Poor Cinderella

Did You Know?

• Betty Boop's hair was colored red to take advantage of the two-strip Cinecolor process.
• The short used Fleischer's Stereoptical process to provide additional depth of field in some scenes.

Plot

In this version of the tale, Betty Boop plays Cinderella, a young woman who lives as an unpaid servant to her two unpleasant stepsisters. They order her to get them ready for the prince’s ball while she stays behind, feeling sorry for herself and singing about being unloved. Her only comfort comes from her dreams, and she still wishes she could become a real princess. A fairy godmother appears and makes that wish come true, providing a gown, a carriage, and the famous glass slippers, but warns that the magic will end at midnight. At the ball, Cupid uses a mallet to nudge Prince Charming, who makes a grand entrance down the stairs and falls for Cinderella at once. They dance happily until the clock strikes twelve, forcing her to flee and lose one slipper. The prince then declares he will marry the woman whose foot fits the shoe. Every eligible maiden tries, but none succeed until Cinderella arrives and slides her foot in without trouble. They get married, and the stepsisters are left squabbling until the closing title’s doors slam their heads together.

Background

Because Disney held an exclusive deal on three-strip Technicolor from 1932 to 1935, this short used two-strip Cinecolor instead. (Other Color Classics from 1934 and 1935 were also limited to two-color Technicolor.) To make the most of this limited palette, Betty Boop’s hair was colored red. The cartoon also employed Fleischer’s Stereoptical process to give certain scenes extra depth. A caricature of singer Rudy Vallée appears during the ball sequence, performing the title song.