MOVIES · STORY NOTES

Cinderella

Cinderella is a 1950 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, the film follows Cinderella, the daughter of a widowed aristocrat, who is forced to become a servant of her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters, until Cinderella's fairy godmother grants her the chance to attend the royal ball and meet the prince.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Cinderella (1950 film) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

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The story, including the ending.

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Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

In 19th century France, Cinderella is the daughter of a widowed aristocrat living in the small but prosperous French kingdom. When she is a child, her father remarries Lady Tremaine, a cold-hearted widow with two daughters of her own, Drizella and Anastasia, but dies shortly after. Jealous of Cinderella's charm, Lady Tremaine and her daughters abuse her and eventually force her to become a scullion in her own château. As the years pass, Cinderella remains kind and gentle, obediently doing her chores. She also makes friends with the mice and birds that live in the château, specially two mice named Jaq and Gus, and takes care of them, while protecting them from her stepmother's pet cat, Lucifer.
One day, the King invites all the eligible maidens in the kingdom to a royal ball, hoping that his son, the Prince, will choose one of them as a bride. Wanting to attend, Cinderella finds a dress of her late mother's to fix up. Fearing she will upstage them at the ball, Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters deliberately keep her busy with no time to spare. Jaq, Gus, and the other animals decide to fix up the dress for Cinderella, using beads and a sash discarded by the stepsisters. However, when Cinderella attempts to go to the ball with her family, the stepsisters are upset when they recognize their belongings and angrily tear the dress apart, before leaving Cinderella behind. A distraught Cinderella runs out to the garden in tears, where she is met by the Fairy Godmother, who has come to help. She transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, Jaq, Gus, and two other mice into horses, Cinderella's horse Major into a coachman, and her bloodhound Bruno into a footman. The fairy godmother also bestows Cinderella a shimmering silver ball gown and glass slippers, but warns her that all the magic will end on the stroke of midnight.
Cinderella arrives at the ball, unrecognized by the stepsisters, although Lady Tremaine believes something is familiar about her. The prince is instantly smitten, so the King orders the Grand Duke to make sure the romance goes without a hitch. The duke prevents anyone from interfering as Cinderella and the Prince dance a waltz and wander out to the palace grounds, falling deeper in love. However, when Cinderella hears the clock tolling midnight, she runs away before she and the Prince can exchange names. Despite the efforts of the Grand Duke, Cinderella flees the palace, losing one of her glass slippers on the staircase. The palace guards pursue, but when the magic ends on the stroke of 12, Cinderella and the animals revert to their former appearances and hide in the woods. Cinderella discovers the other glass slipper is still on her foot, and takes it home with her.
The Prince promises he will marry none but the girl who fits the glass slipper. The King orders the Grand Duke to try the shoe on every girl in the kingdom until he finds a match. When the news reaches the château, Cinderella is shocked to realize it was the Prince she met. Hearing Cinderella humming the waltz from the ball, Lady Tremaine realizes the truth and locks Cinderella in her attic bedroom. While the stepsisters unsuccessfully try on the slipper, Jaq and Gus steal the key back from Lady Tremaine and take it to Cinderella. Lucifer attempts to stop them by trapping Gus and the key beneath a bowl and battling the other mice, but the birds summon Bruno who scares him out of the house. Lucifer jumps out of the tower window to escape from Bruno, and a freed Cinderella hurries to meet the Grand Duke. In a last effort to prevent Cinderella from overshadowing her daughters, Lady Tremaine deliberately causes the Grand Duke's footman to trip and break the glass slipper. Cinderella reveals she has the other slipper, much to Lady Tremaine's shock, which the Grand Duke places on her foot. Cinderella and the Prince are married, and share a kiss as they set off in a carriage and leave for their honeymoon and she becomes the princess.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Cinderella (1950 film). Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license