Cinderella III: A Twist in Time is the second direct-to-video sequel to the 1950 Walt Disney Pictures animated classic Cinderella. Canonically it is a continuation of the original Cinderella, rather than Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, though due to its unusual chronological sequencing it acknowledges the events of Cinderella II: Dreams Come True by using some of its characters. The film was released on February 6, 2007 and rated G by the MPAA. The film is directed by Frank Nissen and features the voices of Jennifer Hale and Susanne Blakeslee. For the UK release of the film, it was simply titled Cinderella: A Twist in Time, without mention of it being a sequel. It made its world television premiere on Toon Disney on December 3, 2007.
Plot
The film starts on the first anniversary of Cinderella and Prince Charming's wedding, where Jaq, Gus and the Fairy Godmother are surprising the couple with a picnic in the woods. Back at the manor that was Cinderella's former home, her stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella are stuck doing Cinderella's old chores, and are clearly unhappy with their current lifestyle. Anastasia, trying to avoid working, wanders off into the woods where she witnesses the Fairy Godmother's magic in action.
The Fairy Godmother drops her wand in front of Anastasia, who takes it and rushes back to the manor and shows it to her mother, Lady Tremaine. The Fairy Godmother arrives to retrieve the wand, and during a tussle, the Fairy Godmother is accidentally transformed into a stone statue. Anastasia is regretful for what has happened, but Lady Tremaine is ecstatic at the possibilities. She takes the magic wand and reverses time, going back to the moment where things started to go wrong: the Duke's arrival at the manor with the glass slipper. Lady Tremaine rushes the process along and uses the wand to make the slipper fit Anastasia's foot before Cinderella can make it downstairs. The Duke, seeing the slipper fit, announces that Anastasia will wed the prince, and asks for them to get ready to go to the royal palace. Cinderella rushes downstairs in what was previously "the nick of time" and is confused over the outcome. Lady Tremaine breaks Cinderella's other slipper and tells her to forget the dance ever happened. Tremaine and her daughters then leave to the palace for the wedding preparations.
Cinderella is convinced that Charming will remember her, so she goes to the palace in secret and sneaks in through the servant's entrance. Elsewhere, when Charming sees Anastasia, Tremaine uses the wand to make him forget about Cinderella completely. Jaq and Gus witness this event and tell Cinderella about the plot. Meanwhile, Anastasia dances with the prince, and becomes increasingly hopeful that he will fall in love with her. She is, however, a poor dancer and the King requests to speak with her. It turns out that Anastasia faintly resembles the King's former wife. The King simply tells her that the old queen was also a poor dancer, but that they loved each other very much, and he could tell from the moment their hands touched. He then gives her a seashell that he claims is his most precious possession.
Meanwhile Cinderella disguises herself and enters the room where her stepfamily is staying; though she manages to get the wand, Tremaine sends the palace guards to stop her before she can break the spell on Charming. Cinderella is caught by the guards, and when the guards start to remove her from the castle, Cinderella reaches out to touch Charming's hand, and the connection they both feel confuses him. Tremaine orders Cinderella to be put on the next ship out of the kingdom.
The mice take matters into their own hands and confront Charming with their side of the story, using the other mended glass slipper as evidence. Charming, although he still cannot remember her, believes the mice's tale and sets out to retrieve Cinderella before she sails off. He succeeds, the pair are reunited and the true nature of Tremaine and Drizella is revealed. The King orders Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella arrested.
Despite this, Lady Tremaine does not give up. She uses the wand's magic to conceal herself and her daughters when the King's guards search the palace grounds for her. As Cinderella is preparing for her wedding, Lady Tremaine reveals herself and her new plan: she has made Anastasia to look exactly like Cinderella, and she will take the real Cinderella's place during the wedding ceremony. Lady Tremaine then magically sends Cinderella, Jaq and Gus into the hollow center of a pumpkin in a distant meadow. In a twisted homage to the original film, the pumpkin becomes a deformed carriage and Lucifer becomes its human driver, intending to send Cinderella and the mice to their doom. After a frantic struggle, Cinderella, Jaq and Gus manage to defeat Luficer, escape the pumpkin and ride back to the palace.
Cinderella arrives at the palace just as the vows are being exchanged, and witnesses Anastasia saying (after an inner struggle) "I don't" when prompted by the minister. Lady Tremaine, angered at her daughter's sudden conscience, steps out of her hiding place. The King orders her arrested, but Lady Tremaine turns the guards to animals, and then turns her attention to Cinderella and Anastasia. Charming jumps in and uses his sword to block the wand's magic, causing it to bounce back and send Lady Tremaine and Drizella back to their house as toads. Anastasia uses the wand to turn herself back to normal and then gives it to Cinderella, who revives the Fairy Godmother. The Fairy Godmother offers to reverse time back to the original timeline before Lady Tremaine, but Cinderella declines, knowing that no matter what, she will still be happy with Charming. The Fairy Godmother creates a new gown for Cinderella, and marries Cinderella and Charming.
Anastasia sadly gives the seashell back to the King, saying that she doesn't really deserve it, but the King tells her that everyone deserves true love, and that she can keep it.
During the credits, Drizella and Tremaine become human again, but dressed as scullery maids, much to their horror, while Anastasia - who now lives at the palace with Cinderella - is seen in a picture accepting the common baker she meets in the previous film.
Production
This film was Disney Australia's final feature (the studio was closed and equipment auctioned off once Cinderella III production completed in July 2006)[1]. Unlike the previous sequel, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, which was mostly made in Japan (that studio also closed shortly after completion of Cinderella II), Cinderella III's animators were given meticulous model sheets and extensive live-action sequences for animation reference.[citation needed]
Voice cast
Soundtrack
The original songs contained in the body of the film, including "Perfectly Perfect," "More than a Dream" and "At the Ball" were written by frequent Disney songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. Hayden Panettiere performed the end credits song, "I Still Believe," and a music video was created as a DVD bonus feature. An official soundtrack has yet to be released.
Release
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time was released on February 2007 and went back to the Disney Vault on January 31, 2008.
Features
Bibbidi-Bobbidi Game
Cinderella's Ballroom (DVD-ROM)
"I Still Believe" Music Video By: Hayden Panettiere
Backstage At Disney Cruise Line's "Twice Charmed"
First Look At The New DVD, "Disney Princess Enchanted Tales"
Reception
Cinderella III received a mostly positive response among the five critics compiled at Rotten Tomatoes, who gave it a 67% rating.[2] However, some fans of the original Cinderella are unhappy with this third installment of the series, and the film scored only 45% among users at Rotten Tomatoes. However, it was still well-received compared to its predecessor, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, which scored 0% positive reviews with critics and 36% with users.
Slate magazine writer Dan Kois uses Cinderella III to defend the merits of Disney's straight-to-video sequels, after Disney announced they were eliminating production of any more sequels.[3] Kois points out that in Cinderella III, the wicked stepsister (Anastasia) - originally an "oafish caricature" - finally becomes a fully-fleshed out character, and some of the absurdity of the original film is gently mocked.[4]
Many have noted numerous similarities between the film's premise and that of Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story, a Broadway-style stage musical created by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment that currently runs on the Disney Cruise Line.[5]
References
- ^ Grimm, Nick (July 27, 2005), "Disney cans Australian animation operation", ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1423134.htm
- ^ "Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cinderella_iii_a_twist_in_time/. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
- ^ "Disney ditching its direct-to-DVD sequels", Chicago Sun Times, June 29, 2007, http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/447800,CST-FTR-dvd29.article
- ^ Kois, Dan (July 17, 2007), "Why Bambi II Is Better Than Bambi: And why Disney shouldn't kill the straight-to-DVD sequel.", Slate, http://www.slate.com/id/2170559/pagenum/all/#page_start
- ^ Strong, Josh (January 23, 2007), "Director Frank Nissen on Cinderella III" ([dead link] – Scholar search), Animated Views, http://animated-views.com/2007/director-frank-nissen-on-cinderella-iii-a-twist-in-time/#page_start
External links
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