Tag Archives: Jaq

15May 2014

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time; It means Cinderella II never happened

by jess

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

By every account, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time should be crap as the plot sounds really silly especially for a Disney sequel but it’s one the most enjoyable Disney sequels.

Anastasia fitting the slipper

The plot is Cinderella and Prince Charming are celebrating their first year anniversary with the Fairy Godmother. Anastasia overhears that Cinderella used magic to win over the Prince and steals the wand when the Fairy Godmother drops it. Anastasia tells Lady Tremaine, who at first is skeptical but when the Fairy Godmother shows up asking for her wand and accidently getting turn to stone by magic, Lady Tremaine uses the wand to undo the last year and resets time to the day after the ball. She uses the magic to make the slipper fit Anastasia leaving Cinderella confused. Cinderella then decides if she going to get her dreams to come true she going to work for it.

At the Palace, Prince Charming chats with his father about how he knew the girl he danced with and presumably fits the slipper is the girl for him because he felt true love when he touch her hand. He then meets the girl who fit the slipper, who is now Anastasia and Prince Charming knows it not her but Lady Tremaine uses the wand to make Prince Charming forget dancing with Cinderella and makes him think it was Anastasia. He then asks her to marry him.

When Cinderella sneaks into the Palace she is even more confused to learn that the Prince doesn’t remember her and is going to marry Anastasia. Gus and Jaq, who saw Lady Tremaine use magic on the Prince, tell Cinderella and she tries to get the wand.

Meanwhile Prince Charming and Anastasia share a dance. The Prince figures something is wrong as he feels nothing from her touch but he is still kind to Anastasia who proves to be an awkward dancer. After the dance the King gives Anastasia his most prized possession, a seashell. He tells Anastasia that he meet his Queen when he and her both reached for it and when their hands touched he knew it was true love.

Cinderella along with Gus and Jaq manage to get the wand but are caught and she is sentenced into exile but not before she touches the Prince’s hand. Jaq and Gus tell the Prince the truth about the spell and that her danced with Cinderella and he rushes to boat that is taking Cinderella into exile.

When they return Lady Tremaine and her daughters get way with magic. As Cinderella is getting ready for her wedding, Lady Tremaine reveals she has changed Anastasia into Cinderella. Lady Tremaine teleports Cinderella into a pumpkin coach and sends her speeding away to her death.

Cinderella frees herself with the help of Jaq and Gus and rushes back to the palace where she crashes her own wedding. Cinderella gets there just in time to see Anastasia says that doesn’t want to marry the prince. Lady Tremaine uses the wand to change the soldiers to various animals but when she try to use it on Cinderella, the Prince blocks the magic with his sword. The spell then ricochets and hits Lady Tremaine and Drizella, turing them into toads. Anastasia offers the seashell back to the King to which he replies that she deserves true love.

She then changes back to herself and her and Cinderella bring back the the Fairy Godmother. The Fairy Godmother offers to return Cinderella and The Prince back to their former lives which confuses them.

Cinderella saving herself

This movie makes Cinderella an active player. She now has to work for her happy ending. She is saved by the Prince off the boat and Jaq and Gus help her a lot but it through her own efforts that she gets what she wants. This makes Cinderella more likable by a modern standard. Today, we like characters who are active parts in their stories instead of just being acted upon.

Cinderella gets a little bit of a bum deal because she did try to make an attempted to go to ball but here she is tying her best to get want she wants. Cinderella also uses her wits and her psychical prowess, she tricks, runs, jump etc all in the name of love. The Prince also works her the happy ending when her saves her from the boat instead of making the Grand Duke do it.

Cinderella and The Prince

Another thing I like about this movie is it doesn’t add new characters it just expands on the old ones. With exception of The Fairy Godmother who is out of commission and Drizella, who has nothing to do, the other characters are a little more fleshed out.

Disney sequels have a habit of introducing new characters to focus on at the expense of the original beloved characters. Cinderella III gets away with more than other sequels because the original film didn’t have strongly fleshed out characters, so they were freer with their characterizations.

Jaq and Gun in drag Cinderella III: A Twist in Time picture image

Jaq and Gus in drag

The technicals are miles better than most sequels. The songs are bad, I will admit that but the dialogue, background music, pacing and dialogue are all very well done.

Even the animation was much better than most of the sequels. This could because Disney Australia had extensive model sheets and lots of live action footage to work off of. It just seems like there was a decisive effort put into this sequel that can be seen in some of the sequels but is lacking is more.

Cinderella and The Prince

Despite Cinderella III: A Twist in Time weird out there plot, it’s defiantly one of the few good Disney sequels, that is, if you can get pass the opening number.

I just want to add, I love it when the king tells the Prince that he can’t take another foot down the stairs and the Prince says “Okay” and jumps out the window. Classic!

06Feb 2014

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Review; Stewed Prunes are better than this

by jess

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True is composed of three stories in the Cinderella universe that take place after the 1950 Cinderella Disney movie. In this capacity, this thing acts like a sequel. The three story structure in this is beyond lame. First, it’s hard to gauge if the stories being told did happen or if they are retellings or made-up. It sort of seems to be a combination.

Fairy Godmother and Mice

The set-up for the stories is that the mice are being told the story of the first movie by the Fairy Godmother. It seems weird that that story should be retold to the mice as they were the heroes in the first place. They lived it. It’s a flimsily set-up. However, Gus and Jaq miss the story, so the Fairy God Mother says they should make a book for Cinderella with new stories. The stories they tell for the movie are the ones they put in the book.

Cinderella and the Grand Duke

The stories are standard dull fair. Each story is about dreams and being yourself. You know, very trite cliche stuff that Disney loves. It seems like each story wasn’t interesting enough to make its own movie or even subplot in a movie. So each scenario is given a part.

Cinderella

The first one is deals with Cinderella’s first day of being a Princess. She has to plan a banquet and it has to be done in a very traditional manner. Cinderella is a free-spirit now apparently and she doesn’t want to follow boring traditions, so she spices up the affair and revolutionizes party planning at the palace. You Go Girl!

Human Jaq

The second story, which is the worst, is Jaq the mouse becoming human. Spoiler, it doesn’t work out very well for him and he learns that being a mouse is cool.

Anastasia and Baker-dude

The third is wicked step-sister number 2, Anastasia, finds love with a lowly baker with Cinderella and pals’ help. Wicked Step-Mother is very much against this match. But she’s mean, so who cares.

Cinderella

The stories may stink like poo but how were the characters? Let’s just look at the main characters of the stories Cinderella, Jaq and Anastasia.

Cinderella, oh Cinderelly, Cinderelly. I think Cinderella gets a bad reputation for not having a personality, I would disagree. She doesn’t have a strong personality but in the original she had a bit of mischievous streak and she’s a bit catty. You can see these traits in her teasing the birds who are waking her up and her remark on the musical lesson.

She’s kind but she a little more subtly well rounded than just being sweet and kind. Cinderella in the sequel doesn’t have though facets she’s nice but that is kind of it. She has a free spirit and like doing her own thing but she is not as interesting as she could have been.

Jaq Cinderella II: Dreams Come True picture image

Jaq

Jaq was the leader of the mice. Him wanting to be human to help Cinderella doesn’t really fit his character at all. But his core personality which is minimal is still pretty much there.

Anastasia and Cinderella,

Then there is Anastasia. Anastasia is now a reformed former baddie looking for love. Anastasia didn’t have much of a personality other than being unpleasant and wicked. Here she is just awkward.

I don’t mind her being a nice yet misunderstood. It just seems like a bit of stretch for her to abuse someone and then be friends with them in like a few days. Although in this, it’s more a reflection on Cinderella than Anastasia.

Cinderella and the Mice

There is really not a lot to say on this one. The characters are off and the stories are just not interesting or fun. I hate the three part story within a story structure. I hate it as a TV episode and I hate it here. I hate Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, they only dream that came true was when it ended.