Cinderella's New Look

[Princess Serendipity]

Words.

I don't know much about kids. It's been a while since I've been one and I don't have any, and I don't really hang around them. But from what I recall and what I know, I don't think they really notice looks as much as we think. Yes, things need to be pretty, and kids are pretty distracted by shiny things, but I think the love of a character trumps any "outdatedness." This is one thing I'll sort of back down on, because like I said, I don't know kids very well.

That said.

My issue is not that she is overly sexy. She's not. My issue is that A) I don't think the classics that Walt made should be redesigned like this. Mickey Mouse has changed over the years, but not that much (if at all) since Walt's time. Mickey Mouse is also more of a modern meta-character. Cinderella is a fairy tale character in the Victorian period.

B) The changes not only go against who some of the characters are (Cinderella especially), I'm going to even venture that they are promoting our "photoshop" culture. If you look at the original Cinderella, she is slightly older and more mature looking, with a larger ribcage and more of a developed figure. The newer Cinderella is younger looking (to me, she seems a 15-year-old girl going to prom) and thinner- they even made her ribcage smaller! We girls have it bad enough as it is comparing ourselves to the Disney Princesses, but if you go back and make them even younger and thinner?

You said it in no way violates who Cinderella is. I disagree. Cinderella's main thing is that she was very much into simple elegance. If you look at the other young women in the movie (at the ball scene), it's huge bustles and hoop skirts and ruffles and giant ribbons and bows and layers and opulence. In comparison, Cinderella's ballgown (also, it was supposed to be silver, and they keep making it blue-er as the years go on) is very simple and understated, and that is what makes her stand out. Her wedding gown- WEDDING GOWN- was simple and understated and elegant. A girl will probably never dress any fancier in her life than she will on her wedding day, and yet Cinderella chose such a simple design? It speaks of her maturity, I think. The redesign is much more girlish, with brighter colours and more complexity, a flashier hairstyle, and a bigger skirt. So I do think it is very much going against who Cinderella is.

You also said that Cinderella is for kids, not adults. I again disagree. She is the quintessential rags-to-riches story, the epitome of believing in your dreams, and a genuine princess- elegant, kind, and graceful. I would much rather see adults looking up to her than, say, reality TV show and pop stars. Some of us would still rather wear the glass slippers over Manolo Blahniks. Modern is not necessarily better.

If keeping the Princesses classic makes them museum pieces...well, what's wrong with that? It will make them stand out from the sea of "Modern" heroines. It helps distance them from the real world, keep them in the world of fantasy that Disney tries so hard to project and maintain.

 

[DulcetDiscord]

more words

I agree. Cinderella is my LEAST favorite princess for two main reasons: I feel like she's shoved down my throat everywhere I go; and Disney executives let her steal the color blue from every other princess (Particularly my favorite, Aurora). Cinderella's gown is silver. SILVER. Making her dress bluer really only pisses me off. Not to mention that "make it sparkle" is the worst answer to the question, "how can we get females to like this?"

Furthermore, MOST of the princess movies were made for previous generations. Yes, we share them with our children--Sleeping Beauty came out in 1959, the year my mother was born, and it's still my favorite--but that doesn't mean we suddenly stop liking them. Disney's entire thing is creating experiences the whole family can enjoy, not just the kids.

And I like some of the other iterations of Princess lines. The designer stuff is pretty, and the ballerina things were at least cute. But the best part about those is that they were on the side. You could see them in the stores, but they didn't replace the main look.

Now, all that said, Rapunzel is probably the only princess who hasn't suffered a makeover in the past, and only because she's so new. It seems like every time I look at the princesses they look slightly different, more makeup, more vibrant colors, and OMG I swear they keep getting thinner and they were already super impossibly thin.

I think this is just a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that little girls are more interested in superficial celebrities than princesses, so let's make our princesses look more like that. Have you seen the ads for the newest Barbie movie? "The Princess and the Pop Star." I don't think the English language has the appropriate words to describe how disturbing, upsetting, and vacuous that is.

And don't even get me started on Barney's use of Minnie and Daisy.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I just checked out the new look at Disney Store.com and I have to say my problem is they all look so generic...Cinderella especially looks way too much like Barbie dressed as Cinderella. They also made Ariel look older and also more generic. It's not so much that I mind a little update, but Disney dolls had a certain look and they have taken away the "Disney" ... they look like every other doll out there. I was trying to be objective, but no, I hate the new merchandise look. The new 12" are really bad and look cheap. The Belle and Aurora dolls are especially awful, if it wasn't for the dresses they have on I wouldn't even know who it was supposed to be.

 

[a11ie]

Yes, the new Cinderella is more modern. Am I upset? Certainly not.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

I just checked out the new look at Disney Store.com and I have to say my problem is they all look so generic...Cinderella especially looks way too much like Barbie dressed as Cinderella. They also made Ariel look older and also more generic. It's not so much that I mind a little update, but Disney dolls had a certain look and they have taken away the "Disney" ... they look like every other doll out there. I was trying to be objective, but no, I hate the new merchandise look. The new 12" are really bad and look cheap. The Belle and Aurora dolls are especially awful, if it wasn't for the dresses they have on I wouldn't even know who it was supposed to be.

I agree. I don't know if it was all the "upgrades" but I did see for sure the Cindy upgrade on Friday. All the dolls were in a row and I thought they all pretty much looked the same face wise.

 

[Srbright]

This new fangled choker and heavy makeup looks like an "adult" version , if you get my drift. Definitely not appropriate. Hate it!

Whoa, what? While I have no problems with the new Cinderella, I must say I'm a bit confused. What "new fangled choker"? Hasn't Cinderella always had that choker?

Stacy

 

[brucerob62]

gee surprised they didnt give her some botox and breast augmentation!..and give her an anorexic size 0 figure...ha!

 

[Tinkerkell007]

If they wanted to spruce her up a little, that's fine, but they changed her face! I don't see a reason to change her face. Like someone else said, she looks generic now.

I pass on new Cinderella. I wont be buying anything with the new Cindy on it either.

 

[Princess Serendipity]

Whoa, what? While I have no problems with the new Cinderella, I must say I'm a bit confused. What "new fangled choker"? Hasn't Cinderella always had that choker?

Yeah, she's always had it. They just made it (of course) blue-er and shinier. It used to be a flat black- I think it was supposed to be a black velvet ribbon, which was pretty popular around the era I'm pretty sure the movie is taking place in (Bustles, the shape of the skirt evolving from the Antebellum-enormous-crinoline, Cinderella's mother's dress being late regency style. Cinderella's dad's clothes and the clothes little Cinderella was wearing at the beginning of the movie -VERY 1860s style). Making it so shiny gives it a more...uh...leather like appearance I guess?

 

[justgeorgi]

Very sad that a Disney classic is going to get a "messy" teen hairstyle. There is zero reason to update Cinderella.

 

[BelleBriarRose]

I'm against these makeovers. The princesses are beautiful because they are so natural, they are true to themselves and they don't have to show off their looks to impress anyone. Now they look like those girls on Toddlers and Tiaras. And for what? They don't look nearly as authentic or beautiful as they did when the animators drew them.

 

[surfpark]

Change is coming and we cannot stop it. Think of what the heart of the princess franchise is about: consumer goods. It always has been (look it up).

I do think it is a bit unusual for Disney to mess with their recipe, but as someone else has mentioned, they don't limit the evolution of their designs for successful characters. In fact, when a character gets a tweak or redesign, that's usually a sign of longevity.

I found a link that shows off the new princess dolls: http://d-princesses.livejournal.com/1335983.html

Check out that header image for the 2012 style.


Some full body shots from this t-shirt.

As you can see, the changes are subtle. Mostly with the hair, slight changes in the costumes. This has everything to do with merchandising. How many Cinderella dolls can you sell when they've looked the same for more than 60 years?

 

[surfpark]

I think I just uncovered the purpose of the new looks. It appears that the princesses with make cameos in the new Disney Junior series "Sophia the First: Once Upon a Princess"

A preview clip from the show shows off an updated Cinderella making a visit along with the Flora, Fauna and Merryweather (the fairies from Sleeping Beauty). This cross-over makes me believe we'll eventually see many of the princesses making cameos.

http://disney.go.com/disneyjunior/sofia-the-first-cds

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

I noticed that on the pins shown on the Disney Parks Blog for New Fantasyland, Belle is shown in her new style with her giant hair! I am not a fan.

 

[Princess Serendipity]

As you can see, the changes are subtle.

There's nothing subtle about Belle's hair.

 

[BlovesC]

Holy big hair! Belle looks like a drag queen!

 

[ellie05]

I am not a fan of most of the changes. I like snow white her face looks a little fuller. The rest look like they put make up on them . And cinderella's face is horrible, she looks like another barbie .

 

[rantnnravin]

Whoa, what? While I have no problems with the new Cinderella, I must say I'm a bit confused. What "new fangled choker"? Hasn't Cinderella always had that choker?

Stacy

Did you see the dolls?

Vegas Showgirl

 

[Just_Trish]

I work for Hallmark and we have had the new Cinderella on cards, gift bags, and party items for several weeks now and the response has actually been really good! They are selling quite well, which is surprising because normally the stuff with just a single princess does not tend to do as well as the designs with multiple princesses...

 

[Cinderellalove]

Ugggg! Why would Disney change the princesses that everyone loves? They are classics. In my opinon the new changes to the princesses make them look much younger and somewhat inapropriate. They have ruined the look of Cinderella, as she now looks to have no class!