It's been announced today that Disney+ is set to debut a stunning new restoration of Walt Disney's 1950 animated classic, Cinderella, on August 25 during World Princess Week, as part of its centennial salute to Walt Disney Animation Studios and the ongoing Disney100 celebration.
This all-new restoration of this beloved film represents the first time it will be available to stream in 4K, and it's reportedly the culmination of a multi-year effort involving the Walt Disney Studios Restoration and Preservation team, working closely with key players from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Previous Blu-ray remasters have inadvertently removed many of Cinderella's hand-drawn details, but the result this time is a version of the film that is restored to its original grandeur, authentic to the artistic ambitions of the Studio's creative team, and which looks and sounds better than ever.
Kevin Schaeffer, director of Restoration for Walt Disney Studios, says, "Working with our restoration team along with internal technical experts, outside vendors (like Mike Underwood at Picture Shop Hollywood) and advisors from Walt Disney Animation Studios, we were able to make this 1950 classic look and sound better than ever."
"We began the process by pulling the original nitrate negative from the Library of Congress, and scanning the successive exposure colour records in 4K. We then did a cleaning pass to remove dirt and as many artefacts as possible," he continues. "The current available restoration tools allowed us to produce a sharper and higher quality image than previous efforts."
"To make sure we didn’t lose any of the detail or artistic choices of the filmmakers, we turned to Disney Animation legends and authorities, including Michael Giaimo and Eric Goldberg."
Giamo is a production designer on Wish and previously served in the same role on the two Frozen movies and Pocahontas. Goldberg, meanwhile, is a veteran Disney directing animator, and they collaborated with special projects and 2D animation producer Dorothy McKim and digital imaging manager Bob Bagley.
Originally released in 1950, Cinderella was hailed for its stylish and experimental look, sophisticated and expressive animation, and delightful storytelling.
It was a major hit at the time of its initial release, earned three Oscar nominations, and rescued the Studio from a dire financial situation brought on the challenges of the war years. The film was directed by Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske and Clyde Geronimi. The voice cast features Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, and Verna Felton, while the songs are by Mack David, Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman.
Check out a teaser and comparison image below.