Movie: Cinderella 1950
Age: 19
Common Complaints: Man saves her to make all her dreams come true. The poster child for spoiled rich brat weddings everywhere.
Cinderella is one of my very favorite Disney movies, and I get more than a little angry when I see high end Cinderella themed weddings. To me, it just shows people being focused on the happy ending and missing the trials and tribulations it took to get there.
Cinderella is the first major animated feature released after World War II and it has a more adult feel than Snow White. For one thing, Cinderella is 5 years older than Snow White and has a world weary sense of maturity. While sweet and kind, Cinderella also has a snarky side. She clearly despises her situation, but chooses to remain civil around her abusive step-family. She seems to be cut from the same cloth as Albus Dumbledore in that she understands that weakness and manners are not the same thing. But let's get into the movie go into a little more detail.
As the movie opens, we learn of Cinderella's wealthy and privileged childhood. When her father dies, her step-mother drains the bank account to spoil her own daughters and forces Cinderella to become a servant in her own home. The term "scullery Maid" is used to describe her at one point. So, for the second princess movie in a row, the villain's chosen form of vile punishment is to sentence our protagonist to a life as a domestic servant. I hardly think showing female characters aspiring to be more than a house maid is a bad lesson for young girls.
It's also interesting to note that it is the king who is baby crazy. His whole reason for trying to trick his son into marriage is so he can have grandkids. When we look at the motivations of the characters in the movie, we have a whole cast of characters with dubious life goals. The king wants a baby-factory for his son, Lady Tremaine wants to maintain her high station and her daughters want to marry the prince so they can be rich and famous (they're basically the Kardashians). So what is Cinderella's goal? We are told in the opening sequence that she has dreams of happiness, and she does want to go to the ball, but I would argue that the ball is symbolic of her greater goal, which is to escape her life of servitude and be able to live where she is treated with respect and dignity. She wants to have value as a human being again. The ball is just a chance for her to earn a few hours reprieve from the nightmare that her life has become. We actually never hear Cinderella pine away for a handsome man to rescue her. In "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" She specifically refuses to tell her animal companions what her dream is and we are left to fill in the blanks, based on the fairytale nature of the story, it is easy for us to assume that she just wants a man, but I think she deserves a lot more credit than that.
One aspect of the movie that is a little tricky is Cinderella's seeming lack of agency. To be fair, she does spend a large portion of the movie being victimized by her family and doing endless chores until a magical agent comes to help make everything better. I think that is a rather cynical way to view the film. What is often missed is the way Cinderella treats those below her, namely her animal friends. By maintaining a positive outlook and treating others with kindness, her friends are willing to risk life and limb to help make her dreams come true. I see the Fairy Godmother character as a fantastical representation of the way life can offer amazing opportunities to those who are kind to others. How many "feel good" news stories do we get to see every year about a community or generous benefactor coming to the aid of a good person in need. From Stephen Colbert funding schools in his home state to community fundraisers to aid families dealing with illness, we see real life examples all the time of this "fairy godmother" action. In all these instances, the change isn't necessarily permanent. Cinderella only has until midnight to live her dream and it's up to her to make the most of it. She is simply given an opportunity and she must make the best of it. She goes to the ball with an open heart and a positive attitude. As any relationship advisor could tell you, confidence is what draws someone to you almost more than any other factor. The dress helps, but Cinderella wins the heart of the prince by being who she is. It's also important to note that she didn't know she had met the prince. Why, you ask? By specifically pointing out that she thought she had spent a romantic evening with a regular guy, it reinforces that fact that Cinderella is not greedy or simply hoping to regain past glory. She wants her freedom and wants to be loved, but she is no gold digger.
At the end of the movie, an extended heist scene is used in order to make Cinderella and active participant in her own salvation. If the Duke drives up and just throws the slipper on her, she is just a trophy. Instead she is locked in a tower, saved by her mouse friends and has the presence of mind to have the other slipper on her. When the other slipper is destroyed, it is Cinderella who must speak up and produce the matching slipper. She has gone through a massive pile of crap throughout the whole movie and is finally able to leave her horrid life to begin a new life with a new family, and she gets to be queen someday.
As a final note, this is what Walt Disney himself had to say about Cinderella, "She believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn't come along, she went over to the palace and got him.”
