Rating: Summary: Cinderella II - Dreams Come True Indeed a classic! Review: "Cinderella II" is Absolutly a classic. Cinderella, I believe is on of the best Disney movies, and then when I found out that they made a second...I had to run out an buy it.It is divided into three stories happening after Cinderella and Prince Charming return for their honeymoon. Cinderella learns what it is like for a Princess. I was entertained THE WHOLE TIME. The song are also nice, nothing like the original, but they keep you upbeat. This is THE BEST Disney sequel ever, I like it because they keep the focus on Cinderella and not someone's boring 12 year old child. Disney...this is truely a masterpiece I will FOREVER treasure!
Rating: Summary: What the heck were they thinking!? Review: I could say it over and over again, this movie stunk! This movie gives a bad name to the original Cinderalla. This is a horrible movie! The mice are the real actors in this film, Cinderalla looks and sounds like a teens cheerleader, the prince (i don't care what they named him) looks like his face just got run over by a lawn mower, you call THAT cute! AND, one of the "evil" stepsisters becomes "good", and just to add on to that, the music is pop, get real! IF matters are not worse enough, the prince (in one of the story's) is riding a BMX (pumpkin) bike, please spare me already, I live only once! DO yourself a favor and don't get another movie to collect dust! 0 stars!
Rating: Summary: Lesson Learned Review: This will teach me a lesson to either read some reviews before buying Disney sequels or at least rent. We bought this for our daughters 4 & 6. They did make it through the movie but they were not captivated like they are with the original Cinderella. The title (Cinderella II) was misleading; it is as much a collection of stories about others characters then it is about Cinderella. It seems like cartoon rather than a feature movie. The story line lacked interest and the music was un-exciting.
Rating: Summary: Dreams Came True in the first movie! What's the difference? Review: ... Mind you, THIS MOVIE IS NOT AS BAD AS LITTLE MERMAID 2! This movie is divided into 3 stories, and the only good one was the 3rd (because it had Lucifer in it, my Home G!). Cinderella sounded like she had a Jolly Rancer in her mouth, and the voice of Yakko Warner is all over the place! I just wished that the movie only had the 3rd story in it. That would have been merciful. :)
Rating: Summary: Boring and Lame Review: Well, we just watched it. My 3 year old was bored stiff. It's lame, trite, boring, stupid, and that's the good things I can think of to say about it. With access to the best talent in the world, THIS is what Disney can come up with? Walt would be ashamed.
Rating: Summary: Perfect Sequel Review: Cinderella II: Dreams Come True is a perfect sequel to the stunning original. Despite Disney's previous lackluster attempts at sequels to other animated hits like Pocahontas and The Lion King, Cinderella II, actually has substance, heart, creativity, and stunning animation that is comparable to the non-straight to VHS original. All of our favorite characters from the original are here again, including Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Fairy Godmother, and everyone's favorite three mice. The story, which lasts about eighty minutes, revolves around the Fairy Godmother sharing tales with the mice, who want to create a book for Cinderella. From there, the three tales that make up the movie begin. The first, revolves around Cinderella's first attempts at social grace, preparing a gala event in her own unique, benevolent way. Fed up with the austere ways of court and her newest mentor Prudence, she transforms the staid gala into a dazzling spectacle for nobles and the bourgeoisie of the kingdom alike. In the second tale, Jacque get his dreams fulfilled of being human, and a supposed consequent 'real' help to Cinderella. The Fairy Godmother obliges and Jacque becomes a baron who helps Cinderella organize a royal festival. The latest edition, a darling cat named Pom-Pom, still knows that Jacque is simply a mouse and pursues him throughout the animated tale. It's hilarious, darling, and heart-warming. The festival is a resounding success and Jacque learns that as a mouse, he is indeed a real help to Cinderella, despite his small size. In the third tale, Cinderella's step-sister Anastasia is looking for love and Cinderella, once she finds out, brings her and the village baker together in a touching tale. While the evil step-mother is still up to her old tricks, wanting Anastasia to marry a member of the gentry, true love wins out in the end. The animation of this movie is superb, with sweeping views of the village, a grand castle, and Cinderella's beautiful outfits. This is an endearing sequel to a beautiful original movie. Kids and adults are sure to enjoy it! A definite 5 star achievement.
Rating: Summary: Cinderella "Cartoons" Review: I was a little leery of anything Disney puts out "direct to video/DVD". It usually indicates an inferior product. While I can't really call this DVD inferior, it is disappointing. It is not an entire movie, rather three short stories (cartoons) revolving around Cinderella after the honeymoon. The cartoons (as I refer to them) are not up to the animation standards of the original, but then few things these days are. The stories are cute for children, with a few lessons hidden within. As an adult, I would rate the DVD an overall two stars. My five year-old daughter (a HUGE Cinderella fan) however, gave it five stars. My impression of the DVD is: Little girls under 8 will LOVE the DVD. Most everyone else will be lukewarm about it.
Rating: Summary: Happily Ever After??? Review: So what happened to Cinderella after she married the handsome prince? Did she settle into the life of a princess or perhaps one day get a divorce? Well, we will still never know, because quite frankly, no one is willing to tell us what happily ever after really means. Perhaps one day Cinderella will have kids, sit by the fire and read stories to them or maybe even go on a romantic vacation to the Caribbean. One would assume that would be part of a happily ever after story. I mean, imagine Cinderella building sandcastles or running through the surf. But no, she is stuck in that darn castle. This story begins with Cinderella and the Prince returning from their honeymoon and immediately Cinderella is expected to take on royal responsibilities. She must learn to dress and act accordingly. Suddenly she realizes she is no longer the happy maiden who can read books by the fire until all hours of the morning. However, you have to laugh when she says at least she can now stay up past midnight. She also realizes she does not like the social barriers between the classes and tries to shed light on the subject by inviting everyone to the royal parties. You have to admit, she does brighten up the castle by opening the curtains, perhaps symbolic in many ways of how she wants to "enlighten" those with a more predictable way of thinking. At one point she does cry pitifully to the mice that she is a complete failure as a princess. She is worried that she has been trying to obey someone else's rules and wants to stop trying to be someone she is not. The element of almost rebellious creativity is promoted and even a taste of disobedience towards authority is thrown in to appeal to children. Cinderella's true beauty is in her heart. While the animation is stunningly beautiful, somehow I missed the singing, the beauty of Cinderella's soul. They still managed to capture a old fashioned innocence in some ways, while on the other hand, they have taken all the romance out of her heart. She is no longer the dreamer, she is now the girl who gets things done. She takes charge of situations and while she is rearranging the castle, we wonder if the Prince is ever going to find time to see her with this very busy schedule she is keeping. The Prince, yes...where is the prince? He rarely makes his appearance in this story. This is much more about mice than men. It is more silly than serious. I did see him reading a book at one point in the story. He appears so briefly, one could easily assume Cinderella was not even married. The Prince suddenly seems to lose all interest in Cinderella and unlike the original story, where he pursues her relentlessly, he seems happy to let her run about the castle entertaining herself. Through the movie, the Fairy Godmother and the mice create a book (that was a cute idea) about Cinderella and her life after the wedding. The problem is, the stories do not flow together well and you feel like you are watching a soap opera. The music is without inspiration and doesn't capture your heart. The animation is cute and the interior of the castle is interesting. As the stories are told, the mice sew up a book, eventually they present the stories to Cinderella, who then is amused and delighted that they thought of her. At least the mice knew what her true love really is...books! The stories are mostly about Cinderella learning to be a princess, a mouse turning into a man and finding out being a mouse is a much better life, and Cinderella's stepsister finding her true love in a bakery in the small village outside the castle. It is strange to say, but that was the most interesting part of the story. Which if you think about it, is what attracted us all to the original story. The romance is what we all loved! The story of her stepsister is interesting because it shows that Cinderella is not the only one who can find a happily ever after. You don't have to be beautiful or even catch a prince to find true love. While there are brief glimpses of the fairy dust that was sprinkled through the original Cinderella, most of the magic is gone. This can't possibly be happily ever after. Sigh... I was not overly amused. This is more for very young children. Here are some of the best Cinderella Stories ever so far and you will be much more delighted with these: ASIN: 6304737491 Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997) ASIN: 0788802194 Cinderella (Disney) (1950) ASIN: 6305265488 Ever After - A Cinderella Story (1998) (not for kids) One has to agree with Nathan! "Tales from Cinderella's Castle" would have been much more appropriate a title! I must say to Robert Berry: laugh out loud. And for the other reviews that are one star...sadly, what they are saying is true, although I thought one star was more a reflection on the bitter dissapointment, since the animation is still quite beautiful. One wonders if perhaps the title had been different, there would be less disappointment. Rent before you buy!
Rating: Summary: HORRIBLE Review: This movie was HORRIBLE. It's a disgrace to Disney and to the people who worked on the original. It's not even like you can say it's a seperate story from the first, for it's not. It's boring, and doesn't hold your attention. It's very slow, and I turned it off in the middle. It's not worth your time to sit down and watch.
Rating: Summary: Leaves much to be desired, but not as bad as it could be. Review: As far as Disney sequals go, Cinderella II isn't that horrible. Lady and the Tramp II and Pocahontas II and Peter Pan II were far worse. And as many problems as I have with this movie, I strangely find myself watching the DVD on my laptop a lot. My family sort of enjoyed it too. First, I hate it when they divide a movie into different stories. That is what this is; 3 tales mashed into one all because the mice want another Cinderella book for the Fairy Godmother to read to them. Some things wrong with Cinderella II: The music. This is a biggie. Brooke Allison sings EVERY song in this. The songs in Cinderella movies are supposed to be cutesy and catchy and sung by the characters, not by nobodys in the background. Also-pop songs in Cinderella?! That is very, very wrong. This movie was back in the time of kings and castles and dukes. Pop was not alive then, and I wish it wasn't alive now. As annoyingly catchy as some of the songs are, they do not fit the Cinderella story at all. Some of the animation is bad. When looking at Cinderella head-on, she looks to have no nose, only two pinpricks in the middle of her face. It's funny. But stupid. And when she undoes her hair, she goes: "This hair? EW!" like a Valley girl and she looks like Barbie. That was very wrong on the scriptwriter's part. Cinderella's character is not an "as if"-ing, "puh-leeze"-ing jerk. Anyway, I'll point out other errors as we go through the stories. After all, there are a bunch of positive things about the movie too. In the first story, Cinderella is going home to the castle for the first time and is expected to organize the royal banquet. The Prince leaves to contend with unspecified "important matters of state," and a woman named Prudence and two ladies in waiting, fat Daphne and Beatrice, have to teach Cinderella. The three of them are good new characters; Daphne and Beatrice dance together. Very disturbing. Quite bothersome. But funny. (Come on, it was only because there were no guys around.) Everyone falls in love in this movie. Or practically everyone. Jaq and Gus are in it; they're moderately amusing, but the chased-by-cat thing is getting a little worn out. Jaq and Mary are all of a sudden a little mouse couple. Anyway, Cinderella makes the royal banquet wild and colorful and bright and flamboyant, driving Prudence up the wall with things that "simply aren't done." As it turns out, the King likes it. Prudence and the Grand Duke get it on and she becomes Cinderella's friend. In the second story, Jaq feels incapable of helping Cinderelly anymore, so he wishes for the Fairy Godmother to make him human. He turns into the tall, geeky, buck-toothed Sir Hugh, is chased by Pop Pom the fat cat, and ends up saving the day by scaring a rampaging elephant by being turned back into a mouse. YAWN. Like we couldn't see that coming. In the last part, Lucifer strikes a bargain with the mice not to chase them if they help him get Pom Pom. It doesn't work out, though, and the cats look to be the only couple in the whole thing who don't stay together. Also, Anastasia (whose voice, Tress MacNeille, Angelica's mom on Rugrats, does not work with the character), falls in love with a baker. Her mother forbids it, Cinderella helps them get together, yadda yadda yadda, lots of stuff happens, the sisters look weird putting on their makeup, they go the the ball. Lady Tremain doesn't look too happy about it, but Drusilla appears moved by her sister's speech about the fat but kindly baker...though she doesn't actually fall in love with a guy. Well, that's the movie, but then there are the DVD extras. Cinderella's Enchanted Castle is three too-easy games. Of course, they're for little kids, but... My favorite is the one where she makes cookie-biscuit things. She stands there like a moron holding the bowl while a whole stick of butter, vanilla extract, an egg, grains, nuts, fruits, and other STUFF goes in, stirs it, and leaves it to you to put them in the right order. Then there's the "Put it Together" music video. It's just a pop song with clips from the movie. If you watch Brooke Allison on the Musical Magic featurette, she sings as if she's in pain, and her lips turn inside out..especially when she says "Booooooo" after "bibbity bobbity." It looks like she'll kiss the microphone. So in conclusion, and without a moment to spare, I do not love this movie. I do not hate this movie. I guess I kinda like this movie.
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