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In 1950, the world would welcome one of Disney’s original princesses to the big screen. Cinderella was the second full-length princess tale, after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the first feature-length film since the end of World War II. The titular character’s hopeful outlook on life, even in the face of great hardship, resonated with people still trying to recover from the horrors of war.
Not only did Cinderella provide hope to the world, but it also saved Walt Disney Studios from closing. The film studio was betting everything on Cinderella, and if it flopped, they would have likely had to shut their doors for good. But, like Walt Disney’s personal fairy godmother, Cinderella granted his wish for success, and then some.
The titan of a brand that Disney is today would likely not exist without Cinderella. And now, we get to look at some more facts about the film that taught us to dream of a better tomorrow.
- Ilene Woods Got the Part Without Knowing She’d Auditioned
- There Are Double-Tracked Vocals in “Sing Sweet Nightingale”
- Prince Charming Had a Bigger Role
- A Live-Action Version Was Filmed Before the Animated One
- Cinderella Showed Another Side of Her Personality in a Deleted Scene
- Cinderella Was Walt Disney’s Favorite Piece of Animation
- It Won Awards and Left a Legacy
Ilene Woods Got the Part Without Knowing She’d Auditioned
When Walt Disney was looking for someone to voice his next princess, his songwriters knew just who to ask. Mack David and Jeremy Livingston, two of the writers of the songs in the Cinderella film, contacted their friend, Ilene Woods.
Woods had her own radio program at the time, and they asked her to record a few of their songs as demos. David and Livingston played those demos for Walt Disney, and his response echoed Cinderella’s lyrics: “So this is love?” Disney asked Woods to voice Cinderella, and she accepted right away.
There Are Double-Tracked Vocals in “Sing Sweet Nightingale”
Before artists like The Beatles, Buddy Holly, and Les Paul made singing harmony with yourself a trend, Disney asked Woods to take on the challenge for the song “Sing Sweet Nightingale.”
This technique, known as double tracking, was not common at the time, and it was a risk to add such a new style to an already big gamble of a film. But it paid off, and Woods’s singing with herself paved the way for more amazing double-tracked songs by famous artists.
Prince Charming Had a Bigger Role
Poor Prince Charming. He was never given a proper name, nor is he ever called anything other than “The Prince” in the film. The “Charming” part was added on later, as part of a title and not his name. He did originally have a bigger part in the film, but his scenes were cut to save time.
As for the scenes removed, one would have shown him in the woods, seemingly hunting a deer, but then it would have shown that he was actually playing with the animal. He was also supposed to have a scene where Cinderella is brought to him after the Grand Duke finds her. The Prince would have been shocked to learn she was a servant girl, but would have accepted her anyway.
A Live-Action Version Was Filmed Before the Animated One
You might think that the first live-action Cinderella made by Disney was the 2015 film, but it was actually made a lot earlier than that. The animated movie was first filmed shot-for-shot in live-action for the animators to then reference the movements and expressions on each animation celluloid page.
Helene Stanley played the role of Cinderella in this live-action version, and she would go on to play the reference actress for Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Anita in 101 Dalmatians.
Cinderella Showed Another Side of Her Personality in a Deleted Scene
Another scene cut from the film would have shown Cinderella finding her stepsisters at the ball. They would talk about the mystery girl who stole the prince away. Cinderella would then giggle over the fact that they did not recognize her. Reportedly, Disney saw this scene and felt that it made Cinderella less innocent and kind. He didn’t want anyone to think that she was filled with spite or trying to compete for the prince like all the other ladies at the ball.
Cinderella Was Walt Disney’s Favorite Piece of Animation
Out of all of the animations created during Walt Disney's life, there was one scene that would stay with him forever: the scene where the fairy godmother transforms Cinderella’s torn pink dress into a glittery ball gown. It’s widely believed that this is his favorite bit of animation.
It Won Awards and Left a Legacy
Cinderella was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Original Song (“Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”), Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, and Best Sound. It is listed as one of the best animated films of all time by the American Film Institute, and it was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
The film’s longlasting success goes to show that if you never stop dreaming, you will find your wish will one day come true.