restores a human touch that any film composed of unrelated segments would struggle to maintain.
Dragging out the movie portion of this review would seem to be the literary equivalent of my complaint about Cinderella's narrative. Most audience members connect strongly with this film, which explains how much pressure there is for my review to do this longest-awaited animated Disney DVD justice and how carefully I try to verbalize my criticisms of the film so as not to raise the ire of its enormous following. Taken on its own, Cinderella is a colorful and fairly fun way to spend 75 minutes. Stacked up against the brilliance of the Disney studio's many other creations, however, I cannot help but acknowledge that it falls short, as the slightest of Disney's most beloved early classics.
Despite having a lovely night of waltzing with a charming stranger, the fact that the magic will wear off at midnight forces Cinderella to exit in a hurry, thus separating her from her newfound love and leaving only a glass slipper behind. I'm sure you know this much and the rest, and chances are you know it from Walt Disney's widely-seen and adored retelling.
With only that much to comprise the central plot, Disney's 74-minute feature (the DVD's new end credits bump it up to an even 75) would certainly need something more. To that degree, there are talking animal sidekicks, the oft-assumed "Disney fairy tale staple" which most truly exists in this film. Two mice, Jaq and the roly-poly Gus, are Cinderella's best friends and, along with their fellow creatures, are the only ones who seem to care about Cinderella (until later, anyway). Their chief nemesis is Lucifer, a pampered black cat with a mean streak. Throw in some slow-paced songs, a prolonged climax, and no shortage of animal antics, and you have a slight, but fondly-remembered classic that children of three different generations have now grown up with.
Cinderella is credited with reviving the Disney studio, for its massive success assured that feature-length animated magic was not to be a short-lived phenomenon. I'm glad that audiences connected with it, because the format has given the world countless great cartoon films since. But, personally, I cannot see Cinderella as one of Walt's best creations. For me, Disney's first five films stand out for unique reasons -- Snow White for its well-realized launch of the format, Pinocchio for its captivating story, Fantasia for its innovation, Dumbo for its heart, Bambi for its realism -- but no aspect of Cinderella makes a lasting impression on me nor gives it a special place in the canon. The film just does not seem to do a great deal in its running time, nor does it provide a story, music, or animation which really resonate with me in any way above the studio's works which came before or after.
There's a good chance I might be the reason the film doesn't have this great effect over me like it does for others and other Disney films do for me. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up watching it regularly and being enchanted by it (I believe my current viewing tally is five) or maybe it's because I'm not a girl and can't relate to wanting to dress up in a pretty gown and go dancing. Maybe it's quite simply because there must to some degree be a lesser entity among all great things.
As it is, I can certainly appreciate the film -- it's extremely watchable and has held up better than plenty of other studios' live action films from the '50s -- but I'm just not moved by it the way I am by Alice in Wonderland's wit, Peter Pan's imagination, Sleeping Beauty's visual beauty, or even The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad's winning atmosphere. Does that make me an anomaly among Disney fans? It seems like it, but then I have somewhat similar feelings, but and only a slightly greater connection to the much-loved Beauty and the Beast. So that's where I stand. I won't pretend that I am marveled by Cinderella and I can't vocalize entirely why that is. But I'd be a terrible critic if I weren't able to point out some things that do and don't work for me, so I'll proceed to briefly do that, if you haven't already skipped on to my critique of the DVD.
Most of the elements which make up Cinderella are fine but unspectacular. The two bounciest songs, the mice's infectious "The Work Song" and the Fairy Godmother's "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", seem to fail me only on account of being overplayed. The others are surprisingly solemn but slightly more appealing, with "Sing Sweet Nightingale" being my odd favorite. At its heart, Cinderella does have an interesting story of a likable girl overcoming her unappreciative obstacles. To compensate for the paucity of this tale, though, the film aims to divert early on with an excess of antics by animals whose presence is only paid off later. The lack of really interesting animation that feels important makes the affair seem especially thin and the proceedings lack a consistent hold on the attentions, especially for the modern viewer. Gags are called upon repeatedly to sustain interest when the simple plot does not move forward. Some of these are funny, including the fiery interactions of the Grand Duke and the King and the laugh-getting bits involving the mice and Lucifer, but they're not supportive of the film as a whole. Gus and Jaq may have our full support in the later portions of the film, but they are given too much time and not enough to do in their introductory sequences when they can only be recognized as the most sympathetic characters (along with Cinderella) on repeat viewings.
The animation relies heavily upon actual human movement, a fact this DVD points out with a glimpse of the extensive live action reference images used. While Cinderella seems believable and likable as a person, her stepmother wavers between too eerily realistic and just plain stiff, while her stepsisters are goofy caricatures. None of the design seems to coincide, and the intelligible animals appear to operate on a separate plane as well. As for the locations, most of the movie takes place in uninspired parts of the tangible domestic setting, where backgrounds are simply a color or two. The ballroom sequence and those immediately on either side of it do amplify the artistry and allow for the Disney animators to weave some indelible images, but too much of the film feels stagnant and drab, which I suppose is somewhat the point, but not an endearing one.
To its benefit, Cinderella does boast some potent sequences, and these are the ones you are most likely to remember even if you haven't seen it in a while. It's not easy to forget the mice and blue birds teaming up to make a suitable ball dress for their friend, nor the bell-ringing happy ending Cinderella is met with. Likewise, in case it's not clear, the film improves upon the themed short-compilations which occupied the Disney animators between Bambi and Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Those productions, particularly the two music-oriented ones and two with a Latin America flavor (pairs easy to confusedly reflect upon), do offer some creative artwork and tales amidst select vignettes, but their chief value is historical and artistic, rather than emotional. Cinderella most definitely restores a human touch that any film composed of unrelated segments would struggle to maintain.
Dragging out the movie portion of this review would seem to be the literary equivalent of my complaint about Cinderella's narrative. Most audience members connect strongly with this film, which explains how much pressure there is for my review to do this longest-awaited animated Disney DVD justice and how carefully I try to verbalize my criticisms of the film so as not to raise the ire of its enormous following. Taken on its own, Cinderella is a colorful and fairly fun way to spend 75 minutes. Stacked up against the brilliance of the Disney studio's many other creations, however, I cannot help but acknowledge that it falls short, as the slightest of Disney's most beloved early classics.