Betty Boop, fetching even in rags, meets her prince thanks to her fairy godmother. Similar elements of the movie are here, but the short stands in it's own. There are wicked stepsisters, but no stepmother. The animation of the mice and lizards transforming to horses and coachmen is very reminiscent of the Disney movie. The music would fit in that movie, but adds to the short's charm. I really liked the Cupid who banged the prince on the head with a mallet when he first glimpsed Betty. The talking pumpkin is a little scary with it's jagged teeth and deep voice. The ending is happy of course with Betty reunited with her slipper and her prince. While this short can't match that movie's completeness and gloss, this is a very enjoyable short for lovers of the classic story. This is the only color Betty Boop cartoon that I have seen and hopefully not the only one in existence.
15 Reviews
What a difference color makes
Horst_In_Translation29 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Poor Cinderella" is a 10.5-minute animated short film from 1934, so it had its 80 anniversary two years ago and it is one of the longest Betty Boop cartoons. There is one crucial difference here compared to her usual work: This one is in color. And this is also the main reason why it makes such an impact. I do believe color usually adds a lot to fairy-tale based movie and the title already gives away that this is the Fleischer Studios' take on the famous Cinderella story. You all know the plot, so I won't go a lot into detail here. Of course, at this runtime, they had to shorten it considerably in terms of certain plot elements. The evil mother of the two not-so-attractive girls is missing entirely and she is the main antagonist in the tale usually. Betty as Cinderella works very well and once again the male audience members will like that you see Betty in underwear on one occasions. They certainly play with her sex appeal, not just in this one. And who would have guessed that Betty shows up as a redhead in her most-known color movie. I recommend the watch. Different, but pretty good for a Betty Boop film and one of my favorites.
Well Crafted Fairy Tale
Hitchcoc10 December 2018
Betty plays this pretty straight. She is Cinderella in the classic Fairy Tale. When one considers that the story is told in about seven minutes with much grandeur, it is a marvelous job. The visuals are quite striking and the story flows very well. The episode I saw was in color and didn't include the usual suspects.
Little gem
JaJWM17 November 2001
Long before Rodgers and Hammerstein had the idea of musicalizing Cinderella, Betty Boop made the midnight pumpkin change tunefully, with verve, sex and good story editing. The plot is trimmed to its essentials, the splendid backgrounds may have influenced the Disney Beauty and the Beast, and the closing shot of the Pinocchio-nosed sisters wraps everything up with a laugh.
Betty as a redhead!
planktonrules13 March 2009
This is the first color film from the Fleischer Studio and it's in something called "Cinecolor"--which appears to be a variation on 2-color Technicolor. Unlike the older 2-color Technicolor, the film seems to have a lot of blues and a slightly greater color spectrum. It is easier on the eyes than the older process but it truly isn't full color--the full spectrum is missing. This cannot be confused with the rich and vibrant colors of true Technicolor--a more expensive process that was also being introduced around the same time. Not surprisingly, Technicolor became the dominant color process, as it simply looked nicer and wasn't mostly orange. Now despite these limitations, this Betty Boop cartoon is nice to look at because like many of the Fleischer cartoons, there were very lovely line drawings and a nice 3-D look to the backgrounds (something this studio specialized in). These help you overlook the orange hue on most everything.
Clearly this in an innovative film, though I also think it suffers from two major problems. First, although it's a Betty Boop cartoon, it's an amazingly "by the book" rendition of the old story. There isn't much new or exciting to the tale. Second, if you are not a fan of Boop, you also might not be all that impressed--simply because she's a rather dull character compared to animated characters from the 40s and 50s (which had a lot more personality). However, compared to competing contemporary cartoons of the era, this is a fairly good short. While nowhere near the quality of most Disney cartoons, compared to Warner Brothers and the other studios, it is clearly technically superior. Worth a look if you are a film historian or want to see a better than average cartoon of the 1930s.
By the way, I saw this film on the DVD entitled "Cartoon Crazys: And The Envelope Please". This is a rather poor compilation of supposedly award winning and nominated films. Poor because several of the films are very lame and are NOT award nominated, the prints are rather bad and parts of some of the cartoons are missing! This might account for the extreme redness of the cartoon, as it could use a good restoration. Cinecolor and Two-Color Technicolor films often get an even more orange look over time but clean up quite beautifully.
Clearly this in an innovative film, though I also think it suffers from two major problems. First, although it's a Betty Boop cartoon, it's an amazingly "by the book" rendition of the old story. There isn't much new or exciting to the tale. Second, if you are not a fan of Boop, you also might not be all that impressed--simply because she's a rather dull character compared to animated characters from the 40s and 50s (which had a lot more personality). However, compared to competing contemporary cartoons of the era, this is a fairly good short. While nowhere near the quality of most Disney cartoons, compared to Warner Brothers and the other studios, it is clearly technically superior. Worth a look if you are a film historian or want to see a better than average cartoon of the 1930s.
By the way, I saw this film on the DVD entitled "Cartoon Crazys: And The Envelope Please". This is a rather poor compilation of supposedly award winning and nominated films. Poor because several of the films are very lame and are NOT award nominated, the prints are rather bad and parts of some of the cartoons are missing! This might account for the extreme redness of the cartoon, as it could use a good restoration. Cinecolor and Two-Color Technicolor films often get an even more orange look over time but clean up quite beautifully.
"Hear Ye Good People! The King Invites You to the Public Ball To-Night...No Cover Charge."
moonspinner5517 March 2024
Max Fleischer and Paramount give Betty Boop the Cinderella treatment in this 10-plus minute short presented in lovely Cinecolor (the Fleischer Studio's first color cartoon). Betty sings "I'm just a poor Cinderella"--and her Fairy Godmother refers to her as a "kind and gentle thing"--but we know from her sashay walk that she's just pretending to be an innocent. Playing the scrub-girl taunted by her ugly stepsisters, Betty/Cindy sobs for less than a second before her wish to attend the Prince's Ball is granted--with the proviso to be out of there by midnight. Some funny visual jests: the trumpeter blowing so hard on his instrument that his pants become briefs (showing off his hairy legs!); the Prince's sword accidentally giving one of the stepsisters a goose; Betty sliding down the castle bannister to get to her coach before it changes back to a pumpkin. The 3D effect is quite stunning, as is Betty's red hair and the Prince's blue eyelids! I never understood Betty Boop's universal appeal (she seems to attract the die-hard affection of all races, creeds and orientation); she's resourceful and sexy, if never quite as sassy as one might hope.
Masterful Paramount Cartoon has Aged Very Well
Popeye-821 September 2001
Before moving on to their prolific (and highly successful) POPEYE series (as well as into their unfortunate GABBY series--just imagine Elmer Fudd without his macho sex appeal), Paramount's Fleischer brothers poured their creative genius into BETTY BOOP. This is their finest B-B cartoon, and may just be their finest EVER, period.
Using their 3-D filming process (and a unheard-of budget for a cartoon short), they adapted the Cinderella legend to Betty, adding some marvelous songs and (likely roto-scoped) beautiful dance numbers. For reasons not told, this was the only Betty Boop cartoon ever done in color--a tragedy.
Look for versions with the original opening titles intact--even the titles show that this was a project of love (and yes, money). Plus, Betty's as sexy an ingenue as ever thanks to Technicolor.
Using their 3-D filming process (and a unheard-of budget for a cartoon short), they adapted the Cinderella legend to Betty, adding some marvelous songs and (likely roto-scoped) beautiful dance numbers. For reasons not told, this was the only Betty Boop cartoon ever done in color--a tragedy.
Look for versions with the original opening titles intact--even the titles show that this was a project of love (and yes, money). Plus, Betty's as sexy an ingenue as ever thanks to Technicolor.
Max and Dave & co. at their finest and funniest, twisting a classic story and the voice of Mae Questel into a stunning Fleischer Style Pretzal
muulesaver18 March 2007
Max & Dave Fleischer & co. were among the very best of the creators of novel and surprising applications of animation from the late teens through the entire decade of the 1930's. For "Poor Cinderella", they must have noted Disney's stunning "Flowers And Trees", produced in 1931 and released the following year. The latter is generally credited as being the first full color process American cartoon, as opposed to two strip color which emphasized either blues or greens at the expense of certain shades that were lost to the lesser and less costly techniques of the day. For budgetary reasons, the ever inventive Fleischer Bros. developed their own "Cinecolor" approach, which was a variant on the two-strip color format. Although it apparently never quite caught on, they had applied for a patent while releasing their astoundingly beautiful and hysterically surreal and laugh-laden Boop masterpiece in 1934, the only Betty Boop color cartoon.
Combining their proprietary Rotoscope technique along with other dimension enhancing toolkit tricks, few cartoon shorts have ever matched this effort for sheer entertainment value. They did try saving money on the color, as mentioned, but the whole production was obviously a very expensive endeavor, when all its components are considered in sum. The results offer a lasting tribute to the art and magic of 1930's animation.
As a Depression-era vehicle, good jobs were scarce but the Fleischer team's uproarious talent sported young and brash animators who were willing to push the envelope of sensibilities and censors alike, much to our delight. Even the closing sequence is incredibly absurd, and gems like this will forever prevail.
Betty had already helped launch the Popeye series a year earlier, so by 1934 the Fleischers had their distinctly urban stamp firmly planted under two cartoon banners aimed as much, if not more, at adults as the kids. If that weren't true, they wouldn't have always had to play "duck and cover" with the ever-present Hays commission, censor gavel at the ready. Thanks to the Fleischer folks and all involved parties, for the guts, the creative ambition, the sheer genius, and the uncompromising quality of whichever production standards were chosen to collectively coalesce into a cartoon gem for the ages. This is a must see.
Combining their proprietary Rotoscope technique along with other dimension enhancing toolkit tricks, few cartoon shorts have ever matched this effort for sheer entertainment value. They did try saving money on the color, as mentioned, but the whole production was obviously a very expensive endeavor, when all its components are considered in sum. The results offer a lasting tribute to the art and magic of 1930's animation.
As a Depression-era vehicle, good jobs were scarce but the Fleischer team's uproarious talent sported young and brash animators who were willing to push the envelope of sensibilities and censors alike, much to our delight. Even the closing sequence is incredibly absurd, and gems like this will forever prevail.
Betty had already helped launch the Popeye series a year earlier, so by 1934 the Fleischers had their distinctly urban stamp firmly planted under two cartoon banners aimed as much, if not more, at adults as the kids. If that weren't true, they wouldn't have always had to play "duck and cover" with the ever-present Hays commission, censor gavel at the ready. Thanks to the Fleischer folks and all involved parties, for the guts, the creative ambition, the sheer genius, and the uncompromising quality of whichever production standards were chosen to collectively coalesce into a cartoon gem for the ages. This is a must see.
Among The Six Or Seven Best Cartoons Ever Produced, Watch This One!
Afternothing9912 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
If I had to produce a list of the twenty best classic cartoons of all time, it would take me well over an hour to produce it, but this would be an absolute inclusion. I hate to give any film a 10-out of-10, but I have to with this one. Max and Dave Fleischer never quite reached the depths, in shorts of course, that Disney did with either 'The Band Concert' or 'Skeleton Dance' or especially 'Wyken, Blynken, And Nod', but this is definitely one of their three best, and two of those are in the Color Classics series. The Fleishcer's never quite recovered after Disney made 'Snow White' and they made their two average, but box-office dud, features (with one glaring exception-the three color Popeye's they did). What else? This cartoon is in two-color Technicolor (it says Cinecolor in some prints) and Betty has red hair, as well as a voice not by Mae, like we usually hear. What we get in this cartoon is an-all-around classic, one worth watching by any stretch of the imagination. The film runs 7 minutes, and the best print is one the 'Somewhere In Dreamland' DVD, which you should buy right now if you don't have.
Excellent short featuring Betty Boop in living color!
llltdesq18 July 2003
This is an absolutely beautiful cartoon! Most Fleischer shorts were quite visually striking, to be sure, but Betty Boop only had one color cartoon-this one. While in many ways it's good that black and white was used for most of her cartoons, the sweep of this cartoon cried out for color. The Fleischers were likely also hoping that Betty's popularity would boost interest in the Color Classics series that they were starting. Betty as Cinderella was certainly fitting-after all, Cinderella did ultimately become a princess when she married the prince and Betty Boop is cartoon royalty. Wonderful effort from the brothers Max and Dave. In print and available. Most highly recommended.
Betty Boop in colour
TheLittleSongbird29 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Poor Cinderella is a cartoon so good(to me it is easily one of Betty Boop's best) that I got the feeling that more of her cartoons should have been in colour. The animation is wonderful, it has Fleischer's style all over and is one of the best-looking Betty Boop cartoons. There is beautiful use of colour, everything is designed and drawn in a way that a lot of care and effort went into making them(as usual with Fleischer) and there is even a very realistic quality in places- if not quite on the same level as other Fleischer cartoons like Somewhere in Dreamland- that is unlike anything seen before personally other than Fleischer Studios. Animation-wise, the transformation/preparing for the ball scene was especially clever.
Poor Cinderella has great music too with another memorable title song that repeats itself more than once. The rest of the music is very tuneful and lush in orchestration, other than the title my favourite was the Fairy Godmother song. Poor Cinderella is a cleverly written cartoon. It is charming and adorable, without falling into too much sentimental schmaltz, but there are also some funny moments like the Cupid hitting the Prince on the head and especially the end with the step-sisters(one of the funniest moments of any Fleischer cartoon in my opinion) as well as a couple of somewhat surreal ones like with the pumpkin(in fact the whole transformation sequence).
Fidelity-wise, Poor Cinderella follows just the basic outline of the story(apart from the omission of the step-mother), structurally though it is very faithful, but has a real magic, fun and charm of its own. The characters are all engaging, there have never been a sexier Cinderella in animation or possibly anywhere than Betty Boop, the step-sisters are hilarious and who wouldn't want a Fairy Godmother after seeing her portrayed here? Bonnie Poe's voicing for Betty Boop is great and I fell in love with the soothing sound of the Fairy Godmother's singing voice. Overall, if you love Betty Boop you'll have no problem liking Poor Cinderella, it, to me and several others, is one of her best and more than just historical interest(apparently her only colour cartoon, or at least with Fleischer involved, correct if wrong). 10/10 Bethany Cox
Poor Cinderella has great music too with another memorable title song that repeats itself more than once. The rest of the music is very tuneful and lush in orchestration, other than the title my favourite was the Fairy Godmother song. Poor Cinderella is a cleverly written cartoon. It is charming and adorable, without falling into too much sentimental schmaltz, but there are also some funny moments like the Cupid hitting the Prince on the head and especially the end with the step-sisters(one of the funniest moments of any Fleischer cartoon in my opinion) as well as a couple of somewhat surreal ones like with the pumpkin(in fact the whole transformation sequence).
Fidelity-wise, Poor Cinderella follows just the basic outline of the story(apart from the omission of the step-mother), structurally though it is very faithful, but has a real magic, fun and charm of its own. The characters are all engaging, there have never been a sexier Cinderella in animation or possibly anywhere than Betty Boop, the step-sisters are hilarious and who wouldn't want a Fairy Godmother after seeing her portrayed here? Bonnie Poe's voicing for Betty Boop is great and I fell in love with the soothing sound of the Fairy Godmother's singing voice. Overall, if you love Betty Boop you'll have no problem liking Poor Cinderella, it, to me and several others, is one of her best and more than just historical interest(apparently her only colour cartoon, or at least with Fleischer involved, correct if wrong). 10/10 Bethany Cox
Betty Boop as Cinderella
Michael_Elliott31 May 2015
Poor Cinderella (1934)
**** (out of 4)
Excellent Betty Boop cartoon is the only one to feature her in color and they made her a red head as well! In the film she plays Cinderella who is granted a magical night thanks to her fairy godmother and soon the Prince falls in love with her. Storywise this here is pretty familiar to all the other versions out there but the real interest here is getting to see Betty Boop in color. I'm not sure of the reasonings behind making her a red head but it's certainly interesting to say the very least. The short really does follow the story pretty closely so those expecting to see something new might be disappointed. However, fans of Boop are going to love seeing the sexy "actress" getting to play her looks down as the abused Cinderella. I thought these early scenes were very good and things certainly got better as the Pre-Code naughty moments happen and this is when Betty is pretty much stripped down in order for her new clothes to be put on her. Modern audiences probably wouldn't even think about this but film buffs know this wasn't always accepted. The Technicolor is also extremely good here and overall this is just a highly entertaining short.
**** (out of 4)
Excellent Betty Boop cartoon is the only one to feature her in color and they made her a red head as well! In the film she plays Cinderella who is granted a magical night thanks to her fairy godmother and soon the Prince falls in love with her. Storywise this here is pretty familiar to all the other versions out there but the real interest here is getting to see Betty Boop in color. I'm not sure of the reasonings behind making her a red head but it's certainly interesting to say the very least. The short really does follow the story pretty closely so those expecting to see something new might be disappointed. However, fans of Boop are going to love seeing the sexy "actress" getting to play her looks down as the abused Cinderella. I thought these early scenes were very good and things certainly got better as the Pre-Code naughty moments happen and this is when Betty is pretty much stripped down in order for her new clothes to be put on her. Modern audiences probably wouldn't even think about this but film buffs know this wasn't always accepted. The Technicolor is also extremely good here and overall this is just a highly entertaining short.
Betty's Color Debut
ja_kitty_7120 June 2008
This is one of favorite Betty Boop cartoons, and also "Cinderella" is one of my favorite fairy stories, even though I'm an adult. You know, I like to point out that this short was made sixteen years ago before Disney's animated theatrical version.
Like I said I love animation from Fleischer Studios, as well as animation from Disney, Hanna/Barbera, Rankin/Bass and Studio Ghilbi from Japan. Betty Boop is one of my favorite cartoon characters as well as Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Pepe le Pew from Warner Bros. And Disney's Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. I love the ballroom scene, where Betty/Cinderella and the Prince dance; until midnight that is.
I also love the main title song that was written for this cartoon. So even if it's in two-strip Cinecolor, I love this beautifully animated cartoon starring Betty Boop.
Like I said I love animation from Fleischer Studios, as well as animation from Disney, Hanna/Barbera, Rankin/Bass and Studio Ghilbi from Japan. Betty Boop is one of my favorite cartoon characters as well as Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Pepe le Pew from Warner Bros. And Disney's Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. I love the ballroom scene, where Betty/Cinderella and the Prince dance; until midnight that is.
I also love the main title song that was written for this cartoon. So even if it's in two-strip Cinecolor, I love this beautifully animated cartoon starring Betty Boop.
BoopLand
tedg11 January 2006
This is the only color cartoon we have of the delicious Miss Boop, incidentally made on the cusp of when the Hayes Code was enforced. So we have her at her bouncing sexist. And we discover that she is a redhead!
Pretty much all the material that Disney later covered in his feature cartoons had been done in a Boop version first, and with more energy. I think if Fleischer had arranged the backing to make feature cartoons, we'd now be visiting BoopLand in California, Florida and Paris.
Oh, there's another unique thing here. Betty does her trademarked butt dancing but when with her prince at the ball, has an equally sexy smooth ballroom dance. I think it is the only non-jazzy dance in all the Boop cartoons.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
Pretty much all the material that Disney later covered in his feature cartoons had been done in a Boop version first, and with more energy. I think if Fleischer had arranged the backing to make feature cartoons, we'd now be visiting BoopLand in California, Florida and Paris.
Oh, there's another unique thing here. Betty does her trademarked butt dancing but when with her prince at the ball, has an equally sexy smooth ballroom dance. I think it is the only non-jazzy dance in all the Boop cartoons.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
spirit of a time
Kirpianuscus10 November 2017
Betty Boop as Cinderella. an idea who seems strange but this short animation is the ideal proof for define it as inspired. because all is nice - the songs, the dance, the short story preserving essence of fairy tale and the colors, the technique and the ingenuity of Betty. at first, naive, it is the perfect illustration of significant episode of animation history.
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