Cinderella is a beautiful story that’s been told in many different ways…
And although many of these films are great, none of them are as good as the best version of all time. In 1997, ABC aired a re-imagined Cinderella. This production is the best ever for a few reasons:
The cast was ethnically diverse.
Cinderella, her Fairy godmother, one of her stepsisters and the queen are played by black women. When I was a child, I craved positive representation of black women in media. And with this movie, I got it.
Whitney Houston plays the fairy godmother.
Whitney. Oh, Whitney. She kept it real with Cinderella. She let her know how incredible she was and made sure she looked incredible for the ball.
Seriously, Whitney had her lookin’ fresh as hell.
And her boo thang is sexy AF too.
Seriously, they were made for each other. See how he looks at her when they are walking down the street?
His mother is the queen of all queens.
Whoopi Goldberg was perfect for this role. She had the perfect balance between elegance and not giving a *&#@.
Bernadette Peters plays the perfect evil stepmother.
The music is incredible.
Although Rodgers and Hammerstein are to thank for the music and lyrics, the phenomenal vocals can be attributed to the cast. For instance, Whitney Houston is, in my opinion, the best.
But, of course, Brandy slayed us all.
The women are not afraid to speak their minds. Her stepmother got real about relationships.
Prince Charming tries Cinderella’s life and she claps back with a feminist response.
And the ending. That perfect ending.
When Whitney reminds us that no matter the circumstance, she is forever the reigning queen of all.
What do you think? Is this Cinderella the best version? Let us know in the comments below.
