You know you’re a media/communication student when your homework is to analyze the storyline of Cinderella. According to my professor, Cinderella – probably the ultimate Disney princess movie – is a paradigm for a writer struggling with the ups and downs in their screenplay, novel or memoir. In the movie, Cinderella continually goes through conflict and contentment without throwing the audience off track – a writer’s objective.
As a kid, I would watch the movie almost every single day during my summer vacation. As I watched it again as a college student – it was a blast from the past. From the tone of Cinderelly’s lilting voice, to the chirping of the birds – it all came back to me. It really is a wonderful story and it’s no wonder why so many rom-coms possess similar plots. However, the film critic within me noticed seven details that were a little…odd.
- Everyone knows that the stepmother is a wicked, short-tempered and unjust woman. However, the King can also come across as an impatient and manipulative in-law. He’s forcing his son to get married just so that he can have grandchildren! Besides the ageing king (a short, chubby, bald man) has serious anger management problems… so are grandchildren really the answer? Of course, he’s a good king and would make a wonderful grandfather, but it’s still very odd that he dreams about kids in his sleep.
- When our beloved Cinderella flees the palace at the stroke of midnight as the magic starts to fade away, the King tries to stop her by closing the gates and sending ominous-looking horsemen, with dark shadows and blood-red eyes, after her. Way to charm a lady!
Every girl wants to be Cinderella. Appearance-wise, she almost has no physical features. Is that what makes a woman beautiful? Her tiny animated feet don’t even have toes! In contrast, the ‘ugly’ stepsisters seem more ‘real’, with prominent features – including darker complexions, furrowed expressions and full figures.
- Honestly speaking, Cinderella comes off as more than a bit clueless. She can cook, clean and follow orders but she can’t tell when the devil cat is attacking her animal friends – her only friends! She also doesn’t question where the blue pearls and the pink sash came from on the first dress. If we connect the dots we see the emergence of the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype.
- In the film, there is no mention of Cinderella’s real mother. The prince doesn’t seem to have a mother either. Nevertheless, there is a stepmother and a fairy godmother. I don’t know why, but the lack of a blood-related maternal relative bothers me.
- After the wedding, Cinderella leaves with her prince to start a new life. I hope she is gracious enough to provide for her animal friends who helped her get dressed every single morning, like she was the queen of Versailles. (If she leaves them in the stepmother’s house, they will surely be eaten by that devil cat).
You might think I’m taking this Disney film way too seriously, but it might actually someday become my job to analyse plots. Regardless of my over-thinking, like most girls I do hope to have my own Cinderella story…
By Rhea Oommen
