Blu-ray Review: Cinderella: Anniversary Edition

Last week, Disney Home Entertainment re-released the classic animated classic Cinderella on Digital HD and Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code Anniversary Edition combo pack, which is also part of the The Signature Walt Disney Collection.

Based on the fairy tale by by Charles Perrault, Disney's Cinderella originally hit the big screen in 1950. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and Wilfred Jackson, the animated classic featured the talented voice cast of Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald, Luis van Rooten, Don Barclay, Mike Douglas, William Phipps, and Lucille Bliss.

The 75-minnute film tells the tale of Cinderella, a young woman who's forced by her stepmother, Lady Tremaine, to work in her own home as a maid and sleep in a tower. Her stepsisters Drizella and Anastasia are just as cruel as their mother. Cinderella's only friends are the mice (Jaq, Guz, and many others) that also live in the tower.

The King of the land is tired of the Prince's refusal to get married, so he and the Grand Duke organize a ball and invite every single young woman near the kingdom, in the hopes they will find the perfect wife for the prince.

Upon hearing about the ball, Lady Tremaine is determined to have one of her daughters marry the Prince. Since all young women have been invited, Cinderella would love to go as well, but Lady Tremaine piles more work for her to do, just o she wouldn't have time to make a dress.

Let's just say with a little help of her animal friends and her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella attends the ball wearing a gorgeous dress and glass slippers, and she enchants the Princess with just one dance.

Blu-ray Bonus Features include:

New Features

Try This Trivia on for Size – Join Ruth Righi and Ava Kolker from Disney Channel's Sydney to the Max and put your knowledge of Cinderella to the test.
In Walt’s Words: Enhanced Edition – Watch the movie and gain some insight into its production with storyboards, archival photos, sketches and transcripts.

CLASSIC Features

Diane Disney Miller “Cinderella” Film Intro – In this introduction to the animated classic, Diane Disney Miller describes how Cinderella helped launch a studio renaissance.
The Real Fairy Godmother – Learn about the real-life inspiration for the Fairy Godmother: Mary Alice O’Connor, wife of Disney layout artist Ken O’Connor.
Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fairyland – Discover how Imagineers created a Fantasyland at Walt Disney World featuring each of the Disney Princesses.
The Magic of the Glass Slipper – World-famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin creates a very exclusive “Glass Slipper” in honor of a beloved Disney classic.

THE ART OF CINDERELLA

Concept Art - View a gallery of concept art from the feature's production.
Character Model Sheets – View a gallery of character model sheets from the feature's production.
Story Sketches – View a gallery of story sketches from the feature's production.
Live-Action Reference – View a gallery of photos taken from live-action footage shot as a reference for the animated feature.
Pencil Animation – View a gallery of pencil animation from the feature's production.
Behind-the-Scenes Stills – View a gallery of behind-the-scenes stills from the feature's production.
Feature Stills – View a gallery of stills from the feature.

Final Thoughts

What's not to like about Cinderella?

While technically Cinderella (and all Disney princess titles) are made for a female audience, I have always liked the film ever since I saw it as a little kid in the late '80s. There's something about the old hand-drawn animation that appeals to me more than computer animation. I can't really explain it! You can just tell how much passion the animators put into the film.

The picture and sound quality are topnotch, but that's exactly what's to be expected considering it's a re-release of 2012's Diamond Edition with only two new special features.

Cinderella's plot is simple as it can get, but thanks to great animators, an amazing voice-cast, and a few catchy songs, the animated film is a delight to watch again and again.