Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of "Walt Disney"

⭐ In the context of Walt Disney's career, *Cinderella* (1950) represents a continuation of what broader trend within his filmography?

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⭐ Core Definition: Cinderella (1950 film)

Cinderella is a 1950 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, the film follows Cinderella, the daughter of a widowed aristocrat, who is forced to become a servant of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, until Cinderella's fairy godmother grants her the chance to attend the royal ball and meet the prince. The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen, and was directed by Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, and Clyde Geronimi. It features the voices of Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, June Foray, James MacDonald, and Luis van Rooten.

During the early 1940s, Walt Disney Productions had suffered financially after losing connections to the European film markets due to the outbreak of World War II. Because of this, the studio endured commercial failures such as Pinocchio, Fantasia (both 1940) and Bambi (1942), all of which would later become more successful with several re-releases in theaters and on home video. By 1947, the studio was over $4 million in debt and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Walt Disney and his animators returned to feature film production in 1948 after producing a string of package films with the idea of adapting Charles Perrault's Cendrillon into an animated film.

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πŸ‘‰ Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney (/ˈdΙͺzni/ DIZ-nee; December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards won (22) and nominations (59) by an individual. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress and have also been named as some of the greatest films ever by the American Film Institute.

Born in Chicago in 1901 and raised largely in Missouri, Disney developed an early interest in drawing. He took art classes as a boy and took a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to California in the early 1920s and set up the Disney Brothers Studio (now the Walt Disney Company) with his brother Roy. With Ub Iwerks, he developed the character Mickey Mouse in 1928, his first highly popular success; he also provided the voice for his creation in the early years. As the studio grew, he became more adventurous, introducing synchronized sound, full-color three-strip Technicolor, feature-length cartoons and technical developments in cameras. The results, seen in features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio, Fantasia (both 1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942), furthered the development of animated film. New animated and live-action films followed after World War II, including Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and Mary Poppins (1964), the last of which received five Academy Awards.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom Park, or simply the Magic Kingdom, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park was initiated by Walt Disney and designed by WED Enterprises. Modeled after Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Magic Kingdom’s layout and attractions share many of the same themed features inspired by fairy tales and Disney intellectual properties.

The park icon is Cinderella Castle, inspired by the fairy-tale castle featured in the 1950 animated film. In 2024, the park hosted 17.83 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the world for the eighteenth consecutive year and the most visited theme park in North America for at least the past 24 years. The park has become a cultural touchstone and symbol of modern American pop culture.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Cinderella Castle

Cinderella Castle is a fairy tale castle at the center of two Disney theme parks: the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Based on Cinderella's fairy tale castle from Disney's 1950 animated feature film, both serve as the symbol and flagship attraction for their respective theme parks. Along with Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Castle is a main symbol of the Walt Disney Company.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Cinderella (Disney character)

Cinderella is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film of the same name released in 1950. Voiced by Ilene Woods, the character is adapted from the character from folk tales, primarily the French version written by Charles Perrault in 1697. For the sequels and subsequent film and television appearances, Woods was replaced by actresses Jennifer Hale and Tami Tappan, who provide the character's speaking and singing voices, although Hale later assumed the singing role in both Sofia the First and Disney's centenary short film Once Upon a Studio.

In the wake of her father's untimely demise, Cinderella is left in the care of her cruel stepmother and jealous stepsisters, who constantly mistreat her, forcing Cinderella to work as a scullery maid in her own home. When Prince Charming holds a ball, the evil stepmother does not allow her to go. Cinderella, aided by her kind Fairy Godmother and equipped with a beautiful silver gown and a unique pair of glass slippers, attends, only to have to leave at midnight when the Fairy Godmother's spell is broken.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Lady Tremaine

Lady Tremaine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Productions' animated film Cinderella (1950) and its direct-to-video sequels Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007). In the original film, Lady Tremaine is voiced by Eleanor Audley. For the sequels and subsequent appearances, Audley was succeeded by Susanne Blakeslee.

Lady Tremaine treats Cinderella, her step-daughter, like a scullery maid and focuses all of her attention on her own two daughters, Anastasia and Drizella. She is based on The Wicked Stepmother character from the original fairytale by Charles Perrault. Lady Tremaine was animated by Frank Thomas.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Ilene Woods

Jacqueline Ruth Woods (May 5, 1929 – July 1, 2010), better known as Ilene Woods, was an American actress and singer. Woods was best known as the original voice of the title character of Walt Disney animated film Cinderella, for which she was named a Disney Legend in 2003.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Eleanor Audley

Eleanor Audley (nΓ©e Zellman; November 19, 1905 – November 25, 1991) was an American actress with a distinctive voice and a diverse body of work. She played Oliver Douglas's mom, Eunice Douglas, on the CBS sitcom Green Acres (1965–1969), and provided two Disney animated classics with the voices of the two iconic villainesses: Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother in Cinderella (1950), and Maleficent, the wicked fairy in Sleeping Beauty (1959). She had roles in live-action films, but was most active in radio programs such as My Favorite Husband as Liz Cooper's mother-in-law, Mrs. Cooper, and Father Knows Best as the Anderson family's neighbor, Mrs. Smith. Audley's television appearances include those in I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mister Ed, Hazel, The Beverly Hillbillies, Pistols 'n' Petticoats, and My Three Sons.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of Rhoda Williams

Rhoda Elaine Williams (July 19, 1930 – March 8, 2006) was an American actress best known as Drizella Tremaine in Cinderella.

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Cinderella (1950 film) in the context of June Foray

June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney's Cinderella, Cindy Lou Who, Jokey Smurf, Granny from the Warner Bros. cartoons directed by Friz Freleng, Grammi Gummi from Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears series, and Magica De Spell, among many others.

Her career encompassed radio, theatrical shorts, feature films, television, records (particularly with Stan Freberg), video games, talking toys, and other media. Foray was also one of the early members of ASIFA-Hollywood, the society devoted to promoting and encouraging animation. She is credited with the establishment of the Annie Awards, as well as being instrumental in the creation of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring her voice work in television.

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