Cinderella is the twelfth animated feature film by Disney, and kicks off what I like to consider as the third phase of Disney films. The first phase began with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was a huge hit, but Disney’s next few films after that were financial failures, leading them into immense debt (can you imagine Disney being in debt now?). So, starting during World War II, Disney’s second phase of films winded up just being “package films,” which were essentially collections of shorts rather than full feature-length films. That was the forgotten era of Disney movies in my opinion, beginning with Saludos Amigos and ending with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. So, Cinderella winded up being the first real feature-length Disney movie since 1942’s Bambi. Much like Snow White, Cinderella was a huge success for the studio, and winded up helping them reverse their fortune and continue making movies, including the two that followed, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. So, despite any personal hang-ups I have with Cinderella, I would never argue against it being a hugely important movie for Disney, and without it we wouldn’t have many of the beloved classics that have followed.

I’m sure a lot of people know the story of Cinderella, so I don’t need to go too into it here. At a young age, Cinderella’s father married a woman, and then died, leaving Cinderella to live with her stepmother and two stepsisters. This family is awful, though, and so they just make Cinderella do housework all day long and are generally just mean to her. However, her fortune begins to change when she catches the eye of Prince Charming.

My only real problem with Cinderella is that it can be pretty basic at times. To start off, the movie clocks in at 74 minutes, which wasn’t an uncommon length for Disney features at the time, but with such a short length it still feels like it stretches its story thin. The first 20-30 minutes or so are barely even about Cinderella, instead focusing on a group of mice who are trying to evade the house cat. I understand that this is a kid’s movie, and so I’m sure this section is entertaining for kids, but I just found it to be pretty pointless and long. However, once it gets going, it gets a lot better, and so the second half makes the movie worth it.

As always, I think Disney movies excel in wrapping worthwhile lessons into children’s movies, and that’s the strength of Cinderella for me. It would be really easy for a lot of young girls to see a little bit of themselves in Cinderella, whether it be because of her terrible upbringing or seeming lack of self-worth because of her evil stepfamily. However, the movie really helps showcase that none of this matters, because everyone has worth, and even someone in Cinderella’s position can find her Prince Charming. It’s a lovely sentiment, and so it’s easy to see why the movie has resonated with audiences so much.

I understand why some people love Cinderella so much, it’s just not one of my personal favorites from Disney. I just think that the early sections lack any real substance, and while it’s cute, I just prefer the animated features that are more kid and adult friendly, instead of just one or the other. I’ll never argue the film’s importance, but it’s just not one that I regularly seek to sit down and watch. It’s not even a problem with the movie being dated or anything either, since I still love Disney’s first movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to this day, and their second movie, Pinocchio, is in my top 5 Disney favorites. I think it just doesn’t resonate with me as much as others, and I also don’t find the mouse characters to be nearly as endearing as other people do. It’s definitely a good movie and I don’t dislike watching it, but it’s not my favorite.

3.5/5