Blu-ray Review: Cinderella: The Signature Collection

By John Corrado

This week, Disney is releasing a new edition of their 1950 animated classic Cinderella, as part of their current series of Signature Collection releases. While the film’s seventieth anniversary will not be officially celebrated until next year, this is also being sold as an anniversary edition.

This has always been one of my favourite Disney Princess movies. As a film, Cinderella has truly stood the test of time, from the romantic wish-fulfilment story to the absolutely gorgeous animation and delightful songs. It’s a classic fairy tale that Walt Disney turned into a timeless film, and one that is still just as enjoyable nearly seventy years later.

The new bonus features on this release include In Walt’s Words: The Envisioning of Cinderella, a unique picture-in-picture commentary track that presents the movie alongside a collection of storyboards and artwork, accompanied by an audio track featuring actors standing in for Walt Disney and others who worked on the film recreating the story meetings; as well as the featurette Try This Trivia On For Size, a disappointing and generic bit that features Ruth Righi and Ava Koelker from Disney Channel’s Sydney to the Max sharing trivia and facts about the film.

Most of the classic bonus features from the 2012 Diamond Edition release are also here, including an introduction by Diane Disney Miller; From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella; The Cinderella That Almost Was; The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story; The Real Fairy Godmother; an alternate opening sequence; Storyboard to Film Comparison: Opening Sequence; Cinderella Title Song; From Walt’s Table: A Tribute to the Nine Old Men; The Art of Mary Blair; Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland; 1922 Laugh-O-Grams: Cinderella; an excerpt from The Mickey Mouse Club with Helene Stanley; and Radio Programs – Original radio shows from the 1940s/50s.

Of the new bonuses, In Walt’s Words: The Envisioning of Cinderella does provides an interesting way to watch the film, but the only new featurette that’s included is essentially a short puff piece that is hardly worth the price on its own. This might not be enough to necessarily justify a double dip if you already have the Diamond Edition, especially since the audio and visual presentation of the film remains the same. But for the more ardent fans and collectors, as well as those who don’t own a copy of the film, the Signature Collection release of Cinderella comes recommended. The cover art is also quite lovely, and the package comes with a very nice embossed slipcover.

Cinderella: The Signature Collection is a Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment release. It’s 75 minutes and rated G.

Street Date: June 25th, 2019