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Cinderella (1997 film)

January 13, 2023

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (also known as simply Cinderella)[1] is a 1997 American musical fantasy television film produced by Walt Disney Television, directed by Robert Iscove and written by Robert L. Freedman. Based on the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, the film is the second remake and third version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, which originally aired on television in 1957. Adapted from Oscar Hammerstein II's book, Freedman modernized the script to appeal to more contemporary audiences by updating its themes, particularly re-writing its main character into a stronger heroine. Co-produced by Whitney Houston, who also appears as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, the film stars Brandy in the titular role and features a racially diverse cast consisting of Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle, Victor Garber and Paolo Montalban.

Cinderella
Home video promotional poster, featuring Houston and Brandy as their respective characters.
Also known asRodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Genre
Based on
Written byRobert L. Freedman
Directed byRobert Iscove
Starring
ComposerRichard Rodgers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Mike Moder
  • Chris Montan
CinematographyRalf D. Bode
Editors
  • Casey O. Rohrs
  • Tanya M. Swerling
Running time88 minutes
Production companies
DistributorBuena Vista Television
Budget$12 million
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseNovember 2, 1997 (1997-11-02)

Following the success of the 1993 television adaptation of the stage musical Gypsy (1959), Houston approached Gypsy's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron about starring in a remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella for CBS. However, development was delayed for several years, during which time the network grew disinterested in the project. By the time the film was greenlit by Disney for ABC, Houston felt that she had outgrown the title role, which she offered to Brandy instead. The decision to use a color-blind casting approach originated among the producers to reflect how society had evolved by the 1990s, with Brandy becoming the first Black actress to portray Cinderella on screen. Among the most significant changes made to the musical, several songs from other Rodgers and Hammerstein productions were interpolated into the film to augment its score. With a production budget of $12 million, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella ranks among the most expensive television films ever made.

Heavily promoted to re-launch the anthology series The Wonderful World of Disney, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on ABC on November 2, 1997 to mixed reviews from critics. While most reviewers praised the film's costumes, sets and supporting cast, particularly Peters, Alexander and Goldberg, television critics were divided over Brandy and Houston's performances, as well as Disney's more feminist approach to Brandy's character. Despite this, Cinderella proved a major ratings success, originally airing to 60 million viewers and establishing itself as the most-watched television musical in decades, earning ABC its highest Sunday-night ratings in 10 years. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was nominated for several industry awards, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program. The program's success inspired Disney and ABC to produce several similar musical projects.

Critical reception towards the film has improved over time, with several media publications ranking it among the best film adaptations of the fairy tale. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella is regarded by contemporary critics as a groundbreaking film due to the unprecedented diversity of its cast and Brandy's role.

Plot

Cinderella grows distracted while waiting upon her stepmother and two stepsisters in the marketplace, where she meets a charming young man. Despite being apprehensive about introducing herself to him, the pair bond upon realizing that both are dissatisfied with their sheltered home lives. After being scolded for speaking to a stranger, Cinderella returns to her stepfamily's aid before she was able to realize the young man is Prince Christopher. The Prince returns to the palace, where he is apprehended by his valet Lionel for once again visiting the kingdom disguised as a commoner, and learns that his parents, Queen Constantina and King Maximillian, plan to host a ball in order to find their son a suitable bride, an idea he strongly protests because he would rather marry for love. At Lionel's suggestion, Constantina and Maximillian compromise that should Christopher not be successful in choosing a bride at the ball, he be allowed to find one on his own terms.

Back at their own home, Cinderella wishes to attend the ball herself, but her stepmother ridicules the idea, advising her that a prince would never be interested in her and to remain grateful for her current life. Solely determined to bolster their own wealth and social status by marrying the prince, Cinderella's stepfamily leaves for the ball, leaving Cinderella home alone. Cinderella is soon visited by her Fairy Godmother for the first time, who encourages her to go to the ball; she magically transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, rats into footmen and a coachman, mice into horses, and her rags into a beautiful ballgown, complete with a pair of glass slippers. With her Fairy Godmother's warning that the spell will only last until midnight, Cinderella leaves for the ball.

Yet to be impressed with any of the young women he meets, including Cinderella's Stepsisters, Christopher is growing weary until Cinderella arrives, and the pair instantly start dancing much to the annoyance of Cinderella's stepfamily, who can't help but feel that the unidentified princess is familiar. Cinderella grows dismayed and wishes to leave when the King and Queen ask her about her background, but her Fairy Godmother encourages her to stay. The clock strikes midnight as Cinderella and the Prince share their first kiss, but Cinderella flees on foot while the spell is reverted, leaving behind a single glass slipper. With his parents' blessing, Christopher declares that he will marry whomever fits the slipper, even if it means trying it on every maiden in the kingdom.

When Cinderella's stepfamily return home, they begin sharing embellished recounts of their evening. Cinderella explains that she can only imagine what it must have been like, and they briefly bond over the memory, only for the Stepmother to soon recognize Cinderella as the mysterious princess with whom the Prince danced and insisting that she will never be more than a common girl. With final encouragement from her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella finally decides she will run away from home.

When the Prince and Lionel arrive at Cinderella's home, the Stepmother locks Cinderella in the kitchen hoping to keep her hidden. Cinderella's stepfamily – including the Stepmother – tries on the slipper with little success. Lionel demands that the kitchen be unlocked and searched, and the Prince discovers Cinderella in the courtyard about to run away. When Christopher recognizes Cinderella from the marketplace, he tries the slipper on her foot, and it fits perfectly. In the end, Cinderella and the Prince marry in a grand ceremony, while the palace gates close on her stepfamily, forcing them to watch from outside.

Cast

Order of credits adapted from Variety magazine and the British Film Institute:[2][3]

Musical numbers

  • "The Sweetest Sounds" (from "No Strings" by Richard Rodgers)
  • "The Prince Is Giving A Ball"
  • "In My Own Little Corner"
  • "Falling In Love With Love" (from The Boys from Syracuse by Lorenz Hart)
  • "Impossible - It's Possible"
  • "Ten Minutes Ago"
  • "Stepsister's Lament"
  • "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful"
  • "A Lovely Night"
  • "There Is Music In You"

Production

Origins and development

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the third screen version of the musical.[5][6] Songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II originally wrote Cinderella as a musical exclusively for television starring Julie Andrews,[7] which aired in 1957 to 107 million viewers.[8] The telecast was remade in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren,[9][10][11] airing annually on CBS from 1965 to 1972.[12] The idea to remake Cinderella for television a second time originated as early as 1992, at which time producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron first approached the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization about obtaining the screen rights to the production.[12] Further development was inspired by the success of CBS' adaptation of the stage musical Gypsy (1993) starring Bette Midler which,[13][14] in addition to being credited with reviving interest in the genre,[14] Zadan and Meron had also produced;[15] CBS executive Jeff Sagansky asked Zadan and Meron to start brainstorming ideas for a follow-up shortly after Gypsy premiered.[16] The day after Gypsy's original broadcast, Whitney Houston's agent Nicole David asked the producers if they were interested in developing a similar project starring her client,[17][18][19] to whom they suggested Cinderella with Houston playing the titular role.[9][20] CBS originally intended to air the completed film by the end of the 1994-1995 television season, but the project was continuously delayed.[14] The network grew disinterested in favor of other titles by 1996,[18] while Houston herself was already committed to several other projects.[17][19] Zadan explained that, because of her popularity, Houston "had so many other concrete things that she was doing that 'Cinderella' took a back seat".[16] The singer eventually aged to the point at which she no longer felt suitable for the role of Cinderella.[20] Houston explained that by the time she became a wife and mother, she was not "quite feeling like Cinderella" anymore, believing that portraying the ingenue would require significant "reaching" for herself as an actress.[4]

 
Singer and actress Whitney Houston (pictured in 2009) originally intended to play Cinderella herself. However, feeling that she had outgrown the role by the time the film was greenlit, she opted to play the character's Fairy Godmother instead, in addition to producing the film.

By the late 1990s, Disney had grown interested in reviving their long-running anthology program The Wonderful World of Disney.[21] Hoping to relaunch the series using "a big event", Disney CEO Michael Eisner approached Zadan and Meron about potential television projects; the producers suggested Houston's Cinderella, which Eisner green-lit immediately.[16] After relocating their production company, Storyline Entertainment, from CBS to Disney Studios,[18] Zadan and Meron re-introduced the project to Houston.[20] Agreeing that Cinderella required a certain "naivete ... that's just not there when you're 30-something",[17] the producers suggested that Houston play Cinderella's fairy godmother instead,[20] a role she accepted because it was "less demanding" and time consuming.[22] For the titular role, Houston recommend singer Brandy, a close friend,[20] in her first major film appearance.[23] Brandy had been starring on the sitcom Moesha at the time but was still relatively new to television audiences, despite her success as a recording artist.[19][24][25] Houston believed that Brandy possessed the energy and "wonder" to play Cinderella convincingly, admitting that their fictional relationship as godmother and goddaughter translates "well on-screen because it starts from real life";[4] when Houston telephoned Brandy to offer her the role, she introduced herself as her fairy godmother.[17][26] Brandy, who identified "Cinderella" as her favorite fairy tale,[19] was the first person of color to portray the character on screen,[17][27] with both Brandy and Houston becoming the first African-American actresses to play their respective roles in any screen adaptation of the fairy tale,[28][29] although an all-Black modern-day re-telling of "Cinderella" entitled Cindy had premiered in 1978.[30][31]

Brandy likened being hand-selected for Cinderella by a performer she idolizes to a real-life fairy tale,[32] accepting the role because she already had successful singing and acting careers, in addition to relating to the main character in several ways.[33] The fact that Cinderella is traditionally depicted as white did not discourage Brandy from pursuing the role.[34] Having grown up watching Caucasian actresses portray Cinderella, Houston felt that 1997 was "a good time" to cast a woman of color as the titular character, claiming the choice to use a multi-cultural cast "was a joint decision" among the producers,[35] who agreed that every "generation [should] have their own 'Cinderella'."[16] Executive producer Debra Martin Chase explained that, despite enjoying Warren's performance as Cinderella, she and Houston "realized we never saw a person of color playing Cinderella", explaining, "To have a black Cinderella ... is just something. I know it was important for Whitney to leave this legacy for her daughter."[29] Chase hoped that the film mirroring an evolving society "will touch every child and the child in every adult",[19] encouraging "children of all colors [to] dream."[26] One Disney executive would have preferred to have a white Cinderella and black Fairy Godmother and suggested singer-songwriter Jewel for the titular role.[16] The producers refused,[36] insisting that "The whole point of this whole thing was to have a black Cinderella."[16] Zadan maintains that Brandy was the only actress they had considered for the role, elaborating, "it's important to mention because it shows that even at that moment there was still resistance to having a black Cinderella. People were clearly still thinking, 'Multicultural is one thing, but do we have to have two black leads?"[16]

Robert Iscove was enlisted as the film's director,[12] with Chris Montan and Mike Moder producing alongside Zadan and Meron.[17] Houston was retained as an executive producer, alongside Chase.[20] The film was co-produced by Walt Disney Telefilms, Storyline Entertainment and Houston's own production company BrownHouse Productions,[12] becoming the latter's first project and Houston's executive producing debut.[4][19] The film has a total of five executive producers: Houston, Chase, Zadan, Meron and David R. Ginsburg.[2] Houston remained heavily involved in the film's production aspects, despite being relegated to a supporting acting role, retaining final approval over all creative decisions, particularly its multiracial cast.[35] In addition to developing a good relationship with each other, the producers established a strong rapport with Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization President Ted Chapin.[16] Although they were originally concerned that the organization would dismiss the idea of a multi-cultural cast, they were surprised when the company did not protest whatsoever.[16] Mary Rodgers and James Hammerstein, relatives of the original composers, also approved this casting decision, with Mary maintaining that the production remains "true to the original" despite contemporary modifications to its cast and score,[35] and James describing the film as "a total scrambled gene pool" and "one of the nicest fantasies one can imagine.''[20] James also believes Hammerstein would have approved of the color-blind casting, claiming he would have asked why the process took as long as it did.[12] Meron believes that the organization was so open due to Houston's involvement, explaining, "Whitney was so huge at that time; to a lot of executives she was popular entertainment as opposed to being defined by her race."[16]

Writing

Television writer Robert L. Freedman became involved with the project as early as 1993.[16] Although he had not written a musical before, Freedman was fond of Warren's version and drawn to the opportunity to work with Zadan and Meron, whose plans to remake Cinderella he had first read about in a Variety article.[16] Aware that the film could potentially be groundbreaking, Freedman, Zadan and Meron collaborated on several new ideas for the remake, among them ensuring that Cinderella "was defined by more than falling in love", providing her with her own story arc that is beyond simply finding a love interest.[16] The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization allowed the filmmakers an unusual amount of freedom to modify the musical's script, among these changes making Cinderella a more active heroine;[37] Meron credits Freedman with "giv[ing] her a little bit more of a backbone", ultimately developing the character into a more independent woman.[16] Instead of making each character more modern, Zadan opted to "contemporize the qualities of the characters" instead.[20] Freedman was more concerned with writing a film suitable for young girls in the 1990s than writing a multi-cultural film, inspired by stories about his wife being affected by women's representation in films when she was growing up.[16] In a conscious decision to update the fairy tale for a modern generation, Freedman sought to deconstruct the messages young girls and boys were subjected to in previous versions of the fairy tale, explaining, "We didn't want the message to be 'just wait to be rescued",[38] and thus altered the story to "reflect current ideas about what we should be teaching children."[37] Attempting to eliminate the element that Cinderella is simply waiting to be rescued by the prince, Freedman explained, "I'm not saying that it's the most feminist movie you'll ever see, but it is compared the other versions."[16] His efforts apply to both Cinderella and the prince; while Cinderella pines for independence from her stepfamily and actively disagrees with her stepmother's opinions about gender roles in marriage, the prince protests the idea of being married off to simply anyone his parents choose.[38]

Freedman continuously re-wrote the script between 1993 and 1997, particularly concerned about whether or not Houston would like his teleplay.[16] Despite quickly earning approval from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization,[12] Houston typically took longer to make decisions, and although the producers sent and continuously reminded her about the script, it remained unread for several months.[16] Since Houston was still slated to play Cinderella at the time, production was unable to proceed without her involvement.[16] In a final attempt to earn Houston's approval, Meron and Zadan enlisted Broadway actors to perform a read-through for the singer, namely La Chanze as Cinderella, Brian Stokes Mitchell as the prince, Theresa Meritt as the Fairy Godmother and Dana Ivey as the Stepmother.[16][36] They hosted the table-read at the Rihga Royal Hotel in New York City, one of Houston's favorite locations at the time.[16] Houston arrived at the reading several hours late, by which time some of the actors had grown frustrated and weary.[16] Houston remained silent for most of the reading, barely engaging with the participants until the end of the table read when she finally declared her approval of the script and eventually sent the actors flowers to apologize for her tardiness.[16] Houston believed strongly in the story's positive moral "that nothing is impossible and dreams do come true," encouraging the filmmakers to imbue their version of Cinderella "with a 90s sensibility but to remain faithful to the spirit of the original."[39] Freedman identified Houston's eventual re-casting as the Fairy Godmother as a moment that instigated "the next round of rewriting",[16] adapting her version of the character into a "worldly-wise older sister" to Cinderella, as opposed to the "regal maternal figure" that had been depicted prior.[20] Houston described her character as "sassy, honest and very direct ... all the things that you'd like a godmother to be."[4] Houston found the most impressive part of the remake to be "the lessons youngsters can learn about dreams and self-image".[4]

According to Ray Richmond of Variety, Freedman's teleplay is faster in pace and contains more dialogue than previous versions,[2] although A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical author Stacy Ellen Wolf believes that the teleplay borrows more from the 1957 version than Joseph Schrank's 1965 version due to sharing much of its humor, dialogue and gender politics with Hammerstein's book.[40] Despite being more similar to the original musical than the 1965 remake in style and structure, the script's "values and tone" have been updated.[12] The New York Daily News journalist Denene Millner observed that although the remake is "not all that different from the original", its version of Cinderella is more outspoken, the prince is more interested in finding someone he can talk to as opposed to simply "another pretty face", as well as "a hip fairy godmother who preaches self-empowerment" as a result of its "'90s flair".[29] The remake reflected a changing society,[27] containing themes discussing self-reliance and love.[41] According to George Rodosthenous, author of The Disney Musical on Stage and Screen: Critical Approaches from 'Snow White' to 'Frozen', "traces of sexism" were removed from the script in favor of creating "a prince for a new era" while maintaining its "fundamental storyline";[42] this version of the story emphasizes that the prince has fallen in love with Cinderella because she is funny and intelligent, in addition to being beautiful.[40] Freedman granted the prince "a democratic impulse" that drives him to spend time among the citizens of his country in the hopes of better understanding them.[37] Cinderella and the prince are also shown meeting and developing an interest in each other prior to the ball,[38] lessening the "love at first sight" element at the behest of the producers, by having Cinderella and the prince meet and talk to each other first,[37] an idea that would be reused in subsequent adaptations of the story.[38] Cinderella has a conversation with the prince in which she explains that a woman should always be treated "like a person. With kindness and respect", which some critics identified as the studio's attempt to make the film more feminist.[34][38][41]

Cinderella was provided with a more empowering motive in that her fairy godmother reminds her that she has always been capable of bettering her own situation; she "just didn't know it" yet.[37] According to Entertainment Weekly contributor Mary Sollosi, none of the script's dialogue requires that any of its cast or characters be white,[43] with the film also lacking references to the races or ethnicities of the characters whatsoever.[25] The Los Angeles Times critic Howard Rosenberg wrote that the prince's inability to recognize that some of the women trying on the glass slipper in his search for Cinderella are white as part of "what makes this "Cinderella" at once a rainbow and color-blind, a fat social message squeezed into a dainty, glass slipper of a fable."[44]

Casting

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the first time the "Cinderella" story was adapted for a racially diverse cast,[4] having been conceived in this format from inception.[20] The producers hoped that the cast's diversity would enhance the film's "universal appeal" and interest children of all ethnicities.[17] The casting directors recruited performers from various entertainment facets, spanning the Broadway, television, film and music industries.[39] Casting the stepmother proved particularly challenging since most of the white actresses considered for the role felt uneasy about acting cruelly towards a Black Cinderella; Bette Midler was among several actresses who declined.[36] Bernadette Peters was ultimately cast as Cinderella's stepmother, her second villainous role after originating the Witch in the stage musical Into the Woods (1986).[45] Peters' stepmother was adapted into a more comical version than previous incarnations of the character due to the actress' comedic background.[46][47]

Jason Alexander was cast as the prince's valet Lionel, an entirely new character created for comic relief.[9][48] Alexander accepted the role despite being paid significantly less than his Seinfeld salary because, in addition to hoping to earn Zadan and Meron's favor for the title role in a potential film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), he hoped that Cinderella would positively impact the future of television musicals.[20] Describing the project as both a major opportunity and responsibility, Alexander acknowledged that Cinderella's failure to succeed could potentially jeopardize the future of musical films altogether.[20] Furthermore, Alexander insisted that Lionel be different from his Seinfeld character George Costanza, despite Freedman originally writing several in-jokes that alluded to Alexander's most famous role, prompting him to revise several of the actor's scenes accordingly.[36] Whoopi Goldberg accepted the role of Queen Constantina because Cinderella reminded her of a period when television specials were "major event[s]" before home video made such programs available and re-watchable at virtually any time, and hoped that the film would re-introduce the tradition of watching it live and "become part of the fabric of our lives again."[37] Goldberg found the film's colorful cast to be reflective of "who we are", describing it as "more normal" than all-Black or all-white casts.[4] Victor Garber, who was cast as King Maximillian, also enjoyed the film's multicultural cast, describing the fact that his character has an Asian son with an African-American queen as "extraordinary".[49] The actor concluded "There's no reason why this can't be the norm."[4]

Casting the prince was significantly more time consuming, with Chase likening the process to searching for the owner of Cinderella's glass slipper.[5] Auditions were held in both Los Angeles and New York. Several well-known actors auditioned for the role, including Wayne Brady, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Marc Anthony and Taye Diggs, the latter of whom was highly anticipated due to his starring role in the musical Rent at the time.[5] The final actor to audition for the film,[36] Paolo Montalban was ultimately cast as Prince Christopher in his film debut;[23] Montalban had been an understudy in Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical The King and I at the time.[36] Despite being late for the final day of auditions, Montalban impressed the producers with his singing voice.[36] Montalban enjoyed this version of the prince character because "he isn't just holding out for a pretty girl ... he's looking for someone who will complete him as a person, and he finds all of those qualities in Cinderella."[26] Company alumna Veanne Cox and television actress Natalie Desselle, respectively, were cast as Cinderella's stepsisters.[17] Cosmopolitan's Alexis Nedd wrote that the film's final cast consisted of "Broadway stars, recording artists, relative unknowns, and bona fide entertainment superstars."[36] Due to the well-known cast, tabloid newspapers often fabricated stories of the cast engaging in physical altercations, particularly among Brandy, Houston and Goldberg, all of which were proven false.[37] This version of Cinderella was the first live-action fairy tale featuring color-blind casting to be broadcast on television,[50] boasting one of the most diverse ensemble casts to appear on television at the time.[51]

Music

Freedman's final teleplay is 11 minutes longer than previous adaptations, in turn offering several opportunities for new songs, some of which the producers felt necessary.[42] Disney asked the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization to be as open about changes to the musical's score as they had been about the script and cast.[12] Music producers Chris Montan and Arif Mardin were interested in combining "Broadway legit with Hollywood pop",[12] re-arranging the musical's original orchestration in favor of achieving a more contemporary sound by updating its rhythm and beats.[19][31] Montan, who oversees most of the music for Disney's animated films, had been interested in crossing over into live-action for several years and identified Cinderella as one of the first opportunities in which he was allowed to do so.[17] The musicians were not interested in completely modernizing the material in the vein of the musical The Wiz (1974), opting to simply "freshen" its orchestration by incorporating contemporary rhythms, keyboards and instruments, similar to the way in which the studio approaches animated musicals.[17] Although filmmakers are usually hesitant to interpolate songs from other sources into adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein's work, Ted Capin, President of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization,[10] challenged the producers to conceive "compelling reasons" as to why they should incorporate new material into the remake,[52] allowing the filmmakers significant freedom on the condition that the additions remain consistent with the project.[12] Three songs not featured in previous versions of the musical were added to augment the film's score,[48] each of which was borrowed from a different Rodgers and Hammerstein source;[9][13][35][53] these additions are considered to be the most dramatic of the changes made to the musical.[37] "The Sweetest Sounds", a duet Rodgers wrote himself following Hammerstein's death for the musical No Strings (1962), was used to explore the lead couple's initial thoughts and early relationship upon meeting each other in the town square,[20] performing separately until they are united.[42] The filmmakers found this song particularly easy to incorporate.[52]

 
Actress Bernadette Peters portrays Cinderella's stepmother. Borrowed from the musical The Boys from Syracuse (1938), the song "Falling in Love with Love" was used in the film to both develop the Stepmother's character and provide Peters with an opportunity to use her singing voice.

"Falling in Love With Love", which Rodgers wrote with lyricist Lorenz Hart for the musical The Boys from Syracuse (1938), was adapted into a song for Cinderella's stepmother, a character who seldom sings or expresses her innermost feelings in previous adaptations of the fairy tale.[42][52] She advises her own daughters about love and relationships,[52] warning them not to confuse love with marriage.[20] The filmmakers wanted to prove that Stepmother is not simply "an evil harridan" but rather a "product of bitter experience",[20] for which Freedman himself suggested "Falling in Love With Love".[37] Despite concerns that Hart's "biting" lyrics would sound too abrasive against the rest of the score, James, Hammerstein's son, was very much open to the idea.[52] While Mary, Rodgers' daughter, was initially against using "Falling in Love With Love", she relented once Peters was cast as the Stepmother,[52] feeling confident that the Broadway veteran was capable of "put[ting] a different kind of spin on it."[20] The filmmakers also agreed that it would be wasteful to cast Peters without allowing her to sing.[36] According to Peters, the song demonstrates her character's disappointment in her own life, exploring why she has grown so embittered and jealous of Cinderella.[20] Performed while they prepare for the ball,[54] the song was offered "a driving, up-tempo arrangement" for Peters.[55] Although its original melody is retained, the music producers adapted the waltz into a "frenetic Latin-tinged number in duple meter" more suitable for the conniving character.[42][46] The filmmakers agreed that Alexander deserved his own musical number due to his experience as a musical theatre performer, and decided to combine the Steward's "Your Majesties" with the Town Crier's "The Prince is Giving a Ball" from the original musical into an elaborate song-and-dance sequence.[52] Broadway lyricist Fred Ebb was recruited to contribute original lyrics to the new arrangement "that melded stylistically with the Hammerstein originals."[52] Despite the fact that Hammerstein's will states that altering his work is prohibited,[56] James believes his father would have appreciated Ebb's contribution since the songwriter had been known to enjoy collaborating with new lyricists.[52]

Houston's Fairy Godmother was expanded into a more musical role by having the character preface the film with a downtempo rendition of "Impossible".[42] Describing herself as familiar with the "flavor" of Rodgers and Hammerstein's material, Houston opted to perform their songs simply as opposed to her signature pop, R&B or gospel approach.[37] Zadan and Meron wanted Houston to end the film with a wedding song for Cinderella and Christopher.[37] Although the producers agreed that Houston's character would sing the film's closing number,[52] selecting a song for Houston proved a challenge.[20][52] Few songs remaining in Rodgers and Hammerstein's repertoire were deemed suitable until they re-discovered "There's Music in You", a little-known song from the film Main Street to Broadway (1953),[20] in which the songwriters play themselves.[11][52] Despite being covered by singer Bing Crosby, "There's Music in You" remained obscure for 40 years until its re-discovery.[49] The original song lacked a bridge and was deemed inferior to Houston's trademark vocals,[37] thus it was combined with the bridge from "One Foot, Other Foot" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Allegro (1947).[20][56] Additionally, samples of "Impossible" and the wedding march were interpolated into its melody.[37] Mary described the completed song as "Whitney-fied".[37] Meron maintains that these adjustments helped the composition resemble a "Rodgers and Hammerstein song that sounds like a new Whitney Houston record".[20] Capin considered "There's Music in You" to be a "perfect" addition to the original score because, when combined with "The Sweetest Sounds", it "bookends Cinderella with songs about music" while demonstrating how Cinderella has matured throughout the course of the film.[52] Mary said about the new arrangements, "I'm crazy about what they've done with the music ... They save the original sound while updating it."[37] Rob Marshall choreographed and staged the film's musical numbers,[31][57] which he credits with teaching him how to choreograph dance sequences for motion pictures.[58] Brandy learned to waltz for the role,[32] a task which took her two weeks to perfect.[59] To film the "Impossible" musical sequence, Houston rode on a wooden pulley to simulate the effect that she was flying alongside Cinderella's pumpkin carriage.[37]

Brandy found the recording process "challenging" because the film's songs were different than any material she had recorded before, explaining that she was nervous since her "voice wasn't fully developed", especially in comparison to her idol Houston and at times struggling to project.[32] Houston would encourage the singer to "Sing from your gut" as opposed to singing from her chest in order to get her to sing louder.[32] Goldberg, who is not primarily known as a singer, also provided her own vocals for the film, by which some of the filmmakers and cast were pleasantly surprised; Goldberg found the process somewhat difficult due to being surrounded by several professional singers, namely Houston, Brandy and Peters.[4] The studio originally planned to release an original soundtrack featuring the film's music.[12] However, this idea was abandoned due to conflicts between Houston and Brandy's respective record labels.[55]

Filming

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the first of the three versions of the musical to be shot on film.[27] Principal photography began on June 23, 1997 and was completed over a 28-day period,[13][17][60][61] primarily on stages 22 and 26 at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, California,[35] which had been the location of MGM Studios during what is now revered as "the golden age of the movie musical."[12] With a then-unprecedented production budget of $12 million, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella is one of the most expensive television films ever made;[21][62] some media publications dubbed the program "the most expensive two hours ever produced for television."[17][37] In September 1997, Disney Telefilms president Charles Hirschhorn identified the film as the studio's most costly upcoming project.[63] According to A. J. Jacobs of Entertainment Weekly, the film's budget was approximately four-times that of a typical television film.[64] Disney granted the producers this amount because they felt confident that the film would eventually make its budget back once it was released on home video.[37] Zadan agreed that "We've only been able to make [expensive musicals] because of the home-video component. The show loses money, and the home video [market] makes back the money that you lose."[65] However, the film's budget is one of the lowest among the contemporary Cinderella adaptations.[66]

 
For her role as Queen Constantina, actress Whoopi Goldberg insisted that she wear real jewels as opposed to costume jewelry, enlisting jeweler Harry Winston to loan the film $60 million worth of jewelry.

The film's costumes were designed by Ellen Mirojnick, who aspired towards making them "both funny and stylish" in appearance.[37] The main characters were dressed in costumes that complemented their roles and personalities, the stepfamily's "loud" dresses in contrast to Cinderella's warmer, more neutral tones.[47] Meanwhile, the royal family wears different shades of purple, a color often associated with royalty.[47] In order to give Cinderella's ballgown a "magical look", Mirojnick combined blue and white detailing into the dress, in addition to incorporating a peplum, a design element that had not been used in previous versions of the gown.[67] Cinderella's "glass slippers" were made of shatterproof acrylic as opposed to glass, and only one pair was designed to fit Brandy's feet; the shoe the prince discovers and carries on a pillow in search of its owner was designed to be extremely small in order to give it the appearance of being "incredibly delicate", with Iscove describing it as "too small for any human" foot.[64] During the 25th anniversary reunion special aired on ABC on August 23, 2022,[68] Brandy revealed that all of the closeup shots of Cinderella's feet in the glass slippers were done by a foot model with smaller feet than her own size 9, joking that "size nine shoes look like size 12 on TV". In addition to Cinderella herself, Mirojnick costumed all female guests attending the prince's ball in various shades of blue, ranging from aqua to sapphire;[49] Meron believes that Mirojnick's use of color in the characters' costumes distracts from the various skin colors of the film's actors.[37] Meanwhile, the villagers' costumes range in style from "nineteenth-century peasant chic to '40s-esque brocade gowns with exploding collars, bustles, and ruffles."[69] The costume department originally created fake jewelry for Goldberg's character, which consisted of rhinestones for her to wear during the film's ballroom and wedding sequences.[70] However, the actress insisted that the film's queen should wear real jewelry instead and personally contacted jeweler Harry Winston to lend the production millions of dollars worth of jewels,[36] which ultimately included a 70-carat diamond ring and a necklace worth $9 million and $2.5 million, respectively.[70] Winston supplied the set with three armed guards to ensure that the jewelry remained protected at all times and was safely returned at the end of filming.[36][70] The Brooklyn Paper estimates that Goldberg wore approximately $60 million worth of jewelry for the film.[71]

The film's sets were designed by Randy Ser,[12] while art direction was headed by Ed Rubin, who opted to combine a "bright and bold" color palette with "a great deal of subtlety".[37] Iscove identified the film's time period as "nouveau into deco," while also incorporating influences from the work of Gustav Klimt.[37] Prince Christopher's palace was built on the same location as what had been the yellow brick road from the film The Wizard of Oz (1939), thus the palace's courtyard bricks were painted yellow in homage to the classic film.[35] Due to the film's child-friendly message, children and family members of the cast and crew visited the set regularly, including Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown and husband Bobby Brown.[22] Mary and James often visited,[35] as well as Chapin.[12] During a scheduled visit in July, approximately midway through the filming process, Mary and James previewed early footage of the film and met the cast.[12] Hailing the sets as "the most incredible" she had ever seen, Mary described Brandy as "a sweet, wonderful young woman ... I love the fact that millions of children are going to hear her sing 'I can be whatever I want to be.' What better message could we send than that?"[12] Towards the end of filming, the producers realized that they did not have enough money to pay for extras and additional costs, and Disney refused to loan any more money to the production.[36] The producers agreed to finance the remainder of the project using their own money, while Goldberg volunteered to donate the rest of her daily salary to completing the production.[36]

Release

Marketing and premiere

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was heavily promoted as the centerpiece of the newly revived Wonderful World of Disney;[37][64][72] Disney themselves have referred to Cinderella as the "grande dame" of the anthology,[73] while Jefferson Graham of the Chicago Sun-Times touted the film the "crown jewel" of the revival.[74] The same newspaper reported that Cinderella was one of 16 upcoming television films commissioned for the series.[74] One of ABC's promotional advertisements for Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella featured a black-and-white scene from the original 1957 broadcast in which Andrews sings "In My Own Little Corner", which transitions into Brandy singing her more contemporary rendition of the same song, its "funkier orchestration" sounding particularly noticeable opposite Andrews' original.[37] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on October 13, 1997 at Mann's Chinese Theatre,[75] which Houston attended with her husband and daughter.[76] The film's impending premiere coincided with the launch of the official Rodgers and Hammerstein website, which streamed segments from the upcoming broadcast via RealVideo from October 27 to November 3, 1997.[45] These segments were again interpolated with excerpts from the 1957 version.[45] A public screening of the film was hosted at the Sony Lincoln Square Theatre in New York on October 27, 1997.[49] Most of the film's cast – Brandy, Houston, Cox, Garber, Desselle and Montalban – was present; Goldberg and Alexander were unable to attend.[49]

Broadcast and viewership

Houston originally hoped that the film would earn a theatrical release.[77] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on November 2, 1997 during The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC, 40 years after the original broadcast.[50] Disney CEO Michael Eisner introduced the program.[35][72] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was a major ratings success, breaking several television records much like the original did.[39] The telecast aired to over 60 million viewers who watched at least a portion of the film,[9] becoming the most-watched television musical in several years and earning more viewership than 1993's Gypsy.[15] According to the Nielsen ratings, Cinderella averaged a 22.3 rating and 31 share (although it was originally estimated that the program had earned only an 18.8 rating),[9][78] which is believed to have been bolstered by the film's strong appeal towards women and adults between the ages of 18 and 49.[9] Translated, this means that 31 percent of televisions in the United States aired the premiere,[15] while 23 million different households tuned in to the broadcast.[9][62] Surprisingly, 70 percent of Cinderella's total viewership that evening consisted of females under the age of 18,[15][79] specifically ages two to 11.[80] The broadcast attracted a particularly high number of younger audience members, including children, teenagers and young adults, in turn making Cinderella the television season's most popular family show.[78]

In addition to being the most-watched program of the evening, Cinderella remained the most-watched program of the entire week, scoring higher ratings than the consistently popular shows ER and Seinfeld.[15] The film became ABC's most-watched Sunday night program in more than 10 years,[81][82] as well as the most-watched program during the network's two-hour 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm time slot in 13–14 years,[9][15][78][83] a record it broke within its first hour of airing.[84] AllMusic biographer Steve Huey attributes the film's high ratings to its "star power and integrated cast".[85] Additionally, the popularity of Cinderella boosted the ratings of ABC's television film Before Women Had Wings, which premiered immediately following the program and consequently earned a rating of 19,[78] retaining much of its viewership from Cinderella's broadcast.[86] ABC's chief researcher Larry Hyams recalled that few "predicted the magnitude of Cinderella's numbers".[87] On February 14, 1999 (Valentine's Day), ABC re-aired the film,[21] which was watched by 15 million viewers.[88] According to Ashley Lee of the Los Angeles Times, Cinderella was the most profitable television film of its time.[89]

Fuse broadcast Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on November 2, 2017 in honor of the film's 20th anniversary,[51] naming the television special A Night Of Magic: 20th Anniversary of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.[90] The network also aired "Cinderella"-themed episodes of Brandy's sitcom Moesha and the sitcom Sister, Sister in commemoration.[51]

ABC aired Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on August 23, 2022 for the film's 25th anniversary, following Cinderella: The Reunion, A Special Edition of 20/20.[91] 1.5 million viewers watched.[92]

Home media

Shortly after the film's premiere, audiences soon began demanding a swift home video release, which the studio soon began bringing to fruition.[79] Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella was released on VHS February 10, 1998, a mere 101 days after premiere. This became the highest-selling home video release of any made-for-television film at that time,[81][82] selling one million copies its first week.[65] By February 1999, the video had sold more than two million copies.[21] According to Zadan, musical films struggled to sell well on home video until Cinderella was released.[65] The film was released on DVD on February 4, 2003.[93] In July 2020, fans and Brandy herself began heavily petitioning on social media to have the film added to the streaming service Disney+,[94] which currently streams several other Disney-produced film versions of the fairy tale.[95] On February 4, 2021, Brandy announced on The View that the film would be released on Disney+ on February 12.[96][97]

Reception

Critical response

Playbill's Rebecca Paller reviewed the New York screening as "overflowing with star performances, lavish sets" and "lush rainbow-hued costumes", describing its score as "fresher than ever."[49] According to Paller, the screening resembled a Broadway tryout more than a film preview since the audience reportedly applauded at the end of every song.[49] Praising its sets, costumes, choreography and script, Paller concluded "everything about the TV play worked", predicting that both young and adult audiences will find the program memorable.[49] Although well-received by audiences,[27] Cinderella premiered to generally mixed reviews from most critics,[89][98][99][100] who were critical of some of its songs, cast and feminist approach,[34][41] at times deeming it inferior to the 1957 and 1965 versions.[101] Some purist fans were less impressed with the contemporary arrangements of Rodgers and Hammerstein's original music.[102] Critics have softened towards the film over time,[94][95] which has earned 86% on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.[103]

Praising its score and faithfulness to the source material, Eileen Fitzpatrick of Billboard called the film a "sure to please" remake while lauding Brandy's performance, joking that the singer "slips into the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway-like score as easily as Cinderella fits into the glass slipper".[24] Fitzpatrick went on to write that the supporting cast lacks "a weak link" entirely, finding it obvious that Houston enjoyed her material and commending the contributions of Peters, Alexander, Goldberg, Garber, Cox and Deselle.[24] New York entertainment critic John Leonard praised the cast extensively, highlighting the performance of Brandy whom the writer said possesses "the grace to transfigure inchoate youth into adult agency" while complimenting the work of Houston, Montalban, Peters, Goldberg and Alexander, the latter of whom the critic identified as a reminder "that he belonged to musical theater before he ever shacked up with Seinfeld's slackers."[104] Leonard also praised the actors' musical performances, particularly Peters' "Falling in Love with Love", but admitted that he prefers the songs used in Disney's 1950 animated adaptation of the fairy tale.[104] In addition to receiving praise for its overall craftsmanship and musical format, critics appreciated the film's color-blind cast.[15][39] Describing the film as "Short, sweet and blindingly brightly colored", TV Guide film critic Maitland McDonagh wrote that Cinderella is "overall ... a pleasant introduction to a classic musical, tweaked to catch the attention of contemporary youngsters."[102] McDonagh observed that the color-blindness of the entire cast spares the film from potentially suffering "disturbing overtones" that otherwise could have resulted from images of an African-American Cinderella being mistreated by her Caucasian stepmother.[102] Despite calling the supporting cast "unusually strong", the critic felt Brandy and Houston acted too much like their own selves for their performances to be considered truly compelling.[102]

 
Singer Brandy (pictured in 1997) was the first Black actress to play the role of Cinderella on-screen.

Teresa Talerico, writing for Common Sense Media, praised the film's costumes, sets and musical numbers while lauding Peters, Goldberg and Houston's performances, but found the choreography stiff.[105] In a mixed review, The New York Times journalist Caryn James found the film's multi-racial cast and incorporation of stronger Rodgers and Hammerstein material improve Cinderella overall, but admitted the production fails to "take that final leap into pure magic", dismissing it as "a cobbled-together 'Cinderella' for the moment, not the ages."[41] While lauding Brandy and Montalban's efforts, James described the film's feminist re-writes as "clumsy" and accused it of wasting Houston's talent.[41] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe complained that despite its "visual charm" and strong performances, the film lacks "romance, warmth, and a bit of snap in the dance department", failing to become "anything more than a slight TV outing that feels more Nickelodeon than Broadway."[106] Describing the film as "big, gaudy, miles over the top and loads of fun", Variety's Ray Richmond found some of its aspects distracting and opined that the entire project "could have been toned down a notch and still carried across plenty of the requisite spunk."[2] While praising Brandy's subtlety, Richmond found Houston's interpretation of the Fairy Godmother to be an overzealous, "frightening caricature, one certain to send the kids scurrying into Mom's lap for reassurance that the good woman will soon go away."[2] Similarly, television critic Ken Tucker, writing for Entertainment Weekly, praised Brandy and Alexander but found that Houston "strikes a wrong note as a sassy, vaguely hostile Fairy Godmother" while dismissing Montalban as "a drearily bland prince" and describing most of the musical numbers as "clunky", predicting that children "will sleep through" the film.[107]

Although Houston and Brandy's on-screen pairing was highly anticipated, the supporting cast of Peters, Goldberg and Alexander ultimately garnered most of the program's praise.[108] Television critic Howard Rosenberg, in a review for the Los Angeles Times, described Brandy's singing as superior to her acting, resulting in "a tender, fresh Cinderella".[44] Attributing most of the "magic" to Alexander, Peters and Goldberg, Rosenberg was unimpressed with Montalban and Houston, who he described as "pastel as a prince can get (although it's not his fault the character is written as a doofus)" and "not much of a fairy godmother", respectively.[44] For Entertainment Weekly, Denise Lanctot praised the musical numbers and choreography but found Brandy's performance underwhelming, describing it as "oddly vacuous" and "Barbie-doll blank" while criticizing her singing. However, she called Montalban "perfectly charming" and "The real fairy tale".[53] Despite praising Houston, Montalban, Alexander and Peters, People's Terry Kelleher found Brandy's vocals inferior to Houston's and "lack[ing] the vocal command and emotive power to" support the film's ballads.[109] Harlene Ellin of the Chicago Tribune wrote that, despite its aesthetics and color-blind casting, the film "lacks the requisite charm and spark", concluding that the production "doesn't capture the heart" despite its beauty.[110] While praising the performances of Houston, Peters and Montalban, Ellin joked that "Cinderella's glass slippers are far too big for Brandy", criticizing her acting while saying that the singer "delivers her lines so timidly and flatly that it's hard to stay focused on the story when Brandy is on the screen", concluding that her co-stars "only makes her weak acting all the more glaring", and causing her to wonder how the film would have turned out had Houston been cast as the lead instead.[110] The Oxford Handbook of The American Musical editor Raymond Knapp believes that Brandy's sitcom experience negatively affected her acting, writing that she often overreacts and delivers lines "as if they were punch lines rather than emotionally generated phrases."[46] Theater director Timothy Sheader found the production "harsh and unmagical".[8] In 2007, theatre historian John Kenrick dismissed the film as "a desecration of Rodgers & Hammerstein's only original TV musical" despite its popularity, advising audiences to only watch the previous versions of the musical.[111] In its year-end edition, TV Guide ranked the program the best television special of 1997.[15]

The diversity of the cast prompted some members of the media to dub the film "rainbow 'Cinderella'",[13][103][112] Laurie Winer of the Los Angeles Times summarized that the film's cast "is not just rainbow, it's over the rainbow", observing that "the black queen (Goldberg) and white king (Victor Garber), for instance, produce a prince played by Filipino Paolo Montalban" while "Cinderella withstands the company of a white stepsister (Veanne Cox) and a black one (Natalie Desselle), both, apparently, birth daughters of the mother played by Bernadette Peters."[37] A writer for Newsweek believed that Brandy's Cinderella falling in love with a non-Black prince reflects "a growing loss of faith in black men by many black women", explaining, "Just as Brandy's Cinderella falls in love with a prince of another color, so have black women begun to date and marry interracially in record numbers."[34] The Sistahs' Rules author Denene Millner was less receptive towards the fact that Brandy's Cinderella falls in love with a non-Black prince, arguing, "When my stepson who's 5 looks at that production, I want him to know he can be somebody's Prince Charming."[34]

Awards and nominations

The film received several accolades.[113] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards,[18][114] including Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.[82] At the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1998, the film was also nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program, Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program, Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Music Direction, ultimately winning one for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program, which was awarded to Julie Kaye Fanton, Edward L. Rubin and Randy Ser.[115] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was the 13th most nominated program at that year's ceremony.[62]

The film also won an Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design – Awards Show, Variety, Music, or Non-Fiction Program,[116] awarded to Ser.[117] Freedman's teleplay was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Children's Script.[118][119] Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special,[citation needed] while both Brandy and Goldberg were nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series.[citation needed] Peters was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, while Alexander was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.[120]

Legacy

ABC began discussing the possibility of Disney producing more musical films for the network shortly after Cinderella's premiere,[83] originally commissioning its producers to develop similar musicals to broadcast every November.[121] Bill Carter of The New York Times predicted that the success of the broadcast "will mean more musicals for television, probably as early as" 1998.[79] Similarly, Bert Fink of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization said that the program's ratings will most likely "have a salubrious effect on" the future of television musicals.[9] Hirschhorn interpreted the film's success as an indication that "there is a huge family audience out there for quality programming," expressing interest in eventually "fill[ing] in the ground between feature animated musicals and Broadway".[79] Cinderella's producers immediately began researching other musical projects to adapt for the Wonderful World of Disney, with the network originally hoping to produce at least one similar television special per year,[79] announcing that songwriter Stephen Schwartz had already begun writing a musical adaptation of Pinocchio.[9]

In his book The Cambridge Companion to the Musical, author Nicholas Everett identified Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella among important television musicals that "renewed interest in the genre" during the 1990s,[54] with Playbill recognizing it as "the resurgence of televised movie musicals".[122] According to Zadan, Cinderella's success "helped secure a future for musicals in the 'Wonderful World of Disney' slot", whose film company Storyline Entertainment started developing new musicals for the series shortly afterward, including Annie (1999).[21] Although the stage musical Annie had already been adapted as a film in 1982, the film was considered to be a critical and commercial failure.[123] Inspired by the success of Cinderella, Zadan and Meron saw remaking the musical as an opportunity to rectify the previous adaptation's errors.[123] They enlisted Cinderella's choreographer Rob Marshall to direct and making the orphans ethnically diverse.[123] According to Vulture.com entertainment critic Matt Zoller Seitz, both productions "stood out for their lush production values, expert control of tone, and ahead-of-the-curve commitment to diverse casting."[124] However, the Los Angeles Times' Brian Lowry observed that few of the series' subsequent projects achieved the ratings that Cinderella had, with viewership for later programming being rather inconsistent.[125]

Following the success of the film, the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and Disney discussed possibly adapting the production into a touring stage musical by 2001, but the idea never materialized.[55] Various elements from Freedman's script were incorporated into the 2000 national tour of Cinderella,[126] which is considered to be the first time the musical was adapted into a legitimate Broadway-style production.[127] A Broadway adaptation of the musical premiered in 2013, in which several songs from the 1997 film are re-used, including "There's Music in You".[11][128] Additionally, Montalban has reprised his role as the prince in both regional and touring productions of Cinderella, some of which have been directly based on or inspired by the 1997 film.[129][130]

Despite its initial reception, Cinderella has become widely revered as one of the best film adaptations of the fairy tale.[94][99][131] The Daily Telegraph deemed the 1997 adaptation "The final of the trio of classic Cinderella remakes".[27] Both Polygon and Mashable named 1997's Cinderella the best version of the story,[100][132] while Entertainment Tonight ranked the film the third greatest adaptation of the fairy tale.[133] CinemaBlend ranked the film the fourth most charming film adaptation.[66] Highlighting the performances of Montalbán, Peters and Houston, Entertainment Weekly ranked Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella the fourth greatest adaptation of the fairy tale, ahead of both the 1965 (10th) and 1957 (sixth) versions, with author Mary Sollosi calling it one of "the 11 best-known film adaptations of the tale".[43] In 2017, Shondaland.com crowned the film "one of the most inclusive, expensive ... and ultimately beloved TV movies of all time."[16] Kelsie Gibson of PopSugar wrote that the film is superior to Disney's other princess-themed offerings from the 1990s.[47] Den of Geek ranked the film the second best "Cinderella" adaptation, describing it as "the first time the story truly felt magical" and writing "Almost twenty-five years later, this adaptation still feels like the television event it was when it premiered."[134] On February 11, 2021, the day prior to the film's premiere on Disney+, Entertainment Weekly held a virtual reunion with the surviving principal cast members.[135] On August 23, 2022, the cast once again reunited for a television special Cinderella: The Reunion, A Special Edition of 20/20, which was followed by an airing of the film, the first time it has aired on broadcast television in over two decades.[136]

Cultural significance

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is considered to be a "groundbreaking" film due to its diverse cast, particularly casting a Black actress as Cinderella.[28] A BET biographer referred to the production as a "phenomenon" whose cast "broke new ground."[137] Following its success, Disney considered adapting the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" into a musical set in Spain featuring Latin music, but the idea never materialized.[138] Brandy is considered to be the first African-American to play Cinderella on-screen.[139] Newsweek opined that Brandy's casting proved that "the idea of a black girl playing the classic Cinderella was [not] unthinkable", calling it "especially significant because" Disney's 1950 film "sent a painful message that only white women could be princesses."[34] Fans have affectionately nicknamed the film "the Brandy Cinderella".[99][132] Brandy's performance earned her the titles "the first Cinderella of color", "the first black Cinderella" and "the first African-American princess" by various media publications,[32][98][140][141] while Shondaland.com contributor Kendra James dubbed Brandy "Disney's first black princess", crediting her with proving that "Cinderella could have microbraids" and crowning her the Cinderella of the 1990s.[16] James concluded, "for a generation of young children of color, 'Cinderella' became an iconic memory of their childhoods, of seeing themselves in a black princess who could lock eyes and fall in love with a Filipino prince."[16] Similar to the film, the stage adaptation has consistently demonstrated color-blind casting. In 2014, actress Keke Palmer was cast as Cinderella on Broadway, becoming the first Black actress to play the role on Broadway.[47] Identifying Brandy as one of her inspirations for the role,[142] Palmer explained, "I feel like the reason I'm able to do this is definitely because Brandy did it on TV".[143]

According to Ruthie Fierberg of Playbill, Brandy's performance "immortalized the role on screen",[144] while Hollywood.com's Jeremy Rodriguez ranked her seventh out of "10 Actresses Who Played Cinderella Like Royalty", praising her for introducing "a more independent version of the classic character."[145] Fuse TV dubbed Brandy's performance as Cinderella "iconic" and "arguably the most groundbreaking portrayal at time," inspiring the character to become more diverse in the following years.[90] Essence's Deena Campbell credited the singer with "inspiring other young girls to be Black Cinderellas".[146] Media criticism professor Venise Berry found Brandy's casting and performance to be a "wonderful opportunity to reflect the true diversity in our society", writing, "I think that Brandy will help African-American females see there are other possibilities that their lives can blossom into something good, and you don't have to be white for that to happen," in turn making the classic story more accessible "to little black girls" who had believed that ascending into a life of privilege was only possible for white people.[29] Writing for Nylon, Taylor Bryant called the film both "An Underrated Classic" and "One of the most important moments in [film] history".[101] Applauding the film for providing minorities with "the chance to see themselves depicted as royalty for perhaps the first time", Bryant identified Brandy as a princess for Black girls to "fawn" over, which Disney would not revisit until The Princess and the Frog (2009).[101] Similarly, Martha Tesema wrote in an article for Mashable that "seeing Brandy as Cinderella on screen was groundbreaking" having "grown up in a time where future Disney characters like Tiana did not exist and the reason why didn't cross my mind—until this Cinderella. Seeing a princess with box braids like mine and a fairy godmother like Whitney ... gave me and girls who looked like me a glimpse at an early age of why it is necessary to demand representation of all types of people playing all types of roles in films."[25] Ashley Rey, a writer for Bustle, opined that the film "helped show the world that black and brown faces should have just as much of a presence in fairytale land as white faces do."[51]

Martha Tesema, a writer for Mashable, called the film "the best live-action princess remake", writing that it "deserves just as much praise now as it did then."[25] Tesema credits its ethnic diversity with making the film as "enchanting" as it is, continuing that the production "invites you to accept these [characters' races] as just the way they are for a little over an hour and it's a beautiful phenomenon".[25] Furthermore, the writer opined that future live-action remakes should watch Cinderella for reference.[25] In an article for HuffPost, contributor Isabelle Khoo argued that despite the constant remakes that Hollywood produces "no fairy tale adaptation has been more important than Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella.'", citing its diverse cast, combating of sexist stereotypes often depicted in other Disney films, and empowering themes that encourage children to make their own dreams come true as opposed to simply "keep on believing" among "three important reasons the 1997 version has maintained relevance today."[147] Khoo observed that the film continues to be constantly praised in social media by fans who had grown up with the film for its diversity, concluding, "With so much talk about the lack of diversity in Hollywood these days, Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella' is a shining example of the diversity we need."[147] Similarly, Elle writer R. Eric Thomas crowned Cinderella "One of the Most Important Movies of the '90s". Describing it as "effortlessly, even unintentionally, progressive", Thomas wrote that the film "forecast a world with far more possibility; it's a film made for the future."[69] Crediting the film with establishing both Brandy and Houston as "icons", the writer concluded that Cinderella teaches "about the limitless nature of storytelling. That in stories, there are no constraints; the only limit is your imagination. And once you learn that, you don't unlearn it", representing its theme that nothing is impossible.[69] Mandy Len Catron, author of How to Fall in Love with Anyone: A Memoir in Essays, believes that the film remains "The only truly diverse version of the fairy tale" as of 2017.[148] Ashley Lee of the Los Angeles Times declared Cinderella "the best example of colorblind casting of a screen musical to date" which "offers a useful template for potential successors", concluding, "the creatives behind Hollywood's current movie-musical boom could learn a thing or two from its clever spin on a classic text."[89]

Brandy Norwood reprises her role as Cinderella in the Disney+ film "The Pocketwatch", part of the Descendants franchise.[149]

See also

  • Cinderella, Rodgers and Hammerstein's original 1957 television musical on which the film is based, starring Julie Andrews in the title role
  • Cinderella, Disney's 1950 animated musical adaption of the fairy tale
  • Cindy, ABC's 1978 re-imagining of the Cinderella fairy tale featuring an all-Black cast

References

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    • "Ellen Mirojnick Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved July 11, 2018. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (also known as Cinderella)
    • . Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018. Cinderella's stepmother, Cinderella (also known as Rodgers & Hammerstein "Cinderella"), ABC, 1997.
    • "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved December 22, 2018. ALSO KNOWN AS: CINDERELLA | WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY (11/02/97), THE
  2. ^ a b c d e Richmond, Ray (October 26, 1997). "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Whitney Houston (one of five executive producers)
  3. ^ "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997)". BFI. Alternative titles – Cinderella
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Whitney Houston And Brandy Star In TV Movie 'Cinderella'". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. November 3, 1997. pp. 46–47. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved July 31, 2018 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b c "Brandy Norwood, Bernadette Peters & More Look Back on Twenty Years Since Cinderella". Broadway World. November 2, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
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External links

January 13, 2023
cinderella, 1997, film, rodgers, hammerstein, cinderella, also, known, simply, cinderella, 1997, american, musical, fantasy, television, film, produced, walt, disney, television, directed, robert, iscove, written, robert, freedman, based, french, fairy, tale, . Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella also known as simply Cinderella 1 is a 1997 American musical fantasy television film produced by Walt Disney Television directed by Robert Iscove and written by Robert L Freedman Based on the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault the film is the second remake and third version of Rodgers and Hammerstein s musical which originally aired on television in 1957 Adapted from Oscar Hammerstein II s book Freedman modernized the script to appeal to more contemporary audiences by updating its themes particularly re writing its main character into a stronger heroine Co produced by Whitney Houston who also appears as Cinderella s Fairy Godmother the film stars Brandy in the titular role and features a racially diverse cast consisting of Jason Alexander Whoopi Goldberg Bernadette Peters Veanne Cox Natalie Desselle Victor Garber and Paolo Montalban CinderellaHome video promotional poster featuring Houston and Brandy as their respective characters Also known asRodgers amp Hammerstein s CinderellaGenreMusicalFantasyBased onCendrillonby Charles Perrault Cinderellaby Oscar Hammerstein IIWritten byRobert L FreedmanDirected byRobert IscoveStarringWhitney Houston Brandy Jason Alexander Whoopi Goldberg Bernadette Peters Veanne Cox Natalie Desselle Victor Garber Paolo MontalbanComposerRichard RodgersCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishProductionExecutive producersWhitney HoustonDebra Martin ChaseCraig ZadanNeil MeronDavid R GinsburgProducersMike ModerChris MontanCinematographyRalf D BodeEditorsCasey O RohrsTanya M SwerlingRunning time88 minutesProduction companiesWalt Disney TelevisionBrownHouse ProductionsStoryline EntertainmentDistributorBuena Vista TelevisionBudget 12 millionReleaseOriginal networkABCOriginal releaseNovember 2 1997 1997 11 02 Following the success of the 1993 television adaptation of the stage musical Gypsy 1959 Houston approached Gypsy s producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron about starring in a remake of Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella for CBS However development was delayed for several years during which time the network grew disinterested in the project By the time the film was greenlit by Disney for ABC Houston felt that she had outgrown the title role which she offered to Brandy instead The decision to use a color blind casting approach originated among the producers to reflect how society had evolved by the 1990s with Brandy becoming the first Black actress to portray Cinderella on screen Among the most significant changes made to the musical several songs from other Rodgers and Hammerstein productions were interpolated into the film to augment its score With a production budget of 12 million Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella ranks among the most expensive television films ever made Heavily promoted to re launch the anthology series The Wonderful World of Disney Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella premiered on ABC on November 2 1997 to mixed reviews from critics While most reviewers praised the film s costumes sets and supporting cast particularly Peters Alexander and Goldberg television critics were divided over Brandy and Houston s performances as well as Disney s more feminist approach to Brandy s character Despite this Cinderella proved a major ratings success originally airing to 60 million viewers and establishing itself as the most watched television musical in decades earning ABC its highest Sunday night ratings in 10 years Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was nominated for several industry awards including seven Primetime Emmy Awards winning one for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program The program s success inspired Disney and ABC to produce several similar musical projects Critical reception towards the film has improved over time with several media publications ranking it among the best film adaptations of the fairy tale Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella is regarded by contemporary critics as a groundbreaking film due to the unprecedented diversity of its cast and Brandy s role Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Musical numbers 4 Production 4 1 Origins and development 4 2 Writing 4 3 Casting 4 4 Music 4 5 Filming 5 Release 5 1 Marketing and premiere 5 2 Broadcast and viewership 5 3 Home media 6 Reception 6 1 Critical response 6 2 Awards and nominations 7 Legacy 7 1 Cultural significance 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksPlot EditCinderella grows distracted while waiting upon her stepmother and two stepsisters in the marketplace where she meets a charming young man Despite being apprehensive about introducing herself to him the pair bond upon realizing that both are dissatisfied with their sheltered home lives After being scolded for speaking to a stranger Cinderella returns to her stepfamily s aid before she was able to realize the young man is Prince Christopher The Prince returns to the palace where he is apprehended by his valet Lionel for once again visiting the kingdom disguised as a commoner and learns that his parents Queen Constantina and King Maximillian plan to host a ball in order to find their son a suitable bride an idea he strongly protests because he would rather marry for love At Lionel s suggestion Constantina and Maximillian compromise that should Christopher not be successful in choosing a bride at the ball he be allowed to find one on his own terms Back at their own home Cinderella wishes to attend the ball herself but her stepmother ridicules the idea advising her that a prince would never be interested in her and to remain grateful for her current life Solely determined to bolster their own wealth and social status by marrying the prince Cinderella s stepfamily leaves for the ball leaving Cinderella home alone Cinderella is soon visited by her Fairy Godmother for the first time who encourages her to go to the ball she magically transforms a pumpkin into a carriage rats into footmen and a coachman mice into horses and her rags into a beautiful ballgown complete with a pair of glass slippers With her Fairy Godmother s warning that the spell will only last until midnight Cinderella leaves for the ball Yet to be impressed with any of the young women he meets including Cinderella s Stepsisters Christopher is growing weary until Cinderella arrives and the pair instantly start dancing much to the annoyance of Cinderella s stepfamily who can t help but feel that the unidentified princess is familiar Cinderella grows dismayed and wishes to leave when the King and Queen ask her about her background but her Fairy Godmother encourages her to stay The clock strikes midnight as Cinderella and the Prince share their first kiss but Cinderella flees on foot while the spell is reverted leaving behind a single glass slipper With his parents blessing Christopher declares that he will marry whomever fits the slipper even if it means trying it on every maiden in the kingdom When Cinderella s stepfamily return home they begin sharing embellished recounts of their evening Cinderella explains that she can only imagine what it must have been like and they briefly bond over the memory only for the Stepmother to soon recognize Cinderella as the mysterious princess with whom the Prince danced and insisting that she will never be more than a common girl With final encouragement from her Fairy Godmother Cinderella finally decides she will run away from home When the Prince and Lionel arrive at Cinderella s home the Stepmother locks Cinderella in the kitchen hoping to keep her hidden Cinderella s stepfamily including the Stepmother tries on the slipper with little success Lionel demands that the kitchen be unlocked and searched and the Prince discovers Cinderella in the courtyard about to run away When Christopher recognizes Cinderella from the marketplace he tries the slipper on her foot and it fits perfectly In the end Cinderella and the Prince marry in a grand ceremony while the palace gates close on her stepfamily forcing them to watch from outside Cast EditOrder of credits adapted from Variety magazine and the British Film Institute 2 3 Whitney Houston as Fairy Godmother Brandy as Cinderella Jason Alexander as Lionel Whoopi Goldberg as Queen Constantina 4 Bernadette Peters as Stepmother Veanne Cox as Calliope Natalie Desselle as Minerva Victor Garber as King Maximillian 4 Paolo Montalban as Prince ChristopherMusical numbers Edit The Sweetest Sounds from No Strings by Richard Rodgers The Prince Is Giving A Ball In My Own Little Corner Falling In Love With Love from The Boys from Syracuse by Lorenz Hart Impossible It s Possible Ten Minutes Ago Stepsister s Lament Do I Love You Because You re Beautiful A Lovely Night There Is Music In You Production EditOrigins and development Edit Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was the third screen version of the musical 5 6 Songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II originally wrote Cinderella as a musical exclusively for television starring Julie Andrews 7 which aired in 1957 to 107 million viewers 8 The telecast was remade in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren 9 10 11 airing annually on CBS from 1965 to 1972 12 The idea to remake Cinderella for television a second time originated as early as 1992 at which time producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron first approached the Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization about obtaining the screen rights to the production 12 Further development was inspired by the success of CBS adaptation of the stage musical Gypsy 1993 starring Bette Midler which 13 14 in addition to being credited with reviving interest in the genre 14 Zadan and Meron had also produced 15 CBS executive Jeff Sagansky asked Zadan and Meron to start brainstorming ideas for a follow up shortly after Gypsy premiered 16 The day after Gypsy s original broadcast Whitney Houston s agent Nicole David asked the producers if they were interested in developing a similar project starring her client 17 18 19 to whom they suggested Cinderella with Houston playing the titular role 9 20 CBS originally intended to air the completed film by the end of the 1994 1995 television season but the project was continuously delayed 14 The network grew disinterested in favor of other titles by 1996 18 while Houston herself was already committed to several other projects 17 19 Zadan explained that because of her popularity Houston had so many other concrete things that she was doing that Cinderella took a back seat 16 The singer eventually aged to the point at which she no longer felt suitable for the role of Cinderella 20 Houston explained that by the time she became a wife and mother she was not quite feeling like Cinderella anymore believing that portraying the ingenue would require significant reaching for herself as an actress 4 Singer and actress Whitney Houston pictured in 2009 originally intended to play Cinderella herself However feeling that she had outgrown the role by the time the film was greenlit she opted to play the character s Fairy Godmother instead in addition to producing the film By the late 1990s Disney had grown interested in reviving their long running anthology program The Wonderful World of Disney 21 Hoping to relaunch the series using a big event Disney CEO Michael Eisner approached Zadan and Meron about potential television projects the producers suggested Houston s Cinderella which Eisner green lit immediately 16 After relocating their production company Storyline Entertainment from CBS to Disney Studios 18 Zadan and Meron re introduced the project to Houston 20 Agreeing that Cinderella required a certain naivete that s just not there when you re 30 something 17 the producers suggested that Houston play Cinderella s fairy godmother instead 20 a role she accepted because it was less demanding and time consuming 22 For the titular role Houston recommend singer Brandy a close friend 20 in her first major film appearance 23 Brandy had been starring on the sitcom Moesha at the time but was still relatively new to television audiences despite her success as a recording artist 19 24 25 Houston believed that Brandy possessed the energy and wonder to play Cinderella convincingly admitting that their fictional relationship as godmother and goddaughter translates well on screen because it starts from real life 4 when Houston telephoned Brandy to offer her the role she introduced herself as her fairy godmother 17 26 Brandy who identified Cinderella as her favorite fairy tale 19 was the first person of color to portray the character on screen 17 27 with both Brandy and Houston becoming the first African American actresses to play their respective roles in any screen adaptation of the fairy tale 28 29 although an all Black modern day re telling of Cinderella entitled Cindy had premiered in 1978 30 31 Brandy likened being hand selected for Cinderella by a performer she idolizes to a real life fairy tale 32 accepting the role because she already had successful singing and acting careers in addition to relating to the main character in several ways 33 The fact that Cinderella is traditionally depicted as white did not discourage Brandy from pursuing the role 34 Having grown up watching Caucasian actresses portray Cinderella Houston felt that 1997 was a good time to cast a woman of color as the titular character claiming the choice to use a multi cultural cast was a joint decision among the producers 35 who agreed that every generation should have their own Cinderella 16 Executive producer Debra Martin Chase explained that despite enjoying Warren s performance as Cinderella she and Houston realized we never saw a person of color playing Cinderella explaining To have a black Cinderella is just something I know it was important for Whitney to leave this legacy for her daughter 29 Chase hoped that the film mirroring an evolving society will touch every child and the child in every adult 19 encouraging children of all colors to dream 26 One Disney executive would have preferred to have a white Cinderella and black Fairy Godmother and suggested singer songwriter Jewel for the titular role 16 The producers refused 36 insisting that The whole point of this whole thing was to have a black Cinderella 16 Zadan maintains that Brandy was the only actress they had considered for the role elaborating it s important to mention because it shows that even at that moment there was still resistance to having a black Cinderella People were clearly still thinking Multicultural is one thing but do we have to have two black leads 16 Robert Iscove was enlisted as the film s director 12 with Chris Montan and Mike Moder producing alongside Zadan and Meron 17 Houston was retained as an executive producer alongside Chase 20 The film was co produced by Walt Disney Telefilms Storyline Entertainment and Houston s own production company BrownHouse Productions 12 becoming the latter s first project and Houston s executive producing debut 4 19 The film has a total of five executive producers Houston Chase Zadan Meron and David R Ginsburg 2 Houston remained heavily involved in the film s production aspects despite being relegated to a supporting acting role retaining final approval over all creative decisions particularly its multiracial cast 35 In addition to developing a good relationship with each other the producers established a strong rapport with Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization President Ted Chapin 16 Although they were originally concerned that the organization would dismiss the idea of a multi cultural cast they were surprised when the company did not protest whatsoever 16 Mary Rodgers and James Hammerstein relatives of the original composers also approved this casting decision with Mary maintaining that the production remains true to the original despite contemporary modifications to its cast and score 35 and James describing the film as a total scrambled gene pool and one of the nicest fantasies one can imagine 20 James also believes Hammerstein would have approved of the color blind casting claiming he would have asked why the process took as long as it did 12 Meron believes that the organization was so open due to Houston s involvement explaining Whitney was so huge at that time to a lot of executives she was popular entertainment as opposed to being defined by her race 16 Writing Edit Television writer Robert L Freedman became involved with the project as early as 1993 16 Although he had not written a musical before Freedman was fond of Warren s version and drawn to the opportunity to work with Zadan and Meron whose plans to remake Cinderella he had first read about in a Variety article 16 Aware that the film could potentially be groundbreaking Freedman Zadan and Meron collaborated on several new ideas for the remake among them ensuring that Cinderella was defined by more than falling in love providing her with her own story arc that is beyond simply finding a love interest 16 The Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization allowed the filmmakers an unusual amount of freedom to modify the musical s script among these changes making Cinderella a more active heroine 37 Meron credits Freedman with giv ing her a little bit more of a backbone ultimately developing the character into a more independent woman 16 Instead of making each character more modern Zadan opted to contemporize the qualities of the characters instead 20 Freedman was more concerned with writing a film suitable for young girls in the 1990s than writing a multi cultural film inspired by stories about his wife being affected by women s representation in films when she was growing up 16 In a conscious decision to update the fairy tale for a modern generation Freedman sought to deconstruct the messages young girls and boys were subjected to in previous versions of the fairy tale explaining We didn t want the message to be just wait to be rescued 38 and thus altered the story to reflect current ideas about what we should be teaching children 37 Attempting to eliminate the element that Cinderella is simply waiting to be rescued by the prince Freedman explained I m not saying that it s the most feminist movie you ll ever see but it is compared the other versions 16 His efforts apply to both Cinderella and the prince while Cinderella pines for independence from her stepfamily and actively disagrees with her stepmother s opinions about gender roles in marriage the prince protests the idea of being married off to simply anyone his parents choose 38 Freedman continuously re wrote the script between 1993 and 1997 particularly concerned about whether or not Houston would like his teleplay 16 Despite quickly earning approval from the Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization 12 Houston typically took longer to make decisions and although the producers sent and continuously reminded her about the script it remained unread for several months 16 Since Houston was still slated to play Cinderella at the time production was unable to proceed without her involvement 16 In a final attempt to earn Houston s approval Meron and Zadan enlisted Broadway actors to perform a read through for the singer namely La Chanze as Cinderella Brian Stokes Mitchell as the prince Theresa Meritt as the Fairy Godmother and Dana Ivey as the Stepmother 16 36 They hosted the table read at the Rihga Royal Hotel in New York City one of Houston s favorite locations at the time 16 Houston arrived at the reading several hours late by which time some of the actors had grown frustrated and weary 16 Houston remained silent for most of the reading barely engaging with the participants until the end of the table read when she finally declared her approval of the script and eventually sent the actors flowers to apologize for her tardiness 16 Houston believed strongly in the story s positive moral that nothing is impossible and dreams do come true encouraging the filmmakers to imbue their version of Cinderella with a 90s sensibility but to remain faithful to the spirit of the original 39 Freedman identified Houston s eventual re casting as the Fairy Godmother as a moment that instigated the next round of rewriting 16 adapting her version of the character into a worldly wise older sister to Cinderella as opposed to the regal maternal figure that had been depicted prior 20 Houston described her character as sassy honest and very direct all the things that you d like a godmother to be 4 Houston found the most impressive part of the remake to be the lessons youngsters can learn about dreams and self image 4 According to Ray Richmond of Variety Freedman s teleplay is faster in pace and contains more dialogue than previous versions 2 although A Problem Like Maria Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical author Stacy Ellen Wolf believes that the teleplay borrows more from the 1957 version than Joseph Schrank s 1965 version due to sharing much of its humor dialogue and gender politics with Hammerstein s book 40 Despite being more similar to the original musical than the 1965 remake in style and structure the script s values and tone have been updated 12 The New York Daily News journalist Denene Millner observed that although the remake is not all that different from the original its version of Cinderella is more outspoken the prince is more interested in finding someone he can talk to as opposed to simply another pretty face as well as a hip fairy godmother who preaches self empowerment as a result of its 90s flair 29 The remake reflected a changing society 27 containing themes discussing self reliance and love 41 According to George Rodosthenous author of The Disney Musical on Stage and Screen Critical Approaches from Snow White to Frozen traces of sexism were removed from the script in favor of creating a prince for a new era while maintaining its fundamental storyline 42 this version of the story emphasizes that the prince has fallen in love with Cinderella because she is funny and intelligent in addition to being beautiful 40 Freedman granted the prince a democratic impulse that drives him to spend time among the citizens of his country in the hopes of better understanding them 37 Cinderella and the prince are also shown meeting and developing an interest in each other prior to the ball 38 lessening the love at first sight element at the behest of the producers by having Cinderella and the prince meet and talk to each other first 37 an idea that would be reused in subsequent adaptations of the story 38 Cinderella has a conversation with the prince in which she explains that a woman should always be treated like a person With kindness and respect which some critics identified as the studio s attempt to make the film more feminist 34 38 41 Cinderella was provided with a more empowering motive in that her fairy godmother reminds her that she has always been capable of bettering her own situation she just didn t know it yet 37 According to Entertainment Weekly contributor Mary Sollosi none of the script s dialogue requires that any of its cast or characters be white 43 with the film also lacking references to the races or ethnicities of the characters whatsoever 25 The Los Angeles Times critic Howard Rosenberg wrote that the prince s inability to recognize that some of the women trying on the glass slipper in his search for Cinderella are white as part of what makes this Cinderella at once a rainbow and color blind a fat social message squeezed into a dainty glass slipper of a fable 44 Casting Edit Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was the first time the Cinderella story was adapted for a racially diverse cast 4 having been conceived in this format from inception 20 The producers hoped that the cast s diversity would enhance the film s universal appeal and interest children of all ethnicities 17 The casting directors recruited performers from various entertainment facets spanning the Broadway television film and music industries 39 Casting the stepmother proved particularly challenging since most of the white actresses considered for the role felt uneasy about acting cruelly towards a Black Cinderella Bette Midler was among several actresses who declined 36 Bernadette Peters was ultimately cast as Cinderella s stepmother her second villainous role after originating the Witch in the stage musical Into the Woods 1986 45 Peters stepmother was adapted into a more comical version than previous incarnations of the character due to the actress comedic background 46 47 Jason Alexander was cast as the prince s valet Lionel an entirely new character created for comic relief 9 48 Alexander accepted the role despite being paid significantly less than his Seinfeld salary because in addition to hoping to earn Zadan and Meron s favor for the title role in a potential film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 1979 he hoped that Cinderella would positively impact the future of television musicals 20 Describing the project as both a major opportunity and responsibility Alexander acknowledged that Cinderella s failure to succeed could potentially jeopardize the future of musical films altogether 20 Furthermore Alexander insisted that Lionel be different from his Seinfeld character George Costanza despite Freedman originally writing several in jokes that alluded to Alexander s most famous role prompting him to revise several of the actor s scenes accordingly 36 Whoopi Goldberg accepted the role of Queen Constantina because Cinderella reminded her of a period when television specials were major event s before home video made such programs available and re watchable at virtually any time and hoped that the film would re introduce the tradition of watching it live and become part of the fabric of our lives again 37 Goldberg found the film s colorful cast to be reflective of who we are describing it as more normal than all Black or all white casts 4 Victor Garber who was cast as King Maximillian also enjoyed the film s multicultural cast describing the fact that his character has an Asian son with an African American queen as extraordinary 49 The actor concluded There s no reason why this can t be the norm 4 Casting the prince was significantly more time consuming with Chase likening the process to searching for the owner of Cinderella s glass slipper 5 Auditions were held in both Los Angeles and New York Several well known actors auditioned for the role including Wayne Brady Antonio Sabato Jr Marc Anthony and Taye Diggs the latter of whom was highly anticipated due to his starring role in the musical Rent at the time 5 The final actor to audition for the film 36 Paolo Montalban was ultimately cast as Prince Christopher in his film debut 23 Montalban had been an understudy in Rodgers and Hammerstein s musical The King and I at the time 36 Despite being late for the final day of auditions Montalban impressed the producers with his singing voice 36 Montalban enjoyed this version of the prince character because he isn t just holding out for a pretty girl he s looking for someone who will complete him as a person and he finds all of those qualities in Cinderella 26 Company alumna Veanne Cox and television actress Natalie Desselle respectively were cast as Cinderella s stepsisters 17 Cosmopolitan s Alexis Nedd wrote that the film s final cast consisted of Broadway stars recording artists relative unknowns and bona fide entertainment superstars 36 Due to the well known cast tabloid newspapers often fabricated stories of the cast engaging in physical altercations particularly among Brandy Houston and Goldberg all of which were proven false 37 This version of Cinderella was the first live action fairy tale featuring color blind casting to be broadcast on television 50 boasting one of the most diverse ensemble casts to appear on television at the time 51 Music EditFreedman s final teleplay is 11 minutes longer than previous adaptations in turn offering several opportunities for new songs some of which the producers felt necessary 42 Disney asked the Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization to be as open about changes to the musical s score as they had been about the script and cast 12 Music producers Chris Montan and Arif Mardin were interested in combining Broadway legit with Hollywood pop 12 re arranging the musical s original orchestration in favor of achieving a more contemporary sound by updating its rhythm and beats 19 31 Montan who oversees most of the music for Disney s animated films had been interested in crossing over into live action for several years and identified Cinderella as one of the first opportunities in which he was allowed to do so 17 The musicians were not interested in completely modernizing the material in the vein of the musical The Wiz 1974 opting to simply freshen its orchestration by incorporating contemporary rhythms keyboards and instruments similar to the way in which the studio approaches animated musicals 17 Although filmmakers are usually hesitant to interpolate songs from other sources into adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein s work Ted Capin President of the Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization 10 challenged the producers to conceive compelling reasons as to why they should incorporate new material into the remake 52 allowing the filmmakers significant freedom on the condition that the additions remain consistent with the project 12 Three songs not featured in previous versions of the musical were added to augment the film s score 48 each of which was borrowed from a different Rodgers and Hammerstein source 9 13 35 53 these additions are considered to be the most dramatic of the changes made to the musical 37 The Sweetest Sounds a duet Rodgers wrote himself following Hammerstein s death for the musical No Strings 1962 was used to explore the lead couple s initial thoughts and early relationship upon meeting each other in the town square 20 performing separately until they are united 42 The filmmakers found this song particularly easy to incorporate 52 Actress Bernadette Peters portrays Cinderella s stepmother Borrowed from the musical The Boys from Syracuse 1938 the song Falling in Love with Love was used in the film to both develop the Stepmother s character and provide Peters with an opportunity to use her singing voice Falling in Love With Love which Rodgers wrote with lyricist Lorenz Hart for the musical The Boys from Syracuse 1938 was adapted into a song for Cinderella s stepmother a character who seldom sings or expresses her innermost feelings in previous adaptations of the fairy tale 42 52 She advises her own daughters about love and relationships 52 warning them not to confuse love with marriage 20 The filmmakers wanted to prove that Stepmother is not simply an evil harridan but rather a product of bitter experience 20 for which Freedman himself suggested Falling in Love With Love 37 Despite concerns that Hart s biting lyrics would sound too abrasive against the rest of the score James Hammerstein s son was very much open to the idea 52 While Mary Rodgers daughter was initially against using Falling in Love With Love she relented once Peters was cast as the Stepmother 52 feeling confident that the Broadway veteran was capable of put ting a different kind of spin on it 20 The filmmakers also agreed that it would be wasteful to cast Peters without allowing her to sing 36 According to Peters the song demonstrates her character s disappointment in her own life exploring why she has grown so embittered and jealous of Cinderella 20 Performed while they prepare for the ball 54 the song was offered a driving up tempo arrangement for Peters 55 Although its original melody is retained the music producers adapted the waltz into a frenetic Latin tinged number in duple meter more suitable for the conniving character 42 46 The filmmakers agreed that Alexander deserved his own musical number due to his experience as a musical theatre performer and decided to combine the Steward s Your Majesties with the Town Crier s The Prince is Giving a Ball from the original musical into an elaborate song and dance sequence 52 Broadway lyricist Fred Ebb was recruited to contribute original lyrics to the new arrangement that melded stylistically with the Hammerstein originals 52 Despite the fact that Hammerstein s will states that altering his work is prohibited 56 James believes his father would have appreciated Ebb s contribution since the songwriter had been known to enjoy collaborating with new lyricists 52 Houston s Fairy Godmother was expanded into a more musical role by having the character preface the film with a downtempo rendition of Impossible 42 Describing herself as familiar with the flavor of Rodgers and Hammerstein s material Houston opted to perform their songs simply as opposed to her signature pop R amp B or gospel approach 37 Zadan and Meron wanted Houston to end the film with a wedding song for Cinderella and Christopher 37 Although the producers agreed that Houston s character would sing the film s closing number 52 selecting a song for Houston proved a challenge 20 52 Few songs remaining in Rodgers and Hammerstein s repertoire were deemed suitable until they re discovered There s Music in You a little known song from the film Main Street to Broadway 1953 20 in which the songwriters play themselves 11 52 Despite being covered by singer Bing Crosby There s Music in You remained obscure for 40 years until its re discovery 49 The original song lacked a bridge and was deemed inferior to Houston s trademark vocals 37 thus it was combined with the bridge from One Foot Other Foot from Rodgers and Hammerstein s musical Allegro 1947 20 56 Additionally samples of Impossible and the wedding march were interpolated into its melody 37 Mary described the completed song as Whitney fied 37 Meron maintains that these adjustments helped the composition resemble a Rodgers and Hammerstein song that sounds like a new Whitney Houston record 20 Capin considered There s Music in You to be a perfect addition to the original score because when combined with The Sweetest Sounds it bookends Cinderella with songs about music while demonstrating how Cinderella has matured throughout the course of the film 52 Mary said about the new arrangements I m crazy about what they ve done with the music They save the original sound while updating it 37 Rob Marshall choreographed and staged the film s musical numbers 31 57 which he credits with teaching him how to choreograph dance sequences for motion pictures 58 Brandy learned to waltz for the role 32 a task which took her two weeks to perfect 59 To film the Impossible musical sequence Houston rode on a wooden pulley to simulate the effect that she was flying alongside Cinderella s pumpkin carriage 37 Brandy found the recording process challenging because the film s songs were different than any material she had recorded before explaining that she was nervous since her voice wasn t fully developed especially in comparison to her idol Houston and at times struggling to project 32 Houston would encourage the singer to Sing from your gut as opposed to singing from her chest in order to get her to sing louder 32 Goldberg who is not primarily known as a singer also provided her own vocals for the film by which some of the filmmakers and cast were pleasantly surprised Goldberg found the process somewhat difficult due to being surrounded by several professional singers namely Houston Brandy and Peters 4 The studio originally planned to release an original soundtrack featuring the film s music 12 However this idea was abandoned due to conflicts between Houston and Brandy s respective record labels 55 Filming Edit Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was the first of the three versions of the musical to be shot on film 27 Principal photography began on June 23 1997 and was completed over a 28 day period 13 17 60 61 primarily on stages 22 and 26 at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City California 35 which had been the location of MGM Studios during what is now revered as the golden age of the movie musical 12 With a then unprecedented production budget of 12 million Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella is one of the most expensive television films ever made 21 62 some media publications dubbed the program the most expensive two hours ever produced for television 17 37 In September 1997 Disney Telefilms president Charles Hirschhorn identified the film as the studio s most costly upcoming project 63 According to A J Jacobs of Entertainment Weekly the film s budget was approximately four times that of a typical television film 64 Disney granted the producers this amount because they felt confident that the film would eventually make its budget back once it was released on home video 37 Zadan agreed that We ve only been able to make expensive musicals because of the home video component The show loses money and the home video market makes back the money that you lose 65 However the film s budget is one of the lowest among the contemporary Cinderella adaptations 66 For her role as Queen Constantina actress Whoopi Goldberg insisted that she wear real jewels as opposed to costume jewelry enlisting jeweler Harry Winston to loan the film 60 million worth of jewelry The film s costumes were designed by Ellen Mirojnick who aspired towards making them both funny and stylish in appearance 37 The main characters were dressed in costumes that complemented their roles and personalities the stepfamily s loud dresses in contrast to Cinderella s warmer more neutral tones 47 Meanwhile the royal family wears different shades of purple a color often associated with royalty 47 In order to give Cinderella s ballgown a magical look Mirojnick combined blue and white detailing into the dress in addition to incorporating a peplum a design element that had not been used in previous versions of the gown 67 Cinderella s glass slippers were made of shatterproof acrylic as opposed to glass and only one pair was designed to fit Brandy s feet the shoe the prince discovers and carries on a pillow in search of its owner was designed to be extremely small in order to give it the appearance of being incredibly delicate with Iscove describing it as too small for any human foot 64 During the 25th anniversary reunion special aired on ABC on August 23 2022 68 Brandy revealed that all of the closeup shots of Cinderella s feet in the glass slippers were done by a foot model with smaller feet than her own size 9 joking that size nine shoes look like size 12 on TV In addition to Cinderella herself Mirojnick costumed all female guests attending the prince s ball in various shades of blue ranging from aqua to sapphire 49 Meron believes that Mirojnick s use of color in the characters costumes distracts from the various skin colors of the film s actors 37 Meanwhile the villagers costumes range in style from nineteenth century peasant chic to 40s esque brocade gowns with exploding collars bustles and ruffles 69 The costume department originally created fake jewelry for Goldberg s character which consisted of rhinestones for her to wear during the film s ballroom and wedding sequences 70 However the actress insisted that the film s queen should wear real jewelry instead and personally contacted jeweler Harry Winston to lend the production millions of dollars worth of jewels 36 which ultimately included a 70 carat diamond ring and a necklace worth 9 million and 2 5 million respectively 70 Winston supplied the set with three armed guards to ensure that the jewelry remained protected at all times and was safely returned at the end of filming 36 70 The Brooklyn Paper estimates that Goldberg wore approximately 60 million worth of jewelry for the film 71 The film s sets were designed by Randy Ser 12 while art direction was headed by Ed Rubin who opted to combine a bright and bold color palette with a great deal of subtlety 37 Iscove identified the film s time period as nouveau into deco while also incorporating influences from the work of Gustav Klimt 37 Prince Christopher s palace was built on the same location as what had been the yellow brick road from the film The Wizard of Oz 1939 thus the palace s courtyard bricks were painted yellow in homage to the classic film 35 Due to the film s child friendly message children and family members of the cast and crew visited the set regularly including Houston s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown and husband Bobby Brown 22 Mary and James often visited 35 as well as Chapin 12 During a scheduled visit in July approximately midway through the filming process Mary and James previewed early footage of the film and met the cast 12 Hailing the sets as the most incredible she had ever seen Mary described Brandy as a sweet wonderful young woman I love the fact that millions of children are going to hear her sing I can be whatever I want to be What better message could we send than that 12 Towards the end of filming the producers realized that they did not have enough money to pay for extras and additional costs and Disney refused to loan any more money to the production 36 The producers agreed to finance the remainder of the project using their own money while Goldberg volunteered to donate the rest of her daily salary to completing the production 36 Release EditMarketing and premiere Edit Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was heavily promoted as the centerpiece of the newly revived Wonderful World of Disney 37 64 72 Disney themselves have referred to Cinderella as the grande dame of the anthology 73 while Jefferson Graham of the Chicago Sun Times touted the film the crown jewel of the revival 74 The same newspaper reported that Cinderella was one of 16 upcoming television films commissioned for the series 74 One of ABC s promotional advertisements for Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella featured a black and white scene from the original 1957 broadcast in which Andrews sings In My Own Little Corner which transitions into Brandy singing her more contemporary rendition of the same song its funkier orchestration sounding particularly noticeable opposite Andrews original 37 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella premiered on October 13 1997 at Mann s Chinese Theatre 75 which Houston attended with her husband and daughter 76 The film s impending premiere coincided with the launch of the official Rodgers and Hammerstein website which streamed segments from the upcoming broadcast via RealVideo from October 27 to November 3 1997 45 These segments were again interpolated with excerpts from the 1957 version 45 A public screening of the film was hosted at the Sony Lincoln Square Theatre in New York on October 27 1997 49 Most of the film s cast Brandy Houston Cox Garber Desselle and Montalban was present Goldberg and Alexander were unable to attend 49 Broadcast and viewership Edit Houston originally hoped that the film would earn a theatrical release 77 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella premiered on November 2 1997 during The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC 40 years after the original broadcast 50 Disney CEO Michael Eisner introduced the program 35 72 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was a major ratings success breaking several television records much like the original did 39 The telecast aired to over 60 million viewers who watched at least a portion of the film 9 becoming the most watched television musical in several years and earning more viewership than 1993 s Gypsy 15 According to the Nielsen ratings Cinderella averaged a 22 3 rating and 31 share although it was originally estimated that the program had earned only an 18 8 rating 9 78 which is believed to have been bolstered by the film s strong appeal towards women and adults between the ages of 18 and 49 9 Translated this means that 31 percent of televisions in the United States aired the premiere 15 while 23 million different households tuned in to the broadcast 9 62 Surprisingly 70 percent of Cinderella s total viewership that evening consisted of females under the age of 18 15 79 specifically ages two to 11 80 The broadcast attracted a particularly high number of younger audience members including children teenagers and young adults in turn making Cinderella the television season s most popular family show 78 In addition to being the most watched program of the evening Cinderella remained the most watched program of the entire week scoring higher ratings than the consistently popular shows ER and Seinfeld 15 The film became ABC s most watched Sunday night program in more than 10 years 81 82 as well as the most watched program during the network s two hour 7 00 pm to 9 00 pm time slot in 13 14 years 9 15 78 83 a record it broke within its first hour of airing 84 AllMusic biographer Steve Huey attributes the film s high ratings to its star power and integrated cast 85 Additionally the popularity of Cinderella boosted the ratings of ABC s television film Before Women Had Wings which premiered immediately following the program and consequently earned a rating of 19 78 retaining much of its viewership from Cinderella s broadcast 86 ABC s chief researcher Larry Hyams recalled that few predicted the magnitude of Cinderella s numbers 87 On February 14 1999 Valentine s Day ABC re aired the film 21 which was watched by 15 million viewers 88 According to Ashley Lee of the Los Angeles Times Cinderella was the most profitable television film of its time 89 Fuse broadcast Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella on November 2 2017 in honor of the film s 20th anniversary 51 naming the television special A Night Of Magic 20th Anniversary of Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella 90 The network also aired Cinderella themed episodes of Brandy s sitcom Moesha and the sitcom Sister Sister in commemoration 51 ABC aired Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella on August 23 2022 for the film s 25th anniversary following Cinderella The Reunion A Special Edition of 20 20 91 1 5 million viewers watched 92 Home media Edit Shortly after the film s premiere audiences soon began demanding a swift home video release which the studio soon began bringing to fruition 79 Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella was released on VHS February 10 1998 a mere 101 days after premiere This became the highest selling home video release of any made for television film at that time 81 82 selling one million copies its first week 65 By February 1999 the video had sold more than two million copies 21 According to Zadan musical films struggled to sell well on home video until Cinderella was released 65 The film was released on DVD on February 4 2003 93 In July 2020 fans and Brandy herself began heavily petitioning on social media to have the film added to the streaming service Disney 94 which currently streams several other Disney produced film versions of the fairy tale 95 On February 4 2021 Brandy announced on The View that the film would be released on Disney on February 12 96 97 Reception EditCritical response Edit Playbill s Rebecca Paller reviewed the New York screening as overflowing with star performances lavish sets and lush rainbow hued costumes describing its score as fresher than ever 49 According to Paller the screening resembled a Broadway tryout more than a film preview since the audience reportedly applauded at the end of every song 49 Praising its sets costumes choreography and script Paller concluded everything about the TV play worked predicting that both young and adult audiences will find the program memorable 49 Although well received by audiences 27 Cinderella premiered to generally mixed reviews from most critics 89 98 99 100 who were critical of some of its songs cast and feminist approach 34 41 at times deeming it inferior to the 1957 and 1965 versions 101 Some purist fans were less impressed with the contemporary arrangements of Rodgers and Hammerstein s original music 102 Critics have softened towards the film over time 94 95 which has earned 86 on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes 103 Praising its score and faithfulness to the source material Eileen Fitzpatrick of Billboard called the film a sure to please remake while lauding Brandy s performance joking that the singer slips into the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway like score as easily as Cinderella fits into the glass slipper 24 Fitzpatrick went on to write that the supporting cast lacks a weak link entirely finding it obvious that Houston enjoyed her material and commending the contributions of Peters Alexander Goldberg Garber Cox and Deselle 24 New York entertainment critic John Leonard praised the cast extensively highlighting the performance of Brandy whom the writer said possesses the grace to transfigure inchoate youth into adult agency while complimenting the work of Houston Montalban Peters Goldberg and Alexander the latter of whom the critic identified as a reminder that he belonged to musical theater before he ever shacked up with Seinfeld s slackers 104 Leonard also praised the actors musical performances particularly Peters Falling in Love with Love but admitted that he prefers the songs used in Disney s 1950 animated adaptation of the fairy tale 104 In addition to receiving praise for its overall craftsmanship and musical format critics appreciated the film s color blind cast 15 39 Describing the film as Short sweet and blindingly brightly colored TV Guide film critic Maitland McDonagh wrote that Cinderella is overall a pleasant introduction to a classic musical tweaked to catch the attention of contemporary youngsters 102 McDonagh observed that the color blindness of the entire cast spares the film from potentially suffering disturbing overtones that otherwise could have resulted from images of an African American Cinderella being mistreated by her Caucasian stepmother 102 Despite calling the supporting cast unusually strong the critic felt Brandy and Houston acted too much like their own selves for their performances to be considered truly compelling 102 Singer Brandy pictured in 1997 was the first Black actress to play the role of Cinderella on screen Teresa Talerico writing for Common Sense Media praised the film s costumes sets and musical numbers while lauding Peters Goldberg and Houston s performances but found the choreography stiff 105 In a mixed review The New York Times journalist Caryn James found the film s multi racial cast and incorporation of stronger Rodgers and Hammerstein material improve Cinderella overall but admitted the production fails to take that final leap into pure magic dismissing it as a cobbled together Cinderella for the moment not the ages 41 While lauding Brandy and Montalban s efforts James described the film s feminist re writes as clumsy and accused it of wasting Houston s talent 41 Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe complained that despite its visual charm and strong performances the film lacks romance warmth and a bit of snap in the dance department failing to become anything more than a slight TV outing that feels more Nickelodeon than Broadway 106 Describing the film as big gaudy miles over the top and loads of fun Variety s Ray Richmond found some of its aspects distracting and opined that the entire project could have been toned down a notch and still carried across plenty of the requisite spunk 2 While praising Brandy s subtlety Richmond found Houston s interpretation of the Fairy Godmother to be an overzealous frightening caricature one certain to send the kids scurrying into Mom s lap for reassurance that the good woman will soon go away 2 Similarly television critic Ken Tucker writing for Entertainment Weekly praised Brandy and Alexander but found that Houston strikes a wrong note as a sassy vaguely hostile Fairy Godmother while dismissing Montalban as a drearily bland prince and describing most of the musical numbers as clunky predicting that children will sleep through the film 107 Although Houston and Brandy s on screen pairing was highly anticipated the supporting cast of Peters Goldberg and Alexander ultimately garnered most of the program s praise 108 Television critic Howard Rosenberg in a review for the Los Angeles Times described Brandy s singing as superior to her acting resulting in a tender fresh Cinderella 44 Attributing most of the magic to Alexander Peters and Goldberg Rosenberg was unimpressed with Montalban and Houston who he described as pastel as a prince can get although it s not his fault the character is written as a doofus and not much of a fairy godmother respectively 44 For Entertainment Weekly Denise Lanctot praised the musical numbers and choreography but found Brandy s performance underwhelming describing it as oddly vacuous and Barbie doll blank while criticizing her singing However she called Montalban perfectly charming and The real fairy tale 53 Despite praising Houston Montalban Alexander and Peters People s Terry Kelleher found Brandy s vocals inferior to Houston s and lack ing the vocal command and emotive power to support the film s ballads 109 Harlene Ellin of the Chicago Tribune wrote that despite its aesthetics and color blind casting the film lacks the requisite charm and spark concluding that the production doesn t capture the heart despite its beauty 110 While praising the performances of Houston Peters and Montalban Ellin joked that Cinderella s glass slippers are far too big for Brandy criticizing her acting while saying that the singer delivers her lines so timidly and flatly that it s hard to stay focused on the story when Brandy is on the screen concluding that her co stars only makes her weak acting all the more glaring and causing her to wonder how the film would have turned out had Houston been cast as the lead instead 110 The Oxford Handbook of The American Musical editor Raymond Knapp believes that Brandy s sitcom experience negatively affected her acting writing that she often overreacts and delivers lines as if they were punch lines rather than emotionally generated phrases 46 Theater director Timothy Sheader found the production harsh and unmagical 8 In 2007 theatre historian John Kenrick dismissed the film as a desecration of Rodgers amp Hammerstein s only original TV musical despite its popularity advising audiences to only watch the previous versions of the musical 111 In its year end edition TV Guide ranked the program the best television special of 1997 15 The diversity of the cast prompted some members of the media to dub the film rainbow Cinderella 13 103 112 Laurie Winer of the Los Angeles Times summarized that the film s cast is not just rainbow it s over the rainbow observing that the black queen Goldberg and white king Victor Garber for instance produce a prince played by Filipino Paolo Montalban while Cinderella withstands the company of a white stepsister Veanne Cox and a black one Natalie Desselle both apparently birth daughters of the mother played by Bernadette Peters 37 A writer for Newsweek believed that Brandy s Cinderella falling in love with a non Black prince reflects a growing loss of faith in black men by many black women explaining Just as Brandy s Cinderella falls in love with a prince of another color so have black women begun to date and marry interracially in record numbers 34 The Sistahs Rules author Denene Millner was less receptive towards the fact that Brandy s Cinderella falls in love with a non Black prince arguing When my stepson who s 5 looks at that production I want him to know he can be somebody s Prince Charming 34 Awards and nominations Edit The film received several accolades 113 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards 18 114 including Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special 82 At the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1998 the film was also nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program Outstanding Choreography Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries Movie or a Special and Outstanding Music Direction ultimately winning one for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program which was awarded to Julie Kaye Fanton Edward L Rubin and Randy Ser 115 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was the 13th most nominated program at that year s ceremony 62 The film also won an Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design Awards Show Variety Music or Non Fiction Program 116 awarded to Ser 117 Freedman s teleplay was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Children s Script 118 119 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding Television Movie Mini Series or Dramatic Special citation needed while both Brandy and Goldberg were nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini Series citation needed Peters was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television while Alexander was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 120 Legacy EditABC began discussing the possibility of Disney producing more musical films for the network shortly after Cinderella s premiere 83 originally commissioning its producers to develop similar musicals to broadcast every November 121 Bill Carter of The New York Times predicted that the success of the broadcast will mean more musicals for television probably as early as 1998 79 Similarly Bert Fink of the Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization said that the program s ratings will most likely have a salubrious effect on the future of television musicals 9 Hirschhorn interpreted the film s success as an indication that there is a huge family audience out there for quality programming expressing interest in eventually fill ing in the ground between feature animated musicals and Broadway 79 Cinderella s producers immediately began researching other musical projects to adapt for the Wonderful World of Disney with the network originally hoping to produce at least one similar television special per year 79 announcing that songwriter Stephen Schwartz had already begun writing a musical adaptation of Pinocchio 9 In his book The Cambridge Companion to the Musical author Nicholas Everett identified Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella among important television musicals that renewed interest in the genre during the 1990s 54 with Playbill recognizing it as the resurgence of televised movie musicals 122 According to Zadan Cinderella s success helped secure a future for musicals in the Wonderful World of Disney slot whose film company Storyline Entertainment started developing new musicals for the series shortly afterward including Annie 1999 21 Although the stage musical Annie had already been adapted as a film in 1982 the film was considered to be a critical and commercial failure 123 Inspired by the success of Cinderella Zadan and Meron saw remaking the musical as an opportunity to rectify the previous adaptation s errors 123 They enlisted Cinderella s choreographer Rob Marshall to direct and making the orphans ethnically diverse 123 According to Vulture com entertainment critic Matt Zoller Seitz both productions stood out for their lush production values expert control of tone and ahead of the curve commitment to diverse casting 124 However the Los Angeles Times Brian Lowry observed that few of the series subsequent projects achieved the ratings that Cinderella had with viewership for later programming being rather inconsistent 125 Following the success of the film the Rodgers amp Hammerstein Organization and Disney discussed possibly adapting the production into a touring stage musical by 2001 but the idea never materialized 55 Various elements from Freedman s script were incorporated into the 2000 national tour of Cinderella 126 which is considered to be the first time the musical was adapted into a legitimate Broadway style production 127 A Broadway adaptation of the musical premiered in 2013 in which several songs from the 1997 film are re used including There s Music in You 11 128 Additionally Montalban has reprised his role as the prince in both regional and touring productions of Cinderella some of which have been directly based on or inspired by the 1997 film 129 130 Despite its initial reception Cinderella has become widely revered as one of the best film adaptations of the fairy tale 94 99 131 The Daily Telegraph deemed the 1997 adaptation The final of the trio of classic Cinderella remakes 27 Both Polygon and Mashable named 1997 s Cinderella the best version of the story 100 132 while Entertainment Tonight ranked the film the third greatest adaptation of the fairy tale 133 CinemaBlend ranked the film the fourth most charming film adaptation 66 Highlighting the performances of Montalban Peters and Houston Entertainment Weekly ranked Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella the fourth greatest adaptation of the fairy tale ahead of both the 1965 10th and 1957 sixth versions with author Mary Sollosi calling it one of the 11 best known film adaptations of the tale 43 In 2017 Shondaland com crowned the film one of the most inclusive expensive and ultimately beloved TV movies of all time 16 Kelsie Gibson of PopSugar wrote that the film is superior to Disney s other princess themed offerings from the 1990s 47 Den of Geek ranked the film the second best Cinderella adaptation describing it as the first time the story truly felt magical and writing Almost twenty five years later this adaptation still feels like the television event it was when it premiered 134 On February 11 2021 the day prior to the film s premiere on Disney Entertainment Weekly held a virtual reunion with the surviving principal cast members 135 On August 23 2022 the cast once again reunited for a television special Cinderella The Reunion A Special Edition of 20 20 which was followed by an airing of the film the first time it has aired on broadcast television in over two decades 136 Cultural significance Edit Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella is considered to be a groundbreaking film due to its diverse cast particularly casting a Black actress as Cinderella 28 A BET biographer referred to the production as a phenomenon whose cast broke new ground 137 Following its success Disney considered adapting the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty into a musical set in Spain featuring Latin music but the idea never materialized 138 Brandy is considered to be the first African American to play Cinderella on screen 139 Newsweek opined that Brandy s casting proved that the idea of a black girl playing the classic Cinderella was not unthinkable calling it especially significant because Disney s 1950 film sent a painful message that only white women could be princesses 34 Fans have affectionately nicknamed the film the Brandy Cinderella 99 132 Brandy s performance earned her the titles the first Cinderella of color the first black Cinderella and the first African American princess by various media publications 32 98 140 141 while Shondaland com contributor Kendra James dubbed Brandy Disney s first black princess crediting her with proving that Cinderella could have microbraids and crowning her the Cinderella of the 1990s 16 James concluded for a generation of young children of color Cinderella became an iconic memory of their childhoods of seeing themselves in a black princess who could lock eyes and fall in love with a Filipino prince 16 Similar to the film the stage adaptation has consistently demonstrated color blind casting In 2014 actress Keke Palmer was cast as Cinderella on Broadway becoming the first Black actress to play the role on Broadway 47 Identifying Brandy as one of her inspirations for the role 142 Palmer explained I feel like the reason I m able to do this is definitely because Brandy did it on TV 143 According to Ruthie Fierberg of Playbill Brandy s performance immortalized the role on screen 144 while Hollywood com s Jeremy Rodriguez ranked her seventh out of 10 Actresses Who Played Cinderella Like Royalty praising her for introducing a more independent version of the classic character 145 Fuse TV dubbed Brandy s performance as Cinderella iconic and arguably the most groundbreaking portrayal at time inspiring the character to become more diverse in the following years 90 Essence s Deena Campbell credited the singer with inspiring other young girls to be Black Cinderellas 146 Media criticism professor Venise Berry found Brandy s casting and performance to be a wonderful opportunity to reflect the true diversity in our society writing I think that Brandy will help African American females see there are other possibilities that their lives can blossom into something good and you don t have to be white for that to happen in turn making the classic story more accessible to little black girls who had believed that ascending into a life of privilege was only possible for white people 29 Writing for Nylon Taylor Bryant called the film both An Underrated Classic and One of the most important moments in film history 101 Applauding the film for providing minorities with the chance to see themselves depicted as royalty for perhaps the first time Bryant identified Brandy as a princess for Black girls to fawn over which Disney would not revisit until The Princess and the Frog 2009 101 Similarly Martha Tesema wrote in an article for Mashable that seeing Brandy as Cinderella on screen was groundbreaking having grown up in a time where future Disney characters like Tiana did not exist and the reason why didn t cross my mind until this Cinderella Seeing a princess with box braids like mine and a fairy godmother like Whitney gave me and girls who looked like me a glimpse at an early age of why it is necessary to demand representation of all types of people playing all types of roles in films 25 Ashley Rey a writer for Bustle opined that the film helped show the world that black and brown faces should have just as much of a presence in fairytale land as white faces do 51 Martha Tesema a writer for Mashable called the film the best live action princess remake writing that it deserves just as much praise now as it did then 25 Tesema credits its ethnic diversity with making the film as enchanting as it is continuing that the production invites you to accept these characters races as just the way they are for a little over an hour and it s a beautiful phenomenon 25 Furthermore the writer opined that future live action remakes should watch Cinderella for reference 25 In an article for HuffPost contributor Isabelle Khoo argued that despite the constant remakes that Hollywood produces no fairy tale adaptation has been more important than Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella citing its diverse cast combating of sexist stereotypes often depicted in other Disney films and empowering themes that encourage children to make their own dreams come true as opposed to simply keep on believing among three important reasons the 1997 version has maintained relevance today 147 Khoo observed that the film continues to be constantly praised in social media by fans who had grown up with the film for its diversity concluding With so much talk about the lack of diversity in Hollywood these days Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella is a shining example of the diversity we need 147 Similarly Elle writer R Eric Thomas crowned Cinderella One of the Most Important Movies of the 90s Describing it as effortlessly even unintentionally progressive Thomas wrote that the film forecast a world with far more possibility it s a film made for the future 69 Crediting the film with establishing both Brandy and Houston as icons the writer concluded that Cinderella teaches about the limitless nature of storytelling That in stories there are no constraints the only limit is your imagination And once you learn that you don t unlearn it representing its theme that nothing is impossible 69 Mandy Len Catron author of How to Fall in Love with Anyone A Memoir in Essays believes that the film remains The only truly diverse version of the fairy tale as of 2017 148 Ashley Lee of the Los Angeles Times declared Cinderella the best example of colorblind casting of a screen musical to date which offers a useful template for potential successors concluding the creatives behind Hollywood s current movie musical boom could learn a thing or two from its clever spin on a classic text 89 Brandy Norwood reprises her role as Cinderella in the Disney film The Pocketwatch part of the Descendants franchise 149 See also EditCinderella Rodgers and Hammerstein s original 1957 television musical on which the film is based starring Julie Andrews in the title role Cinderella Disney s 1950 animated musical adaption of the fairy tale Cindy ABC s 1978 re imagining of the Cinderella fairy tale featuring an all Black castReferences Edit Rohwedder Kristy October 12 2017 Cinderella Star Paolo Montalban Proves Exactly Why This Is The Most Superior Cinderella Movie Bustle com Retrieved July 30 2018 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella yes that is the movie s full title Ellen Mirojnick Biography Film Reference Retrieved July 11 2018 Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella also known as Cinderella Peters Bernadette 1948 Encyclopedia com Archived from the original on July 16 2018 Retrieved July 16 2018 Cinderella s stepmother Cinderella also known as Rodgers amp Hammerstein Cinderella ABC 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella 1997 Turner Classic Movies Retrieved December 22 2018 ALSO KNOWN AS CINDERELLA WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY 11 02 97 THE a b c d e Richmond Ray October 26 1997 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella Variety Retrieved August 2 2018 Whitney Houston one of five executive producers Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella 1997 BFI Alternative titles Cinderella a b c d e f g h i j k Whitney Houston And Brandy Star In TV Movie Cinderella Jet Johnson Publishing Company November 3 1997 pp 46 47 ISSN 0021 5996 Retrieved July 31 2018 via Google Books a b c Brandy Norwood Bernadette Peters amp More Look Back on Twenty Years Since Cinderella Broadway World November 2 2017 Retrieved July 16 2018 Hischak Thomas S 2007 The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia United States ABC CLIO ISBN 9780313341403 via Google Books Viagas Robert November 7 1997 Playbill Critics Circle Review TV Cinderella Playbill Retrieved August 21 2018 a b Finally Cinderella is going to the ball The Independent November 13 2003 Retrieved July 30 2018 a b c d e f g h i j k Gans Andrew Lefkowitz David November 5 1997 TV s Cinderella Turns In Royal Ratings Performance Playbill Retrieved July 12 2018 a b Byrd Craig March 25 2015 Curtain Call Ted Chapin Makes Sure Cinderella Has a Ball Los Angeles 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Miscellaneous Notes Turner Classic Movies Retrieved December 22 2018 a b c Simonson Robert July 23 1998 Cinderella Michael Crawford Stomp Get Emmy Nominations Playbill Retrieved August 10 2018 Pierce Scott September 28 1997 ABC revives weekly Disney series Deseret News Retrieved August 3 2018 a b c Jacobs A J September 12 1997 Fall TV Preview 1997 Sunday Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on July 24 2018 Retrieved July 24 2018 a b c Buckley Michael September 29 2002 Stage to Screens Storyline s Zadan and Meron Discuss TV Music Man Playbill Retrieved August 20 2018 a b El Mahmoud Sarah September 9 2021 7 Cinderella Movies Ranked By How Charming Their Love Stories Are CinemaBlend Archived from the original on September 9 2021 Retrieved September 22 2021 Cinderella s Gown Throughout the Decades Brandy Norwood in Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella Marie Claire March 14 2014 Retrieved July 11 2018 Genai Shanelle August 22 2022 EXCLUSIVE Rodgers and Hammerstein s 1997 Cinderella Makes a Strong Case for Diverse Not Color Blind Casting TheRoot com Retrieved August 23 2022 a b c Thomas R Eric November 2 2017 The Whitney Brandy Cinderella Was One of the Most Important Movies of the 90s Elle Retrieved August 15 2018 a b c Otey Anne Marie August 18 1997 The Insider People Archived from the original on August 23 2018 Retrieved August 21 2018 Simmons Paulanne December 15 2003 The Shoe Fits The Brooklyn Paper Retrieved August 21 2018 a b Hill Michael E September 28 1997 Disney ABC Reunite The Washington Post Retrieved July 24 2018 Potter Courtney September 28 2017 7 Memorable Movies from ABC s The Wonderful World of Disney D23 Retrieved July 30 2018 a b Graham Jefferson September 26 1997 Disney s Wonderful World spins again on ABC Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on August 27 2018 Retrieved August 26 2018 via High Beam Research Moody Nekesa Mumbi February 11 2012 Whitney Houston superstar of records films dies Star Beacon Retrieved July 31 2018 Boot William July 26 2015 Bobbi Kristina Brown Through the Years Photos The Daily Beast Retrieved July 31 2018 Zook Kristal Brent July 22 2001 Behind The Princess Diaries a Regal Eagle The Washington Post Retrieved January 15 2019 a b c d Cinderella Attracts a Huge Audience The New York Times November 4 1997 Sources differ somewhat The New York Times and Playbill claim that the broadcast was the time slot s most watched in 13 years while Rodgers and Hammerstein and E claim 14 Retrieved July 12 2018 a b c d e Carter Bill November 5 1997 TV Notes Happy Ending For Cinderella The New York Times Retrieved July 12 2018 In one especially striking statistic the show attracted 70 percent of the girls under the age of 18 watching television on Sunday night Bauder David November 6 1997 ABC HAS CINDERELLA NIGHT Entertainment Weekend Spotlight Rocky Mountain News Archived from the original on August 7 2018 Retrieved August 7 2018 via HighBeam Research a b Otfinoski Steven 2010 African Americans in the Performing Arts United States Infobase Publishing p 109 ISBN 9781438128559 via Google Books a b c Get to Know Whitney Houston Oprah com Archived from the original on July 17 2018 Retrieved July 17 2018 a b Ryan Joal November 4 1997 Cinderella Turns ABC from Pumpkin to Prince E Retrieved July 24 2018 Cinderella Helps Provide ABC a Happy Ending in Ratings Story L A Life Statistical Data Included Los Angeles Daily News November 5 1997 Archived from the original on August 7 2018 Retrieved August 7 2018 via HighBeam Research Huey Steve Brandy Biography by Steve Huey AllMusic Retrieved July 17 2018 Bauder David November 4 1997 Cinderella and Oprah help ABC to season s first ratings win The Associated Press Archived from the original on August 7 2018 Retrieved August 7 2018 Cinderella sizzles on ABC San Francisco Chronicle November 5 1997 Retrieved August 7 2018 Show History Cinderella R amp H Theatricals Archived from the original on August 24 2010 Retrieved January 29 2009 a b c Lee Ashley February 12 2021 Commentary Critics ridiculed Brandy s Cinderella Its lasting legacy is a lesson to Hollywood Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on February 12 2021 Retrieved February 16 2022 Just before Cinderella premiered in 1997 major outlets published their critics disenchanted reviews a b Benjamin Jeff 2017 21 Famous Cinderellas Through the Years Brandy 1997 Fuse Archived from the original on August 9 2018 Retrieved August 9 2018 Haring Bruce August 11 2022 ABC s 20 20 Will Air Cinderella The Reunion 25th Anniversary Special Deadline Hollywood Retrieved August 30 2022 Mitovich Matt Webb August 24 2022 Tuesday Ratings Password Ticks Up Leonardo and Devils Drop Eyeballs tvline com Retrieved August 30 2022 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella Disney com Archived from the original on August 16 2018 Retrieved August 16 2018 a b c McGrath Mary Kate August 2 2020 Brandy Wants Her 90s Cinderella Movie Streaming On Disney Bustle Retrieved August 3 2020 The film is widely regarded to be one of the best adaptations of the fairy tale a b Longeretta Emily July 31 2020 Brandy Has No Idea Why Her Version of Cinderella Isn t on Disney Us Weekly Retrieved August 4 2020 The film gained critical acclamation after its release ABC February 4 2021 Brandy Talks New Album B7 and Announces Cinderella Release on Disney YouTube Retrieved February 4 2021 Marcus Jones February 4 2021 Impossible no more Brandy s Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella is coming to Disney later this month Entertainment Weekly Retrieved February 4 2021 a b List of All Cinderella Movies A History 1899 to 2015 ComingSoon net 2015 Retrieved July 17 2018 The musical was well received by viewers Critics however were rather lukewarm a b c Bui Hoai Tran February 16 2021 The Quarantine Stream Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella is an Impossibly Cheesy Delight Film Archived from the original on February 16 2021 Retrieved July 27 2021 When it debuted on ABC in 1997 it was met with a chilly reception from critics a b Foreman Alison September 6 2021 12 most enchanting Cinderella movies for when you need a little magic Mashable Archived from the original on September 6 2021 Retrieved September 22 2021 it was divisive among critics at the time of its release a b c Bryant Taylor November 2 2017 Brandy And Whitney Houston s Cinderella Is An Underrated Classic Nylon Archived from the original on July 26 2018 Retrieved July 26 2018 Critics at the time were quick to denounce some of the songs Houston s stiff performance and the movie s stale attempt at feminism a b c d McDonagh Maitland 1997 Cinderella TV Guide Retrieved July 16 2018 Musical purists dislike this film s pop soul rearrangement of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein score a b Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella Rotten Tomatoes The terms softened towards and over time are used because the film lacked a Rotten Tomatoes score until early 2020 and most reviews were collected between March 2011 and February 2020 Retrieved July 18 2018 a b Leonard John November 3 1997 It s a Slipper Thing New York New York Media LLC pp 90 91 ISSN 0028 7369 Retrieved July 26 2018 via Google Books Talerico Teresa Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella Common Sense Media Retrieved July 30 2018 Gilbert Matthew October 31 1997 Rainbow cast no pot of gold in Cinderella The Boston Globe Archived from the original on August 7 2018 Retrieved August 7 2018 via HighBeam Research Tucker Ken October 31 1997 Movie Review House of Frankenstein Cinderella Before Women Had Wings Murder She Wrote Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on August 22 2018 Retrieved August 21 2018 Friedwald Will February 26 2015 That Flexible Fairy Tale The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on November 17 2017 Retrieved August 7 2018 In previews for the 1997 TV movie Houston s Fairy Godmother and pop singer Brandy s title character were much hyped but the Robert Iscove directed production itself was stolen by old pros Bernadette Peters as the stepmother Victor Garber and Whoopee Goldberg as the King and Queen and Jason Alexander Kelleher Terry November 3 1997 Picks and Pans Review Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella People Archived from the original on July 17 2018 Retrieved July 17 2018 a b Ellin Harlene October 30 1997 New Cinderella Fails To Weave Any Magic Spells Chicago Tribune Retrieved July 23 2018 Kenrick John 2007 Musicals on DVD 3 Musicals101 com Retrieved August 20 2018 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella Barnes amp Noble Retrieved July 30 2018 Roberts Jerry 2009 Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors United States Scarecrow Press p 274 ISBN 9780810863781 via Google Books Musical Notes Rodgers and Hammerstein October 1 1998 Retrieved July 17 2018 Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella The Wonderful ABC Television Academy Retrieved August 9 2018 Cinderella Broadway Musical Home Retrieved August 9 2018 Madigan Nick March 1 1998 Titanic wins art directors film honor Variety Retrieved August 14 2018 Madigan Nick January 13 1999 Cable pix please WGA Variety Retrieved August 9 2018 Freedman Robert L 1957 Encyclopedia com Archived from the original on August 9 2018 Retrieved August 9 2018 Peters Bernadette 1948 Encyclopedia com Archived from the original on July 16 2018 Retrieved July 16 2018 Cinderella s stepmother Cinderella also known as Rodgers amp Hammerstein Cinderella ABC 1997 ABC asks for more like Cinderella hit Chicago Sun Times November 28 1997 Archived from the original on August 20 2018 Retrieved August 19 2018 via HighBeam Research Fierberg Ruthie August 22 2018 5 Things You Didn t Know About Craig Zadan Playbill Retrieved September 17 2018 a b c Rodosthenous George ed 2017 Twenty First Century Musicals From Stage to Screen United Kingdom Routledge ISBN 9781317234050 via Google Books Seitz Matt Zoller August 22 2018 From Chicago to Jesus Christ Superstar Craig Zadan Changed the Way We Saw Theater Vulture com Retrieved September 17 2018 Lowry Brian October 13 1999 Disney Wondering If It s a Wonderful World After All Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 31 2018 Robert L Freeman Robert L Freedman Archived from the original on February 2 2017 Retrieved August 9 2018 Handelman Jay December 3 2000 Cinderella Variety Retrieved June 14 2018 Clarke David June 4 2013 Rodgers Hammerstein s Cinderella Original Broadway Cast Recording Shimmers with Opulent Romance and Radiantly Lush Orchestrations Houston Press Retrieved July 16 2018 Smith Zack April 14 2010 NC Theatre s Rodgers and Hammerstein s Cinderella Indy Week Retrieved August 5 2018 Deborah Gibson Stars in Cinderella Living The Cincinnati Post November 9 2000 Archived from the original on August 9 2018 Retrieved August 8 2018 via HighBeam Research Lembo Allie August 9 2019 Popular Cinderella adaptations ranked from worst to best Insider Retrieved September 22 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Radulovic Petrana September 12 2021 Which Cinderella movie is the Cinderellest Polygon Archived from the original on September 12 2021 Retrieved September 22 2021 Crossan Ashley March 12 2015 From Hilary Duff to Brandy The Top 7 Cinderella Movies Entertainment Tonight Retrieved July 18 2018 Zutter Natalie September 2 2021 Ranking Cinderella Adaptations Den of Geek Archived from the original on September 2 2021 Retrieved September 21 2021 Jones Marcus February 11 2021 Watch Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella cast reunion with Brandy Whoopi Goldberg and more It was a game changer Entertainment Weekly Retrieved April 25 2022 Lenker Maureen Lee August 11 2022 A 25th anniversary special for the Brandy Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella will air on ABC Entertainment Weekly Retrieved September 2 2022 Brandy About Brandy BET Retrieved August 14 2018 Hill Jim July 22 2016 How a PR problem led to Disney s first Latina princess Elena of Avalor HuffPost Retrieved August 2 2018 Addams Rosa Jelani August 4 2014 Keke Palmer Makes History Again As The First Black Cinderella On Broadway Seventeen Retrieved July 17 2018 Franklin Krystal October 12 2017 Cinderella Turns 20 A Look Back At Brandy amp Whitney Houston s On Screen Relationship TV One Retrieved July 17 2018 Olds Lela July 6 2018 How Brandy s Never Say Never Invented The Vocal Bible The Boombox Archived from the original on July 18 2018 Retrieved July 18 2018 McDonald Soraya Nadia August 5 2014 Keke Palmer will play first black Cinderella on Broadway The Washington Post Retrieved July 17 2018 Keke Palmer to be Broadway s first black Cinderella CBS News August 4 2014 Retrieved July 17 2018 Fierberg Ruthie June 14 2017 Will Cinderella s Keke Palmer Return to Broadway Playbill Retrieved July 17 2018 Rodriguez Jeremy September 8 2015 Ranking The 10 Actresses Who Played Cinderella Like Royalty Hollywood com Retrieved July 26 2018 Campbell Deena February 1 2016 Brandy Shares Her Fondest BlackGirlMagic Moments Essence Archived from the original on July 30 2018 Retrieved July 30 2018 a b Khoo Isabelle February 21 2017 Why Rodgers amp Hammerstein s Cinderella Is Still Relevant In 2017 HuffPost Retrieved July 19 2018 Catron Mandy Len 2017 How to Fall in Love with Anyone A Memoir in Essays United States Simon and Schuster ISBN 9781501137464 via Google Books The Pocketwatch A Music Filled Disney Movie Will Expand The World Created By The Descendants Megahit Franchise DMED Media Press release Disney com May 10 2022 External links EditCinderella at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cinderella 1997 film amp oldid 1132771351, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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