7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Cinderella, treated as a slave by her selfish stepfamily, dreams of going to the Prince's ball. She gets her wish courtesy of her Fairy Godmother, who warns her to be home by midnight, or else...
Starring: Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Claire Du Brey, Rhoda WilliamsFamily | 100% |
Animation | 83% |
Fantasy | 53% |
Musical | 45% |
Romance | 22% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD HR 5.1
German: DTS-HD HR 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Japanese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It's easy to think of Disney as some kind of immutable monolith in the entertainment world, with revenues and reputation to spare, but as some of the archival extras included on the 1080 disc in this package get into, that's a misperception at best. In 1950, when Cinderella was released, the Disney juggernaut was more or less stalled, deeply in debt, and without a lot of hope for the future. Even diehard film fans tend to think of Walt's immediate post-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animated efforts like Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia as undisputed triumphs, and while that may be the critical perspective (at least courtesy of hindsight), none of those films subsequent to Snow White actually did a ton of business in their original theatrical exhibitions. As one of the supplements gets into, Disney had survived during the World War II era at least in part due to some funds flowing in from a perhaps slightly unexpected source, namely the United States government, but with the cessation of hostilities, Walt and his cohort were faced with a very uncertain future. Cinderella was in a very real way Walt's "hail Mary" pass to keep his studio alive, and it's probably needless to say that the film delivered (and then some) in that regard. If also courtesy of a bit of hindsight Cinderella doesn't seem quite as magical as some other Disney efforts, it's graced by some wonderful animation and a lilting song score that received two Academy Award nominations.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.
Cinderella is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.37:1. As alluded to
above, even the 1080 presentation offers what to my eyes looks rather different from the version Ken reviewed, with an overall darker and more
suffused appearance, something that the 4K UHD presentation probably only enhances. The palette in the 4K UHD version is one of its strongest
assets, with some absolutely gorgeous hues that are especially evocative toward the blue end of the spectrum. Detail levels are typically great, to the
point that it looks like some of the watercolor imagery at the beginning of the film looks like it's on textured paper or some vellum-like surface. Line
detail is superbly sharp throughout the presentation. It looks like the version Ken reviewed had some simmering controversy (what else is new?) with
regard to filtering, and if there is a complaint to be made here, it's that the admittedly visible grain field can be very fine. It's especially
noticeable against brighter backgrounds, notably again some of those blues I mentioned earlier, as in the great scene where Lucifer is playing a "shell
game" (actually teacup game) with a mouse, and the tablecloth is blue. I frankly wouldn't say that HDR materially affects an already rather lustrous
accounting of the palette on the 1080 disc in this package, but suffusion is generally amped overall.
As I've mentioned in some of my reviews of other Disney releases, Disney doesn't have any problems revisiting things they've already released, but one of the curious variances that seems to crop up is a sometimes baffling array of audio codecs. The version Ken reviewed had DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and (notably and commendably) DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, the latter recreating the original theatrical version. Both the 1080 and 4K UHD discs in this package instead offer only a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Now, "surround" activity on this track is limited, and a lot of the soundstage is resolutely front and front side, but you can hear occasional spaciousness as in the clear panning of the harp in an opening arpeggio. The entire track still has a noticeably boxy sound that is probably most evident in some of the gorgeous close harmony vocal work, but music, dialogue and effects are all delivered without any problems. I still would have preferred the ability to have the original mono version, but your mileage may vary. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.
The 4K UHD disc has no supplementary material. The 1080 disc in this package sports the following bonus items. There's some more detail on the
shared items in the above linked review by Ken.
- Diane Disney Miller Cinderella Film Introduction (HD; 1:16)
- From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella (SD; 38:27)
- The Cinderella That Almost Was (SD; 12:34)
- The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story (HD; 10:03)
- The Real Fairy Godmother (HD; 11:50)
- Alternate Opening Sequence (HD; 1:13)
- Storyboard to Film Comparison: Opening Sequence (SD; 6:49)
- From Walt's Table: A Tribute to the Nine Old Men (SD; 22:09)
- The Art of Mary Blair (SD; 14:58)
- Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland (HD; 8:17)
- 1922 Laugh-O-Grams: Cinderella (SD; 7:24)
- Excerpt from The Mickey Mouse Club: with Helene Stanley (Original Airdate: January 24, 1956) (SD; 3:55)
- Radio Programs - Original Radio Shows From the 1940's / 50's play to frames from the film:
Note: There is a Play All option for the above three audio supplements.- Village Store Excerpt (Original Airdate: March 25, 1948) (SD; 2:35)
- Gulf Oil Presents Excerpt ca. 1950 (SD; 5:25)
- Scouting the Stars (Original Airdate: February 23, 1950) (SD; 4:25)
- Theatrical Trailers
Note: There is a Play All option for the above supplements.- 1950 Original Release Trailer (SD; 00:24)
- 1965 Reissue Trailer (SD; 2:21)
- 1973 Reissue Trailer (SD; 1:26)
- 1981 Reissue Trailer (SD; 1:32)
- 1987 Reissue Trailer #1 (SD; 1:57)
- 1987 Reissue Trailer #2 (SD; 1:25)
Cinderella is a sweet tale, of course, but you can't help but notice how padded this Disney version is with supporting characters not in the Perrault original. Even given that "sweetening", this has a slight running time that keeps things moving briskly. I actually preferred the look of both the 1080 and especially 4K UHD presentations in this release to the older Diamond Edition. The supplements are enjoyable, and the only downside to the audio is the omission of the original mono track. Otherwise, Cinderella comes Recommended.
Disney100
1950
Ultimate Collector's Edition
1950
The Making of a Masterpiece Book+Blu-ray
1950
Disney100 Edition with Collectible Pin
1950
Diamond Edition | Carriage Tin Bank
1950
Diamond Edition | La Cenicienta | Spanish Edition | DVD Packaging
1950
Diamond Edition | La Cenicienta | Spanish Edition
1950
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection | Limited Edition Filmmaker Gallery Book & Storybook
1950
Diamond Edition | DVD Packaging
1950
Diamond Edition | 32-Page Storybook
1950
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1950
Empty Case
1950
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1950
Diamond Edition | 3-Disc
1950
Diamond Edition
1950
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2009
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1953
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1959
25th Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1991
2002
1937
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1989
2007
The Signature Collection | Ultimate Collector's Edition
1992
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2013
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2010
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2019
The Signature Collection
1955
The Signature Collection
1940
1999
1998
2017
Rental Copy
1940
Peter Pan 2 | Special Edition
2002
60th Anniversary Edition
1951