Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Cinderella 3: A Critical Review, Mar 30 2008
This movie is every thing you'd expect of a sequel to be. It takes from the original but builds character traits in Cinderella and Anastacia and advances this cherished classic.
The movie starts out a year after the magical wedding of the Prince and Cinderella. They're still in marital bliss and are about to celebrate their one-year anniversary with just Cinderella's closest friends, including the mice and the fairy godmother.
At the same time, Drusilla and Anastacia are at the old house doing the chores that Cinderella once did and enduring the scorn of their mother.
After the siblings fight, Anastacia stumbles upon the soiree in a field not far from where she stands. This is the turning point in her life as well as Cinderella as the magic wand which the fairy godmother wielded with compassion found its way into the hands of the wicked stepmother.
There are many extraordinary twists and turns, and in so, we are treated to a new take on the real power behind Cinderella and The Prince's relationship. Issues of honesty, self-evalution, hope play a much more prominent role than "magic." And, these traits are particularly fleshed out in Cinderella, much more than anyone else, but also Anastacia. The Prince is still a somewhat dim-witted clod that, under the impression of the stepmother's spell, defines his relationship with his "true love" initially by looks--he sees Anastacia and is repulse at the sight of her; he immediately dismisses her despite the premise that his "true love" would wear the Glass Slipper. Cinderella, on the other hand, is not disillusioned and measures her relationship by the moments spent together. It's these moments that continually drives her to take matters into her own hands and not the dependency on anything outside of herself. Cinderella 3 elevates our heroine into a worthy contemporary version worthy of this sequel and worthy of family discussions.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Follow-up to "Dreams Come True" and the original film, Nov 24 2007
At first I did not know there was going be a Cinderella 3; but after I watched it, I thought Cinderella 3 (as well as 2) are great sequels for everyone - kids and adults (like me).
It has great animation and music and also I thought the voice casting was very good (Tress McNeille was great as Anastasia and Jennifer Hale as Cinderella). I love it when the mice,the birds and the Fairy Godmother throw a party for Cinderella and The Prince; since it's the anniversary of when Cinderella put on the glass slipper, and married The Prince; another scene I love is when the two mice (Jaq & Gus) tell Cinderella what has happened by role-playing (it's very cute).
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Cinderlla 3 might take you by surprise, Jun 24 2007
I try my best to watch all of the Disney sequels, and have certainly been disappointed a few times, but this movie is proof to me that, sometimes, they do a good job! My daughter certainly loves it and has already watched it a number of times. While watching this I notice that there's quite a change in the main character. First and foremost, Disney has a new powerhouse princess. Breaking the mold of the original 1950 "Cinderella"--the weepy, submissive, helpless maiden who requires the help of talking animals and fairy magic to save her life--this Cinderella (voiced by Jennifer Hale) takes her world by the fist and will stop at nothing to reclaim her man. Smart, resourceful, fearless, and agile, she quickly leaps to the head of the pack--step aside Ariel, Jasmine, and Belle--and may well be able to take out both Meg (Hercules) and Mulan in a princess battle royale. She's the Sydney Bristow of the Disney universe and a fantastic new role model for young ladies of the 21st century.
Second and more interesting, Lady Tremaine (Susanne Blaskeslee) elevates herself to the upper echelon of Disney villains. Infusing an already unholy personality with the power of black magic, Tremaine stands toe to toe with Maleficent, Ursula, and the Wicked Queen in estrogen soaked evil. Keep in mind, this is all accomplished on the fly with little or no practice. Imagine the destruction Tremaine could cause, if she actually had the knowledge and experience of her contemporaries.
Finally, we get to know the real Anastasia (Tress MacNeille). Far from a carbon copy of her idiotic sister, she's a kind soul who has spent too many years as the whipping girl for her mother. When put in a position to do the right thing, Anastasia does so without hesitation. She's yet another great role model for girls, especially those who might be mistakenly labeled or viewed as troublemakers. Family dynamics are tough and we often live down to the perceptions and expectations of those around us. However, given the inspiration and opportunity, Anastasia proves we can easily rise above those misperceptions and become the person we were meant to be.
I do have a couple of faults with this sequel. This movie lacks artistic depth, which betrays the great character and story elements at work within. It's a shame, really. The opening number, "Perfectly Perfect," is forced and hokey, a watered down version of Belle's entrance in "Beauty and the Beast," and Anastasia's "Two Simple Words" is a generic Disney mini-love ballad. The only musical bright spot is Jaq and Gus-Gus's "At the Ball," delivered in true Timon and Pumbaa style. Truth is, you won't have any of these songs running through you head, even after 50 plus viewings by the kids. The biggest character missteps are Prince and King No-Name. These two were pulled from the "Stock Secondary Characters" drawer in the Disney vault. The Prince is a two-dimensional Ken Doll whose personality is even less interesting than his physical characteristics. The producers went so far as to enlist the voice of Christopher Daniel Barnes (Ariel's Prince Eric) but it doesn't help.
In terms of bonus features, it's pretty much promotional filler. There's a Hayden Panettiere (Claire from Heroes) music video for the film's end credit tune, "I Still Believe"; an interactive game, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Choose, that will occupy kids for about 15 minutes; a behind the scenes look at the stage musical Twice Charmed; a sneak preview at the new line of Princess Tales coming this fall; and DVD ROM features which Mac users have to install an InterActual player to access. I believe those who enjoy suspense and good fun in a Disney movie, will mildly enjoy this movie.
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