The 1950 Disney animated film based on the fairy tale of a girl who loses her glass slipper is Cinderella. The heroine lives under the control of her cruel stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and her stepsisters after her father’s death. With help from her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella attends a royal ball in a magical gown and glass slippers.
The enchantment ends at midnight, forcing Cinderella to flee before the Prince learns who she is. In her haste, she loses one slipper on the palace stairs. The Prince then orders a search across the kingdom for the girl whose foot fits the shoe. Lady Tremaine tries to prevent Cinderella from being discovered, but Cinderella produces the matching slipper and proves her identity.
Disney’s version draws on the long-running Cinderella folk tale, especially Charles Perrault’s 1697 literary version, which popularized the glass slipper in Western culture. The film was important to Disney’s recovery after the difficult wartime years and became a major commercial success. It is often confused with Sleeping Beauty, but that film centers on Aurora and a spindle curse.