She looks good for her age, but Cinderella — at least, the Disney Cinderella — is 63 years old. Though she's just a few years away from full retirement age, the housemaid-turned-princess doesn't seem to be slowing down, especially if my toddler's taste in movies (and clothing, decor, dolls and toys) is any indication. Here are a handful of facts you may not know about the classic princess flick.
1. A song called "Dancing on a Cloud" was cut from the movie. You can hear it here:
2. A dream sequence reminiscent of The Sorcerer's Apprentice — Cinderella imagines multiple Cindys attacking the chore list — was storyboarded but ultimately didn't make it. You can see stills of the storyboards and hear the song below, though it's a new recording. The original was lost.
3. Cinderella herself, Ilene Woods, revealed in this interview that Walt Disney was probably the first person to use double tracked vocals, where the singer records herself singing both the melody and the harmonies. The vocals were then mixed together, creating a seamless effect.
4. The moment when the Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella's torn dress into a beautiful gown fit for a princess is said to be Walt Disney's favorite piece of animation ever. It was drawn by Marc Davis, one of Disney's Nine Old Men.
5. Mike Douglas, as in The Mike Douglas Show, was Prince Charming's singing voice. The speaking voice, however, was provided by actor William Phipps.
6. If some of the Disney women from the 50s and 60s look similarly graceful and lanky, there's a reason for it: Helene Stanley, the live-action model for Cinderella, was also the live-action model for Princess Aurora and Anita in 101 Dalmatians. Here she is doing her "Once Upon a Dream" thing for Sleeping Beauty.
7. Eleanor Audley, the voice of Lady Tremaine (aka the evil stepmother), was also the voice of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty and — my favorite — Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyworld and Disneyland.
8. Similarly, Verna Felton, the Fairy Godmother, provided the voices for a bunch of other famous Disney roles. She was also Mrs. Jumbo in Dumbo, the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, Aunt Sarah in Lady and the Tramp, and both Flora and the Queen in Sleeping Beauty.
9. The song "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" was popular in mainstream music thanks to a version by Perry Como and the Fontane sisters.
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