48 Cinderella Movies For Fantasy-Filled Evenings

Cinderella - A Story As Old As The World

Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper is, as you might know, a folk tale with many variants throughout the world. It always goes like this - a female protagonist is oppressed by some forces (usually a villainous stepmother and stepsisters), and all that suddenly changes once she ascends to a throne via marriage. The throne isn't always a literal one, especially so in the more recent Cinderella movies. 

However, the fact that you might not have heard is that the first known variant of this enchanting story dates back to around 7 BC and AD 23 Greece! Of course, there our Cinderella is appropriately named Rhodopis, and she marries an Egyptian prince. Still, the basis of the story is, was, and probably will always be the same in Cinderella's case!

The History Of Cinderella Movies

It’s pretty common to think that the first Cinderella movie adaptation was made by Disney way back in 1922; however, that is not entirely true! In fact, the oldest Cinderella movie was made in 1899! The Cinderella original movie was created by French director George Méliès, and you can watch it all on YouTube. That said, the earliest Cinderella was considered a fluke and didn’t impress either critics or the audiences. 

The one after it, the 1922 Cinderella Disney movie, though, was a huge hit. Although it was only a short animated movie, audiences applauded it, and thus Cinderella established her decades-long presence on our screens. 

In fact, it was 1950s Cinderella that saved Disney from perishing! See, after World War II and several box office bombs, the studios were in no good shape financially. Then, the decision was made to release a full-length animated film retelling the legendary Cinderella story, and fortunes have changed significantly for Disney. One might even say that the popularity of this film saved Disney!

As of today, Cinderella’s reign over our screens is nowhere near its end. And if you’ve ever wondered how many Cinderella movies are there in total, it’s 74 direct and indirect adaptations! Also, probably as many, if not more, theater productions and musicals, making Cinderella one of the most famous heroines in movies and theater. 

From adaptations deriving from the olden times to completely modern takes, such as A Cinderella Story: If The Shoe Fits or Cinderella And Her Four Knights, and from lesser-known versions to the most popular 1950s Disney’s Cinderella - we love all Cinderella movies the same!