Cinderella. The name alone conjures up all kinds of images, doesn’t it? The single glass slipper, the pumpkin coach, the clock striking twelve. People love to tell, retell and parody this story. It may very well be the most famous fairy tale of all time. So does this attitude extend to the Disney Princess line? Oh, you have no idea.
When you think of Disney princesses, Cinderella is most likely the first who will come to mind. In group photos, she’s almost always front and center twirling that blue dress of hers. If Disney feels like acknowledging their old movies, they’ll play the animation of said dress’s creation. Heck, the girl even gets her own castle in Disneyworld! She never even lived in the castle in the original movie!
Yes, I’ve seen this one before. Like so many little girls before and after me, I was caught up in the Cinderella hysteria. I had the movie, I had a Barbie doll, and I distinctly remember dressing up as her for Halloween when I was four. So that means I totally loved the movie, right?
Actually, no. This will be the first time I’ve watched it in years, and I don’t really have any positive memories of watching it as a kid. I didn’t like that Lucifer was evil, I got scared by the scenes where Cinderella’s pink dress got destroyed and she was fleeing the castle and Lady Tremaine scared the hell out of me. Seriously, what is that woman’s problem?
I seem to be in the minority, though. Lots of people love Cinderella, despite the fact that she often gets the same criticisms as Snow White. Then something about Cinderella earns her a free pass in Disney’s eyes, but what is that?
Let’s take a journey. We could read essays on the subject, but taking a journey is much more fun.
