Descendants: The Rise of Red owes everything to Brandy’s version of Cinderella

Disney launched a new chapter in the Descendents universe with Descendants: The Rise of Redwhich continues the immensely popular Disney Channel Original Movie franchise about the children of beloved Disney heroes and villains. But the most important thing about this new film is that it makes Brandy’s Cinderella canonically the official Cinderella of the Descendants universe. By which I mean that Disney is remaking the 1997 TV adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella is better than any other version of the story.

That’s the way it is should are, because 1997s Cinderella is by far the best film adaptation of the fairy tale there is. (I did the math.) It’s a great film overall. Its legacy is great: every wacky, gleeful Disney Channel Original Movie musical out there owes one to Robert Iscove’s take on the legend.

Iscoves Cinderella is not itself a DCOM — it is a TV adaptation that aired on ABC’s Wonderful World of Disney programming block. The film initially received mixed reviews, but over time, “Brandy Cinderella,” as it is known, has become a classic. This Cinderella an approach that is still rare in fantasy films and series, which often rely on one specific aesthetic: vaguely medieval Europe, with rough armor and dark stone castles. But Cinderella is not just a fantasy, it is a fairy tale. The beautifully whimsical set design and costumes celebrate that, with bright colors, dazzling textures and bold patterns.

Iscove took a completely racially blind approach to casting. Brandy Norwood plays Cinderella. The royal family is mixed, with Paolo Montalban as Prince Christopher, Whoopi Goldberg as Queen Constantina and Victor Garber as King Maximillian. The entire cast is great: Bernadette Peters is a great stepmother and Veanne Cox and Natalie Desselle, who play the stepsisters, have impeccable comedic timing. It can be a bit over the top at times, but all in a way that suits the genre. They all fit beautifully into the sparkling world of Cinderella, as a glass slipper fits the foot of its owner.

And what a beautiful world it is: Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters strut around in sequined dresses, puffy sleeves and towering feathers. The castle walls are covered in swirling murals and overgrown lilacs, with Art Nouveau curves on all the light fixtures. It’s all beautifully decadent, which harks back to the show’s musical theater roots. Rather than shy away from what makes a stage show pop, as many musical theater adaptations do, the filmmakers behind Cinderella decided to embrace what makes a musical special.

Furthermore, there’s an extra emphasis on the connection between Cinderella and the Prince outside of the ballroom. Many critics of the fairy tale like to laugh at the fact that the couple fell in love at first sight; conversely, many purists frown upon film adaptations that try too hard to rectify that with #girlboss energy. The 1997 version walks this fine line perfectly, retaining the overwhelming romance but focusing more on that relationship than other versions do.

Image: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

It helps that Montalban and Norwood absolutely sell the starry-eyed look, which shows how clearly their characters are drawn to each other. They’re both charming in their own right — she’s sweet and quiet, but when she’s alone, she lets herself dream big and bold. And he has an unwavering belief that he’s meant for more than just a marriage of convenience — he longs for a real connection. Together, they’re giddy, nervous, and in love. The film is just feels love comes to life like in a fairy tale.

Cinderella is the fairy tale adaptation of all time. It doesn’t make the story any more serious; it celebrates the whimsy and joy of a happy ending. It adds just enough to turn a simple story into an engaging film, without losing the core of what makes the story so appealing in the first place. That heart-on-the-sleeve approach colors the best DCOMs that came after it, the Descendants films included. In a way, Cinderella is like the grandmother of the Descendants series. It’s a film that believes in fairy tales so much that it reaches out and drags the audience into a.

Cinderella (1997) is available to stream on Disney Plus.