History YMMV / Cinderella

** You could say that Cinderella picks up the IdiotBall in the climax, when she goes completely dizzy over the Grand Duke touring the houses, looking for the mysterious girl who danced with the prince all night. It's what makes Lady Tremaine suspect her and lock her in her room, after all. But is it stupid, or is it just a perfectly understandable reaction to learning that you could be marrying a prince? Whatever your opinion, you have to admit you wouldn't get your happy BSOD without it.

* {{Fashion Victim Villain}}s: The stepsisters.

* MemeticMutation: "Happy birthday!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Said by Gus when the mice show Cinderella her dress for the ball.[[/labelnote]]

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** The Fairy Godmother, of course. It's surprising to think that she's only in one scene, and yet she's easily one of the most memorable things about the movie. It helps that her song is a huge ear worm, too.
** The Grand Duke is well liked as a source of some of the films funniest moments as well as pointing out how the slipper might fit girls other than cinderella.
** An odd example. The pink dress Cinderella was planning to wear to the ball is quite popular among fans, although not to the extent of her more famous ballgown. Merchandise of the pink dress exists, and there are plenty of people who cosplay in it as well.

* Does Lady Tremaine lock Cinderella in her room because she realizes she is the girl at the ball or does she simply not want to risk it fitting her regardless? Her listening to Cinderella hum the waltz seems to imply the former but her shock at seeing her with the other glass slipper seems to imply the latter. Storybooks based on the film also tend to go back and forth on this.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Some viewers misunderstand that this is adapted from the Charles Perrault version of the tale, not the Brothers Grimm version. Namely Disney did not drop the toe and heel cutting, as that wasn't in Perrault's version to begin with. Likewise the FairyGodmother does not appear in the Grimm version, and there is a three-day ball there.

** Many modern viewers complain about Cinderella being passive and being a submissive servant to her stepfamily. However, these complaints greatly ignore the context of the time period the story's set in, where there were not a lot of options for women. If Cinderella told off her stepfamily for their treatment of her or ran away, she would have wound up on the streets and most likely end up in an even ''worse'' situation, such as forced prostitution. Plus, you'd imagine critics would find Cinderella too unsympathetic to like or root for. Staying with her stepfamily and putting up with the abuse was the LesserOfTwoEvils for Cinderella until the events of the film [[TakeAThirdOption gave her the chance to escape her abusers while not ending up homeless]].

** Without realizing it back in its' making, this movie unintentionally became the earliest example of FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse. Despite being abused in a number of ways from her stepfamily, Cinderella is a kind girl who shows compassion to those in need of it and never takes her anger or frustrations out on anyone. She is the living embodiment that those exposed to trauma can grow up to be good people.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic: [[http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/03/cinderella-the-ultimate-postwar-makeover-story/387229/ According to this article]], when the film first premiered in 1950, it's been thought a fashion allegory between Cinderella's GorgeousGarmentGeneration from the tattered maidservant dress to the sparkly silver ballgown was about the transition from wartime austerity to full-time postwar glamour from Christian Dior's introduction of his "New Look" designs.

** Overall, is Cinderella a good role model, or not? Some people believe that she is passive and weak, but some believe that she is a perfect example of a strong female character.

** For some, the stepsisters crossed it when they ripped up Cinderella's dress. Sure it was at their mother's manipulations but it's the first time anyone in the movie was that physically cruel to her. Some fans found Anastasia impossible to sympathise with in the second movie. But the third, which really puts her through the TraumaCongaLine, was seen as adequate karma for how she behaved.

* RealismInducedHorror: What makes Tremaine so terrifying is that she isn't an over-the-top villain. She's just a mundane, affluent woman who [[AbusiveParents abuses her children]]. Due to Cinderella's young age when Tremaine took her in and because of the time period, Cinderella's abuse feels especially inescapable. Without a FairyGodmother she could have been abused for years. Tremaine's cruelty also isn't [[WickedStepmother exclusive to her step-daughter]], as she treats her two biological daughters poorly as well.

* ValuesResonance: This story resonates with a ''lot'' of people who were raised by narcissists and [[ParentalAbuse abusive parents]]. Tremaine's exaggerated to show just how scary she is from ''Cinderella'''s point of view, since she has actual power. Cinderella outright defies her in private by being happy despite Tremaine's attempts to outright ''[[BreakTheCutie destroy]]'' her. While Cinderella needs more help than later Disney Princesses do in making her dreams come true, she does stand up for herself the first time her stepfamily forbids her from attending the ball, and also foils Lady Tremaine's schemes to prevent her from marrying Prince Charming -- first by calling Bruno to chase away Lucifer, then by revealing to the Grand Duke that she has the other glass slipper.

* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Though not quite the shipping magnet as newer Disney royalty such as [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]] or [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1 Ariel]], Cinderella gets treated this way a lot (especially when compared to the other two 'classic' princesses). A good portion of this is thanks to the [[WesternAnimation/CinderellaIIIATwistInTime third film]]. It's one of the best received Disney made-for-video sequels. Fans really took to Cinderella's {{Xenafication}} and more in-depth characterization, which boosted her popularity and subsequently how shippable she is.

** When the stepsisters protest their mother saying Cinderella could go to the ball, Lady Tremaine specifies that she said "if". For Disney fans this brings to mind Panic in ''{{WesternAnimation/Hercules}}'' - "If? If is good."

* SignatureSong: "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"
** "Bibidi-Bobidi Boo" also counts.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Some viewers misunderstand that this is adapted from the Charles Perrault version of the tale, not the Brothers Grimm version. Namely Disney did not drop the toe and heel cutting, as that's not in Perrault's version. Likewise the FairyGodmother does not appear in the Grimm version, and there is a three-day ball there.

** As the sequels both gave Anastasia a HeelFaceTurn, is she more of a victim than we realise? Drizella appears to be the aggressor when it comes to the bullying of Cinderella, and Anastasia gets some [[ButtMonkey slapstick her way too]]. Is she joining her mother and sister in the bullying to avoid being tormented herself?

* NeverLiveItDown: The Prince for being in the film for [[SmallRoleBigImpact thirty seconds despite his big role in the story]], and for trying to find his true love via shoe size rather than facial recognition. (Though most viewers who accuse him of this seem to forget that the King, who was so desperate to get his son hitched to ''any girl'' ASAP so [[IWantGrandkids he could start giving him grand kids ASAP]], [[LoopholeAbuse deliberately misconstrued the prince's vow]] and used his ExactWords[[note]]The context makes it clear that what the Prince meant was that he would not rest until he found the girl who ''owned'' the slipper, but the king chose to zero in on the words "fits this slipper"[[/note]] to force the Prince to marry the first girl to fit the slipper, that the King himself sent out behind the Prince's back.)

** Many modern viewers complain about Cinderella being passive and being a submissive servant to her stepfamily. However, these complaints greatly ignore the context of the time period the story's set in, where there were not a lot of options for women. If Cinderella told off her stepfamily for their treatment of her or ran away, she would have wound up on the streets and most likely end up in an even ''worse'' situation, such as forced prostitution. Staying with her stepfamily and putting up with the abuse was the LesserOfTwoEvils for Cinderella until the events of the film [[TakeAThirdOption gave her the chance to escape her abusers while not ending up homeless]].

* FairForItsDay: While Cinderella needs more help than later Disney Princesses do in making her dreams come true, she does stand up for herself the first time her stepfamily forbids her from attending the ball, loves the prince as a person rather than royalty, and foils Lady Tremaine's schemes to prevent her from marrying him -- first by calling Bruno to chase away Lucifer, then by revealing to the Grand Duke that she has the other glass slipper.

* ValuesResonance: This story resonates with a ''lot'' of people who were raised by narcissists and [[ParentalAbuse abusive parents]]. Tremaine's exaggerated to show just how scary she is from ''Cinderella'''s point of view, since she has actual power. Cinderella outright defies her in private by being happy despite Tremaine's attempts to outright ''[[BreakTheCutie destroy]]'' her.

* CommonKnowledge: Cinderella proves her identity by putting on the glass slipper...except not really. In the film, it's clear that fitting the slipper is just a formality; what proves her identity is that she produces the ''other'' glass slipper when the first one breaks. Furthermore, the Grand Duke recognizes her.

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: Cinderella is generally used as the UrExample of the "weak, passive" DamselInDistress PrincessClassic that gets bashed in this feminist era. [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]] and [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Aurora]] tend to get more leeway since Snow White ''does'' flee from her abusive home life in her movie while Aurora was cursed with an enchanted sleep throughout most of hers, in addition to both films featuring some action sequences, even if they were performed by other characters, whereas the closest thing ''Cinderella'' has to one is the confrontations between Lucifer and the mice..

!![[Disney/{{Cinderella}} The Disney version]]

** Some viewers hold it up as a true Disney classic and recognise it as the studio's return to form after the troubling World War II years. Others find it bland and unmemorable - it has notably less of a cult base than ''Disney/AliceInWonderland'', ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'' or ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp''.

** Cinderella plans to wear a pink dress to the ball, but ends up wearing a white one. Although it's shades of white in the film, it's coloured blue in merchandise. This is hilarious when one thinks of the [[Disney/SleepingBeauty next Disney Princess]] - whose fairy godmothers had a war over whether her dress should be blue or pink. And the one who changes her dress from pink in this film is voiced by Verna Felton - who voices the fairy that wants to keep Aurora's dress pink.
** Another ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'' one. In both films the heroine arrives home to have her friends greet her with a new dress, saying "surprise, happy birthday". The fact that Gus says the line mistakenly is amusing since it actually is Aurora's birthday the next time around.
** When the stepsisters protest their mother saying Cinderella could go to the ball, Lady Tremaine specifies that she said "if". For Disney fans this brings to mind Panic in ''{{Disney/Hercules}}'' - "If? If is good."

* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Though not quite the shipping magnet as newer Disney royalty such as [[Disney/{{Frozen}} Elsa]] or [[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Ariel]], Cinderella gets treated this way a lot (especially when compared to the other two 'classic' princesses). A good portion of this is thanks to the [[Disney/CinderellaIIIATwistInTime third film]]. It's one of the best received Disney made-for-video sequels. Fans really took to Cinderella's {{Xenafication}} and more in-depth characterization, which boosted her popularity and subsequently how shippable she is.

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: Cinderella is generally used as the UrExample of the "weak, passive" DamselInDistress PrincessClassic that gets bashed in this feminist era. [[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]] and [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Aurora]] tend to get more leeway since Snow White ''does'' flee from her abusive home life in her movie while Aurora was cursed with an enchanted sleep throughout most of hers, in addition to both films featuring some action sequences, even if they were performed by other characters, whereas the closest thing ''Cinderella'' has to one is the confrontations between Lucifer and the mice..
* WinBackTheCrowd: For the eight years since ''Disney/{{Bambi}}'', Disney had fallen on hard times and been forced to put out cheaper package films that audiences were now seriously tired of. This film marked their return to more ambitious material and kicked off the studio's first big comeback.