Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!!
Walt Disney’s Cinderella premiered in U.S. movie theaters on February 15th, 1950. The beloved fairy tale was an immediate success with audiences and earned its place in Disney history. A lot has changed since 1950, but this classic Disney Princess remains an icon. The Cinderella film has impacted pop culture, merchandise, food, and theme parks. We take a brief look at the history of this Disney animated film and how you can celebrate the 70th anniversary!
Cinderella (1950) Movie
It’s easy to cherish classic Disney films such as Pinocchio and Bambi these days. But they weren’t quite so successful when they first premiered in movie theaters. In fact, both animated movies were considered financial flops! These movies were expensive productions that released during World War II. Disney lost out on movie ticket sales overseas during the war. Even though Disney’s short films were quite successful in the 1940s, they needed a win in the box office. Their movie studio was in debt and barely staying afloat. Then the pitch came to make a movie based on the Cinderella fairytale.
Making Cinderella was a gamble. It was the first full-length animated movie made by Disney Studio since Bambi. All of their theatrical releases between 1942 through 1950 were features with compilations of shorts and multiple stories. The studio team understood how important this movie was for the future of Disney Studios.
Music
The production of Cinderella took two years for Disney animators to complete. Walt emphasized a musical romance story and the team knew they had to strive for perfection. The music and character design teams worked hard until they were satisfied with the final result. For instance, the songwriters finished making the music before Disney found their Cinderella voice actress. The voice actress they hired, Ilene Woods, wasn’t even told what project she was auditioning for when they asked her to try singing a few of the tunes in her demo recordings. Walt Disney listened to multiple record samples until he listened to hers. He was won over with the way she sang “Bippidi-Boppidi-Boo,” “So This Is Love,” and “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes.”
Critical Success
The end result of Cinderella is Disney history. The animated feature was the biggest hit for Disney since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After a period of thirteen years, Walt Disney was now able to finance the future of his company. The Cinderella movie earned enough money to allow Walt to pursue the production of other 1950s Disney film projects and the creation of Disneyland!
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Seeing Cinderella Castle is a majestic sight to guests when they visit Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom. But did you know you could dine inside the castle? Cinderella’s Royal Table is a special character meal for families to enjoy. You can eat inside the castle and overlook Fantasyland. It’s quite fitting with the Cinderella theme that you can see Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel while eating there.
Another great benefit of eating here is you get to meet Cinderella for a special photo op inside her castle. You also have a few other Disney Princesses stop by your table while enjoying your meal.
Pay attention to the details if you do visit because it pays to look around the interior of Cinderella’s Royal Table. For those in the lobby, you can find animal details hidden above guests. Look carefully and you might find statue characters such as Gus Gus!
Disney Parks and Parades
Besides meeting her in person, you can also watch Cinderella in the parade. Both Cinderella and Prince Charming ride a colorful float down Main Street in the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
There’s another great parade opportunity if you attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. You can see Cinderella ride in her iconic coach! She wears her formal winter dress in the Christmas Party parade and the horses pulling her carriage are a crowd-pleaser.
We hope you revisit this Disney classic by watching Cinderella sometime in the near future. If you’re heading to the Disney Parks, then you can try some of the limited-time Cinderella treats or pick up some special souvenirs to commemorate the anniversary. This is a great month for Cinderella fans to celebrate their favorite Disney Princess!
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