Cinderella Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Cinderella Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 15, 2019

Disney has opened the vault to re-release 1950's timeless animated film 'Cinderella' to Blu-ray as part of the studio's 'Signature Collection' line. This is the ninth release in the 'Signature' line, following 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Pinocchio,' 'Bambi,' 'The Lion King,' 'Lady and the Tramp,' 'Peter Pan,' and 'The Little Mermaid.' Video and audio are unchanged from the previous Diamond Edition release. As with other films in the Collection, this release includes some new extras, removes a few, and includes the bulk of the legacy content.

For a full film review, please see Kenneth Brown's writing accompanying the 2012 Diamond Edition release here.

Cinderella Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This Signature release of Cinderella features the same 1080p transfer as found on the Diamond Edition release. Please click here for a full video quality review.

Cinderella Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Signature release of Cinderella contains the same DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack as was found on the Diamond Edition. For a full audio review, please click here.

Cinderella Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Cinderella's Signature Blu-ray release does not offer much in the way of substantial new content. It includes a well-made "audio commentary" track that is comprised of both dramatically recreated archival conversations between Walt Disney and his filmmaking team as well as picture-in-picture visual supports. A fluff piece with a few young Disney channel stars is also included. The disc brings over most of the Diamond Edition content but does drop a few key extras. For reviews of the carryover content, please click here. Below is a breakdown of what's included and what is not. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

Supplements new to this release:

• Try This Trivia On For Size (1080p, 4:48): Ruth Righi and Ava Koelker from the Disney Channel show Sydney to the Max offer fans some interesting trivia from the movie: Cinderella's shoe size, how often her shoe gets lost, the location of the hidden Mickey in the film, Walt Disney's favorite scene from the film, and which actors appeared in other films. Additionally, they bring up a few trivia questions the audience can answer while watching the movie.
• Audio Commentary: Not so much a traditional track recorded in retrospective but rather one billed as "In Walt's Words: The Envisioning of Cinderella." This is a "recreated" commentary, presented with picture-in-picture imagery which reveals storyboards, artwork, and photos alongside the film (sometimes the film plays full screen, sometimes it is relegated to the smaller box while the storyboards, artwork, etc. take center-stage). The audio component offers a dramatic recreation of Walt Disney's 1946-1949 production meetings with the filmmaking team, covering the story, animation, live-action reference photography, and more, all recreated from transcripts found in the Disney archives. This supplement can be found under the "Play" menu screen option.

Carryover content from the Diamond release:

• Diane Disney Miller Introduction (1080p, 1:16).
• From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella (480i, 38:27).
• The Cinderella That Almost Was (480i, 12:34).
• The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story (1080p, 10:03).
• The Real Fairy Godmother (1080p, 11:50).
• Alternate Opening Sequence (1080p, 1:13).
• Storyboard to Film Comparison: Opening Sequence (480i, 6:49).
• Cinderella Title Song (480i, 2:15).
• From Walt's Table: A Tribute to the Nine Old Men (480i, 22:09).
• The Art of Mary Blair (480i, 14:58).
• Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland (1080p, 8:17).
• 1922 Laugh-O-Grams: Cinderella (480i, 7:24).
• Excerpt from The Mickey Mouse Club: With Helene Stanley (Original Airdate: January 24, 1956) (480i, 3:55).
• Radio Programs - Original Radio Shows from the 1940's/50's (480i, 12:56): Includes Village Store Excerpt (Original Airdate: March 25, 1948), Gulf Oil Presents Excerpt ca. 1950, and Scouting the Stars (Original airdate: February 23, 1950).
• Theatrical Trailers (480i, 9:07 total runtime): Included are 1950 Original Release Trailer, 1965 Reissue Trailer, 1973 Reissue Trailer, 1981 Reissue Trailer, 1987 Reissue Trailer #1, and 1987 Reissue Trailer #2.
• Disney View (1080p, 1:14:28): The movie presented with "decorated" frames preserving the film's original aspect ratio rather than simple "black bars."

The following supplements do not carry over to this Signature Blu-ray release from the Diamond Edition:

• Personalized Digital Storybook: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-You
• Tangled Ever After
• Deleted Scenes: "The Cinderella Work Song" and "Dancing on a Cloud."
• Unused Songs: "Sing a Little Dream a Little," "I'm In the Middle of a Muddle," "The Mouse Song," "The Dress My Mother Wore," "Dancing on a Cloud," "I Lost My Heart at the Ball," and "The Face That I See in the Night."
• Learn How To take Your Favorite Movies on the Go: Disney Digital Copy
• Discover Blu-ray 3D with Timon and Pumbaa

Update 6/19/19: The following extras are available digitally:

• Diane Disney Miller Introduction (HD, 1:16)
• The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story (HD, 10:03)
• The Real Fairy Godmother (HD, 11:50)
• Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland (HD, 8:17)
• Try This Trivia On For Size (HD, 4:48)

Cinderella Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cinderella is an indelible classic that is a must-have for any serious home video library. This new Signature release isn't heads-and-shoulders superior to the Diamond Edition, if it is better at all. The new commentary track is the highlight and a delight, and some may be enticed by the fresh digital code, but unless one is a Disney completist and/or is eager to experience the excellent new track, there's little reason to upgrade (video and audio are identical, too). For new buyers, though, it's a must own.