By Sher Spoilers

I'm not a big fan of Disney sequels. So why exactly did I buy this one? Cinderella happens to be one of my favorite older Disney movies, so I was curious about the sequel after I read the plot summaries (yes, there are 3 stories within this sequel!) How, I wondered, do you have a sequel to a 'happily-ever-after'?!

Actually, it's not hard - especially with a greedy company like Disney who wants every dollar they can get their paws on. This story is told in three parts, through the eyes of Cinderella's mice friends and her fairy godmother.

Animation ~ Not nearly as good as the original. Of course, considering it was created 50 years after the original, it's no wonder. The animation isn't nearly as clean, and there aren't as many frames per second. That's obvious. It's not bad animation though, just nothing near Disney's old high standards. The colors are nice and bright. There are some noticable rip-offs however. A lot of scenes from the original are borrowed, eg: Jaq pacing on a stone bench about his problems, and the fairy godmother appearing to help him. Cinderella collasping in tears on her bed, a la Belle style. And quite a few others.

Music ~ Terrible. Only three songs in the entire movie, none of which are good. I wasn't too surprised about that, though. I wasn't expecting anything like major when it comes to music. And the pop version of "Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo" wasn't anything great.

Voices ~ I was a bit disappointed in this. Disney usually does pretty good matching original voices, but this was obviously much harder then normal (more proof they should have left the classics alone). Jaq's voice is alright, but he talks more the he did. Gus-Gus does as well. The King and Duke are noticably different. Even Cinderella is a bit more cheerful and at times, downright snappy. She's definitely got a more modern attitude...which would be alright if it weren't out of character for her.

Characters ~
Cinderella - A lot like the original, thankfully. Her design hasn't changed much, except that her clothes aren't quite as detailed. Her morals and attitudes are the same.
Jaq - He talks more then he first did, and he still uses his old phrases and trademark noises. His animation isn't as clean as it was in the original.
Gus-Gus - He talks much more too, but retains his 'dumb' appearance.
The Prince - I was hoping I'd like his character, but it too had changed from the original moreso then the others, IMO. He's far too prince-like in his attitude towards Cinderella, kissing her hand and everything, and he's simply in the background most of the time.
The King - Animation is much the same as it was. Voice is a bit different.
The Duke - I really noticed a difference in his voice. Same old babbling Duke, though.
Prudence - Not a villianesse, but one who follows the rules. She was fine until she loosened up, then her animation got really aggravating to me.
Pom-Pom - Now, THIS is a blatent rip-off of Lucifer, only it's a girl cat and she's white. And I didn't care for her, simply because I LOVED Lucifer in the first.
Lucifer - Pretty much the same, except in the third part. Then he became more cartoonish and not like his original.
Anastasia - Her story was my favorite, and though her voice seemed different, I really liked her in this one.
Drisella - Doesn't get a lot of screen time, but acts just like her old, stuck-up self.
Lady Tremaine - I was particularly impressed with not only her animation, but her voice as well. She's as close to the original more then any other character, in my opinion!

*SPOILERS* ahead!

The story begans with the fairy godmother and the mice deciding to write their own story for Cinderella, and they focus on stories they know from when they first moved into the castle.

The first story is about Cinderella's first task as Princess. She must prepare a banquet with the help of a stuck-up woman named Prudence. However, Cinderella finds that the rules and regulations of castle life is much harder then she supposed. In the end, she must learn to be herself. Some of the scenes (such as the dance) were very childish to me. The overall lesson was pretty good, and I enjoyed Cinderella's role, but some little things annoyed me about this one.

The second story is about Jaq's relationship to Cinderella. Poor Jaq, he wants to become human so he can help Cinderella more, because mice aren't good for anything, he states. The fairy godmother grants his wish, and a new human Jaq eagerly goes to help his mistress, only to find that being human is just as hard as being a mouse. I was really annoyed at the fact that they didn't change his voice when he became human. It's still mousy, and a bit geeky and dumb.

The third story was by far my favorite of the three. It focuses on Anastasia, Cinderella's stepsister. She's fallen in love with the baker, but the evil stepmother orders her to never speak or see the man again, stating that her daughter is far above his position in life. Cinderella steps in to set things straight. Though at first Anastasia has trouble getting over her materialistic nature, she soon learns that if she is herself and follows her heart, things will work out. I particularly liked the fact that the baker isn't the normal type guy, and that Anastasia stands up to her mother (finally!).

Overall, it's not something I'd recommend unless you just really wanted to watch it. It's not Disney's best and it messes with an old classic, treading dangerous ground in that aspect. However, the lessons are good ones, and I liked that quality about it, it not much else.

By Grand Duchess Grrl Spoilers

I personally loved this movie more than the first one! You may think that's strange of me, but I just do. It seems more modern and fast-paced, and I like that. It introduces three new charectors in each part (yes, there are three different adventures!): In the first episode, we meet Prudence. Your first impression of her is 'the lady who the duke hates and she hates the duke'. Ok, I didn't explain that so good. But you get my point. Later, we see her being 'the snobby lady who wants to torture Cinderella for no good reason'. And when we last see her, Cinderella has changed her, if just a little, and you'll never believe this, but she and the duke have a little romance! In the second episode, we meet a stupid fat lady called The Countess Du Grand, who annoys the life outta (human) Jaq! In the last episode, we meet the baker, Anastasia's love. And yes, one of the best things is that doesn't look like an 'ordinary guy'. Same way with Prudence, only lady. I can't help it, I like Prudence! Probably because I saw her in a commercial in the dancing scene and I was wondering who she was and then I found out and liked her at first, but when she started tourturing Cinderella, I didn't. But then I did again. That's just the way it goes. Of all the new charectors on this show, Prudence has the most personality. Another reason I like her. Anyway, the point is, this is one of my favorite shows of all time and if you let her, Prudence will grow on you!

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