Cinderella
by Disney*
(movie plot)
A wealthy widowed aristocrat (Cinderella’s father) marries a proud and
haughty woman named Lady Tremaine. She has two bratty daughters from her first
marriage. Plain and socially awkward, these stepsisters are bitterly envious of
the beautiful and charming Cinderella.
The family lives in happiness for several years, until the death of
Cinderella’s father. After that, Lady Tremaine’s true nature is revealed, and
she and her spiteful daughters begin to abuse and mistreat Cinderella, envious
of her beauty. She is forced into becoming a scullery maid and made to wait upon
her jealous stepsisters and even their sadistic cat, Lucifer. As Cinderella
blossoms into a beautiful young woman who is kind despite her hardships, she
befriends the animals living in the barn and many of the mice and birds who live
in and around the chateau.
At the royal palace, the King is distressed that his son does not intend to
marry. He organizes a ball for Prince Charming, with every eligible maiden in
the kingdom requested to attend.
When the invitation to the ball arrives, Cinderella asks her stepmother if
she can attend. Her stepmother promises her that she may attend the ball, as
long as she finishes her work and can find a suitable gown in time. Her
stepmother and stepsisters create so much work for Cinderella she does not have
time to make over an old dress, but she finds her mouse friends have done it for
her, using Cinderella’s stepsister’s discarded sash and beads to fix an old gown
that belonged to Cinderella’s mother. The angered stepsisters tear the gown to
shreds, leaving Cinderella to run to the back of the garden in tears while her
stepfamily leaves for the royal ball without her.
Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appears to her in the garden. She gives
Cinderella a beautiful blue dress with glass slippers, and transforms a pumpkin
and various animals into a carriage with horses. Cinderella departs for the ball
after the godmother warns her that the spell will break at the stroke of
midnight, meaning that her dress and everything else will change back to the way
they were.
At the ball, the Prince rejects every girl until he sees Cinderella, by whom
he is immediately captivated. The two dance alone through the castle grounds
until the clock starts to chime midnight. Cinderella flees to her coach and away
from the castle. The Prince does not know her name, but he has a glass slipper
that fell off her foot as she ran away.
The next morning, a royal proclamation is issued, stating the Grand Duke will
visit every house to find the girl who fits the glass slipper. Cinderella’s
step-mother realizes that Cinderella is the girl who danced with the Prince so
she locks her in the attic.
When the Grand Duke arrives, the mice steal the key to Cinderella’s room from
Lady Tremaine’s pocket and drag the key up the stairs to her room. As the Duke
prepares to leave after the stepsisters unsuccessfully try on the slipper,
Cinderella appears and requests to try it on. Knowing that the slipper will fit
and that Cinderella will marry the Prince, her stepmother trips the footman who
is carrying the slipper. It drops and shatters into hundreds of pieces. The Duke
laments over the broken slipper, but Cinderella reveals she has kept the other
glass slipper. Delighted at this indisputable proof of the maiden’s identity,
the Duke slides the slipper onto her foot, which fits perfectly.
The film ends on a scene of the two newly-weds kissing.
