Cinderella: The Queen of Dreams

I’ve never been happier to reach the first movie of the Silver Age. I’m a sucker for all of the Disney Princesses, but Cinderella is hands down my favorite out of the classic trio. I’ve watched this movie a lot over the years, but I still plan to go into this with a discerning eye for storylines, character development, and a whole lot of magic. As my inner child squeals with delight, let's enter the world of musical mice and continue our journey through 100 years of Disney!

We’ve already watched a few movies where the opening is an angelic choir, but this is the first time that I’ve felt a sigh of relief. It was like coming home after a long journey to hear the sweet song of Cinderella. I love how Disney always felt compelled to open the princess movies up with a storybook. His love for old books always comes across in his animations and it gives it that subtle touch that Walt was there.

The way this movie starts already sets up a spicy story. A rich widow and his daughter living in a nice house without a care in the world. Because Cinderella’s dad wanted her to have a motherly figure in her life, he married Lady Tremaine and invited her and her two daughters to live with them. Then the man suddenly dies, and Tremaine is left with everything. Y’all can’t tell me that Tremaine didn’t kill off that man. Especially with him being so kindhearted. She was after his money from the start and used this opportunity to use all the family wealth on her awkward daughters. The house falls into such disrepair that Cinderella must become a servant in her own house but is still kind and gentle at heart. All of that was just a setup. And though it was told by a narrator instead of it being shown through complete visuals, I’m drawn into the story all the same.

Cinderella herself exemplifies what it means to be a princess. Even though she lives in the highest, dampest tower in the house, she still makes sure to take care of herself and her room. Making the bed and shining her shoes, she puts her best foot forward even though her life is miserable. “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” has gotten me through more hard times than I can count, and I couldn’t help but shed a tear as I watched the story continue to unfold. Cinderella got the figure she does because of all those steps she gotta take from her room to the main house. On top of all the housework she does, I can imagine her being one of the more physically strong Disney princesses right next to Tiana, Merida, Moana, and Raya. If you ever want to see the mastery of the dialogue given to the mice, just put on the subtitles. I’ve never been able to fully understand their conversations because I was watching this movie on a VHS with no subtitles. But with the power of Disney+, anything is possible! The more I look at the inside of these halls, the more irritated I get with Lady Tremaine. She really has her stepdaughter cleaning this entire house by herself and then gets upset when it’s not done. Bitch do you see how big your house is?

Even in the depths of servitude, Cinderella tries to find redeemable qualities about everyone including Lucifer. Lucifer is the most instigative soul to walk the face of the earth. I love animals, but that cat is horrible and deserves to be messed with by Jaq and the others. He might be the reason why I have a slight hesitation being around cats in general. Gus-Gus is also the reason why I don’t like working in groups on important projects.

Cinderella’s daily tasks gave me ancestral trauma because I could never imagine doing what a servant had to do in those times. If I was Cinderella, I would’ve beat the shit out of everyone in that house. I never noticed the symbolism of the shadow of stripes over Cinderella as she entered her stepmother’s bedroom and I thought it was a great segway into the first look at Lady Tremaine, the evilest bitch alive.

The King needs to take a chill pill on this whole grandchildren topic. He literally is embodying every lonely parent pining for their kids to have kids and it’s a bit much for someone who has endless riches at his disposal. He is smart for getting all the eligible maidens together for a welcome home ball, but did he really have to do it on such short notice? I can only imagine the person writing out the invitations being over here like:

The Pear-Shaped Toad! Ahhh!

I love the prince’s reaction to Anastasia or Drizella bowing before him. Looking up at his father like “You can’t be serious.” Now that we've made it to the ball, I have a few things I want to point out. First off, I know Cinderella didn’t spend hours with the prince and didn’t know he was THE prince the whole time. Also, her unshakable focus on getting away from the castle ended up causing her to be chased down by the royal guard, which I never caught on to before. The grand duke was so fearful of losing his job (and his head) that he did everything he could to keep Cinderella there. Ironic that because he failed, he has to go around the entire kingdom with the glass slipper looking for her.

I have a soft spot for all the songs that are beautifully woven into this story, and I can see echoes of Disney’s past movies in each scene. The progress in story, dialogue, and animation shine in this movie from beginning to end. I could go on and on about every single aspect of this movie from the side characters to the humor to the timeless feeling of this storybook classic. While Cinderella is a white female, her archetype is one that resonates with many lower-class individuals who are trying to keep faith in their dreams as they toil through the trials of life. Cinderella is poor, verbally abused, and yet still kind and beautiful. She holds her head high against adversity and never lets her haters see when she is feeling down. The ones that she has cared for over the years have her back and make sure she is taken care of. Even the universe has her back when all else fails. She lives a hard life, but she is one of the lucky ones whose wish comes true. A small inspiration to those trying to keep the love for our dreams alive.

I will note that for those that believe that this story is a bad example for girls who are just waiting for a prince to whisk her away, I suggest you watch Cinderella III: A Twist in Time to change that point of view. That movie is a spicey sequel to this classic!

I look forward to seeing you in whatever form I appear. Until next time!

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.