Year: 1950
Director: Clyde Geronimi
Country: US
Language: English
Even though Walt Disney had made a bit of money on Dumbo (1941) just before World War Two, they had no actually had a big financial success since their first feature length film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) At a cost of nearly $3,000,000 the cost of this production was a huge gamble on behalf of the Studio. Disney himself said that if the film lost any money it would mean the end of Walt Disney Productions.
When Cinderella's cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq, and from her Fairy Godmother.
Thankfully, Cinderella was the hit that Disney needed. The profits from its release, with the additional profits from record sales, music publishing, publications and other merchandise gave Disney the cash flow to finance a slate of production, produce their own distribution company and start building Disneyland. That's right, you have Cinderella to thank for Disneyland.
When people think of what a classic Disney picture looks like, Cinderella will immediately come to mind. It's the studio's typical form; right down to the "Once Upon A Time" opening sequence. The film takes place in an enchanting, timeless land where anything and everything is possible. The story is formulaic, but that's the charm to this film. Also, nobody can judge Disney for wanting to play it safe so soon after the bloodiest war in recorded history.
It's not as artistically creative as Fantasia (1940) nor as great o a story as Pinocchio (1940) but Cinderella is an endearing picture that represents the end of Disney's golden age. Light sexism aside (Cinderella is a bit too passive of a female character) it's difficult to dismiss what is essentially the beginning of animated romance in Cinema.
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