The Cinderella that most of us remember began as a 1950s animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures; it was originally based on the fairytale Cinderella by Charles Perrault.

What many of us forget is that there have been several remakes of this timeless love story. Many of the remakes have been done to include different cultures, ethnicities, back stories, and some of the most popular actors and actresses of our time. 

Cinderella, the 1997 made-for-TV movie features a cast of stars with ethnic origins from all over the world. The cast includes: Brandy Norwood, Whitney Houston, Paolo Montalban, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Veanne Cox. To view an exciting synopsis of this movie click here.

In 1998 Drew Barrymore starred in the classic tale with a modern woman’s spirit. Ever After, also starring Angelica Houston and Dougray Scott, took place in the fifteenth century telling the story of Danielle who, like the original story, lost her father and was forced to live with, and work for, her step-mother. However, the story differs when Danielle meets Prince Henry before the ball, captivating him with her strength, resilience, and passion.  

Perhaps the next most memorable Cinderella tale is the 2004 release of A Cinderella Story staring Hilary Duff. Jennifer Coolidge and Chad Michael Murry are also notable main characters in this love tale taking place in a present day setting. As a new twist to the story “Cinderella” (Sam Montgomery) loses her father to an earthquake to set up the 8 year-old for a life of misery living with her step-mother. 

Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crow portraying a man whose only hope to save his family is to win in the boxing ring, was released in 2005. While this rendition is less of a love story, it still holds the same notion that anyone can overcome impossible odds and finally be rewarded and recognized after a period of severe neglect. 

There are endless stories about Cinderella and the idea that she (or he) represents. It all started back in the ’50s and Hake’s Americana, a division of Geppi’s Entertainment, is currently auctioning a fantastic piece of concept art by Mary Blair. This 7 X 8.5" artboard with 6.25 X 8.75" acrylic painting was created for the 1950 Disney animated feature mentioned above and is an incredible depiction of Cinderella’s carriage racing to the Prince’s ball.