After two decades of longing for the beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Brandy and Whitney Houston, Disney+ has announced the film will be added to its library. Both Brandy, who played Cinderella, and Houston, who portrayed The Fairy Godmother, are iconic figures in American R&B. They gave new life to the classic’s musical numbers and received critical acclaim for the “magic” they brought to the adaption. Many of the filmmakers and musicians involved in the production went on to have very successful careers in film, television, and music, furthering the cult classic qualities of the 1997 version of Cinderella.
The made-for-TV movie originally aired on ABC in 1997 as part of The Wonderful World of Disney. Cinderella did exceptionally well, with roughly 60 million viewers tuning into the live-action adaption. The film quickly became timeless and a great model of representation, with many critics of the time praising its “colorblind” casting. The adaption was jam packed with stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalbán, Jason Alexander, Veanne Cox, and Natalie Desselle. Cinderella earned several Emmy nominations in 1998 and won Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program.
This week, Disney+ officially announced Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella will arrive on the streaming platform on February 12. The news was first revealed on The View by host Goldberg while chatting with Brandy. Goldberg stated, “It’s pretty remarkable that people have been begging for Cinderella to be re-released for almost 24 years. I mean, what do you think, is it possible?” Brandy announced with excitement that, “It’s definitely possible. I appreciate the fans…I’m so excited that Cinderella has a home now at Disney+, and we can celebrate and share and inspire a whole new generation.“
The Cinderella news comes at an appropriate time, as February is Black History Month. It’s the perfect opportunity to show the remarkable film off to a wider audience. Disney also shared the movie will join Soul, Black Is King, Black Panther, Hidden Figures, and more in the streaming platform’s Celebrate Black Stories collection. Hopefully, as Brandy indicated, a new generation of viewers will now be able to embrace the Cinderella that many love so dearly.
The film’s move to Disney+ comes as the company continues to expand its ever-growing list of live-action adaptations. Though many enjoyed the 2015 version of Cinderella with Lily James in the title role, it didn’t have the cultural impact of the 1997 adaptation. Audiences have also come to expect live-action takes on classics by this time, while the Brandy movie was a little more unexpected. Revisiting Cinderella may make viewers nostalgic for a time when entertainment was more surprising, and it wasn’t unheard of for 60 million people to tune into a television event at the same time. Hopefully, the movie will be enjoyed by audiences old and new when it debuts on Disney+ later this month.
