Customer Reviews

Cinderella III - A Twist in Time

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I was surprised that my wife bought this DVD for our kids, because Disney direct-to-DVD sequels are usually poorly animated, poorly written flops. I was surprised again when I happened to come into my kids' room while they were watching it, and I found myself getting pulled into the film and watching the rest of it with them. I vaguely remember seeing part of Cinderella II, enough to recall that it was rather poor.

It seems that some reviewers here will hate the film no matter what, because they are Disney purists and feel that no sequel could ever possibly do justice to the original. And then it seems that other reviewers want to love the film so much that they will rate it highly even if they movie is a stinker.

I have neither of these mindsets. I don't have any deep devotion to original Disney features, and I don't really care about the sequels. What I can say is that this movie has very good animation. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a direct-to-DVD production, because it looked so good. As for picky details like what Cinderella's foot looked like, I guess I've got too much of a life to keep replaying the movie over and over to focus on things like that. As alluded to above, the story was good enough to pull me in when I had other things to do. In fact, I agree with some other reviewers that Cindrella and the prince were both more engaging characters in this movie than in the original. The only characters in the original that were really entertaining were the stepmother/stepsisters, the king and duke, and the animals. The star couple were rather boring to watch, but not so in this sequel.

I gave this 5 stars not because it is worthy of any awards, but rather because among other direct-to-DVD releases (especially sequels), it really stands out.

Many of us grew up watching Cinderella, Bambi, Dumbo and other Disney classics. As such, they developed a very special value in our memories, one that is hard to challenge by means of sheer technological updates or attempts to revive a succesful franchise.

In past times, Disney unsuccessfully attempted fairly often to revive the memories that some of its classics evoked, but in the past 2-3 years a number of Disney titles have broken the "spell" of failed sequels that surrounded the studio for many years. "Bambi II", in 2006, and "Cinderella III", in 2007, are the two most recent examples of this trend.

"Cinderella III" breaks out from a point in the legendary fable, that we are all familiar with: empowered with the fairy godmother's magic wand, Cinderella's step-mother rewinds time to make the glass slipper fit the foot of Anastasia, one of her daughters. From that point on, a completely new alternate story is spin off, one leading Cinderella out of her royal life and Anastasia in her spot.

The twist works surprisingly well, resulting in movie with a Cinderella determined to regain her spot back while Anastasia, her sister and their evil mother pull in the other direction. While predictable, the animated flick is very enjoyable and memorable.

No company anywhere in popular culture extends and stretches its intellectual properties like Walt Disney Pictures. Its beloved characters appear in film after sequel after straight-to-DVD after TV show after stage production, their stories told live and drawn from nearly every conceivable angle. This, plus the studio's diligent protection of its intellectual property, has led to the world seeing its folklore through Disney's lens. (Quick, think of Snow White, or Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin, stories told for hundreds of years. Whose images do you see?)

If Disney doesn't retell its sequeled stories with quite the grandeur and reverence of Walt Disney's supervised originals (think "Fantasia 2000," "Jungle Book II"), it respects them enough to honor the original's spirits while approaching them from modern sensibility. So it is with "Cinderella III: A Twist In Time," a pleasant, occasionally thought-provoking successor to Walt Disney's 1950 original.

This variation of the tale involves a stolen wand getting into the hands of Cinderella's evil stepmother, rewinding Cinderella's story to where her lost glass slipper didn't fit. The Prince, dashing and noble as in Disney movies for 70 years, could thus be misled and manipulated into marrying Cinderella's sister, Anastasia. While no classic Disney princess, Anastasia (voiced by Tress McNellie) provides the film's heart in her sentimental scenes with the king, and her song yearning for the love Cinderella had and their wicked stepmother (voiced by Susan Blakeslee in classic Disney villainess mode) seemed determined to steal for her.

Other favorites return from the original. Helpful mice Gus and Jaq sing the film's highlight song clueing the prince in on what happened to his "Cinderelly." The mischievous, near-Cheshire cat Lucifer nearly steals the show in a funny food fight scene.

The paltry extras are highlighted by a behind-the-scenes look at a Cinderella stage show on Disney's cruise line, and an overlong, simplistic DVD game young children will tire of quickly. "Cinderella III"'s animation isn't at the theatrical classics' level, but still above traditional TV animation. At 74 minutes (near perfect for young children), the film gently and effectively points out the "perfect year" Cinderella sings of in the film's first scenes came not just from a foot fitting a glass slipper, but two hands and hearts reaching for the same thing and finding it together. This modern twist in moral, fitting into a modern twist in a hoary fairy tale, makes "A Twist in Time" a pleasant, recommended surprise.

The tale of Cinderella, with her kind beauty and rags-to-riches storybook ending, will stand the test of time as one of the most beloved children's stories. While Disney's attempt at "Cinderella II" was a nightmare, the new story put forth in "Cinderella III: A Twist in Time" is much more imaginative and satisfying for all.

Quick Synopsis: Cinderella has been married to her Prince Charming for almost a year, and has never been happier. Unfortunately, her evil step-mother and horrible step-sisters aren't so lucky. After Anastasia accidentally gets ahold of the Fairy Godmother's magic wand, Cinderella's step-mother uses it to turn back time and change the outcome of the tale! Instead of Cinderella's foot fitting the glass slipper, it is Anastasia who squeezes on the slipper and steals the Prince! Luckily, Cinderella has her trusty animal friends to help her set things right...but her wicked step-mother isn't going to make it easy...

This direct to DVD movie does a good job at creating an imaginative new story with such beloved characters. It even has beautiful new songs, and plenty of twists and turns in the plot. Just when you think everything is as it should be, and the story is about to get it's happy ending, Disney throws another wrench in the mix and keeps on going. While it's probably a good thing it went straight to DVD (it's not quite good enough for theatres), I think Disney-lovers will still find it an enjoyable film for the whole family.

There are a few fun special features available on the disc as well, including an interactive game wherein the viewer goes on a miniature scavenger hunt around the castle and tries to fix magical blunders created by that cranky cat, Lucifer, and those mischievious mice. There is also a CD-ROM for your home computer! These are mostly special features to entertain the children, but as Disney is always reminding us, you don't have to be a child to be young at heart.

Bottom line, it's a fun new story, and it's worth the addition to any Disney library.

I watched Cinderlla 3 last night. There was a lot of hype surrounding the film, but I thought it was pretty good.

The first Cinderella - the timeless classic - attracts audiences of all ages. As we already know, the story is perfect and has the ultimate culmination: "...But I have the other slipper..."

The second Cinderella is just three mini-stories woven together to make an hour and a half movie. The stories are best suited for children under age 9. (These are the kinds of featurettes that would appear on a Saturday morning cartoon series, for example - the plots are simple, the dialogue is pretty cheesy, and nothing is really accomplished at the end.)

Cinderella 3 obviously does not compare to the classic first, but in all truth, it is a legitimate film that will extract all the emotions you had pulled from the first film. On that topic, however, the level of "emotion pulling" has changed, probably in an attempt to keep the movie viable in today's market.

For one, the wicked step-mother is now about ten times more wicked. The first movie played her as a cold antagonist with a more slithery approach to her wickedness. In Cinderella 3, that same step-mom now conducts open acts of evil (and only a few slithery actions).

Why is that important? Because an overwhelmingly evil step-mother dwarfs the emotion of feeling sorry for Cinderella. In the classic film, one could not help but feel so terrible for poor Cinderella as she worked so hard and was not rewarded.

Now, Cinderella is punished for being nice. This changes the whole concept of the "Cinderella Story." Now you just want that old haggard step-mom to get drug from the back of a horse-drawn pumpkin carriage - you could care less if Cinderella won the prince back or lived happily ever after. That is, the irony that is bound to happen (good defeats evil in a Disney film) is not as spectacularly fantastic as the classic film when Cinderella produces the second, missing slipper. The irony of Cinderella 3 is that the step-mom merely gets her comeuppance.

But this movie also plays on the personality and feelings of Anastasia, which I generally find kind of weird. It separates her from Drizzella which to me is awkward. I appreciated the dueling sisters who only acted in concert to harm Cinderella's interests. Now the movie pulls out the possible good in one of the three main antagonists.

Cinderella 2 explored this the most, however, but I thought it was brutally done. Basically, Anastasia is a "good trapped inside" dumb-dumb, as one would be left to think. Anastasia basically wants things but doesn't know how to get them, but somehow manages in the end, usually from revelation or help from Cinderella.

Sure, that makes Cinderella seem even more like the saint that she is for helping her sister (who apparently still hates Cinderella, even when she helps). But it draws so much focus away from our one true star: the lady who went from rags to riches and defined a brand new storyline for others to coin or imitate.

To give Cinderella 3 a side credit, albeit minor, is that it "follows the rules." Namely, the rules regarding "bippity boppity boo," magic, and the animals and their interactions. The talking mice, the effects of the magic on the animals, and the history of each character (including whatever may have been grotesquely altered in Cinderella 2 with Lucifer falling in love, Anastasia desiring and finding love, or Cinderella being conflicted with her new title in royalty) made amends for Cinderella 2's near-fatal depictions.

That was a hard challenge, but these Disney movie-makers got it right in Cinderella 3.

To close, Cinderella 3 is best suited for children age 12 or under per my review. It will not reach out to the hearts of ad ults like the original classic did, and it won't draw the emotions you'd expect from the classic Cinderella Story that Disney founded back in the day.

Due to its simple storyline and re-focus of characters' significance and portrayals in the film, I can only recommend this film if your child actually liked (or was entertained by) Cinderella 2, or if he/she really still loves the characters since his/her last viewing of the original Cinderella.

Don't expect much from Cinderella 3 (especially its replay value) so that when you do watch it, you won't be disappointed when you compare it to the monumental classic.

I try my best to watch all of the Disney sequels, and have certainly been disappointed a few times, but this movie is proof to me that, sometimes, they do a good job! My daughter certainly loves it and has already watched it a number of times. While watching this I notice that there's quite a change in the main character. First and foremost, Disney has a new powerhouse princess. Breaking the mold of the original 1950 "Cinderella"--the weepy, submissive, helpless maiden who requires the help of talking animals and fairy magic to save her life--this Cinderella (voiced by Jennifer Hale) takes her world by the fist and will stop at nothing to reclaim her man. Smart, resourceful, fearless, and agile, she quickly leaps to the head of the pack--step aside Ariel, Jasmine, and Belle--and may well be able to take out both Meg (Hercules) and Mulan in a princess battle royale. She's the Sydney Bristow of the Disney universe and a fantastic new role model for young ladies of the 21st century.

Second and more interesting, Lady Tremaine (Susanne Blaskeslee) elevates herself to the upper echelon of Disney villains. Infusing an already unholy personality with the power of black magic, Tremaine stands toe to toe with Maleficent, Ursula, and the Wicked Queen in estrogen soaked evil. Keep in mind, this is all accomplished on the fly with little or no practice. Imagine the destruction Tremaine could cause, if she actually had the knowledge and experience of her contemporaries.

Finally, we get to know the real Anastasia (Tress MacNeille). Far from a carbon copy of her idiotic sister, she's a kind soul who has spent too many years as the whipping girl for her mother. When put in a position to do the right thing, Anastasia does so without hesitation. She's yet another great role model for girls, especially those who might be mistakenly labeled or viewed as troublemakers. Family dynamics are tough and we often live down to the perceptions and expectations of those around us. However, given the inspiration and opportunity, Anastasia proves we can easily rise above those misperceptions and become the person we were meant to be.

I do have a couple of faults with this sequel. This movie lacks artistic depth, which betrays the great character and story elements at work within. It's a shame, really. The opening number, "Perfectly Perfect," is forced and hokey, a watered down version of Belle's entrance in "Beauty and the Beast," and Anastasia's "Two Simple Words" is a generic Disney mini-love ballad. The only musical bright spot is Jaq and Gus-Gus's "At the Ball," delivered in true Timon and Pumbaa style. Truth is, you won't have any of these songs running through you head, even after 50 plus viewings by the kids. The biggest character missteps are Prince and King No-Name. These two were pulled from the "Stock Secondary Characters" drawer in the Disney vault. The Prince is a two-dimensional Ken Doll whose personality is even less interesting than his physical characteristics. The producers went so far as to enlist the voice of Christopher Daniel Barnes (Ariel's Prince Eric) but it doesn't help.

In terms of bonus features, it's pretty much promotional filler. There's a Hayden Panettiere (Claire from Heroes) music video for the film's end credit tune, "I Still Believe"; an interactive game, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Choose, that will occupy kids for about 15 minutes; a behind the scenes look at the stage musical Twice Charmed; a sneak preview at the new line of Princess Tales coming this fall; and DVD ROM features which Mac users have to install an InterActual player to access. I believe those who enjoy suspense and good fun in a Disney movie, will mildly enjoy this movie.

SPOILER ALERT: As a baby boomer, Cinderella has been one of my all time favorite stories and Disney animated features. The only thing that irked me was the fact that Prince Charming was such a passive character. His passivity was again highlighted in Cinderella II. However, as I watched Cinderella III with my 8-year-old daughter, I was thrilled to tears to find him alive, well, and willing to risk great personal injury to find his true love, black magic notwithstanding. The Stepmother is evil through and through; she still creeps me out. Anastasia comes through in the end to help Cinderella and we know she will soon find true love with the village baker. Thank you Disney!!

What if the greatest romance in fairytale history never happened? That's the premise of Disney's newest straight-to-video sequel, CINDERELLA III: A TWIST IN TIME. While I was initially very skeptical about this release, the final product is well-executed with a good storyline and gripping plot development.

When Cinderella's stepmother Lady Tremaine steals the magical wand of the Fairy Godmother, she turns back the clock and enchants the glass slipper to fit the foot of her own daughter, Anastasia. Another flick of the wand ensures that the Prince has no memory of even meeting Cinderella at the ball...

With only Cinderella herself aware of the hideous plot against her, she must find a way to reverse the evil spell before the fairytale ends in the Prince's wedding to the wrong girl. Fans of the original "Cinderella" (available on Cinderella (Two-Disc Special Edition)) will find themselves grippped, moved, and perhaps even brought to the verge of tears as the characters play out this fascinating story premise.

This attempt to bring to life the characters of Disney's "Cinderella" in an alternate reality is a very clever one. The first sequel (Cinderella II - Dreams Come True) was a largely hit-and-miss affair, but things return to excellent form here. There are several lovely songs, including "Perfectly Perfect", "More Than a Dream", "At the Ball", and "I Still Believe".

The same voice cast from "Dreams Come True" has been recruited (Jennifer Hale as Cinderella, Christopher Daniel Barnes as the Prince, Susanne Blakeslee as Lady Tremaine, Tress MacNeille as Anastasia, Russi Taylor as both Fairy Godmother and Drizella), and they all stay true to the overall mood and feeling from the first movie's voice talents.

DVD extras include a music video ("I Still Believe") performed by "Heroes"' Hayden Panettiere; plus a fun DVD-ROM component called "Cinderella's Ballroom", where you can choreograph your own ballroom routines, listen to music via the Princess Jukebox, and more.

I am not a proponent of Disney milking the cash cow of their classic animated films by producing far inferior sequels. About half of the films in the Disney animated library now have direct to DVD sequels. However, the quality of the recent rush of Disney animated sequels have been much better than the sequel predecessors (BAMBI II for instance wasn't too bad of a direct DVD release). Maybe the folks at the Giant Mouse House have received enough complaints that they are trying to make decent sequels.

CINDERELLA III: A TWIST IN TIME is nowhere near as good a film as the original Disney CINDERELLA. However, the film isn't too bad of a movie, especially for a direct-to-DVD release. It looks more like a Wonderful World of Disney episode or a Friday evening special instead of a Saturday morning hack-job cartoon that many direct-to-DVD cartoon look like.

The movie begins on the one-year marriage anniversary of Cinderella and Prince Charming. Cinderella's Fairy Godmother seems to become more absent-minded and throws her magic wand into the air and looses it. It lands in front of a hidden Anastasia who has just learned that Cinderella had magic in helping her win Charming's hand. She rushes back to tell her mother the news. The evil Stepmother uses the wand to turn Fairy Godmother into a statue, turns back time to prevent Cinderella from marrying Charming, and casts a spell on Charming so he falls in love with Anastasia. Cinderella and her mice friends, Gus and Jaq, know something is out of place, but they don't know what. But they don't give up and are determined to break Charming out of his spell. After all, in a fairy tale love conquers all.

CINDERELLA III is clearly a movie made for young children, especially very young girls. Very young boys (three or younger) might enjoy the movie, but the film's overall message and focus is on young girls. Other than a few visual allusions here and there to classic swashbuckling movies, there really isn't anything to interest parents, either. The style of animation is an interesting merge between the classic-style of the original CINDERELLA and more colorful and contemporary cartoons. With that said, the movie could have been much worst. When I first heard about the plot of the film, I thought it was fitting because Disney often acts like the evil Stepmother trying to turn back time to make more money and change and legacy and history of some of their most cherished creations. However, in watching CINDERELLA III I'm beginning to wonder if Disney is more like Anastasia and is learning the error of its ways.

In watching the movie, be sure to watch through the credits as various paintings answer some questions the story left open and halfway through there is a coda to the film's events.

The DVD doesn't include many special features. There is a music video with Hayden Panettiere (who voiced Kairi in the Kingdom Hearts games and plays Claire Bennet on HEROES), a behind the scenes look at the Disney Cruise show, "Twice Charmed" which inspired CINDERELLA III, Bibbidi-Bobbidi Game, and an interactive activity called Cinderella's Ballroom that only works using a DVD-ROM on a computer.

I always wanted to know what would happen after the Happly Ever After and this movie lets you know. i have loved Cinderella since i was young and loved the story and this movie was great i am glad that it all worked out in the end if you love the story the first time you will want to watch this movie and you will enjoy it.