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Just before “Cinderella” premiered in 1997, major outlets published their critics’ disenchanted reviews. “Cinderella’s glass slippers are far too big for Brandy to fill,” wrote the Chicago Tribune. “To put it bluntly, the girl can’t act.”
Variety described Whitney Houston’s Fairy Godmother as “a frightening caricature, one certain to send the kids scurrying into Mom’s lap.” And
More than two decades later, as the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
makes its streaming debut Friday on Disney+, it’s clear that “Cinderella” — which attracted an estimated 60 million viewers in its initial airing, sold 1 million home entertainment units in its first week and was named the most profitable TV movie of its time — was both for its moment and for the ages. In fact, the creatives behind Hollywood’s current movie-musical boom could learn a thing or two from its clever spin on a classic text.