Cinderella
Cinderella chafes under the cruelty of her wicked stepmother and her evil stepsisters, until her Fairy Godmother steps in to change her life for one unforgettable night. At the ball, she falls for handsome Prince Christopher, whose parents, King Maximillian and Queen Constantina, are anxious for him to find a suitable paramour.
Critics Sentiment
Cinderella and Prince Christopher dance together at the royal ball
Stepmother recognizes Cinderella as the mysterious princess from the ball
The film surges from its post-midnight low point (Stepmother recognizing Cinderella, 5.8) to the grand wedding finale (7.8), a swing of 2.0 points driven by the satisfying resolution and the production's visual splendor.
Audience sentiment for this 1997 Cinderella builds steadily through a charming marketplace opening and a divisive but vocally impressive Fairy Godmother sequence, peaking emphatically at the ballroom waltz, which reviewers across the spectrum praised as the film's dazzling centerpiece. A mild dip follows in the post-midnight domestic scenes, where script weaknesses are most exposed, before the slipper search and wedding finale restore goodwill. The film's multicultural casting and Bernadette Peters' performance are the two most consistently praised elements, while debates over the R&B-inflected musical arrangements and Brandy's vocal style keep the overall reception firmly in mixed-positive territory.
Full cast
Brandy Norwood
Cinderella
Whitney Houston
Fairy Godmother
Victor Garber
King Maximillian
Whoopi Goldberg
Queen Constantina
Bernadette Peters
Cinderella's Stepmother
Jason Alexander
Lionel
Paolo Montalbán
Prince Christopher
Natalie Desselle-Reid
Minerva
Veanne Cox
Calliope
Matt Zarley
Dancer (uncredited)
Annette Young
Waitress (uncredited)
Crew
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