Uncle Walt-a-thon: Cinderella
So far, I’ve rather enjoyed this project of watching every Disney film. I appreciated Snow White, Pinocchio, and Dumbo a little more than I used to, loved (parts of) Fantasia, and even Three Caballeros has some good moments.
Cinderella, though, is the first film so far that I would say is merely a children’s film.
None of these films have had a deep plot by any stretch, but they’d at least have some interesting animation or good musical numbers to keep adults entertained. Cinderella’s animation is all perfectly fluid and appealing, of course, but it’s not really any better than Pinocchio on that score, and it’s all very straightforward. I suppose a flourish like the Pink Elephants or dancing cacti would’ve been out-of-place, but the closest we get is seeing Cinderella’s reflection animated in some floating soap bubbles.
The story is, well, “Cinderella.” The only thing I noticed for the first time is that the step-mother, who Cinderella’s father didn’t realise was evil, has a black cat named Lucifer. Wouldn’t naming a cat, a black cat especially, after the devil raise a red flag?
Anyway, some of the dialogue between the king and grand duke did make me laugh, so it wasn’t all bad. The mice and Lucifer (Sam?) entertained me when I was eight years old, but not so much now. The musical numbers weren’t as good as previous Disney films, either.
Cinderella has made me a little uneasy about the rest of this endeavour. I remember most of the remaining films fairly well, and based on my memories I don’t think they’ll be as dull as this one, but my expectations have been lowered.