Cinderella (Russian: Zolushka, золушка) is a 1979 Soviet Russian cartoon by Soyuzmultfilm, directed by Ivan Aksenchuk, adapted from the Charles Perrault fairy tale Cinderella. The titular character, Cinderella, lives with her father and stepfamily, doing all the chores around the house. After Cinderella was refused to go to a grand ball held by the King and the Prince, and forced to do chores instead, her Fairy Godmother helps her get to the ball.
The original Russian language version is available to watch on YouTube. Additionally, there have been multiple English dubs with narration.
In 2011 and 2013, Special Edition coins from Cinderella were released in the Cook Islands, the former’s release date was to commemorate Soyuzmultfilm’s 75th anniversary. The other Soyuzmultfilm catalog also had their Special Edition coins released. A pop-up book version of the cartoon was released in 2016.
Cinderella (1979) provides examples of:
- Agony of the Feet: Happens to the tall stepsister. As the glass slipper could not fit her, the stepmother gets Cinderella to squeeze the tall stepsister’s foot into the slipper. Every time the tall stepsister makes a step, she finds it so painful, that the slipper starts to slide off her foot.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: While none of the stepfamily are ugly, Cinderella is far more beautiful than them, and also helps out others at the ball and does the housework, in contrast to all the former.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: In this cartoon, Cinderella is blonde, while her tall stepsister is brunette, and her fat stepsister is a redhead.
- Dance of Romance: As Cinderella and the prince meet at the ball, they fall in love with each other, as they dance together in the air.
- Fat and Skinny: The stepsisters fit this trope. One of them is short and fat, while the other is tall and skinny.
- Flowers of Femininity: The opening shows a rose bloom because of Cinderella's sweet emotions. Cinderella also wears a blue flower crown to the ball, fitting her soft-spoken and sweet personality.
- Flowers of Romance: As Cinderella and the prince greet each other at the ball, a flower hovers around them. They attempt to grab it together, but the flower flies away into the sky. The flower symbolizes their love, and the scene symbolizes their romance being short-lived. When they reunite at the end, they hold the flower together, symbolizing their love lasting forever.
- The Girl Who Fits This Slipper: Only Cinderella fits the glass slipper. In the film, none of the other girls can fit the slipper, without being in pain.
- Good Parents: Although Cinderella's stepmother is wicked, her father isn't. Even when Cinderella is demoted to a scullery maid, he still remains kind and caring towards her, and also wanted her to attend the ball. Nevertheless, his wife mistreats him, and refused to allow Cinderella to go to the ball.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Inverted with the tall stepsister. She wears a pinkish-purple dress to the ball, but is an antagonistic character.
- Nice Guy:
- Cinderella is one of the most sweetest characters in this work. Even if she is forced by her stepmother to do chores, she still assists others in needs, such as watering the plants, and helping the king get his cape unstuck.
- Cinderella’s father is a good parent who wanted Cinderella to go to ball, allowed Cinderella to pick a gown for herself, and even opened the door of the carriage for her. Unfortunately, his wife mistreats him, refused to let Cinderella go to the ball, and used those opportunities to make Cinderella do chores for the stepfamily.
- Pet the Dog: Subverted. Cinderella's stepmother seems to reconsider her mind about Cinderella not going to the ball, and asks Cinderella to come to her. The husband of her opens up the door of the carriage to let Cinderella in. The stepmother then tells Cinderella to do chores around the house while the rest of the family are off to the ball, and she shuts the door as she finishes her talk.
- Rags to Royalty: Cinderella starts off as a normal girl, then into a scullery maid, until the prince finds her, and then Cinderella becomes part of royalty.
- True Blue Femininity: Cinderella is a soft-spoken feminine girl, who wears a dress with blue fabrics to the ball, from a blue flower crown wreath. Some remasters of the animation have a purplish tint to the dress.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Cinderella’s father is never seen after he sends the stepfamily off to the ball.
- Wicked Stepmother: Just like in the original fairy tale, Cinderella's stepmother seems to enjoy making Cinderella's life miserable, forbidding her to go to the ball, and throwing things at her.
