A not so "young" Cinderella

[LSUDis]

Wasn't Mary Poppins supposed to be mature anyway? She was a nanny after all!

That's exactly what I was thinking--not that a nanny MUST be older! I was always under the impression that she was older than late teens/early twenties b/c she has had several "nanny jobs" before the one in the movie.

Oh, no! I can't believe I'm sitting here pondering the age of Mary Poppins! I need some chocolate FAST!

Anyway. . . what is worse than "mature" princesses to me is young princes! Our Prince Charming looked to be about 15. My mother always told me that this would happen as I got older. . .that hunky young men would suddenly become nice-looking boys. . . . .

 

[babiesX2]

I can't help but think that in these instances, the character who "doesn't fit the part" is probably a person that was hired to play A DIFFERENT character who just happens to be "filling in", you know?

That's what I was thinking.

 

[KinderTchr]

Very well said...

I would like to add for some going, that I wasnt paying any attention at the meet and greets - we missed Aurora at our CRT Breakfast so we waited in the Princess line, we also did 1900 Park Fair - so we have 3 pictures of Cinderella, while her autograph is stunningly the same, a couple of the pictures are different, not that I was paying attention, dd just attributes it to the wigs they must wear in the heat of Florida!!

So if anyone needs to explain, I thought that was a great assesment, the Princesses do indeed wear wigs because of the heat!!

Altogether I have 4 children. Two are grown and out of the house now. When the oldest was 3 we took her to WDW for the first time. She asked me why Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty all had the same Prince. In her mind they were all "Prince Charming" Thinking fast on my feet, I told her that Charming was thier last name. They were the Charming brothers.

 

[dmk1021]

Altogether I have 4 children. Two are grown and out of the house now. When the oldest was 3 we took her to WDW for the first time. She asked me why Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty all had the same Prince. In her mind they were all "Prince Charming" Thinking fast on my feet, I told her that Charming was thier last name. They were the Charming brothers.

OMG, that is the cutest thing I've ever heard

 

[abitjaded]

An interesting thread, glad the mods are letting it go on. Interesting opinions about Mary Poppins. I actually love the photo of the Mary that was posted. The ones we have seen really resembled Julie Andrews, but frankly, I thought some of them looked too YOUNG. And Bert always looks too young to me, too! Remember that Julie Andrews played Eliza Doolittle (sp?) in the original stage production of My Fair Lady, but was bumped for the movie, because she was not considered pretty enough. Audrey Hepburn was given the part, but her singing had to be dubbed. So go figure.

Anyway, that year Julie Andrews won best actress for Mary Poppins, and Audrey Hepburn lost. There was some nasty press that Julie Andrews won because of a "sympathy vote" since she had not been cast as Eliza.

I agree with a lot of the posters who commisserate with less than "ideal" Princesses. Would that we could all see the beauty of the person, rather than their physical resemblance to a cartoon character. Would that all our boys and girls can see themselves as princesses and princes no matter what they look like. Maybe the most important attribute of the face characters is their ability to interact with our kids and transport them to fantasy.

I think the best Cinderella stories are the ones like Ever After with Drew Barrymore and The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. Things we practical folks can dream on. These are not based on looks, but guts.

And one of those Burts and Marys we met years ago, well... Maybe they looked too young, but they really got into their roles and were a hoot to talk to. We ended up lingering a long time at the Park Fair breakfast for them. So, just like Julie Andrews, who cares who is prettiest, determination and personality will out!

Carla

 

[attagirlx2]

We told our girls that the characters were real people, dressed up to play a part the first time we went to WDW. The girls were 4 and 2 at the time. We told them this so that they weren't scared of the characters and so we could get pictures with them. Everytime we saw a fully costumed character my DD2 would ask, "Is a real person inside, mommy?" before she would approach the character.

But even though, they KNEW the characters were normal people, they still were excited and awed by them. My DDs came home and told everyone about the characters they met.

The next time we went to WDW the girls were 5 and 3. At MGM we spent a lot of time talking to Peter Pan and Wendy just before the parade. During the parade the girls noticed Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Then all of a sudden my DD5 whispers in my ear, "That's Peter Pan and Wendy!" After we came home and developed our film, sure enough they were the same CM's playing the parts. But it still never ruined the magic.

After our last trip, DD6 and DD4, the girls notice the face characters look a little different from each trip and in each park. But they still LOVE meeting them and talking to them. I don't think they have missed out on any of the magic.

I know they are CMs playing a role, but I too am still enthralled by them. Though I must admit, I still think the first characters we saw from our first trip are the ones I believe to be the "real" Cinderella, or Aurora, or Ariel. That's who I compare the recent ones in my mind to.

These CMs are amazing - they have such lovely personalities and never break from character. Even when they are having to deal with the ugliness that I know we are all capable of when we are hot, tired, and hungry. These CM see it all and put up with it all with a smile on their faces. AMAZING!

 

[GinaGrumpyDwarf]

I'm sorry but the "face" characters should be what we ALL remember from the movies. Mary Poppins yes is OLDER than say..."cindy" or "snow" but she looks like Mary Poppins' MOTHER! I'm not saying that she's not a nice person, but come on folks, it's Disney for goodness sake! I mean when we go to our local theme parks (for me Kennywood, Idlewild Park or Cedar Point) we expect mediocre. When I go to Disney, I'm expecting EXCEPTIONAL! I'm not upset, or pissed at Disney, just mearly stating the fact. We really had a great time on our trip and loved CRT so much we're paying OOP this next time. I really dont understand what Mary Poppins is doing at CRT anyway. I'd much rather Jasmine or Ariel.

 

[Gangstarr]

I have a pic in my photobucket of mary poppins who really looks "old" from our last trip at CRT.

I actually know her and she's in her twenties. Julie Andrews was 24 and pregnant when she filmed the movie. Mary is a nanny so she has to look more mature.

 

[JulyGirl]

I don't find that Mary Poppins looking old at all. Funny how we all see things differently.

 

[jpeppers]

As a single Dad who took my daughter to the breakfast I was very satisfied with the choices for all the princesses.

 

[kaysmommie]

I was told by a friend of mine who is a "greeter" that sometimes the characters are chosen to closely resemble the ones they currently have on hand. Thus the resemblance may (over the years) gotten away from what the movie character actually looks like.

Also- I am aware of a one wonderful Snow White friend who was promoted to being Fairy Godmothers friend. I think this is awesome. Someone who has created magic for literally millions of people thru the course of time.

Now all that being said....make sure that you too check the mirror folks. None of us are getting any younger and those jeans/shorts/shirt we wore 20lbs ago may not look so wonderful on us while we tour the park. I am really not trying to be mean here - but I see some of the most awful things some days it can be quite scary.

The princesses are always perfectly dressed and look good.

I have to agree

 

[cleo]

I looked at the picture and didn't think she looks old at all. I think it's more a problem with the photograph than it is with the character. She's lovely, she's got a real 'nanny' look to her, and she fits my idea of Mary Poppins.

As for characters looking like what we 'ALL' remember, I think that's pretty subjective. If you dislike a character you aren't likely to see them as 'pretty' or 'handsome', just as you might have an unrealistic sense of beauty in your favorite character. If you like blondes, Snow White isn't all that hot. If you like construction workers, Prince Charming looks like a flitty little whimpy-man. Looks are not just structure of the face, they're also an attitude. The Mary Poppins in the picture looks perfect to me.

Keep in mind, these are also real people who are supposed to look like their cartoon alter-ego. Can you really expect that sort of perfection?

 

[curiouser]

An interesting thread, glad the mods are letting it go on. Interesting opinions about Mary Poppins. I actually love the photo of the Mary that was posted. The ones we have seen really resembled Julie Andrews, but frankly, I thought some of them looked too YOUNG. And Bert always looks too young to me, too! Remember that Julie Andrews played Eliza Doolittle (sp?) in the original stage production of My Fair Lady, but was bumped for the movie, because she was not considered pretty enough. Audrey Hepburn was given the part, but her singing had to be dubbed. So go figure.

Actually, Julie Andrews wasn't cast as Eliza because Warner Bros. was leary about having a theatrical actress lead a major motion picture. It had little to do with looks and a lot do with the almighty dollar, as always.

 

[hollyb]

True beauty comes from within. If her heart was filled with good wishes and love, that's enough for me.

 

[NancyIL]

I actually know her and she's in her twenties. Julie Andrews was 24 and pregnant when she filmed the movie. Mary is a nanny so she has to look more mature.

Julie Andrews was born Oct. 1, 1935 - making her almost 29 when the movie was released in 1964.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000267/bio

 

[BostonRob]

I totally agree with you, Tinker&Belle. I was so pleased when on one trip I saw a Snow White who was beautifully curvy. (I've read somewhere that due to costuming issues Snowy's are allowed a bit more curves than some of the other princesses). She was radiant and I thought she presented a wonderful body image to young girls.

In my opinion, this has nothing to do with healthy body images or personal perceptions of beauty, this is about face characters looking as true to form as possible. Now obviously, since most of these people are playing animated characters, they'll never be 100% true to form, but certain things (like age and body shape) can be controlled.

I have two young daughters and I share your concernes about society's ideals and how that will affect my girls' self images. It is my challenge, as a parent, to help my daughters be proud of who they are, regardless of how they look, and to treat other people accordingly. I do not want WDW's help with this. I turn to WDW for a vacation from all of life's concerns.

 

[Lisa_Belle]

Julie Andrews was pregnant when offered the part. When she told Walt Disney she was pregnant, he offered to wait until she had the baby to start filming. It also takes awhile for a movie to film and go through post-production before being released. Let's just say Ms. Andrews was in her mid- to late- twenties. Still young (at least in my book).

 

[bookgirl2632]

It's funny. I have a friend who in real life, I think, looks nothing like Cinderella. She has blonde hair, but that's it. But she spent over a year performing as Cinderella for the Disney Cruise Line (I can't remember which ship). When she showed me pictures, I was astounded. With the dress and the wig and the make-up, she became Cinderella.

Incidentally, she would fill in as Ariel or Sleeping Beauty from time to time when needed.

 

[Madi100]

These people are playing characters. If someone saw Mary Poppins on the street they wouldn't comment on her age. They are doing so because she is playing a character. By the way, I don't think she looks old at all. She might not look 20, but definitely not old. And, I think that Mary Poppins is a little older.

I think that in general the princesses need to look similar in costume. If you take 10 Cinderella's and line them up, they should look similar. There should be no feature that stands out enough to make a large amount of people comment on. If you put a wrinkled person in that group, it's going to stand out.

 

[MyZoeJane]

Holy cow! If that Mary Poppins looks old at 24 then I must look MUMMIFIED at 29!!!!

Granted she does NOT look like Julie Andrews did as Mary Poppins but she doesn't look OLD! And she certainly isn't UGLY!