CINDERELLA II: DREAMS COME TRUE
(G)
MOVIE: ** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
STARRING
Jennifer Hale as CINDERELLA
Tress MacNeille as ANASTASIA
Rob Paulsen as JAQ
Corey Burton as GUS
Holland Taylor as PRUDENCE
Directed by: John Kafka
Studio: Disney
BY KEVIN CARR
It’s been Disney’s business plan to strike direct-to-video sequels of its classic films over the years. While the theatrical releases are expensive to design and develop, these low-budget sequels tend to be huge money makers because everything’s packaged already, and the animation can be farmed out to smaller divisions.
Some of these sequels have been pretty good, like those following “The Lion King.” Others haven’t been so great. Several years ago, the sequel “Cinderella II: Dreams Come True” was made, and it was done at a time when the sequel department was still getting its footing. It ultimately struggles with the question of how to continue a story when the heroine lives happily ever after.
If you want a good sequel to “Cinderella,” you’d be better off catching “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time,” which came out last year. That one tells a unique story with a fresh angle. Unfortunately, “Cinderella II” is really just a slight step above the “Disney Princess” package releases.
Recently re-released on DVD, “Cinderella II” gathers three short stories from the Cinderella universe. The first shows how Cinderella struggles with being a princess. It’s a very typical, yet ultimately dull, story about the challenges of her new life. The next story (and probably the most unique) features Jaq the mouse getting the wish to be a human. The third story follows the wicked stepsister Anastasia, who defies her mother to fall in love with the town baker.
Families that have young daughters who are insanely into the whole Disney Princess phenomenon are the best bets for this DVD. It’s centered around Cinderella and her friends, and the stories are very soft but at least carry a decent message.
This DVD comes with a virtual storybook, a music video with Brooke Allison, a featurette about the new music on the DVD and two set-top games that provide some interaction best experienced by the younger viewers.