Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Blu-ray Movie Review

The first of two mediocre direct-to-video sequels...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown May 5, 2013

There was a time not so long ago (a time best forgotten honestly) that the Mouse House latched onto the idea that direct-to-video sequels to its most beloved animated treasures was somehow a good idea. And it worked, as far as profitability and the eager tykes who gobbled up each sequel attest. Shameless cash-ins or no, copies sold by the tens of thousands, quality be damned, and now we're left standing in the rubble, forced to clean up the mess our children are all too eager to embrace. Did Cinderella need a sequel? Much less two sequels? No, and the fact that they exist suggest Disney is far more shrewd and calculating than the fairy tale castles, mouse-ear hats and family-friendly theme parks let on. Is there harm in letting your kids sit through two-plus hours of the further adventures of Cinderella and company? Of course not. But don't expect Dreams Come True or A Twist in Time to weather the decades like the original 1950 classic.

Produced on a dime (a $5 million dime), Cinderella II: Dreams Come True has earned more than $150 million in sales, and counting. But you wouldn't know it by sitting dutifully through its tri-segmented story, courtesy of Gus and Jaq, Cinderella's rodent pals. Cinderella, now a princess, sets out to change a few things, namely convincing the King and his wealthy cohorts that the common folk deserve a place at the next royal banquet. Cue yawn-inducing lesson in achieving class equilibrium, junior edition. Meanwhile, the Fairy Godmother turns Jaq into a human, allowing the pint-sized mouse to realize he should be happy with who he already is, and Anastasia, one of Cinderella's step sisters, falls for a commoner, a development that leaves Lady Tremaine and Drizella none too pleased. Unfortunately, the three storylines, while cute and mercifully brisk, feel like bloated animated shorts, and hardly justify the expansion into a 73-minute movie. Little girls will no doubt enjoy every minute of its quaint fairy tales, though, and their smiles will make Dreams Come True more bearable for moms and dads.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dreams Come True and A Twist in Time share a single BD-50 disc, but neither 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation suffers or appears in need of breathing room. Colors are vibrant and lovely, primaries pop, black levels are inky, contrast is bright and consistent, and detail is exacting. Line art is crisp and clean, the hand painted backgrounds are beautifully resolved, and every last perfection and imperfection in the films' direct-to-video animation is present and open to scrutiny. (Dreams Come True is hindered by stilted, all too dated animation. A Twist in Time is more expressive and fluid, but still doesn't measure up to feature film animation.) On the technical front, neither encode exhibits any serious issues. Artifacting, noise, significant ringing and other eyesores are held at bay, and only a few instances of minor banding gave me the slightest pause. All in all, neither movie could look much better than it does here.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dreams Come True and A Twist in Time are backed by comparable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks. Neither one is very remarkable, but then neither are the sequels' sound design. Voices are clean, intelligible and competently prioritized (if not a tad floaty), effects are clear and lively, and channel pans are smooth. The rear speakers don't get much of a work out, even though more eventful sequences and musical numbers do take advantage of the full soundfield, and LFE output is merely decent. None of that should come as any surprise or render either track disappointing. Subjectively, the mixes are a touch underwhelming. Objectively, they do their jobs to the best of their abilities. I don't have any real complaints, at least none that should be leveled at this Blu-ray release.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Becoming a Princess - 1st and 2nd Edition (HD, 9 minutes): Become a princess at Walt Disney Land.
• Musical Magic (SD, 6 minutes): Scoring Cinderella II with composer Mike Tavera.
• Music Video (SD, 4 minutes): Cinderella II's "Put It Together" with Brooke Allison.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True is too trivial, inconsequential and unnecessary a sequel to explain its success, and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time squanders its potential to the utmost, delivering very little in the way of invention or fun. Be that as it may, little girls will love both, and parents might too, depending on how much their enjoyment of family fare is attached to their children's reaction. Thankfully, the 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray release of the direct-to-video duo is quite good (minus the lack of substantial supplements). With excellent video presentations and solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks, this Cinderella twofer is a worthwhile investment for anyone who finds either sequel delightful.