“Cinderella II: Dreams Come True” begins shortly after the original film leaves off, with Cinderella and her prince returning from their honeymoon. They move right into the castle, but it’s not long before the prince leaves on a business trip and Cinderella is left alone to master the intricacies of castle life. However, Jaq and Gus did manage to move in as well, so she’s not alone as you might think.
She does have a problem, however. Prudence, the housekeeper in charge of all the affairs of the castle, doesn’t think she’s a proper princess and feels it is her duty to perform a transformation. There must be new gowns, and new shoes, and hairstyles, and Cinderella must give up the friends she has outside the castle walls. But none of these things are really Cinderella, and she determines that she is going to remain herself, no matter what.
She has been put in charge of the King’s banquet, and doesn’t want to ruin it, but Prudence is making her life miserable. Finally, she decides to do everything her own way, and that includes inviting the commoners to the banquet as well. Prudence is absolutely shocked that the princess would do such a thing, but the king is so delighted, it all turns out well in the end.
Meanwhile, Anastasia has fallen in love with the baker in the village. Her mother would never approve, but Cinderella helps her to understand that we have to follow our hearts if we’re to be truly happy. It was a little odd to see one of the stepsisters actually become a friend to Cinderella, but I’m all for reformation.
The prince plays a slightly larger role in this movie than he did in the original. I make a rough estimate that he spoke, oh, about twenty-five words in the first movie and I’d give him a good hundred in this one. Maybe by the time we hit “Cinderella III,” they’ll let him actually be a character. Here’s hoping!
I’m a big Cinderella fan, and I was glad to see Disney continue the saga. However, I did feel that the whole “girl power” theme was carried a bit too far. Now, don’t get me wrong – I fully believe girls can do anything they set their minds to, but when it’s the underlying message of nearly every television show and every movie, it can be overwhelming. Beyond that, though, I did enjoy the movie and it was a hit with my daughter.
This film is rated G.
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