Cinderella is the protagonist of Disney's 1950 animated feature film of the same name, and the second official Disney Princess, preceded by Snow White.
Appearences[]
History[]
Cinderella[]
Cinderella is a daughter of a widowed aristocrat who gave her every luxury and comfort. Her father, believing she needed a mother's love, married Lady Tremaine, who has two daughters about her age: Anastasia and Drizella. However, after her father's death, Lady Tremaine reveals herself to be a passive-aggressive tyrant who is jealous of Cinderella's beauty. She, her daughters, and their pet cat Lucifer abuse and mistreat Cinderella, ultimately forcing her to become a scullery maid in her own home. She is notable for being silenced repeatedly by Lady Tremaine, creating the assumption that Cinderella is expected to do chores without speaking out. Her only friends around the château are the mice (especially Jaq and Gus), the birds, Bruno the dog, and Major the horse.
One day, Cinderella receives an invitation to a royal ball at the King's Castle. She immediately delivers it to her stepmother, who tells her she can go―provided she finishes all her chores and is able to find something suitable to wear. After thanking her stepmother, she goes back to her room, where she shows the mice and birds a dress that had belonged to her late mother. As of that moment, her most magical experience of all has begun.
She is about to begin fixing her dress when she is unexpectedly called downstairs by her impatient, needy stepsisters. The mice and birds, feeling sorry for her, take it upon themselves to repair the dress for Cinderella. Jaq and Gus find a sash that Anastasia doesn't want anymore, as well as some beads thrown out by Drizella, and take them to help fix the dress.
Later that night, Cinderella sees a carriage outside the château through a large window. She goes to inform her stepmother that a carriage has arrived to take them to the ball. When Lady Tremaine notices that Cinderella has not yet dressed for the event, Cinderella replies that she is not going, to which Lady Tremaine points out that there are other times Cinderella will be able to attend while smiling wickedly about Cinderella not going. Cinderella walks back to her room and looks out the window of the castle, wondering what a royal ball will be like. Just then, her bird and mouse friends reveal a surprise: they had fixed the dress for her. She thanks them for showing how much they care for her, changes into the dress, and rushes downstairs to join her step-family. However, when they see Cinderella, Lady Tremaine compliments her dress and points out Drizella's beads. The stepsisters then fly into a rage and furiously tear Cinderella's dress apart until Lady Tremaine puts it to a stop and ushers them to get into the carriage, which they snootily do.
Cinderella is left with her dress reduced to rags as her stepmother wishes her good night before departing for the ball with the stepsisters. It is in that moment that Cinderella's breaking point at having endured the torture of her step-family for so long has finally been reached, and the girl runs outside to the garden and bursts into tears, with the mice, Bruno, and Major watching her in sadness. She throws herself onto a bench and begins sobbing at the apparent loss of her dreams, feeling unable to continue enduring the cruelty of her step-family through hope and optimism any longer. Shortly thereafter, the magical Fairy Godmother appears on a bench to comfort Cinderella, explaining the latter's hope still reigns strong, as the former wouldn't be able to appear otherwise. The Fairy Godmother then insists that Cinderella attends the ball and demonstrates her magical abilities as she transforms a pumpkin into a coach, mice into horses, Major into a coachman, and Bruno into a footman, before transforming Cinderella's ragged dress into a beautiful, sparkling ball gown, complete with glass slippers. The Fairy Godmother warns Cinderella that all her magic will be undone at the stroke of midnight. Cinderella thanks her, unimaginably grateful for the Godmother's kindness, and quickly climbs into the coach and sets off for the ball, waving goodbye to the Fairy Godmother as she does.
Cinderella arrives at the castle while the ball is still in procession. She walks upstairs to the castle's ballroom, where she attracts the attention of Prince Charming, who is enchanted by her sparkling appearance and walks over to her. He escorts her to the middle of the ballroom, and (surrounded by other maidens in attendance) the two begin to waltz. The two then have some private time together outside (courtesy of the Grand Duke), during which they become completely enthralled with each other and are about to kiss, but then the clock begins to strike midnight, prompting Cinderella, who has lost track of time and also has not realized at this point that she has been dancing with the Prince himself, to leave abruptly, realizing that the Fairy Godmother's magic is about to end.
As she runs down the stairs, she inadvertently drops one of her two glass slippers; nevertheless, she climbs into the coach and leaves the castle. At the clock's twelfth strike, the spell breaks, reverting everything back to what it was. After running behind the bushes to hide from the palace guards (summoned by the Grand Duke) who gallop past the pumpkin (smashing it in the process), Cinderella, once again in rags, apologizes to the mice, Major, and Bruno for forgetting the time before going over her wonderful time at the ball, including her dance with the Prince. Just as she accepts that it has all ended, Jaq and Gus point out a glass slipper, the only remaining object from the Fairy Godmother's magic, on her foot. Cinderella takes off the slipper and thanks her friends and her Fairy Godmother for everything.
Meanwhile, at the castle, the King has ordered the Grand Duke to search all over the kingdom for whoever can fit the slipper, the only clue of the mysterious maiden. Back at Cinderella's château, Cinderella has resumed her duties of a maid. As she walks upstairs, carrying breakfast for Anastasia and Drizella, she overhears Lady Tremaine telling Anastasia and Drizella about the news of the Duke's search for the girl who has lost a slipper at the ball last night and whom the prince is madly in love with, causing Cinderella, upon realizing that handsome man she danced with was Prince Charming, to become so distracted that she drops the breakfast tray in the process, angering her stepmother. As she obeys her stepmother and cleans up the mess, she overhears Lady Tremaine continuing to tell her daughters that the girl who can fit the slipper will be the prince's bride, making Cinderella smile dreamily, even when her stepsisters stack clothing in her arms, the sight of which makes them suspicious of her peculiar facial expression.
Upon hearing that the two have to get dressed in preparation for the Duke's arrival, Cinderella decides that she too must get ready. She puts down the clothes and heads upstairs to her room, singing and humming the tune she and the Prince had sung at the ball. Unknown to her, Lady Tremaine is spying on her dance-like movements and realizes Cinderella was the mysterious girl who danced with the Prince. Jaq and Gus see Lady Tremaine heading upstairs to the tower and, sensing the danger, rush to Cinderella's room to warn her, but Cinderella is too busy preparing herself to meet the Duke. By the time she sees them trying to warn her, she catches sight of Lady Tremaine at the door (through a mirror), but it's too late, as the wicked stepmother slams the door shut and locks it. Having seen Lady Tremaine put the key into her pocket, Jaq and Gus decide to steal the key and take it to Cinderella's room to free her.
A short time later, the Grand Duke and the Herald arrive at the château. While Cinderella sobs in front of the locked door, believing that her dreams of being reunited with the Prince have been lost, Jaq and Gus steal the key to her room from Lady Tremaine. Cinderella hears Jaq and Gus panting up the stairs outside her room and looks through the keyhole to see that the two mice have finally made it to the top with the key in tow, filling her once again with relief and hope, but is again shocked when Lucifer ambushes and traps Gus inside a bowl, along with the key. She orders Lucifer to let Gus go, but the stubborn cat refuses, knowing that he is buying time for the Grand Duke to leave and preventing Cinderella from trying on the slipper, as well as wanting to eat Gus as he has been trying to do throughout the movie. When the mice and the birds' attempts to make Lucifer release Gus fail, Cinderella, quickly realizing that Bruno can be the one to get rid of Lucifer, implores the birds to fetch the dog. Bruno quickly arrives and frightens the cat into jumping out of a window, getting rid of him for the time being. Now victorious, Jaq and Gus wedge the key through an opening between the door and the floor, allowing Cinderella to finally exit her room and head downstairs.
Just as the Duke is about to leave, disgruntled by the efforts Anastasia and Drizella tried to get the slipper to fit on their feet and nearly destroying it in the process, Cinderella calls out to him. Lady Tremaine initially tries to dismiss Cinderella as a mere maid, but the Duke rebuffs her and helps Cinderella onto a chair so that she can try on the slipper. He calls for the Herald to deliver the slipper, but Lady Tremaine, refusing to allow it, trips him with her cane, causing the slipper to fly and shatter into pieces in front of the Duke and Cinderella. As the Duke reacts in horror and terror about the King's reaction, Cinderella reveals that she has the other slipper, which she pulls out from her apron, horrifying her stepmother and stepsisters, but filling the Duke once again with joy and hope. He slides the slipper onto Cinderella's foot, and it fits perfectly.
Cinderella, along with the mice, Bruno, and Major, is taken to the castle, where she reunites with Prince Charming and becomes his bride and a princess. The King and the Grand Duke happily celebrate their marriage as the newly-weds head downstairs to a carriage that will take them on their honeymoon. As Cinderella walks down the stairs with the Prince, she drops her slipper once again, prompting her to go back for it. The King assists her in putting it back on, and Cinderella gives him a kiss on the head as a way of thanking him. Cinderella and the Prince ride off in the carriage, and Cinderella waves goodbye to her mice friends, who wave back at her. As the carriage pulls away, Cinderella and the Prince share another kiss (with the final words in the book, below the illustration of the couple kissing, reading "and they lived happily ever after").
House of Mouse (2000 film)[]
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True[]
One year later after the events of the original movie, Jaq and Gus set off to make a new book to narrate what happens after the ending of the previous story, by stringing three segments of astounding stories together, making three separate stories that are titled: "Aim to Please", "Tall Tail", and "An Uncommon Romance".
In the first story, "Aim to Please", Cinderella and Prince Charming return home from their honeymoon, only to find that Charming and the King have to leave once again for royal affairs, leaving Cinderella in charge of a royal banquet that is to be held. Not knowing the first thing about organizing parties or the royal traditions, Cinderella struggles with her new life and tasks as royalty, eventually deciding to disregard the old traditions and setting things anew, successfully throwing the party in her own, unique style.
In "Tall Tail", Cinderella and the Grand Duke work together throughout the castle to prepare for a festival, whilst Jaq feels guilt for his inability to assist her, due to his size. Fairy Godmother, however, transforms Jaq into a human by the name of Sir Hugh, and in this new guise, he offers Cinderella assistance numerous times, only to fail abruptly when he does.
In the third story, called "An Uncommon Romance", Anastasia falls in love with a local baker, much to the disgust and disapproval of Lady Tremaine and Drizella. Anastasia is told by her mother to never speak a single word to the baker again. Having been watching the whole time, Cinderella comes up with a plan to get her stepsister back with the baker by getting her mouse friends (including Jaq and Gus) to distract him while the birds steal Anastasia's hat and fly off to the bakery with the intention of having her run after them to get it back and reunite with the baker again. The attempt backfires when the mice run into Lucifer (their old nemesis) who gives chase, resulting in a startled horse kicking Anastasia into the baker's shop. Anastasia runs out, breaking down in tears, and retreats to a quiet area in the village. She is found and comforted by Cinderella, who offers to help her stepsister change for the better and win the baker's heart. In the end, not only does Anastasia blossom a romantic relationship with the baker, but a loving relationship between her and Cinderella is also formed, finally accepting one another as like true sisters.
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time[]
Cinderella and Prince Charming are celebrating their first anniversary when Fairy Godmother accidentally loses her wand to Anastasia. She immediately takes it to Lady Tremaine and Drizella, who learn the power of the wand and how to wield it properly. After the Fairy Godmother is accidentally transformed into a statue, Lady Tremaine then reverses time to before Cinderella tried on the slipper. By using magic, the slipper is able to fit Anastasia. Cinderella tries to convince Lady Tremaine that the slipper belongs to her by showing her that she has the other one. Instead, Lady Tremaine calls her night with Prince Charming nothing more than a dream and destroys the other slipper. Cinderella is left at the château while her stepmother and Lucifer make way to the castle to meet her prince. Devastated and confused, Cinderella begins to attend to her normal duties, but regains her confidence and decides to meet with the prince herself, knowing he should recognize her when he sees her. Cinderella, Jaq, Gus, and two bluebirds, sneak into the palace and begin their search. When she finally bumps into him, however, he fails to recognize her. Heartbroken, Cinderella cries at the loss of her former love, until Jaq and Gus arrive to expose Lady Tremaine's villainy. Upon finding out that Lady Tremaine used the wand to wipe Charming's memory of herself and make him believe Anastasia was the one he danced with, Cinderella forgets her sorrows and jumps into action. At Lady Tremaine's room, Jaq and Gus sneak in to grab the wand. They are almost exposed by Lucifer until Cinderella enters disguised as a maid. Lady Tremaine discovers her anyway and a chase follows. While Jaq, Gus, and Cinderella evade Tremaine and the palace guards, the bluebirds rush to warm Charming of the danger, hoping to lure him to Cinderella's location for the spell to be broken. Meanwhile, Jaq and Gus hands the wand over to Cinderella just as Charming arrives onto the scene, but before she could flip the spell, the guards arrest her. Lady Tremaine regains the wand and orders the guards to send Cinderella to the next ship leaving the kingdom to have her banished, although she narrowly manages to touch the Prince's hand.
Jaq, Gus, and the bluebirds meet up with Prince Charming. They explain that his memory was altered (referring to Cinderella as Cinderelly), and he rushes off on his horse to find her before the ship sets sail. He is too late, but manages to find himself on board, reintroducing himself to Cinderella (whom he calls Cinderelly before she corrects him), and immediately takes advantage of the moment by proposing to the girl, which she gladly accepts. With their love having prevailed over Lady Tremaine's curse, the two return to the palace and explains the situation to the King and Grand Duke. Infuriated, the King orders the Grand Duke and the guards to search the castle for the step-family to have them arrested, while other members of the castle prepare for a wedding, which is set to take place that same night.
House of Mouse[]
Cinderella makes numerous cameo appearances in the animated series House of Mouse always in her classic ball gown.
She also appears in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, in which she is trapped in the House with the other guests. At one point, she talks about how she is thankful for friendly mice who make nice evening wear. In the ending song, Cinderella receives the dress they made for her as a Christmas gift.
She also makes a non-speaking cameo in Mickey's House of Villains, during the song, "It's Our House Now!", where she is seen sitting next to Belle and Aurora, and the three are frightened by the Queen chopping off the Fates' heads.
Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess[]
In the film, Cinderella is summoned by Sofia's magical amulet after the young princess casts a spell that makes everyone at the royal ball fall asleep. Cinderella explains that when Sofia's in trouble, the amulet will summon one of the princesses to help her. Cinderella tells Sofia that the best way to solve the problem is to make amends with her stepsister Amber. Sofia is reluctant to do so, however, since Amber had treated her harshly since she first arrived at the castle.
Cinderella tells Sofia that Princess Amber was only jealous because Sofia had gained more attention recently and that showing her compassion could help her change her views. She also tells her that she went through a similar thing with her two stepsisters, Drizella and Anastasia, of how their jealousy for her made them cold and cruel and if she had tried to make amends with them, maybe things would have been better for her now. She sings a song about her own troubles she had with her own stepsisters before departing.
Voices[]
- Ilene Woods (Original Film)
- Jennifer Hale (2000–present)