Cinderella - 5 / 10

"Whaaaat???"

Yeah, I hear the cries of disbelief, only a 5 out of 10 for the wonderful Cinderella. 

Well, yes. It's not all that good, actually. 

Don't get me wrong, Cinderella is the quintessential Disney princess. From rags to Princes - Indeed, Prince Charming himself. 

Except ... we don't really know how charming. Because, we don't know all that much about him 

1. 
Prince Charming. A man so amazing that he quite literally made Cinderella fall in love at first sight. Or at least, first dance. 

Maybe I'm not romantic enough (do you even know me? pah!) but I just don't quite buy it. 

I mean, did they want him to be as non-descript as possible? Because they nailed it. 

But I think that's important to this story. Because it isn't a story about Cinderella finding Prince Charming. No, it's a story about her escaping ... and that leads us on to the next point

2. 
It. Is. Brutal. 

Who doesn't know the general story? Cindy (you don't mind if I call you Cindy, do you? no? excellent) is orphaned and left with an increasingly evil step-mother and her step-sisters. 

But what I didn't realise was how they portray this in the movie. 

Disney does not pull punches. I don't know why I didn't expect it - Mufasa being trampled, Nemo's mum, the entire opening of UP ... no, Disney doesn't want to protect us from heartache. 

And that is absolutely fine, Disney does not fear the darkness, so that we can then embrace the light. 

3. 
Cinderella. 

Is there anything more Disney than Cinderella? 

I mean, she is the Disney Princess, for better or worse. 

She speaks to animals, has a fairy Godmother, it's all very romantic ... It's Disney at it's ... finest? A debate for another day. 

4. 
Those mice. 

Eugh. The mice annoyed me a lot. 

Gus. 

Even his name makes me irritated. 

But, they did lead the way for some more entertaining Disney animals in future. 

Thankfully, the dog (Bruno) is pretty chilled. 

I like Bruno. 

5. 
This film saved Disney. 

Regardless of the fact that I found it boring.  

Regardless that it's an awful story for young girls everywhere (love at first sight ... how lovely and unrealistic )

Regardless that it made me want to commit mouse genocide. 

Without this film (and it's mega commercial success), Disney may have gone bankrupt. There would be no Mulan, no Pocahontas, no Nemo, no Lion King, no DisneyWorld etc etc ...

For that reason, Cinderella is possibly one of the most important Disney films, though perhaps not the best (in my opinion, of course).

But, I come back to the castle. That is, of course, one of the highlights of DisneyWorld, and I'm mega looking forward to that!

"Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom; peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition."