The Disney machine churns out another money-making afterthought.

The Nineties heralded a veritable Renaissance in Disney's history, bringing us some of the best animated features the studio has ever produced. Films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast succeeded because of the rich stories (which appealed to adults and children alike), sophisticated animation, and world-class songwriting of the the Ashman/Menken team. Unfortunately, the same decade also yielded the sad serialization of Disney's wonderfully profitable stable of characters. The "direct to video" phenomenon started with The Return of Jafar - actually four back-to-back episodes from the television series. While that title may have been pretty decent, the home video segment of The Great Disney Empire has definitely begun to coast.

Introducing their newest moneymaker, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True! Obviously, they've realized that they can throw some pocket change into a "sequel" and still have a guaranteed money-maker on their hands, if only because of the sheer recognizability of Cinderella and her Prince Charming. (Ironically, the previews include a teaser for... 101 Dalmatians 2! Coming soon to video and Disney DVD. *groan*)

First impressions: Artwork & animation
The first thing you'll notice after you plop down on the couch next to your two-, three-, or four-year old is how flat and jerky the animation looks compared to that of the original. Whereas even the earliest feature films (such as Snow White and Pinnochio) stand out because of the remarkable fluidity of the characters' movement, the obsessive attention to detail in the artwork, and the precision with which the movement of the characters' lips match the dialogue, the quality of this video's animation doesn't even equal that of Disney's older TV shows such as Darkwing Duck or DuckTales. Remember the old "Alvin and the Chipmunks" cartoons? The artwork of Cinderella II is at about that level.

Plus, in this world, shadows don't exist except on the ground. You'll notice that characters standing in the shadows might as well be glowing! The Hunchback of Notre Dame (also saddled with a low-budget sequel, by the way) probably best exemplifies the remarkable use of light and shadow that makes it so easy to achieve the temporary suspension of disbelief that really draws you into the feature films and makes you think of the on-screen figures as "real".

Oh, also Cinderella's voice sounds like that of a prepubescent Barbie doll.

Obviously, none of this is likely to influence your child's opinion of the movie, but it does betray the lack of thought that Disney put into this particular endeavour. Since you're most likely looking to buy this video for your KIDS and not for your hot date this weekend, though, lets move on to the part that counts...

The story:
Similar to The Return of Jafar, this video isn't so much a full-length feature as a collection of three different stories tied together by a wisp of a plot. (The mice and fairy godmother play "Hey, remember when..." as they put together a book for Cinderella.)

In the first story, Cinderella must adjust to life as royalty. Forget subtlety and nuances. A prissy woman reminiscent of the evil stepmother is assigned to show her the ropes, but they soon butt heads as Cinderella refuses to give up her down-home values and down-to-earth ways. "Oh, my! She's inviting commoners to the inaugural ball! What would the Queen Mum say?!" By the end of the 20 minute story, of course, Cinderella wins everyone over with her charm. It's like "a very special episode of Blossom" without the emotional depth. What will kids like about the first story? Well, it has princes and princesses. And there's a couple of slapstick gags (like the prissy lady getting a face full of flour). And the mice mock the prissy lady, chanting "it simply isn't do-one, it simply isn't do-one." (The mice, especially Gus-Gus, are really the most interesting part of the video.) That's all I can come up with.

The second story is like "It's A Wonderful Life" for two year-olds. As Cinderella prepares for some sort of festival (sorry, but it was all I could do to let the video finish - don't expect me to have ALL the details) one of the mice feels left out because he's too small to contribute. OR SO HE THINKS! Fairy Godmother grants his wish to be human, but he soon realizes that "the only true way to succeed is to be yourself." (A plot twist to rival that of "The Sixth Sense," I know!) Cinderella is barely even in this story, but the mice (go, Gus-Gus!) appeal to kids enough that they probably won't mind. Plus there's some more slapstick gags like people falling and getting hit-in-the-crotch type of stuff. Wheeeee.

The last story Cinderella's formerly evil stepsister (and Lucifer, the cat), finds love with a little help from Cinderella. I'll spare you the ending of that one so you'll have SOMETHING to look forward to. It's basically a "what's inside that counts" story. Now obviously, the video's heart is in the right place. Kids should learn to "do unto others" and "be themselves" and all, but children's programming ultimately succeeds by NOT patronizing or talking down to them.

Will your kids like it?
Paige (who is 5yo) sure did, but she's totally into princesses and castles and fairy godmothers. Plus, she just got it a few days ago, so it remains to be seen if the video lives up to repeated viewing. We're on the third time through, so far. On the other hand, other reviewers from other websites have reported kids as young as two saying the video is silly and/or stupid, so your mileage may vary.

Ultimately, I don't think video will win over any converts. If your kid saw the commercial for this video and said, "Mommy! I want that movie," he or she will probably be reasonably entertained by it. (Consider RENTING instead of shelling out $15+, if this is the case!) If, on the other hand, the commercial barely elicited a response, don't expect the video to be any more exciting. Oh, and take note that Cinderella herself only gets about half and hour of screentime out of the entire 73 minutes.