Most readers know the story of Cinderella and her fairy godmother, told to us by Walt Disney, but most people do not know the original story of Cinderella. The following are images taken from the Cinderella chapbook and compared to the modern Disney version.

This is the original poster released in 1950, advertising the Walt Disney film Cinderella.  When comparing the two cover images of the Cinderella story, the imagery and focus are very different.  

This slide illustrates two very important differences. First, Cinderella was also called Cinderbreech, obtaining this name because she spent the majority of her 'off' time sitting in the chimney corner. In the Disney film, she receives the name by accident as a result of cleaning the fireplace and getting covered in ashes.

The second aspect of this image is the final reference to her father in the chapbook. In comparison to the Disney movie, where Cinderella's father dies, in the chapbook he simply  disappears from the text. Keeping this in mind, her evil stepmother also disappears from the text, and takes no interest in Cinderella, besides making her a servant immediately after her marriage to Cinderella’s father. In the Chapbook, the stepsisters are the evil ones, and they are the dominant evil characters, as opposed to the movie, where the two-step sisters are just following the orders and lead of their mother. 

 This image depicts Cinderella's animal friends in the film, assisting her with preparations for the ball. This aspect of the film is interesting because in the chapbooks there are no 'animal helpers' and Cinderella has no aspirations of going to the ball. In fact, she was not even invited to the ball and she does not consider the idea until her fairy godmother shows up. In the film, her stepsisters destroy the dress made by her animal friends, and laugh at her to even think they would let her go.

 In the Disney film, there is only one ball, but in the Chapbooks there are two! On both occasions, in the Chapbook, the stepsisters do not notice or recognize Cinderella, and adore her. At the first ball she makes it back home with plenty of time to spare, but at the second ball, she leaves her glass slipper behind.  On both occasions her stepsisters (her step-mother is not even motioned) have no idea who she is.

When Cinderella finally gets to try on the glass slipper and reveals that she is the 'girl with the missing glass slipper', the difference between the Disney and chapbook versions are apparent. In the chapbook this incident is portrayed as a very simple matter. She asks if she may try on the slipper, her sisters laugh at the idea, and that is it. In the film, her evil stepmother locks her up, and with the help of her animal friends she is able to escape and try the slipper on. Yet, as the shoe is being carried over to her, the evil stepmother trips the shoe carrier and the glass slipper is shattered. All is lost.  Then Cinderella produces the other glass slipper. 

This last page of the chapbook indicates how the step sisters were ultimately treated. Cinderella is a good person, and forgives everything her evil sisters have done to her and allows them a wonderful life just like hers, in the palace. Yet, in the film it is understood that Cinderella leaves her step sisters never to return again. Disney also has created two other Cinderella films, with similar endings where the stepsisters and stepmother continue to try destroy her life.