Walt Disney Home Video’s Diamond Edition of Cinderella

Disney’s Cinderella is out on Blu-ray today for the first time ever. There’s no better time to rediscover the timeless story, the memorable music and unforgettable characters — now more enchanting than ever with pristine digital picture and dazzling high definition sound! Cinderella has faith her dreams will come true. With help from her loyal mice friends and a wave of her Fairy Godmother’s wand, Cinderella’s rags are magically transformed into a glorious gown and off she goes to the Royal Ball. But when the clock strikes midnight, the spell is broken, leaving only a single glass slipper… the only key to the ultimate fairy-tale ending! Click ahead to read our review of the video…

Cinderella is no stranger in my house. My kids have watched it for years, and having mostly girls, we’ve worn a copy or two as much as we’ve worn out Cinderella costumes that my daughters have grown up with over the years. Though their initial reaction to “Look, it’s Cinderella on Blu-ray” was less than surprising, it did not in any way hamper them wanting to watch it once again. Clearly kids will not make heads or tails of the latest version, but Disney purists and Animation fans will ceretainly appreciate the latest in this remastered animated classic.

Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother

THE PICTURE:

In our past recent reviews of such animated classics from the mouse house, we’ve seen some decent improvements in titles like Lady and the Tramp, The Rescuers and Pocahontas. Cinderella continues to keep the bar high with the level of quality in the recent digital transfer. A few Disney classics you expect to endure and this one does not dissapoint. I’ve watched I think every incarnation of this from VHS, Laserdisc, DVD and now Blu-ray and I think this is truly the best version yet. The film feels more like a masterfull painting at any point you freeze a frame of the movie. Lines are crisp and clear, colors are rich, the art is clean, it feels new. You can tell, any maybe it’s because Disney Princesses are vastly popular, that time and care have been poured into cleaning this classic up to the highest standard possible. The chacracters gently contrast to the beautiful matte-paintings and brush strokes are welcome and add to the very nuance of this family favorite.

THE SOUND:

DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track  is well balanced and sounded great. Voices are clean, the sound effects seem clearer than ever, ambient atmpospheric sounds are more dynamic than ever and the music is richer ane more melodic than ever before. For the purists, there is a a single-channel DTS-HD Master Audio version of the film’s original mono mix.

THE FEATURES:

The real treat is the Tangled Ever After Animated Short, otherwise most of the features have been seen in past incarnations of the DVD releases, but still worthy enough to of course mention. I’ve made particular notes on the ones that stood out the most for us!

DISC 1 — Blu-ray™ Feature Film + Bonus 

Features Disney Enhanced Definition Picture and Sound

• Tangled Ever After Animated Short (My kids and even my wife really enjoyed this. Huge Rapunzel *Tangled* fans in our house, so to see this for the very first time was a rollicking treat for everyone which was watched at least 3 times that day!)

• Never-Before-Seen Alternate Opening Sequence

• Personalized Digital Storybook: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-You
— A Disney Second Screen Experience

• Behind The Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland (Our entire family is hooked on ONCE UPON A TIME, so seeing Jennifer Goodwinn hosting was a treat. Now though the behind the scenes must have been shot early on, it was still interesting to watch Snow White wander thru mounds of dirt and construction tape talking to Disney Imagineers about the new face-lift that Walt Disney World is getting. And with an upcoming visit next year to Orlando, it was a fun sneak peek at what we can expect when we take our vacation next Spring to Florida.)

• The Real Fairy Godmother (the kids didn’t really absorb this, but the grown ups appreciated it, basically it’s the behind the scenes story of Mary Alice O’Connor, in which the “Cinderella” character designs were based upon)

DISC 2 — DVD Feature Film + Bonus

• Tangled Ever After Animated Short

• Behind The Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
(Applies to Film Content Only)

Blu-ray Feature Film:

• 1080p High Definition

• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

• English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

• Restored Original Theatrical Soundtrack

• French and Spanish 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix (DEHT) Language Tracks

• English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

Cinderella and her Prince

FINAL THOUGHTS:

One of Disney’s all-time classics really delivers and has been given the royal treatement it has waited so long for.  CINDERELLA is a must have for your Disney Home-Video library.

Buy it Now on Amazon!

Cinderella’s Diamond Edition 3 Disc Blu-ray Combo