An Animated Dissection: Why most people’s general thoughts on Walt Disney’s “Cinderella,” are wrong

Do you ever get tired of seeing people claim something, and you know it to be wrong?

Along with the numerous rumors about Walt Disney over the years (the tamest being that his head is frozen, and hidden deep beneath the Walt Disney World theme park), there are plenty of others revolving around items related to his legacy.

One I have heard a lot in the last few decades, was how Cinderella in his studio’s animated feature, was a pushover who was just waiting around to marry a prince.

Much like how some assume that Belle from 1991’s Beauty and the Beast developed Stockholm Syndrome, I felt this was a pretty ridiculous notion. For this post, I thought I would lay out some observations about Disney’s 1950 animated feature, that some may not have considered.

__________

Why did Cinderella really want to go to the ball?

The short answer: because she was invited.

The palace sent out royal invitations to all the households in the kingdom, requesting that “every eligible maiden” attend.

It should be noted that it is the Stepsisters that jump at the mention of the prince being in attendance, and it is also the Stepmother who seems eager for one of her daughters to catch his eye. Cinderella’s main joy at the news is not related to any of their conclusions, but is simply the joy of knowing that she can attend, making it one of the first opportunities since before her father’s passing, that she can leave the grounds of the family chateau.

__________

Did the Fairy Godmother intend to help Cinderella marry the Prince?

My two cents: I don’t believe so.

At the very least, she came to help the poor girl fulfill her greatest wish. I personally feel that if allowed to go to the ball, Cinderella could have endured for the rest of her life under her step-family, being given this one request…but as we see, her step-family are unwilling to show her even the smallest of kindnesses.

I imagine some assume the slippers were a way to lead the prince to Cinderella, but I also think this is simplifying things.

Though the Fairy Godmother claimed that “everything would be as it was before” once the spell was broken at midnight, Cinderella’s shoes still remained as glass slippers (with one still on her foot, and the other in the possession of the Grand Duke, after she fled from the palace).

I feel keeping the slippers as she transformed them, was the equivalent of the Godmother letting Cinderella have something she could keep to remember this magical night.

__________

Did Cinderella realize she had met the Prince?

In writing this post, this question suddenly crossed my mind for the first time!

Watching the film, we as the audience have already identified who the prince is, but it’s not like every household in the kingdom has a picture of the royal family. It is very likely that most do not know who he is until they are announced to him at the ball.

It is notable that when Cinderella arrives at the palace, she doesn’t immediately make for the main reception area. Instead, she slowly wanders around, taking in the towering columns and architecture of the place she’s only seen from her bedroom window. When the prince notices her, she isn’t even looking at him, but is still just taking in the entire palace.

Some could wonder why he doesn’t ask her name, but it’s been a long, long evening of dozens and dozens of girls being announced to him. Maybe he sees her as a way to get out of this ‘royal rut,’ and do something besides just stand around ‘receiving’ guest after guest.

His interaction with Cinderella is all done in silence, though I think it’s assumed that he just quietly asks her for a dance. In Cinderella’s case, this is probably the first time she’s ever been asked by anybody to dance, and thinking that this is just what you do at a royal ball, she accepted without knowing who this man is. In her mind, it was just a magical evening getting to go to the ball, and dancing with someone from the palace.

I originally didn’t realize that her reaction the next day (when she accidentally drops some breakfast dishes), was the full realization of who she had danced with.

Plus, the fact that she reveals the other slipper to the Grand Duke, ends up being a triumphant moment for her, that not even her stepmother could prevent.

__________

Kindness can Help You

This doesn’t quite tie into the main theme of this post, but I felt it had to be said.

Though abused and humiliated by her step-family, Cinderella doesn’t try to take out her mistreatment on those around her like a bully. She still tries to keep a positive demeanor whenever she can, though she does get a little ‘snippy’ on a few occasions.

She definitely isn’t a robot, as we see her get upset at the house cat Lucifer several times, and after she receives the invitation from the royal doorman, she has a mischievous grin thinking of interrupting her stepsisters’ off-key ‘music lesson.’

In a number of Disney films, there have been examples of how kindness can be reciprocal.

We see this on several occasions in this film, with the mice and birds Cinderella has befriended. They help her get ready to start the day, and when it seems she won’t have the time to alter her mother’s dress to go to the ball, they take it upon themselves to help her.

We also get a little guide to the household and her kindness, in the form of the little mouse she names Gus. At first caught in a trap, naked and afraid, Cinderella helps to free him, and provides him with his name and a new set of clothes. Cinderella even helps him out when he is unable to procure some corn for breakfast.

Gus isn’t the brightest of the mice, but he quickly becomes the sidekick to the main leader of the household’s mice, named Jacques. When the Stepmother locks Cinderella in her bedroom, the two mice struggle to overcome impossible odds to get the key to her, and help her persevere.

This leads to an interesting, reciprocal notation.

In the beginning of the film, it is Cinderella who helps free Gus from being trapped, and at the end of the film, with the help of Jacques and the other mice, Gus helps free Cinderella from being trapped.

__________

In the end, it seems Cinderella’s attempts to stay kind-hearted and persevere under the worst of circumstances, were rewarded. This is reinforced in several places by the main theme song, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes. It’s a song that sounds bubbly and positive, but also includes talk of “heartache,” and “grieving.” But under it all, is the hope that things will turn out alright in the end.

It definitely isn’t the kind of film that would be made in today’s world (as can be attested to the changes made to the 2015 live-action rendition the studio produced), but one has to remember that the 1950’s film was a stepping stone in getting the studio back to producing animated features, following the end of World War II. Plus, the film helped cement the studio’s reputation for fairy tale stories revolving around princesses, that would become a staple of the Disney legacy as the years rolled by.

Movie Review: Cinderella ( with animated short, Frozen Fever )

When one says the words “Fairy Tales,” the name Walt Disney springs readily to mind for millions of people. Several generations have been touched by the animated adaptations of popular fairy tales from his studio, that have resulted in millions of merchandised items, let alone billions of dollars in retail sales.

2015 marks the first official foray of The Walt Disney Studios retelling fairy tales in live-action, with Cinderella hitting the big-screen. Of note, is that this isn’t some low-key film. With the likes of Kenneth Branagh directing, and Cate Blanchett playing Lady Tremaine, it didn’t seem like they were going to low-ball this film like some studios would.

The film begins by showing a happy life for young Ella (Eloise Webb), whose world is soon beset by tragedy, after her mother becomes ill. In her final moments, Ella’s mother (played by Hayley Atwell) tells her daughter to “have courage, and be kind,” which young Ella takes to heart.

Some time later, Ella (Lily James) is happy for her father (Ben Chaplin) when he remarries,  introducing the widowed Lady Tremaine and her two daughters into their house. However, when Ella’s father dies on one of his business trips, the family is soon beset by poverty.

Ella (Lily James) and Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett)

It doesn’t take long before Tremaine and her daughters slowly begin to take advantage of Ella’s kind nature, quietly turning her into their housemaid. When one stepsister notes some ash and soot on her face, she mockingly calls Ella “Cinderella,” and the others soon call her nothing but this.

This film had been under my radar even since I first heard about it a few years ago. A few clips in the previews had me rolling my eyes, but once I saw the film, I was surprised how emotionally it hit me at times. It also helped that it seemed a tad more serious than what a standard PG-rated film could bring to the table (The PG rating is to films these days, what the G rating was back in my day).

I will admit, I didn’t know what to expect from a Branagh-directed Fairy Tale…but then again, he did impress me with what he was able to do with Thor back in 2011. Branagh definitely brings a sense of class to this tale, shooting it almost like he was directing a Shakespearean drama (which isn’t a bad thing). That ability to treat the material seriously definitely helps (at times).

Lily James brings a nice characterization to the role that may charm some, but irritate others. Instead of the animated film’s ‘a dream is a wish your heart makes,’ this film gives Cinderella a deeper resolve to stay true to her parent’s memory. Even in the face of adversity that would cause many anonymous persons to claim they’d put the stepmother and the stepsisters in their place, James’ Ella keeps pushing through. That to me is where the true beauty of her character lies: it’s not in a picture-perfect vision of beauty, but “who” she is, as opposed to “what.”

Ella (Lily James) tends to her chores

Cate Blanchett also does some understated acting in the role of Lady Tremaine. One positive, is that her actions have a little more grounding in the reality of the times. Though she is deplorable in several moments, the story manages to keep her in a grey area that not many retellings would ever consider.

The film does get a little silly when it gets to the animals, the stepsisters, and a few members of the royal staff, but it feels moreso like they are a minor distractions to keep the kids from nodding off. It almost put me in mind of the addition of Flit and Meeko to Pocahontas.  And just like those characters, you won’t find any of Ella’s animal friends talking (except in their own ‘animal speak’).

Probably one great addition, is that the Prince (Richard Madden) is given more time to be a character, though he also has the added urgency of trying to become his own man, as his father the King (Derek Jacobi) wishes him to take the throne soon.

Ella (Lily James) and her Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter)

The film even gets its own “Jack Sparrow,” in the form of Helena Bonham Carter’s brief appearance as Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. From her scatter-brained demeanor, to her bulging pupils lined with eye-shadow, one can’t help but feel she’s channeling Johnny Depp in a big way here.

Branagh also works once again with composer Patrick Doyle, who brings a wonderful regality and simplicity to the film’s score. He doesn’t recycle the animated film’s music in the overall film, but he does create a nice little theme for Ella, that stayed with me even after leaving the theater.

A couple downsides to the film, were that several moments that should be more emotional, just didn’t quite connect. I can take some syrupy stuff, but I will admit, the opening ‘happy family’ montage did feel like it got a bit too sappy for me. As well, the final third feels like they were rushing to layer in some last-minute story points, let-alone tie up the loose ends that were still dangling. Some may also notice some uneven editing, such as in a rather abrupt ‘smash cut’ near the end of the film’s second act.

Cinderella is definitely not the same as the Disney animated film we’ve almost all known since our youth, and for that, I greatly applaud the filmmaker’s efforts for not giving us a tired rehash. Instead, it’s a grand attempt to make the story a little larger, adding some more layers to a somewhat black-and-white story that generations have known for a long time, only from the animated film.

It’s already been confirmed that the studio will be giving us a live-action Beauty and the Beast adaptation next year. Much like how Iron Man ushered in a new era of superhero films, Cinderella feels like it could be the start of a new chapter in the studio’s live-action division. So far, the only live-action films they’ve made that have met with major success, start with the words, Pirates of the Caribbean.

On a personal note, I think if you enjoy this film, you might also find the story The Ordinary Princess, by MM Kaye, to be quite entertaining. I was surprised how several story points in Cinderella, reminded me of those in that story.

__________

“…Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the theaters…”

If you weren’t planning to see Cinderella, chances are you will be seeing it if your children or young relations beg to see it, so they can see the animated short Frozen Fever that plays before the start of the film.

Taking place on Anna’s birthday, Elsa wants to make this a great event for her sister, as it is the first birthday the two will have been together for in a long time! And besides, it’s just a birthday party…what could possibly go wrong?

Frozen Fever follows the same type of epilogue storytelling as Tangled Ever After, returning us to a Kingdom where familiar faces abound…let alone little easter eggs for those who can find them.

Fever won’t bring world peace, but I think for many, it will have a few scenes that will delight (and one that I could imagine several theaters breaking out in applause to!).

Luckily for the adults, a certain song does not rear its head, and instead, we get a new one sung by both Anna and Elsa, and written by Robert & Kristen-Anderson Lopez. It almost sounds like they borrowed a little of the melody from their demo piece Life’s Too Short from their work on Frozen, but as it goes along, it becomes its own little thing (and much like Let It Go, I did wonder afterwards, how soon I could buy the single!).

The downside to the short, is that I could easily imagine kids getting restless after it is over, and demanding to their parents that they wanted to see more Frozen instead of Cinderella. As well, there’s a few new additions that are sure to make them want to hit the nearest Disney Store afterwards.

__________

FINAL GRADE

Cinderella – B (Final thoughts: care and effort was put into making this production something new, but it gets a little muddled at times in its editing, and final act. Some humorous moments may also seem a little hammy)

Frozen Fever – B (Final thoughts: a nice little return to the Kingdom of Arendelle, though some may find fault in that it’s more of a taste than a meal regarding these animated characters)

Exhibit Review: D23 Presents – Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives

October 16, 2013, marked two major milestones in regards to Walt Disney, and the company he founded.

One of those events, was the 90th anniversary of the founding of The Walt Disney Company (formerly The Disney Brothers Studio).

The second event, was the official opening of the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. Originally, this exhibit had just been intended for an exclusive showing at the Ronald Reagan Library in 2012. However, some of the MSI staff were impressed by the presentation, and requested that the archive be brought to the Midwest.

David Mosena, President and CEO of The Museum of Science and Industry, welcomes the first visitors to the Museum’s Treasure of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit, on October 16, 2013. Joining him are Mickey Mouse, and Becky Cline, Director of The Walt Disney Archives

It may seem hard for the average person to believe, but Walt Disney was born in Chicago. As well, the Museum of Science and Industry is housed within a structure built for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, of which Walt’s Father (Elias Disney) had a hand in some of the Exposition’s construction work.

The house Walt was born in still resides on the northwest side of Chicago, and he took classes at The Art Institute of Chicago in his late teens.

Regarding exhibition theming, the Archives exhibit at the Museum is meant as less of a tribute to The Walt Disney Company, and moreso a testament to Walt Disney, and what he achieved over the course of his life.

Over 300 artifacts are housed within the exhibit, many of them things that we have often seen as pictures, or within a flickering television screen. It is the ability to see these items up close that is one of the highlights of the exhibit.

One that is still mind-boggling to me, was this original telegram Walt sent Roy from St Louis, telling him “Everything is OK.” I had seen reprints of this important piece of Disneyana in Bob Thomas’ Art of Animation book, and at The Walt Disney Family Museum, but this was almost on the same level as seeing an original Monet (yes, I’m that much of a nut to compare a telegram to a Monet).

The telegram was sent during a turning point for Walt: it belied the news to his brother Roy, that he had lost control of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Universal Pictures, and on the train ride back to California, Walt would develop his next big character: Mickey Mouse.

There is even a small case showing numerous pieces of merchandise related to Oswald, and one showing several of Mickey’s early items. Mickey’s first merchandising image was on a writing tablet (aka a small paper pad), and the exhibit has one in amazing condition. As someone who had read about this item, I was impressed to see it in the collection.

Naturally, the sections dealing with the animation process were the most interesting to me. There are such highlights as an original animator’s work desk, original jars of paint from the now-defunct ink-and-paint department, and sculptural models (aka maquettes) that helped the animators see their characters in 3 dimensions.

Just as magical, though a little less hand-drawn, were the original storybooks that ‘opened’ the films Snow White, Cinderella, & Sleeping Beauty (seen above). There’s some beautiful detail that you might not recall, or never even considered. For example, you wouldn’t realize it from the opening scene of Sleeping Beauty, but that book prop is huge!

However, the centerpiece of the exhibit (and it is at the center!), is a ‘partial’ recreation of Walt’s office. Word was the entire room was sealed up upon Walt’s death (reason: unknown), and was not reopened until 4 years later, when Dave Smith was hired as the company’s first archivest. He was one of the first to enter the office, and catalogued everything that was in the room. The entire layout of Walt’s desk and the mementos on it, are exactly as it was found back in 1970. Word was, photographs were taken of everything as it was, and filled a binder several inches thick!

Much of the information contained within the area was eye-opening to some. One woman who I spoke with, had never heard about animator Ub Iwerks (who was one of Walt’s friends from his Kansas City days, and the main animator on the early Mickey Mouse shorts). She was quick to point out how informative the exhibit was, though it was I who convinced her that Walt Disney’s body was not frozen (seriously, she believed that rumor!).

Speaking of eye-opening, I was intrigued by the following jars of paint (above). It wasn’t so much the color labels, but the notations on the “Art Gallery” tags. The left jar is labelled “her lower body,” and the right jar has “Devil-Eyes” written in. I’m wondering if these color jars are for Sleeping Beauty, as the blue could have been used for the lower portion of Aurora’s blue dress. So…could that mean the “Devil-Eyes” jar could have been used for…Maleficent?

During our tour, we were accompanied by Becky Cline and Nicholas Vega (both are pictured to the left). Becky is the director of The Walt Disney Archives, and Nicholas is the manager of collections and exhibits for the Archives.

Becky was also quick to mention that while there are animation items like concept art and animation cels within the exhibit, those are provided by the company’s Animation Research Library, and not the Archives. The Archive is responsible for collecting items like film props, costumes, merchandise, and even personal effects of Walt’s.

Given that Becky and Nicholas had seen their fair share of archival material over the years, I had to know: was there something missing from the archives that they would love to have?

Probably given the atmosphere (and the eventual golden anniversary next year), both of them cited items from Mary Poppins.

Becky mentioned that while they had several of Mary’s items, the Archives did not have one of the original parrot-head/umbrella props. As for Nicholas, his dream prop was related to Dick Van Dyke’s character of Bert. Strange as it may seem, not a single piece of Van Dyke’s original wardrobe from the film could be located!

Becky also noted that one of the reasons for this, was that the Archives was not officially started until 1970, when Dave Smith was hired. As such, much of the main material from older live-action films like Treasure Island, Old Yeller, and The Parent Trap are gone. However, some items pop up from time to time, like Mary Poppins’ original carpetbag, which was obtained by the Archives a few years ago.

Of course, since the resurgence of the company in the 1980’s, a lot of the current items are preserved. Unlike the large swath of material at the Reagan exhibit, MSI is displaying just a few choice pieces from the films made after Walt’s passing, including several wardrobe pieces from the last 2 decades. While we do have the wardrobes of Captain Jack Sparrow and Enchanted’s Giselle, there is also the original wardrobe of the Rocketeer (complete with jetpack!), and Hocus Pocus‘ Winifred (pictured on the right, complete with book!). And, for you young’uns out there, a Wildcats basketball outfit from High School Musical.

To me, this is where the exhibit ‘peters out.’ The items from Disney beyond Walt’s time feel a little hodge-podge, spread out in a way that doesn’t feel as proper as the Archives’ story on Walt Disney, the man.

There is a large chunk of wall space included to tell about the iPad app Disney Animated, but it just feels like you could have included some concept/production art from animation done over the last 40 years in that space. While digital technology can be exciting, nothing beats some eye-opening originals.

Unlike the Reagan presentation, a learning experience has been folded into the exhibit, with some small activities for children. The end of the exhibit also features an Animation Academy, where you can learn to draw Mickey Mouse.

While it is a fun activity for children, I feel that the Animation Academy at the end, could have been moved to another area outside the exhibit. The space that it occupies, could have been used as a larger display/staging area for the post-Walt period. Maybe even include video testimonials of those who work within the company today, and tell how what they learned from Walt, has pushed them to keep moving forward, as well as honor his legacy.

Speaking of Walt, what I was most pleased to see, was the exhibit showing people that before his successes in animation, Walt was just as ordinary as any of us. One example is the image below, in which Walt (center) is having a scene filmed with his friend and fellow animator Ub Iwerks (left), on the roof of the building where their Kansas City studio was housed.

The ability to show people pictures of Walt as a child and a young man, is a great way to make younger viewers think, “hey, maybe one day I can do something like that!”

As of now, the Archives exhibit is only scheduled to run through May 4, 2014. While this is the first showing of this material outside the state of California, no other venues have been scheduled (so far).

The Museum of Science and Industry has played host to a number of exhibits regarding entertainment-related properties or creators, such as Harry Potter, Jim Henson, & Charles M Schulz, to name a few. What they have put together with Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, is definitely a home run, and is an attraction that I believe will be a big draw not just for tourists, but local Chicagoans as well (I’m already eager to round up some close friends, and take them through it!). Because of this, I have tried to keep myself from revealing as much about the display pieces as I can. During my time inside the exhibit, I took over 200 images!

It should also be noted that several items may be changed out soon due to their age. According to Becky and Nicholas, Walt’s original telegram to Roy is only set to be on display for a month, before a reproduction will take its place. Even some original posters from the early 1920’s Alice Comedies (a series of live-action/animated shorts done in the mid-20’s), will be swapped out with other posters from the series.

I usually like to close some of my posts with a few choice words. These quotes from CBS Evening News anchor Eric Sevareid (made on the evening after Walt’s death was announced), provide a thoughtful moment (and can be found in the exhibit):

A bust of Walt, sculpted by Gustavo A Fernandez

“He was not just an American original, but an original. Period…”

“He probably did more to heal – or at least soothe – troubled human spirits than all the psychiatrists in the world. There can’t be many adults in the allegedly civilized parts of the globe who did not inhabit Disney’s mind and imagination for at least for a few hours and feel better for the visitation.”

“What Disney seemed to know was that while there is very little grown-up in every child, there is a lot of child in every grown-up. To a child, this weary world is brand-new, gift-wrapped. Disney tried to keep it that way for adults.”

*Special Thanks goes to D23 and The Museum of Science and Industry, for including me in their early event viewing for internet bloggers. It was definitely an exciting day, and a memorable experience.*

2013’s D23 Expo: My Thoughts on the Live Action at The Walt Disney Studios Panel

At this year’s D23 Expo, the first two days started out with some major presentations from the studio’s upcoming offerings.

After Friday’s early-morning presentation about the future of Disney’s animated features and video releases, many were eagerly gearing up for Saturday’s early-morning panel: Let the Adventures Begin: Live Action at The Walt Disney Studios.

The presentation opened with a ‘sizzle reel,’ showing clips from upcoming Disney and Marvel productions, along with clips interspersed of the original Star Wars trilogy. Our host for today’s walk-through was Alan Horn. Alan’s name has been around Tinseltown for years, as he was previously with Warner Brothers during the last decade. His appointment as the new Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios was fairly recent, but Alan said he was getting the hang of being a part of one of the world’s most famous companies.

As Alan laid out the different live-action divisions of the company, he chose to talk first about their newest member: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Ever since the $4 Billion acquisition, the rumor mill has been running non-stop as to what 2015’s Episode VII will contain. It’s probably a good bet that the Expo’s Saturday tickets sold out, because people were eager to hear juicy new details.

As it turned out, Alan claimed that there were ‘Dark Forces’ keeping him from revealing much of anything, other than the scant knowledge that we already know, such as JJ Abrams being the upcoming film’s Director. I’m sure it wasn’t what many people there wanted to hear, but I was of the persuasion that the internet had just been building up a huge rumor that wasn’t going to be paid off. And after checking the web later on, there were many who vented that Disney had ‘failed them’ for not revealing anything about the upcoming film.

From there, Alan then turned our attention to Marvel.

Much like at Comic-Con, we were shown the teaser for 2015’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Film-wise, we were led off with some footage from this Fall’s Thor: The Dark World. Though Natalie Portman’s character Jane Foster returns, it feels that the emphasis of the story will focus away from Earth this time. Much like the day before, the women in the arena went wild when Tom Hiddleston took the stage. However, the applause grew when Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins joined him, and each said a few things about working on the film.

Talk then moved on to next Spring’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Following the events of The Avengers, Steve Rogers continues to try and acclimate himself to the 21st century, but has to deal with protecting Washington when a new threat appears. However, this time, Cap teams up with Black Widow, and we were treated to a still-in-progress sequence of the two on a new mission. It looked impressive in rough form, and I’m sure it’ll look even better once completed.

Probably the most intriguing news, was in regards to next Summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

We were shown clips of the different characters of this rag-tag bunch, and I have to say, I got a little excited for it. Peter Quill as Star-Lord had some of the funnier moments. When he reveals his name to some characters in the clips we saw, like many of us, they had no idea who Star-Lord was. I also got a kick out of Rocket Raccoon’s brief imagery. Just something funny but cool about a raccoon brandishing a gun.

From there, it was time to move on to the Live-Action division of Walt Disney Studios.

The first thing that was covered, was discussion about next Spring’s sequel to 2011’s The Muppets. The sequel, titled Muppets Most Wanted, sends the gang overseas, and on a madcap quest with the likes of Tina Fey and Ty Burrell. Ty appeared on stage, driving a miniature Interpol car, and telling a bit about how amazing it was to work with the Muppets.

We were also shown a song-and-dance routine with Ricky Gervais, and Kermit. It was very entertaining, but I don’t want to say anything more about it, other than just thinking about it, makes the song pop into my head.

It was also announced that production had just started on a film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical, Into The Woods. However, we were given little more than a logo image, and told of the big-name cast attached to the project. The film is set to be directed by Rob Marshall (the director of the film adaptation of Chicago), and is set to feature the likes of Meryl Streep, and Johnny Depp.

After the Woods announcement, we were offered a peek into the future, as we were treated to a video of Kenneth Branaugh, discussing his upcoming live-action film for Disney: Cinderella. We weren’t shown much more than early conceptual images, along with some screen-test footage of Lily James as the title character.

In recent years, we’ve seen other live-action studios try their hands at doing fairy tales, or updating them for modern audiences. Some did reasonably well (like Snow White and the Huntsman), and others dismally (like Mirror Mirror). It’s a pretty good bet that if Cinderella takes off, the company might adapt other fairy tales into the live-action realm.

Probably of all the upcoming live-action films from Disney that are not based around Marvel or Lucasfilm characters, the one that seems most intriguing to some, is Maleficent.

We were shown a sizzle reel of Maleficent coming to the Princess’ christening, with much of her dialogue pulled right from Sleeping Beauty. Even so, we were left to ponder just how that film’s story would tie into this film, which would give us some backstory as to why Maleficent’s feelings of being spited led to her actions.

In recent years, the spotlight has been thrown on villains in many cases, and through different mediums, has tried to come up with why they became the characters they are. Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West led to the Broadway production of Wicked, in which we find numerous circumstances turned the green-skinned Elphaba, into The Wicked Witch of the West. With what we were shown, Maleficent definitely has the potential to be Disney’s version of Wicked. One also wonders if they would then try to explore the backstories of their other villains. In The Little Mermaid, Ursula mentions how she was ‘banished and exiled,’ so that could also be another Villainess to explore.

It was already surprising to see the likes of Portman and Hopkins on stage, but when Angelina Jolie was brought on stage, much of the audience went crazy. Angelina shared her own stories about being a Disney fan since she was young, as well as a few funny stories about filming as Maleficent. During some shooting days, they would have young visitors on the set, and even though Jolie was being perfectly nice and inviting, her wardrobe scared several of the children.

It’s not often that Disney does cryptic marketing campaigns for their films. Earlier this year, word came down from Brad Bird, that a mysterious box had been discovered in the catacombs underneath the Disney Studios. The box was filled with a hodge-podge of different materials. On the front of the box, was the number, “1952.” The contents of this box tie into Bird’s upcoming 2014 feature, Tomorrowland.

To tell us a little more, Brad Bird and co-writer Damon Lindelof came onstage with the box, and went through some of the contents. The contents included such things as a doctored image of Walt Disney with Amelia Earhart, and even a futuristic-looking disc, that contained images, telling of a world of tomorrow.

The contents of the box would then be moved to the Tomorrowland booth on the convention floor, and one could even download a free app onto their Apple products, that would act as a guide through the exhibit.

Of all the upcoming projects, this is one I’m still intrigued by. Even if Lindelof is involved, I’ll see anything with Brad Bird’s name attached to it (it was the main reason why I went to see Ghost Protocol a few years ago). Of course, Lindelof was involved with Lost, so we’ll see if in this day and age, the studio can keep the information about this film intriguing enough to make people venture into theaters in the fall of 2014.

The concluding film discussed for the live-action presentation, was the December release, Saving Mr Banks. Based around the attempts to get the film version of Mary Poppins made, it tells about how Walt Disney (portrayed by Tom Hanks), attempts to convince author P.L. Travers (played by Emma Thompson) to sign over the rights to get the film made. However, P.L. has resisted Mr Disney’s requests for some 20 years now, but finally decides to head out to the Disney Studios in Burbank, CA. Needless to say, she is not at all impressed by Walt in person.

We were shown several clips, such as Travers finding fault with the script, along with the music being made for the film. One of the funniest moments comes when Walt has her chauffeur (played by Paul Giamatti) drive her to Disneyland for a private walk-through with Walt. Even at the ‘Happiest Place on Earth,’ Travers is still guarded. Walt even shows her his wife Lillian’s favorite horse on Fantasyland’s carousel, and asks her to ride it.

This leads to one of the funniest moments, where P.L. sounds almost like a petulant child, refusing to go along with this. In response, Walt, almost like a parent trying to hold back his own feelings about how she’s acting, just semi-casually goes, “Get on the horse, Pam.”

There was one bit I was rather surprised about. In this day and age, one thing that is often glossed over, was that Walt was a smoker. Some even said he had a ‘smoker’s cough,’ and right before Hanks’ Walt greets Ms Travers, you hear the cough from around the corner of his office door! Though we hear the cough, I’m pretty sure we won’t see Tom Hanks as Walt, with a cigarette between his fingers.

I think the audience was hoping we’d see Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson take the stage. Instead, we got Jason Schwartzman, and BJ Novak, who portray musicians Richard and Robert Sherman in the film (FYI: The Sherman Brothers were the musical duo behind the catchy songs of Mary Poppins!).

It looked like the presentation was going to end on a lower note than the animation discussion the previous day, when suddenly, Schwartzman and Novak were rolled out on stage playing a piano, with the real Richard Sherman coming out to join them!

The audience was then descended upon by several dozen performers dressed in period garb, with kites attached to long poles. Schwartzman and Novak then led the audience in a sing-along to the end song to Mary Poppins, “Let’s Go Fly A Kite.”

__________

While the Live-Action presentation had some nice reveals, it didn’t feel like it topped what I had seen at the Animation presentation the previous day. I did like some of the clips we were shown, as well as the presentation regarding Tomorrowland.

In this day and age, I guess I would have liked to have seen at least one ‘new’ idea from Disney’s live-action sector, that wasn’t based on an existing property, or adapting something we are already familiar with. We know the name Disney is normally a standard for family entertainment, but not all films in this vein have to be $150 million productions with A-list stars.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll get a few unannounced gems in the next few years, that weren’t covered in the presentation.