Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)

This is the worst Disney sequel of all times, and that is really bad. Almost all sequels of Disney's are bad, and the worst is really bad. This is a collection of short stories that happen after Cinderella arrives at the castle. Cinderella still has the same personality, but she doesn't always look or sound the same, and there are super lame plots, such a something to do with a tradition of... plum pudding? It's not good enough to remember! Honestly, the person on the back of the movie who said it lives up the classic and touch of the original had to be lying or have been hired. This is lacking and poor. I can't believe this is Disney. If you want a good sequel, go with Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time, or Return to Neverland. This stinks and leaves a bad mark in my mind.

I remember when this film originally came out on video and DVD way back in 2002 and I was sceptical about it since I found it somewhat unnecessary and thought it wouldn't be as good as the original. Upon re-discovering it , thanks to the Nostalgia Chick, I decided to give it a go when purchasing it along with the other two Cinderella films in a box set.The animation is as good as that in 'Return to Neverland' and the colours are bright, but some of the music is pretty forgettable compared to the memorable songs in the original apart from the re-workings of 'Bibbidy, Bobbidy Boo' and 'It's What's Inside That Counts' where its lyrics match the animation quite well, particularly, "You got me in a spin" that plays as Lucifer spins around. I also find the pace of this film more consistent than that in the original and I found it interesting to have three stories rolled into one. In the first one, Cinderella has to get used to being a princess and host a party with her own special touches. I found this segment decent. The second story where Jaq the mouse turns into a human is comical, but the fairground is somewhat anachronistic for the film's setting and the Fairy Godmother's suggestion of elephants being afraid of mice is clichéd because in reality, elephants are not afraid of mice and I've seen that cliché in previous works of animation, such as two of the 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons from the 1960s. The final story revolves around Anastasia (who understandably gets less screen time in this film compared to the first and third ones) as she falls for a common baker, much to the disapproval of Lady Tremaine and Drizella and this is personally my favourite story in the whole film. I also like the inter-cut antics of the mice making the book, especially the repeated gag of one of the female mice drawing on the paper when two male mice cut it with a pair of scissors in a similar manner to the gag in the dressmaking scene in the original and the paints, scissors etc going haywire. The other positive point of this film is that the Fairy Godmother gets more screen time and I am pleased with this because she's a gentle supporting character throughout the trilogy. Pom Pom is a beautiful and rather comedic side character as well who sadly only appears in this film. In addition, the voice acting is impeccable (especially from the mice), although Cinderella in this film sounded almost like Ms Keane in 'The Powerpuff Girls' (which is forgivable since Jennifer Hale voices them both).All in all, this isn't the best film in the 'Cinderella' franchise but it was watchable nonetheless. 8/10.

Many people have commented that this movie was nowhere near as good as the first. Well, maybe it isn't - to you. However, how does your child react to it? Well, mine loved it more than the first.Disney movies of the past can sometimes be a little harsh for little kids. (For example - Bambi's mother getting shot.) This movie was really great for my sensitive little girl who likes humor and happy endings.If you want to be snobby about what should be Disney's standards based on the past - skip this movie. If you have a sweet little girl or soft-hearted little boy you really want to please, buy this movie and treat your small children. This film is great as a bedtime movie for happy dreams instead of nightmares. I'm happy with a movie that pleases my kid & doesn't need to impress the parents all the time.

I grew up watching the original Disney Cinderella, and have always loved it so much that the tape is a little worn.Accordingly, I was excited to see that Cinderella 2 was coming on TV and I would be able to see it.I should have known better.This movie joins the club of movie sequels that should have just been left alone. It holds absolutely NONE of the originals super charm! It seems, to me, quite rough, and almost brutal, right from the (don't)Sing-a-longs to the characterization.While I remember the character's telling a story through a song, this film's soundtrack was laid over the top, and didn't seem to fit. Jaq's transformation into a human is a prime example: Where he was walking around eating an apple and adding a few little quips in here and there, he should have been dancing around and singing about how great it was to be tall! And in the ballroom, there's old barn dance type country music. It's as though the writers forgot where and when this story was set. The upbeat fiddles certainly didn't fit.Even the artwork and animation in Cinderella 2 isn't up to scratch with the original. The artwork in this film seems quite raw and less detailed. And we see part of Cinderella's hoop skirt, which doesn't feel right.The movie itself could have been it's own story, I think that it should have been just that. I wouldn't say that I hate it, but I believe that it had many shortcomings. It seems to downgrade in a significant way from the beloved Cinderella original.