
This evening we had our second family movie night. Shannon set out a delicious finger-food dinner and popped popcorn to eat while we watched the classic Disney version of Cinderella from 1950. The movie was fabulous. Some of the shots, especially early on, exhibited wonderful draftsmanship, and of course the animation was marvelous, too: I was amazed by the liquid motion of shadows against the floors or walls.
Even more than watching the movie, though, I liked watching the girls watch the movie. They know the plot (or rather, the plots) from the several versions of the fairy tale that we have, so they knew what was going on. Vivi is still a little mystified by some of the action in movies and teevee shows, especially when there’s lots of quick dialogue, but Cinderella is broad enough that she could follow along and enjoy the crazy stuff. She especially liked any scene with Lucifer the nasty cat in it. “He’s even mow gwumpy dan our cat is!”
Julia, on the other hand, knew exactly what to expect and what was going on at all times. For most of the movie, she sat raptly, pinching her lip like she does when she’s concentrating on a book. When Cinderalla went out to weep in the garden after her stepsisters ruined the ballgown made by the mice and birds, Julia exclaimed, “FAIRY GODMOTHER!” and bounced on the floor. It must have been amazing to finally see the fairy godmother, after reading about her (and her ilk) for years.
I can’t wait to see the next Disney flick with them.