Why Cinderella III Worked

Cinderella knows what to do when it comes to newer content for disney

[Moeller]

The connection between the king and Anastasia is genuinely one of the sweetest platonic relationships I've seen in any Disney movie

[racleRose]

I think its actually incredibly dark not only that Lady Tremaine tried to straight up murder Cinderella, but that of her plan had worked, Anastasia wouldve had to pretend she was someone she wasnt up until the day she died.

[msk-qpfn]

My favorite part of Cinderella 3 is how Anastasia gained a new family in spirit. She now has Cinderella, truly, and even the King sees her as his own daughter due to her similarities with his late wife and seeing how she just wants to be accepted and loved.

[Alleyoop-Fanfiction]

I don’t like it when people say the original Cinderella tale is a weak story. “You can always change your circumstances, ” is great, but not everyone has that option. I didn’t. Cinderella was in an abusive situation, and she didn’t have any options. Yet, good things *did happen* to her. She wasn’t waiting around for a prince to save her, she literally just wanted to go to a party and have nice things, only for a night.
Yes Cinderella 3 is a masterpiece :p

[josefagomezschmeisser]

As a child my mind broke with Cinderella 3, the stakes! The fairy godmother turned into stone! The prince don’t recognizing Cinderella! The fact that after he remembered her and I lowered my guard, A BRIDE CINDERELLA CLONE APPEAR!!!?!?! And an evil pumpkin carriage trapping Cinderella to her doom!? That was nightmarish, so twisted and contrasting with the dram like that she had at the ball, and the fact that after all of that at their wedding given the chance to get back to their original easier timeline, they decided to stay like this together, where both fought for their
As a little girl I was a Disney princesses obsessed but Cinderella wasn’t a highlight, Cinderella 1 was one of the few dvds that we had so we gotten so usted to that status quo that Cinderella 3 braking and flipping that status quo was unbelievable, and made me have a soft spot for Cinderella and the prince, and you can see their chemistry and connection here, and oh the Prince! From a blank plot device to a full on himbo, he really jumped on my favorite princes chart. I just have a fondness for that movie and I appreciate how experimental and risky the creative team were <3

[depressedrocksenjoyer]

Cinderella 3's out of context moments was straight up peak humor like when Anastasia picked up Fairy Godmother's wand and Drizella says, "Oh! Let's beat her with it!" or the Prince straight up jumping out of a window

[mk_wizard]

To me, Cinderella III set the standard of how sequels should be done. They're extending the story not retelling it in a supbar way.

[sophieamandaleitontoomey]

The chemistry between Charming and Cinderella is also incredibly sweet. The fact that even when Charming is enchanted, he still knows that something is wrong and does his best to fight it. That scene where he somehow manages to get on the boat Cinderella is banished on, finally touches her hand and the dark clouds around them somehow brighten and become better as he finally breaks the spell and sees the girl he loves.

It’s a surprising level of detail and care for storytelling in a direct to video sequel.

[Lee-smcg]

Cinderella 3 was literally 'what if' situation that turned into a movie.
Loved it

[VoidWalkerOblivion]

Don't forget that another reason Cinderella 3 works so well is that it could just be its own story and not a sequel. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, and Disney's version followed the original fairy tale more closely than many of their other movies - you could have started with #3, without any of the previous ones, and it would still have worked.

[OpticalSorcerer]

The plot (and Prince Eric playing Prince Charming) is awesome--but I hate how some people said this made them like Cinderella because it showed she was "hard working" when she always was. Abused, passive characters do NOT deserve the hate!

[Nameless_mixes]

I love the addition of Anastasia and the baker (from the second film) reconnecting in the credits! It just gives a good conclusion to her story!

This movie really builds well on everything from the first film and addresses so many criticisms (like the shoe fitting only one person and the lack of personality from Prince Kit)

[bigbadseed]

The reason Cinderella doesnt use the wand when she has the chance is simply because it's not in her character, and this reflects some really ancient beliefs about both magic and religion.

In the first movie, Cinderella is humble, patient, and mostly content, not selfish or ambitious like Lady Tremain or her daughters, and her Fairy Godmother, similar to a guardian angel, uses her magic to reward Cinderella for her strength of character. By contrast, in the third movie, Lady Tremain steals the Fairy Godmother's magic and uses it for her own selfish purposes.

In other words, Cinderella uses what's known as "right-handed magic, " which comes as a reward for humbling oneself before God or the gods, and Lady Tremain uses what's known as "left-handed magic, " wielding supernatural powers for her own gain.

Simply put, Cinderella would never use stolen magic to get her way, because that would be the wrong thing to do. It's exactly the kind of thing that Lady Tremain would (and does) do.

[inferiorinferno]

Part of why it works, is because at least in the version of the story I read of Cinderella, there actually was supposed to be one mean sister who called her Cinder, and one who is more kind and called her Ella. I feel like Disney trying to explore the concept of the kinder sister from the fairy tale and give her spotlight to be a great idea.

[conr]

I simply adore the scene between the King and Anastasia. It perfectly highlights the blooming change in Anastasia's character. At first, she probably assumed the gift was going to be a piece of jewellery, perhaps a crown or just something of high standard; at first, she's a little dismayed at the sight of the shell, most likely perceiving it as invaluable. Expected considering she's been taught by her mother to grow up materialistic and expect the best of rewards. But she doesn't openly express disgust of any sort considering this would be disrespectful to the King (though had Cinderella done something similar in the first movie, Anastasia would've probably discarded it). Without the presence of her mother and sister in the room, she's beginning to be the good person she yearns to be. Of course, the king explains the importance of the shell, that being a symbol of true love, particularly between him and his late Queen. By the end, Anastasia is absolutely fascinated by the shell upon hearing his story and starts to cherish it, allowing her new view on true love help her blossom into a hero. On top of that, the King gets some brilliant development too. Simply a heart-warming scene in my eyes.

[vetarlittorf]

The only Disney sequels that actually added something worthwhile to their respective franchises to justify their existence were Aladdin and the King of Thieves, The Lion King 2, The Little Mermaid 2, The Jungle Book 2 and Cinderella 3.

[turtswing]

It's because you can tell the writers of this movie truly love the original, and wanted to build on it, rather than tear it down.

It would've been so much easier to take shots at what didn't work from "Cinderella", but instead they took notes and improved them without damaging the characters: Anastasia gets so much development, Charming goes from a object character to agenuinely, well, charming love interest, and Cinderella gets to show how determined she is in making her dreams come true without ever dismissing her naturally kind personality, or having her screentime stolen by the (admittedly funny) mice.

Heck, even considering the fact that Cinderella 2 didn't work as a sequel, they even added Prudence and the Baker: they didn't have to do it, but they did, and it was such a nice touch!

It's not a perfect movie, but there's a lot of passion in it, and it's a must watch for every Disney fan!

[lestutosfrenglish]

I like how Tremaine and Drizella have green magical effects but Anastasia had white from the beginning, it shows how she was always not evil but misguided rather !

[maxinezook]

The best part of Cinderella 2 had a lead-in from this movie anyway, with Cindy helping Anastasia in getting together with her own "Prince Charming" the Baker. A portrait of this happy couple appeared in the end credits of Cinderella 3 which really made me smile ☺

[Akursedtime]

The fact that the Prince actually got a personality in the third movie is so awesome. Literally jumping off the balcony had me laughing as an adult.
And Anastasia and the Baker. I'm glad they were still canon. They are so adorable.