Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

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Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
Directed by Frank Nissen
Produced by Margot Pipkin
Written by Steve Bencich
Ron J. Friedman
Eddie Guzelian
Robert Reece
Colleen Millea Ventimilia
Starring Jennifer Hale
Lola Sanchez
Susan Blakeslee
Lesli Margherita
Corey Burton
Tami Tappan
Music by Alan Zachary
Michael Weiner
Joel McNeely
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s) February 6, 2007
Preceded by Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)
Official website
IMDb profile
Ratings
Portugal:  G
United States:  G

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time is the second direct-to-video film sequel to the 1950 Walt Disney animated classic Cinderella, after 2002's Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. Canonically it is a continuation of the original Cinderella, rather than Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, though due to its unique chronological sequencing it acknowledges the events of Cinderella II: Dreams Come True via stills in the end credits and using characters introduced in the first sequel. The film was released on February 6, 2007 and rated G by the MPAA. The film is directed by Frank Nissen and features the voices of Jennifer Hale and Susanne Blakeslee. For the UK releases of the DVD, the film is simply titled Cinderella: A Twist in Time, with no mention of it being a sequel.

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time made its world television premiere on Toon Disney on December 3, 2007, and will air on its sister station, Disney Channel, sometime in 2008. [1]

Tagline: What if the slipper didn't fit?

Contents

[edit] Plot

The story starts on the first anniversary of Cinderella and the Prince's wedding, where Jaq, Gus and the Fairy godmother are surprising the couple with a picnic in the woods. Back at the manor that was Cinderella's former home, her stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella are stuck doing all of Cinderella's old chores, and are clearly unhappy with their current lifestyle. Anastasia, trying to avoid working, wanders off into the woods where she witnesses the Fairy Godmother's magic in action. Unfortunately, the Fairy Godmother drops her wand and it lands in front of Anastasia.

Anastasia rushes back to her mother, Lady Tremaine, who is unimpressed by the white stick. While Anastasia is trying to prove that the wand is magical, the Fairy Godmother arrives and insists that they give the wand back. During a tussle over the wand, the Fairy Godmother accidentally transforms into a stone statue. Anastasia is regretful for what has happened, but Lady Tremaine is ecstatic at the possibilities. She takes the magic wand and reverses time, going back to the moment where things started to go wrong: the arrival of the Duke at the manor with the glass slipper. Lady Tremaine rushes the process along and uses the wand to make the slipper fit Anastasia's foot before Cinderella can make it downstairs. The Duke, seeing the slipper fit, announces that Anastasia will wed the prince, and asks for them to get ready to go to the royal palace. Cinderella rushes downstairs in what was previously "the nick of time" and is confused over the outcome. Lady Tremaine breaks Cinderella's other slipper and tells her to forget the dance ever happened. Tremaine and her daughters then leave to the palace for the wedding preparations.

However, Cinderella is convinced that the Prince will remember that it was her that he danced with at the ball. She goes to the palace in secret and manages to sneak in the servant's entrance. Elsewhere, when the Prince notices that Anastasia was not the one he danced with, Tremaine uses the wand to make him forget about Cinderella completely. The mice, Jaq and Gus, witness this event and tell Cinderella about her plot. Cinderella, disguised, manages to enter the room where her stepfamily are staying, and she attempts to distract them while Gus and Jaq steal the wand. Cinderella manages to get the wand and flees, but Tremaine sends the palace guards to stop her. Before Cinderella can break the spell on the Prince, the guards break in and take the wand from her and give it to Tremaine. Before they can evacuate her from the castle, Cinderella touches the Prince's hand, causing him to be confused by the familiar feeling. Tremaine orders Cinderella to be put on the next ship out of the kingdom.

The mice decide to take matters into their own hands and confront the Prince with their side of the story, using the other mended glass slipper as evidence. The Prince remembers everything and sets out to retrieve Cinderella before she sails off. He succeeds, the pair are reunited and the true nature of Tremaine and her daughters is revealed to everyone.

Despite this, Tremaine does not give up. She uses the wand's magic to conceal herself and her daughters when the King's guards search the palace grounds for her. As Cinderella is preparing for her wedding, Tremaine reveals herself and her new plan: Anastasia now looks exactly like Cinderella and will take the real Cinderella's place during the wedding ceremony. Tremaine then magically sends Cinderella, Jaq and Gus into the hollow center of a pumpkin in a distant meadow. In a twisted homage to the original film, the pumpkin becomes a deformed carriage and Lucifer becomes its humanoid driver, intending to send Cinderella and the mice to their doom. After a frantic struggle, Cinderella, Jaq and Gus manage to escape and rush back to the palace.

Cinderella arrives at the palace just as the vows are being exchanged, and witnesses Anastasia saying (after an inner struggle) "I don't" when prompted by the minister. Lady Tremaine, angered at her daughter's sudden conscience, steps out of her hiding place and uses the wand to turn the guards into animals. During the struggle, the Prince uses his sword to block the wand's magic, causing it to bounce back and send Lady Tremaine and Drizella back to their house as toads. Anastasia uses the wand to turn herself back to normal and then gives it to Cinderella who revives the Fairy Godmother. The Fairy Godmother takes her wand back and creates a new wedding for Cinderella and Prince Charming, letting them live happily ever after... again. Anastasia (in the end credits) comes to live in the palace and meets the baker she originally met in Cinderella 2. And as for Lady Tremaine and Drizella, they are turned back into humans, but are forced to wear Cinderella's old work clothes and work in the palace as servants as punishment for their wicked, selfish, and snobbish deeds.

[edit] Voice cast

[edit] Production

This film was Disney Australia's final feature (the studio was closed and equipment auctioned off once Cinderella III production completed in July 2006)[2]. Unlike the previous sequel, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, which was mostly made in Japan (that studio also closed shortly after completion of Cinderella II), Cinderella III's animators were given meticulous model sheets and extensive live-action sequences for animation reference.[citation needed]

[edit] Soundtrack

The original songs contained in the body of the film, including "Practically Perfect," "More than a Dream" and "At the Ball" were written by frequent Disney songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. Hayden Panettiere performed the end credits song, "I Still Believe," and a music video was created as a DVD bonus feature. An official soundtrack has yet to be released.

[edit] Reception

Cinderella III received good reviews among the five critics compiled at Rotten Tomatoes, who gave it an 80% rating.[3] However, some fans of the original Cinderella are unhappy with this third installment of the series, and the film scored only 45% among users at Rotten Tomatoes. However, it was still well-received compared to its predecessor, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, which scored 0% positive reviews.

Slate magazine writer Dan Kois uses Cinderella III to defend the merits of Disney's straight-to-video sequels, after Disney announced they were eliminating production of any more sequels.[4] Kois points out that in Cinderella III, the wicked stepsister (Anastasia) - originally an "oafish caricature" - finally becomes a fully-fleshed out character, and some of the absurdity of the original is gently mocked.[5]

Many have noted numerous similarities between the film's premise and that of Twice Charmed: an original twist on the Cinderella story, a Broadway-style stage musical created by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment that currently runs on the Disney Cruise Line.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.disneychannelmedianet.com/DNR/2007/doc/CinderellaTwistinTimerelease.doc
  2. ^ Grimm, Nick (July 27, 2005), “Disney cans Australian animation operation”, ABC News, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1423134.htm> 
  3. ^ Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2006). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
  4. ^ “Disney ditching its direct-to-DVD sequels”, Chicago Sun Times, June 29, 2007, <http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/447800,CST-FTR-dvd29.article> 
  5. ^ Kois, Dan (July 17, 2007), “Why Bambi II Is Better Than Bambi: And why Disney shouldn't kill the straight-to-DVD sequel.”, Slate, <http://www.slate.com/id/2170559/pagenum/all/#page_start> 
  6. ^ Strong, Josh (January 23, 2007), “Director Frank Nissen on Cinderella III”, Animated Views, <http://animated-views.com/2007/director-frank-nissen-on-cinderella-iii-a-twist-in-time/#page_start> 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Disney direct-to-video animated features
Sequels/
prequels/
midquels

The Return of Jafar (1994) • Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) • Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997) • Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) • Belle's Magical World (1998) • Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) • The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) • An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) • The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) • Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001) • Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) • 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003) • The Lion King 1½ (2004) • Mulan II (2004) •Tarzan II (2005) • Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) • Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) • Kronk's New Groove (2005) • Bambi II (2006) • Brother Bear 2 (2006) • The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006) • Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007) • The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)
Films based
on TV series
TV pilots
Other

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999) • Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004) • Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004) • Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004) • Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007) • Tinker Bell (2008) • Tinker Bell: North of Neverland (2009) • Tinker Bell: A Midsummer Storm (2010) • Tinker Bell: A Winter Story (2011)