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How Disney's Cinderella Changed 20th Century Animation

Cinderella, the twelfth feature released by Walt Disney, was the first full-length feature since Disney released Bambi in 1942. The Second World War and a series of disappointing box office returns made the prospect of a full-length feature problematic. Indeed, most critics consider Cinderella a pivot point between the classic Disney animation of the 1930s and 40s and the new animation of the 1950s and 60s.

To minimize the cost of production, Disney called for the use of extensive rotoscoping. Rotoscoping is a method involving the animation of live-action film. Indeed, approximately 90% of Cinderella was originally shot as a live-action film. Two actresses were used as a frame of reference for Cinderella, namely Helene Stanely and Ilene Woods. These actresses heavily influenced Cinderella's mannerisms and inflections. Point of fact, Helene Stanley was also used to play both Sleeping Beauty and Anita Radcliff in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Prince Charming, on the other hand, was played by William Phipps.

The basic story was adapted from the fairy tale written by the French author Charles Perrault (1628-1703). Perrault authored a series of fairy tales that have become part of our collective Western culture, namely Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Puss In Boots, and Bluebeard. Disney would later produce an animated film based on Sleeping Beauty in 1959. Interestingly, Disney had used Cinderella 30 years prior in an animated short series called Laugh-O-Gram, which was later included in the Cinderella Platinum DVD Edition.

For the first time, Disney hired composers from Tin Pan Alley, a loose affiliation of New York-based publishers and songwriters. In particular, Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman were all hired to write such hits as "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" and "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes." The soundtrack was released on Walt Disney Music, another first for Disney, bringing in significant revenues. Cinderella earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Sound, Original Music Score, and Best Song (for "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo").

Cinderella was released on February 15, 1950 to mixed reviews. Some critics felt the new animation style was too significantly different from the early Disney classics. The production costs for Cinderella had reached nearly $3 million, putting the company heavily into debt. Disney had not enjoyed a box office success since Snow White, and many industry insiders feared Disney would fold as Disney had been heavily in debt since Pinocchio. The incredible box office revenues, as well as the income from soundtrack sales and merchandizing, not only saved the company, but funded projects throughout the 1950s.

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Steve Collins is an Author And Journalist based in Encino, CA. A Huge Disney Fan, he uses the Disney Movie Club to complete his collection. Read reviews of the movies purchased on the Disney Movie Club Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

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