“Cinderella” Dances Into Homes on Special Blu-ray

 

 

Review by John Delia, Sr.

A Walt Disney childhood favorite Cinderella returns to home video as a member of the Disney’s exclusive signature collection. Nominated for three Academy Awards in 1950 including Best Original Song “Bibbidi-Bobbidi- Boo” the movie recently received another high honor of becoming inducted into the National Film Registry. The beloved animated film now becomes one of the few Walt Disney Signature Blu-ray Editions. This special 70th Anniversary Edition joins only eight others that have been chosen thus far that display the seal of Walt Disney’s Signature, “The Little Mermaid”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pinocchio,” “Bambi,” “The Lion King”, “Peter Pan” and “Lady and the Tramp”.

The story of Cinderella is a happy sad one that starts off with her being bullied by step sisters Anastasia and Drizella and ignored by her evil stepmother Lady Tremaine. Her friends are the mice and birds who help her with chores and sing along with Cinderella. One day she overhears that there will be a ball at the castle and that Prince Charming will be choosing one of the young ladies for a wife. Sad and with dreams of what could be, she wishes to be at the ball. Her Fairy Godmother grants the wish that has consequences if she does not get home before midnight. It’s a tale that has lived throughout the ages with youngsters through teens dreaming of being whisked off their feet by their Prince Charming.

Cinderella includes a number of memorable songs like “Cinderella”, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”, “Sing Sweet Nightingale”, “The Work Song”, “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”, and “So This is Love”. The film has been a favorite since it was produced back in 1950 and at that time garnered over $263 million.

The Cinderella Walt Disney Signature box set has over 2 hours of special bonus content. The set includes the original version and the new bonus piece, “In Walt’s Words: The Envisioning of Cinderella”.

BONUS FEATURES FOR “CINDERELLA” ON BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:

NEW BONUS
“Try This Trivia on for Size” – Join Ruth Righi and Ava Kolker from Disney Channel’s Sydney to the Max and put your knowledge of Cinderella to the test.
“In Walt’s Words: Enhanced Edition” – Watch the movie and gain some insight into its production with storyboards, archival photos, sketches and transcripts.

CLASSIC BONUS
“Diane Disney Miller “Cinderella” Film Intro” – In this introduction to the animated classic, Diane Disney Miller describes how Cinderella helped launch a studio renaissance.
“The Real Fairy Godmother” – Learn about the real-life inspiration for the Fairy Godmother: Mary Alice O’Connor, wife of Disney layout artist Ken O’Connor.
“Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fairyland” – Discover how Imagineers created a Fantasyland at Walt Disney World featuring each of the Disney Princesses.
“The Magic of the Glass Slipper” – World-famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin creates a very exclusive “Glass Slipper” in honor of a beloved Disney classic.

THE ART OF CINDERELLA
“Concept Art” – View a gallery of concept art from the feature’s production.
“Character Model Sheets” – View a gallery of character model sheets from the feature’s production.
“Story Sketches” – View a gallery of story sketches from the feature’s production.
“Live-Action Reference” – View a gallery of photos taken from live-action footage shot as a reference for the animated feature.
“Pencil Animation” – View a gallery of pencil animation from the feature’s production.

MUSIC AND MORE
“Cinderella” Title Song
“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart makes”
“Oh, Sing Sweet Nightingale”
“The Work Song”
“So This is Love”

*Bonus features may vary by retailer

 

 

FINAL ANALYSIS: One of the best films for youngsters ever made. (for children I give it 5 out of 5 stars)

Specifications and additional video information:
Voice Cast: Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald, Luis van Rooten, Don Barclay, Mike Douglas, William Phipps, and Lucille Bliss.
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and Wilfred Jackson.
MPAA Rating: G
Genre: Family, Animation
Running Time: 1 hr. 14 min.
Signature Video Release Date: June 25, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: March 4, 1950
Language: English (changeable to Spanish or French)
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray/DVD & Digital HD box set
Audio: Blu-ray- English 7.1 DTS-HDMA
Video: 1080p Full Screen, Aspect Ratio 1.33:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Number of Discs: 2 discs plus Digital code
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Released in: Blu-ray/DVD & Digital Code, Also available now on 4K