When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her scheming step-sisters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.

Cinderella: Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what should be done!
Ella's Mother: I have to tell you a secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer. Have courage and be kind.
Goose Coachman: I can't drive, I'm a goose.
Lady Tremaine: [from trailer] Wouldn't you prefer to eat when all the work is done, Ella?
Cinderella: Yes, stepmother.
Lady Tremaine: You needn't call me that. Madam will do.
[from TV spot]
Lady Tremaine: What on earth have you've been doing?
Cinderella: Dreaming, that's all.
Lady Tremaine: Well, then wake up!
Fairy Godmother: I'm your Hairy Dogfather... Oh! I mean, your Fairy Godmother.
[after Cinderella finds her outside and asks who she is]
[from trailer]
Prince Charming: I have to see her again.
Drizella: [from trailer] Cinder Wench!
Anastasia: Dirty Ella!
[chuckles briefly]
Drizella: Cinderella!
Ella's Mother: When there is kindness, there is goodness. When there is goodness, there is magic.
Cinderella: I shouldn't.
Prince Charming: You should.
Cinderella: I shouldn't!
Prince Charming: You should!
Cinderella: I will.
[She and Kit kiss]
Cinderella: [from trailer] It was my mother's old dress.
Lady Tremaine: It would be an insult to take you to the palace dressed in these old rags.
Lady Tremaine: [to Cinderella, after she, Drisella, and Anastasia tear Cinderella's mother's dress] Mark my words: you shall *not* go to the ball!
Cinderella: [singing] A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams, and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.
Cinderella: [hums then sings] So this is love.
[hums]
Cinderella: So this is love. So this is what makes life divine. I'm all aglow...
[hums]
Cinderella: And now I know...
Prince Charming: [singing] And now I know...
Cinderella, Prince Charming: [both sing] The key to all heaven is mine.
Cinderella: [sings] My heart has wings.
[hums]
Cinderella: And I can fly...
Cinderella, Prince Charming: [both sing] I'll touch every star in the sky. So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of...
Cinderella: [hums]
Prince Charming: [hums]
Cinderella, Prince Charming: [both sing] So this is love.
Fairy Godmother: At the last stroke of midnight, the spell will be broken.
Cinderella: Midnight?
Fairy Godmother: Midnight.
Cinderella: That's more than enough time!
Captain: Madam, there is no other maiden in your house?
Lady Tremaine: No!
Captain: And has your cat learned to sing?
Lady Tremaine: [points at Ella's breakfast plate] Who's this for? Is there someone we've forgotten?
Cinderella: [smiles] It's my place.
Lady Tremaine: Oh, it seems too much to expect you to prepare breakfast, serve it and to sit with us. Wouldn't you prefer to eat when all the work is done, Ella? Or should I say, Cinderella? Hmm?
[first lines]
Narrator: Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom; peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Here in a stately chateau, there lived a widowed gentleman, and his little daughter, Cinderella. Although he was a kind and devoted father, and gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort, still he felt she needed a mother's care. And so he married again, choosing for his second wife, a woman of good family, with two daughters just Cinderella's age, by name, Anastasia and Drizella. It was upon the untimely death of this good man, however, that the stepmother's true nature was revealed: cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty, she was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters. Thus, as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair, for the family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepsisters while Cinderella was abused, humiliated, and finally forced to become a servant in her own house. And yet, through it all, Cinderella remained ever gentle and kind, for with each dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.
[last lines]
[as Cinderella prepares to try on the slipper]
Grand Duke: Come, my child.
[beckons to the Page Boy, who runs carrying the slipper. The stepmother sticks out her cane and trips him, causing the slipper to shatter into pieces]
Grand Duke: Oh, no! Oh, no, no. Oh, no. Oh, this is terrible. The King! What will he say?
[clutches throat]
Grand Duke: What will he *do*?
Cinderella: But, perhaps, if it would help...
Grand Duke: [sobbing] No, no, nothing can help now. Nothing!
Cinderella: [bringing out the other glass slipper] But, you see, I have the other slipper.
Cinderella: Why, it's like a dream. A wonderful dream come true.
Fairy Godmother: Yes, my child, but like all dreams, well, I'm afraid this can't last forever. You'll have only 'til midnight, and then...
Cinderella: Midnight? Oh, thank you.
Fairy Godmother: Oh, now, now, now, now, now, just a minute. You must understand, my dear: On the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken, and everything will be as it was before.
Cinderella: Oh, I understand, but... it's more than I ever hoped for.
Fairy Godmother: Now off you go... for you *shall* go to the ball.
[naming the new mouse]
Cinderella: Now for a name. I've got one! Octavius. But for short, we'll call you Gus.
Lady Tremaine: How charming, how perfectly charming.
[as the Duke tries to tell the King Cinderella has run away]
Grand Duke: Your Majesty...
The King: So he's proposed already! Tell me all about it.
Grand Duke: Well, Sire...
The King: Who is she? Where does she live?
Grand Duke: Well, I didn't get a chance...
The King: Oh, no matter, we've more important things to discuss. Arrangements for the wedding, invitations, a national holiday, all that sort of thing.
Grand Duke: But, but, Sire...
The King: Here, here, have a cigar. Take a few more.
Grand Duke: But, but, but...
The King: Better practice passing these out, eh?
Grand Duke: But, but, but, if you'd only listen...
The King: [takes out sword] And, for you, my friend...
Grand Duke: Your Majesty, please...
The King: A knighthood. I hereby dub you, sir... er, er, by the way, what title would you like?
Grand Duke: Sire, she got away.
The King: Sir "She Got Away... " A peculiar title, but if that's what you... She WHAT? Why, you, you, you traitor!
Grand Duke: Now sire, remember, your blood pressure!
The King: TREASON!
Grand Duke: No, sire, no!
The King: SABATOGE! You were in league with the prince all along!
Grand Duke: I tried to stop her! But she vanished into thin air!
The King: A likely story!
[after creating a coach, horses, a coachman, and a footman for Cinderella]
Fairy Godmother: Well, hop in my, dear. We can't waste time.
Cinderella: But, uh...
Fairy Godmother: Uh, uh, now, now, now, don't-don't try to thank me.
Cinderella: Oh, I wasn't... I mean, I do, but-but don't you think my dress...
Fairy Godmother: Yes, it's lovely, dear, lov...
[realizing]
Fairy Godmother: Good Heavens, child! You can't go in that.
Cinderella: [to the clocktower chiming] Oh, that clock! Old killjoy. I hear you. "Come on, get up," you say, "Time to start another day." Even he orders me around. Well, there's one thing. They can't order me to stop dreaming.
[the Fairy Godmother appears as Cinderella sobs]
Cinderella: Oh, no. No, it isn't true. It's just no use. No use at all. I can't believe. Not anymore. There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing.
Fairy Godmother: Nothing, my dear? Oh, now you don't really mean that.
Cinderella: Oh, but I do...
Fairy Godmother: Nonsense, child. If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here. And here I am.
Jaq: Poor Cinderelly. Ev'ry time she find a minute, that's the time when they begin it. "Cinderelly! Cinderelly!"
Drizella, Anastasia: [from downstairs] Cinderella!
[Jaq closes door]
Jaq: [singing] Cinderelly, Cinderelly / Night and day it's Cinderelly / Make the fire! Fix the breakfast! / Wash the dishes! Do the moppin'!
Mice: And the sweepin', and the dustin' / They always keep her hoppin'.
Jaq: She go around in circles 'till she very, very dizzy / Still they holler...
Mice: Keep-a busy, Cinderelly!
Lady Tremaine: No one in the kingdom will outshine my daughters.
Jaq: New mouse in the house, brand new! Never saw it afore! Visitor, visitor!
Cinderella: Oh, a visitor!
[starts going through clothes she's made for mice]
Cinderella: Well, she'll need a new dress, and...
Mice and Birds: No, no!
Jaq: [points at his coat and vest] He, he, he!
Cinderella: Oh, well, that does make a difference. HE'LL need a shirt, a new pair of shoes...
Jaq: Gotta get him out! Rat trap, rat trap!
Cinderella: What? In the trap?
[runs outside]
Stepmother: Well, I see no reason why you can't go... if you get all your work done.
Cinderella: Oh, I will. I promise.
Stepmother: And, if you can find something suitable to wear.
Cinderella: I'm sure I can. Oh, thank you, Stepmother.
[she exits]
Drizella: Mother! Do you realize what you just said?
Stepmother: Of course. I said, "If."
Drizella: [realizing] Oh! "If."
[they all laugh]
[as Anastasia tries on the glass slipper, which at first appears to fit]
Anastasia: There. I knew it was my slipper. Exactly my size. I always wear the same size. As soon as I saw it, I said...
[the Herald lifts up her foot, revealing that the shoe just barely covers one toe]
Anastasia: Oh. Well, it-it may be a trifle snug today. You know how it is, dancing all night. I can't understand why.
[the Herald tries to hammer the shoe on]
Anastasia: It's always fit perfectly before. I don't think you're half trying. Mother, can you...
Stepmother: [indicating the sleeping Grand Duke] Shh. Quiet, my dear. We mustn't disturb his Grace.
[to the Herald]
Stepmother: Young man, are you sure you're trying it on the right foot?
[as the stepmother gives her daughters a music lesson]
Drizella: [singing] Oh, sing sweet nightingale, sing sweet nightingale, hi-i-i-i-i...
[Drizella hits high note, while Anastasia's finger gets caught in the flute, causing it to hit Drizella's chin]
Drizella: ...i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i...
Cinderella: Oh, well. What's a royal ball? After all, I suppose it would be frightfully dull, and-and-and boring, and-and completely... Completely wonderful.
[as the King chases the Grand Duke for letting Cinderella get away]
Grand Duke: But its true, sire! All we could find was this glass slipper!
The King: The whole thing was a plot!
Grand Duke: But sire, he loves her. He won't rest till he finds her. He's determined to marry her.
Grand Duke: [dodges sword]
The King: What? What did you say?
Grand Duke: The prince sire! Swears he'll marry nobody but the girl who fits this slipper.
The King: He said that, did he?
[kisses the glass slipper]
The King: Ha ha. We've got him!
Grand Duke: [cuts the chandelier both of them are hanging onto; there's a scream and a crash]
Grand Duke: But, Sire, this slipper may fit any number of girls.
The King: That's his problem. He's given his word, we'll hold him to it.
Grand Duke: No, no, your Highness. I'll have nothing to do with it.
The King: You'll try this on every maid in my kingdom. And, if the shoe fits...
[runs his sword under the Duke's nose]
The King: Bring her in.
Grand Duke: Yes, your majesty.
[after the coach, the horses, etc. change back]
Cinderella: I'm sorry. I-I guess I forgot about everything, even the time, but... but it was so wonderful. And he was so handsome, and when we danced... oh, I'm sure that even the Prince himself couldn't have been more... more... Oh, well, it-it's over, and...
Jaq: Cinderelly. Look! Look! Your slipper. Your slipper.
Gus: Yeah. A slipper.
[the mice go on about the glass slipper still on her foot]
Cinderella: Oh!
[to the sky]
Cinderella: Thank you. Thank you so much for everything.
Cinderella: [while she and Kit are dancing at the ball] They're all looking at you.
Prince Charming: Believe me - they're all looking at you.
The King: I give up. Even I couldn't expect the boy to...
Grand Duke: Well, if I may say so, Your Majesty, I did try to warn you; but you, Sire, are incurably romantic.
[chuckles]
Grand Duke: No doubt you saw the whole pretty picture in detail. The young prince bowing to the assembly. Suddenly, he stops. He looks up. For lo... there she stands. The girl of his dreams. Who she is or whence she came, he knows not, nor does he care, for his heart tells him that here, here is the maid predestined to be his bride.
[Unbeknown to him, the very events he has described have occured as he spoke]
Grand Duke: [chuckles] A pretty plot for fairy tales, Sire. But in real life, oh, no. No, it was foredoomed to failure.
The King: Failure, eh? Ha-ha! Take a look at *that*, you pompous windbag!
Cinderella: [to Bruno, the dog] Dreaming again. Chasing Lucifer? Catch him this time? That's bad.
[Lucifer snickers]
Cinderella: Suppose they heard you upstairs. You know the orders. So if you don't want to lose a warm, nice bed, you'd better get rid of those dreams. Know how? Just learn to like cats.
[Bruno groans]
Cinderella: No, I mean it. Lucifer has his good points, too. For one thing, he... Well, sometimes he... Hmmm. There must be something good about him.
[Bruno laughs at Lucifer]
Cinderella: Why, it's my...
Mice and Birds: Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
Gus: Duh, duh, duh... Happy Birthday!
Jaq: No, no, no, no!
Jaq: Lucify. That's him. Meany, sneaky. Jump at you. Bite at you!
Stepmother: And, by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend.
Drizella: Why, that's us!
Anastasia: And I'm so eligible!
Grand Duke: Your Majesty, I see no point in beating about the bush. I regret to inform you, Sire, that the young lady has disappeared, leaving behind only this glass slipper.
[the Duke is talking to an empty chair]
Grand Duke: Yes. I'll do it.
[pauses, then hears the King snoring]
Grand Duke: No. I... just... can't.
Cinderella: [enters stepmother's bedroom after Gus is found under a tea cup] Oh, please, you don't think that I would...
Stepmother: [interrupting] Hold your tongue! Now, it seems we have time on our hands.
Cinderella: But, I was only trying to...
Stepmother: [interrupting] Silence! Time for vicious practical jokes. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now, let me see... There's the large carpet in the main hall- Clean it! And the windows upstairs and down- Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies...
Cinderella: [interrupting] But I just finished...
Stepmother: [interrupting] Do them again! And don't forget the garden. Then scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys. And of course there's the mending, and the sewing, and the laundry... Oh, yes, and one more thing: see that Lucifer gets his bath.
[as the Duke is about to leave]
Cinderella: Your Grace. Your Grace. Please, wait. May I try it on?
Stepmother: Oh. Pay no attention to HER.
Anastasia: It's only Cinderella.
Drizella: Our scullery maid...
Anastasia: From the kitchen.
Drizella: It's ridiculous.
Anastasia: Impossible.
Drizella: She's out of her mind.
Stepmother: Yes, yes. Just an imaginitive child!
Grand Duke: [in an official and impatient tone] Madam, my orders were *every* maiden!
[after Cinderella has surprisingly managed to procure a ball gown, Anastasia and Drizella protest]
Stepmother: Girls, please. After all, we did make a bargain, didn't we, Cinderella?
[notices her daughters' discarded articles on Cinderella]
Stepmother: And I never go back on my word. Hmm. How very clever. These beads - they give it just the right touch. Don't you think so, Drizella?
Drizella: No, I don't. I think she's...
[gasps]
Drizella: Why, you little thief! They're *my* beads! Give them here!
[rips them off]
Cinderella: Oh, no!
Anastasia: Oh, and look, that's my sash! Wearing my sash, she can't!
[the two stepsisters proceed to destroy Cinderella's dress completely]
Anastasia: And my ribbon!
Cinderella: No, please...
Drizella: You ungrateful little...!
Stepmother: Girls, girls. That's quite enough. Hurry along, now, both of you. I won't have you upsetting yourselves.
[She takes one look at Cinderella before leaving]
Stepmother: Good night.
The King: My son has been avoiding his responsibilities long enough. It's high time he married and settled down.
Grand Duke: Of course, your Majesty, but we must be patient...
The King: I AM PATIENT!
[throws an inkwell]
Cinderella: It's midnight.
Prince Charming: Yes, so it is. But, why...
Cinderella: Goodbye.
Prince Charming: No, no, wait. You can't go now. It's only...
Cinderella: Oh, I must, please. Please, I must!
Prince Charming: But, why?
Cinderella: Well, I-I, oh, the Prince. I haven't met the Prince.
Prince Charming: The Prince? But, didn't you know that...
[as the Prince bows uninterestedly to the various female ball guests]
The King: Ah! The boy isn't cooperating.
Page: Mademoiselle Leonora Mercedes de la Tour. Daughter of Colonel and Madame de la Tour.
The King: I can't understand it! There must be at least one who'd make a suitable mother...!
Grand Duke: Shh! Sire!
The King: Er, a suitable wife.
[as the Fairy Godmother casts her spell]
Fairy Godmother: [singing] Salaga-doola, menchika-boola, Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. Put them together, and what have you got? Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. Salaga-doola, menchika-boola, Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. It will do magic, believe it or not, Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. Now, "Salagadoola" means, "A-Menchika-boola-roo," but the the thingamabob, that does the job, is "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo."
Drizella: [ordering Cinderella in bedroom when being brought breakfast] Take that ironing and have it back in an hour! One hour, you hear?
[Drizella hits high note, while Anastasia's finger gets caught in the flute, causing it to hit Drizella's chin]
Drizella: You clumsy...
[takes flute and hits Anastasia in the head]
Drizella: You did it on purpose!
Anastasia: [takes flute and hits Drizella in the head] You're always...
Stepmother: Girls. Girls.
Anastasia: It's her fault, Mother.
Stepmother: Above all, self-control.
[Cinderella knocks on the door]
Stepmother: [Angry, slams on piano keys] Yes!
The King: When the boy proposes, notify me immediately!
Grand Duke: [Mocking the King, not realizing he hasn't left the room yet] "Notify me immediately!"
The King: ...and REMEMBER!
[the Duke jumps and breaks his monocle in shock]
The King: If anything goes wrong...
[slices finger across his throat menacingly]
[while making Cinderella's dress]
Gus: I'll cut it with the scissors!
Jaq: And I can do the sewing.
Perla: Leave the sewing to the women. You go get some trimmin'.
Grand Duke: I'm sure your father spoke to you about your behavior in the forest.
Prince Charming: Is that any business of yours, Grand Duke?
Grand Duke: Your business is my business, Your Royal Highness. It would not do to let the stag go free.
Prince Charming: Just because it's what's done, doesn't mean it's what's should be done. Or something like that.
Fairy Godmother: What in the world did I do with that magic wand? I-I was sure I...
Cinderella: Magic wand?
Fairy Godmother: That's strange. I-I always...
Cinderella: Why, then you must be...
Fairy Godmother: Your Fairy Godmother? Of course. Now, where is that wand? I- Oh! I forgot. I put it away.
[Literally pulls the wand from thin air]
Stepmother: [to Cinderella when she drops the crockery] You clumsy little fool!
Stepmother: [looking for Cinderella] Cinderella! Cinderella! Cinderella! Oh, where is that...
Cinderella: Yes? Here I am.
Stepmother: Oh. My daughters- where are they?
Cinderella: Uh, I think they're still in bed.
Stepmother: Oh. Well, don't just stand there. Bring up the breakfast trays at once, and hurry!
[as the Grand Duke tries to stop Cinderella from leaving the ball]
Grand Duke: Mademoiselle! SeƱorita!
[picks up her glass slipper]
Grand Duke: Just a moment!
Cinderella: [upon hearing of the royal ball] Why, that means I can go, too.
Drizella: [to Anastasia and Stepmother] Hah! Her, dancing with the Prince.
Anastasia: [mocking Cinderella] I'd be honored, Your Highness. Would you mind holding my broom. Ha Ha!
Stepmother: Drizella? Drizella!
Drizella: Mmm? What?
Stepmother: Get up. Quick, this instant! We haven't a moment to lose! Anastasia? Anastasia. Get up, Anastasia!
Anastasia: Huh? What for? Why?
Stepmother: Oh, everyone's talking about it - the whole kingdom! Oh, hurry now. He'll be here any minute.
Drizella: [yawning] Who will?
Stepmother: The Grand Duke! He's been hunting all night.
Drizella: Hunting?
Stepmother: For that girl! The one who lost her slipper at the ball last night. They say he's madly in love with her.
Anastasia: The Duke is?
Stepmother: Oh, no, no, no. The Prince!
[after both stepsisters fail trying on the glass slipper]
Grand Duke: You are the only ladies of the household, I hope, er, I presume?
Cinderella: [as they're heading to the palace balcony to appear before the wedding crowd] Are you ready?
Prince Charming: For anything, so long as it's with you.
Captain: [to Cinderella] Miss. You are requested and required to present yourself to your king.
Lady Tremaine: I forbid you to do this!
Captain: And I forbid you to forbid her! Who are you to stop an officer of the king? Are you an empress? A saint? A deity?
Lady Tremaine: I am her mother.
Cinderella: You have never been and you never will be my mother.
Cinderella: Mr. Lizard, I'm scared. I'm only a girl, not a princess.
Lizard Footman: And I'm only a lizard, not a footman. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Ella's Mother: Do you still believe that they understand you?
Ella: Don't they, Mother?
Ella's Mother: Oh yes. I believe that animals listen and speak to us if we only have the ear for it. That's how we learn to look after them.
Ella: Who looks after us?
Ella's Mother: Fairy Godmothers, of course...
Ella: And do you believe in them?
Ella's Mother: I believe in everything...
Ella: Then I believe in everything, too!
[last lines]
Fairy Godmother: [narrating] And so Kit and Ella were married. And I can tell you as her fairy godmother that they were counted to be the fairest and kindest rulers the kingdom had known. And Ella continued to see the world not as it is, but as it could be if only you believe in courage and kindness and occasionally just a little bit... of magic.
Cinderella: [to Kit] I have to leave. It's hard to explain. Lizards and pumpkins and... things.