Cinderella 2-Disc Special Edition (DVD)

Cinderella was Walt Disney's return to feature-length "story" cartoons after eight years of turning out episodic pastiches like Make Mine Music and Three Caballeros. A few understandable liberties are taken with the original Charles Perrault fairy tale (the wicked stepsisters, for example, do not have their eyes pecked out by crows!) Otherwise, the story remains the same: Cinderella, treated as a slavey by her selfish stepfamily, dreams of going to the Prince's ball. She gets her wish courtesy of her Fairy Godmother, who does the pumpkin-into-coach bit, then delivers the requisite "be home by midnight" warning. Thoroughly enchanting the prince at the ball, our heroine hightails it at midnight, leaving a glass slipper behind. The Disney people do a terrific job building up suspense before the inevitable final romantic clinch. Not as momentous an animated achievement as, say, Snow White or Fantasia, Cinderella is a nonetheless delightful feature, enhanced immeasurably by the introduction of several "funny animal" characters (a Disney tradition that has held fast into the 1990s, as witness Pocahontas), and a host of a sprightly songs, including "Cinderelly," "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," and -- best of all -- "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo."

• "The Cinderella That Almost Was," including newly discovered secrets from the Disney vaults
• "Princess Pajama Jam"
• Deleted Scenes
• "Rags to Riches: The Making Of Cinderella"
• "From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men"
• "Cinderella Stories" from ESPN Classic
• Sneak peek at Cinderella III
• New music videos -"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes," performed by the Disney Channel Circle Of Stars, and "Every Girl Can Be A Princess," featuring the Disney princess characters
• "House Of Royalty" celebrity consultants discuss how to look, live, and act like royalty
• "Princess Gown Designer" allows you to design a dream gown, scan in a photo of yourself, and print out the result
• "Dream-Room Designer" to create and decorate your bedroom
• "Palace Designer" to design a palace