Cinderella has generally received good reviews (currently at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes), but it’s had its fair share of detractors, particularly when it comes to how the film relates to feminism. I consider myself a feminist, as equality for women is one of my core beliefs and goals, so I’ve found myself in the week after seeing Cinderella asking a question: “Is there a feminist interpretation of Cinderella?” Many people probably already have an answer to that question, formed without having seen the movie. Some will answer, “No, of course there isn’t,” as everyone knows the story and most of us have seen the 1950 Disney animated version and can base an opinion from that. Others will answer, “Who cares?” either because they’re not interested in feminism, or they actually dislike feminist ideas entirely. This article isn’t for them, but it’s for people like me, who passionately support feminism but who also loved Cinderella. The question is whether we can reconcile these two, seemingly mutually exclusive, views.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Disney’s new live-action version of Cinderella, and I even had some doubts about how it might turn out (and I am definitely not the doubting sort). With Maleficent, it was clear from the outset that we would be seeing a familiar tale retold from the villain’s point of view, and this focus allowed the cast and crew to breathe new life into a well-known story. Cinderella, on the other hand, presented itself as a straight-forward adaptation, and I was worried that it would either feel dull or unnecessary as a result, with nothing new to bring to the conversation. (In the spirit of full disclosure, Cinderella was always my least favorite of the classic Disney princess films.) Could Cinderella find a way to be engaging and feel fresh despite its old-fashioned approach? In the end I was wrong to doubt, because Cinderella succeeds not in spite of its old-fashioned approach, but because of it.
Given the phenomenal level of success enjoyed by Frozen, a follow-up of some sort was inevitable. And while a full sequel was recently announced by the Frozen’s creators, we already have a sequel-of-sorts in Frozen Fever, the new animated short showing before Cinderella. The seven-minute short reassembles the team behind Frozen, including the directors, cast, and songwriters, to deliver a fun update to what Arendelle’s queen and princess have been up to now that Elsa’s ice has thawed.
