Streaming: Disney+ (With Subscription)
Rating: G
Cinderella (1997) is a musical fantasy television film produced by Walt Disney Television that paved the way for more positive representation for women of color. With an all-star cast, Cinderella was destined to be a hit. Brandy plays Cinderella, Whitney Houston is her fairy godmother, Whoopi Goldberg plays the queen, Jason Alexander plays Lionel the head servant, Bernadette Peters as the evil stepmother, and Paolo Montalban plays the Prince. This film is important because it was the first time Disney cast a Black woman to play a Princess, it’s also important to note that she stayed a Black woman for the entire film unlike Princess and the Frog (2009). Along with casting a Black woman as the main character, the Prince being played by a Pilipino actor is also important representation that hadn’t happened before. Besides the casting, the art direction and wardrobe for the film is like a live action cartoon, everything is bright and colorful while exaggerated and over the top at the same time. Lastly, the music is amazing and captivating. With Whitney Houston as an executive producer and Brandy cast as the main character the music is beyond the typical musical trope Disney has created in the past. This film became a trailblazer for positive representation of Black women in children’s films as well as positive representation of mixed families.
The representation in this film at the time received positive attention for the diverse casting and for a generation of Millennials who grew up watching this film, Cinderella being on Disney+ reignites the nostalgia and appreciation. At the time Brandy was gaining recognition for the lead role in the TV sitcom Moesha and her musical career had taken off. Since she had accomplished so much by the early 90s and was recognized as a multi-talented individual, she was able to take on this roll with ease. Not only is it important that the main character is a Black woman shown in a positive role, her role models in the film are also Black women being properly represented. Whitney Houston has a wonderful impact on Cinderella and gives her the chance of a lifetime to get out of the predicament she is in living with her horrible stepsisters and stepmother. Whoopie Goldberg is the queen of the castle, her role as the queen is not typical of this time nor has a Black woman been cast in this role in a Disney film before. These three roles may not seem like they are a big deal, but they certainly matter, and that representation tells children watching this film that they can be royalty as well.
The music is a wonderful addition to the film, it is certainly entertaining, and it carries the film’s narrative. The music stands out because the film stars Whitney Houston and Brandy since both of these women are phenomenal singers, this created an element that most Disney films don’t have. The music producers Chris Montan and Arif Mardin were interested in combining “Broadway legit” and “Hollywood Pop” for the film to achieve a more contemporary sound. The musicians also wanted to avoid completely modernizing the music making the compositions follow too closely with The Wiz, so they tried to simply “freshen” the orchestration while adding contemporary rhythms. Cinderella went on to win numerous awards including Emmy awards for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special and Outstanding Music Direction. An interesting thing to note about Brandy’s performance, at times she wasn’t confident in her singing next to her idol Whitney Houston because her voice hadn’t “completely developed.” Houston would encourage Brandy to “Sing from your gut” thus beginning a positive influence between artists behind the scenes.
The art direction and wardrobe were both a huge part of the film that received accolades as well. Even though the film is live action the costumes and set design make it feel like a fairytale cartoon. The wardrobe is beautiful as well as bright and colorful; the same can be said for the set design. At the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1998, the film was nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program, Outstanding Hairstyles for a Mini-series, Movie or Special and ultimately it won Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program. This was awarded to Julie Kaye Fanton, Edward L. Rubin and Randy Ser. The film also won an art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design. The awards alone speak volumes for how much work went into the production design and wardrobe design for Cinderella, and they are all well deserved.
Cinderella is a wonderful film for kids and adults, especially if they are fans of Whoopi Goldberg, Whitney Houston or Brandy. This film went above and beyond to produce a work of art that created roles for Black women to be represented in a new light that hadn’t been seen before by a Disney audience. Cinderella is considered to be a groundbreaking film due to its diverse cast. BET referred to Cinderella as a phenomenon whose cast “broke new ground.” Newsweek opined that Brandy’s casting demonstrated that “the idea of a Black girl playing the classic Cinderella was [not] unthinkable,” they went on to say that it is “especially significant because Disney’s 1950s film ‘sent a painful message that only white women could be princesses.” For a generation of young children of color this film became an iconic representation that proved to them that they could be anything they desired when they grow up and that alone is truly magical.