This Cinderella is Ready to Go Shopping!

The busy summer has finally come and gone. Disney California Adventure is now seeing healthy crowds while finally making Disneyland bearable to trek during busy periods for the first time in years. The Magic Kingdom is continuing its Fantasyland makeover, and so far it looks pretty amazing! And on top of all that, The Walt Disney Company is helping Disneyland Paris refinance with 1.3 billion euros.

It seems fitting that at such a lovely time as this that Cinderella will be re-released for home entertainment (October 2nd, to be exact). It really wasn't that long ago that an edition was released on DVD, but I'm sure many will still be more than happy to upgrade to Blu-Ray - plus, Tangled Ever After is going to be included as part of the extras.

The products that have been created to tie in with this release have actually been rather impressive. With the success of the special edition Rapunzel costumes, I think the people responsible for Disney merchandise thought it would be a good idea to do something similar with Cinderella.

I don't mean to gush, but I really love this costume! The detail is gorgeous...this is obviously not the typical run-of-the-mill Cinderella gown. If you have a little princess at home, she would probably love this. The dress does not come cheap ($149.50, not the average Disney princess costume price), but it may be worth it for you. The accessories come separately, of course, but Cindy's shoes light up and the carriage detail is very pretty (reminds me of the special edition Swarovski Cinderella jewelry).

As an adult female, I have expressed my frustrations in the past about how I feel there is very little for someone like me to purchase for my Disney enjoyment. Disney Store has really stepped up their game, however, and now there are some nice things for adults for this Cinderella promotion too, and taking on a very nice vintage poster look. My favorite is actually the Limited Edition Classic Cinderella Ceramic Set (say that 5 times fast). This would be a very nice display piece. I do wonder why Prince Charming was not included, though.

Overall the product offerings are nice. I do wish they had created some bird plush (they are just as instrumental in helping Cinderella as the mice), but it is overall pretty solid.

It's not just the Disney Store that has gotten in on the act, though. Oh no. Disney wants this to be much bigger than the typical Blu-Ray release. They have partnered with Sephora, DSW and *gasp* Christian Louboutin, the shoe designer.

Here's Cindy's slipper from the classic film:

Here is what Christian Louboutin and DSW came up with, respectively:

Truthfully, as a fashionista and Disney fan, I was hoping for something a bit closer to what we saw in the film. The shoes are nice, but not quite what I was expecting. Still, I love how the Louboutins scream "fairytale."

I am more excited about the collection from Sephora. I loved the Villains collection from MAC, and now I cannot wait to get my hands on some of this makeup! You can check out the collection here. I'm not sure if this is going to be the entire collection or if the items shown online are just a sample for BeautyInsiders (it is free to join if you would like to purchase any of these items). The collection will not be officially released until October.

So, are you or anyone else you know going to embrace the re-release of Cinderella in style? If so, how/with what? What do you think about the different product offerings? Are they fit for a princess or should they be thrown out with the rags? Let me know what you think!

P.S. - since my last post, I have joined Pinterest. I'm kind of in love with it and I pin a lot. If you'd like to check out my boards (there's a ton of Disney-related pins and boards on my profile) just go here.

The “Deal” With Beauty and the Beast Right Now

Okay. So by now, you have probably heard that "for the first time ever, in high definition," Disney is taking Beauty and the Beast back out of the Disney Vault and releasing the film on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Perhaps even a few of you know that you can currently visit the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood to see this classic return to the big screen (now through October 7^th).


But that's not in 3D, which we've all been waiting for many years now. Disney showed a clip of "Belle" in 3D 2 Comic Cons ago. The 3D version was supposed to debut February 2010 as per advertised on their website.


But February came and went, and Disney never openly addressed the situation.

So instead, we have speculation.


This is a typical Disney case of double-dipping. Beauty and the Beast is quite probably their strongest animated film property, and they want to milk it for all it's worth. So, they will re-release it as many times as they can get away with.

 Copyright Disney

I don't take any issue with having the option to see a much-beloved film on the big screen again. Nor do I take issue with seeing that film turned 3D. But it looks like Disney may want to re-release this property up to 4 times within a very short period of time, and that just doesn't seem right to me.


But here's the real kicker – the 3D version has apparently already been released in New Zealand and Australia. From what I've been reading, the typical 3D haters aren't happy because the film wasn't originally designed in 3D or thought of in 3D, so it didn't need to be done…and everyone else is just happy to see this new look of the film, which is all cleaned and pumped up in color, sound and definition.

There is one controversial change to the opening prologue. As we originally know it: "If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell…" The change: "If he could learn to love a woman, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell…" Really, Disney? If we're talking about unnecessary choices here, let's take a look at this one! Obviously Beast ends up with Belle (a woman)…do we really need to walk on eggshells here to further "comfort" conservatives? I don't think so. The public was perfectly happy with the original prologue. You might as well be spitting on Howard Ashman's grave. Nice, really nice. Personally, I think the original wording sounds nicer, anyway…


This proves that Disney is really trying to get every penny out of America, folks.

And we still don't know when Disney plans on releasing the 3D version in America! There are merely rumors that the 3D version will come out in 2012 or later, so that when Disney releases the 3.0 version of the "home video," more people will have purchased 3D TV's for their homes by then.


Which now brings me to another troubling question – if Disney altered the prologue for the 3D release, then have they altered the prologue for this upcoming Blu-Ray/DVD release as well? It comes out October 5^th, so we don't have to wait too long to find out.


Not all of the merchandise being released with this current set of offerings is bad, by the way. There are a few neat collector's items I found at Disney's official online store, along with an amazing new book called Tale As Old As Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beast. And reportedly, this new Blu-Ray/DVD set will contain bonus materials that will go more in-depth and dirty with the behind-the-scenes drama (as this project was originally very different and in others' hands).


But here is my advice to my readers out there: prioritize how you will spend your money. Check things out. Decide what is realistically best for your budget and your home. If you hate 3D or you don't plan on having a 3D screen in your home anytime remotely soon, then perhaps you should get this upcoming release. If not, then perhaps you should wait.


Or you might be like me…totally on the fence.