Search This Blog

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo


I saw the TV ad for the new Cinderella Diamond Edition Blu-ray DVD Combo of the 1950 Walt Disney Cinderella movie. I don't know how many times this movie has been re-packaged and "taken out of the vault for a limited time only". There would have been a VHS tape version and a DVD version; a Blu-ray version (?) and now a diamond Blu-ray version. I don't even know what that means.
I thought it might mean it has been 75 years since the movie came out as a 75th anniversary used to be known as the Diamond anniversary. Even that has been changed to 60 years. But it has been 62 years since Cinderella was first introduced on the big screen. Therefore the term must not have anything to do with an anniversary date.
I read that the Walt Disney Studio was in financial trouble before the 1950 Cinderella was released. The profits from the movie, music, publications and other merchandise not only saved the studio, it provided enough capital to begin building Disneyland - a real Cinderella story. (Meaning things turned out better than expected.) So maybe this Diamond Edition is being released because Disney needs money again?


The advertising got me to thinking about Cinderella. I remember going to the theater to watch the animated film when I was around seven years old. What captivated me the most was the animals. The birds and mice could talk. But even without him talking, I could tell Lucifer the cat was evil.
I remember liking the way Cinderella scattered shelled corn for the chickens. I wanted to wear an apron so I could put corn in it for our chickens the way she did instead of carrying it to them in a bucket.
I liked the way the movie began by showing a book. When the cover was opened, the story began on pages just like in a book then magically changed into a movie. There are many different cover illustrations of the Little Golden Cinderella books. I remember ours as being like the one pictured above.


Bud was even younger than I when he saw the movie. The part he remembers liking the best was when the fairy godmother changed a pumpkin into a coach and all the mice into white horses. I liked that part too, but what I liked best about it was the feeling that there was finally someone on Cinderella's side when the fairy godmother showed up.


I watched a bit of the movie on YouTube here to remind me of some of the scenes and characters I had forgotten. I liked when the King ordered the ball to be held tonight! Just how were all the eligible maidens in the realm to be notified in time to prepare for a dress ball? They didn't have the advantage of an invitation going viral in those days.


Did I dream of being Cinderella after seeing the movie? I can't remember; perhaps I did ten years later. If I had had a fairy godmother zap me a dress to wear to a ball, I would have dreamed a dress like this one modeled by my granddaughter Deise last spring. She must have felt like Cinderella in this gown. I would have.

1 comment:

  1. I never saw the movie as a child, but I remember that song, and I did have a Cinderella music box that someone gave me for a birthday or something.

    ReplyDelete