The Many Influences of

Disneys Cinderella

Emily Friswell
 Introduction
o I will be exploring the many influences of Disneys Cinderella (1950)
Brothers Grimm fairy tale- 1812
German influence
Expressionism
Post war societal views
Ideology of a idealised figure

o Published sources I will be referencing

Walt Disney and Europe- book
European influences on Disneys films
Expressionism- e-book
Defining expressionism
A dictionary of modern and contemporary art- e-book
Defining expressionism
Ohmydisney article
Research on Mary Blair
The idea of nature in Disney Animation- e-book
Talks about the ideology of Cinderella
The Enchanted screen- book Fig 1. Cinderella Movie Poster
Influences (Brothers Grimm)
 Main Body- Main Points & Images
1. Brothers Grimm Fairy tale 1812
Differences: no fairy godmother, birds from the
hazel tree at her mothers grave, shoe was made
of gold, Step-sisters cut off toe/heel to make
shoe fit, birds pecked out the sisters eyes
Grimm fairy tale was influenced by Giambattista
Basile Cat Cinderella (1634)= it is similar due to
Cinderellas activism in the stories- she kills her
first stepmother in Basiles version
Fig 2. The Cat Cinderella
book cover (1920)
Fig 3. The Brothers
Grimm Aschenputtel
(1975)
2. German Influences/Expressionism
Expressionism is a cultural movement, originated
from Germany and Austria from the early 20th
centaury (Bassie, 2010:8)
Expressionism uses distortion and exaggeration for
emotional effect (Chilvers/ Glaves-Smith, 2009)
The look of the film has German influences
Concept art- Mary Blair- shows the German influence
Blair created quite sharp and angular patterns and
characters- they ended up more rounded to ensure
the film was a hit- some of her style still remained
Angled/pointed structures
The whole castle + its interior
Quite dark in places
Use of lighting
Fig 4. Mary Blair Concept Art (1950) Fig 6.
Stepmother when
the shoe fits
Cinderella [film still]
(1950)
Fig 5. Mary Blair Concept Art (1950)
3. Post war societal views/ ideology of an
idealised figure
Disneys artists were influenced by
ideology of the late forties/ early fifties
of a idealised figure for Cinderella
It was a post war societal view that
American women should return to their
pre-war domestic duties
The animals are also domesticated in
Cinderella
She must stay home and do all of the
housework
She has to remain glamorous, even
though she is basically a servant to her
stepmother and stepsisters
Fig 8. Domesticated
Mice
Fig 7. Idealised figure
of Cinderella
Main Body- Quotations
Some of this activism, in contrast to Perraults narrative, can be seen in the Grimm brothers version of 1812
(Zipes, 2011:173)
For point 1
Evidence to support the similarities between Grimm brothers version and Basiles Cat Cinderella

German influences include the castle, its columns, staircases, curtains, and above all its rows and rows of guards dwarfing the
isolated figure of Cinderella, likened to the military rally in Leni Riefenstahls Triumph of the will (1936)
(Allan, 1999:209)
For point 2
Evidence to support the German influences in Cinderella

Expressionism enters at many levels - when the stepmother first guesses that Cinderella is the mysterious girl at the ball, her hatred
spreads outwards till the whole room, the world she inhabits, becomes dark. (Allan, 1999:208)
For point 2
An example of expressionism

The animals represented in Cinderella are almost entirely domestic or farmyard in provenance and any trace of wilder energies that
remain within them are wholly directed towards comedy operating within a strong comfort zone or towards domestic tasks that
support the heroine. (Whitley, 2012:35)
For point 3
Evidence to support the domestication of the animals in Cinderella
Conclusion
To conclude:

There were many different influences for Disneys Cinderella, that influenced both Disney himself and the
artists- from concept artists to the animators

Due to the original story being a fairy tale- Brothers Grimm

The fact that the fairy tale also had its own influences- Cat Cinderella
German influences- shown in the film and in Mary Blairs concept art
Expressionism- seen in the film
Time of making
Post war society
Womens domestic duties
Ideology of an idealised figure
 Bibliography
Allan, R. (1999) Walt Disney and Europe. London: John Libbey & Company Ltd

Bassie, A. (2010) Expressionism [online] At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-

ebooks/reader.action?docID=886906 (Accessed on 25 October 2017)

Chilvers,I/ Glaves-Smith, J. (2009) A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art (2nd ed.) [online] At:
http://www.oxfordreference.com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/acref/9780199239665.001.0001/acref-
9780199239665-e-829?rskey=jZ9ybc&result=830 (Accessed on 25 October 2017)

Ohmydisney (2016) A True Contemporary: The Life and Work of Mary Blair. At:
https://ohmy.disney.com/insider/2016/06/11/mary-blair-history/ (Accessed on 24 October 2017)

Whitley, D. (2012) The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation From Snow White to WALL.E (2nd ed.) [online] At:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=906957# (Accessed on 25 October
2017)

Zipes, J. (2011) The Enchanted Screen the unknown history of fairy-tale films. Oxon: Routledge
 Illustration List
Figure 1. Walt Disney Company (1950) Cinderella [poster) At: http://www.moviepostershop.com/cinderella-movie-poster-1950/ID2963
(Accessed on 25 October 2017)

Figure 2. Abbott,E (1920) The Cat Cinderella book cover [Illustration) At: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23253192-zezolla-the-cat-
cinderella (Accessed on 24 October 2017)

Figure 3. Zick, A (1975) The Brothers Grimm Aschenputtel [Illustration] At: http://www.refinery29.com/cinderella-origins (Accessed on 24
October 2017)

Figure 4. Blair, M (1950) Concept art of Cinderella [painting] At: http://magicofmaryblair.com/mary-gallery.htm (Accessed on 25 October 2017)

Figure 5. Blair, M (1950) Concept art of Cinderella [painting] At: http://magicofmaryblair.com/mary-gallery.htm (Accessed on 25 October 2017)

Figure 6. Stepmother when the shoe fits Cinderella [film still] (1950) In: Cinderella Happy Ending HD (2016) [user-generated content online]
Creat. DISNEY CARTOONS USA. 16 Nov 16. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GeimR_WDZ0 (Accessed on 25 October 2017)

Figure 7. Idealised figure of Cinderella [film still] At: http://www.bookwormroom.com/2017/08/02/disneys-cinderella-love-princess-

dress/cinderella-1950/ (Accessed on 25 October 2017)

Figure 8. Domesticated Mice [film still] At: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/74661306298340883/ (Accessed on 25 October 2017)