If you’ve been longing to experience Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella without digging up your VHS recording from 1997, you’ve been out of luck. Until now. The beloved 1997 film starring Brandy and Whitney Houston is finally coming to streaming. It will arrive on Disney+ on February 12, which is basically tomorrow. And that’s good, becuase fans have been clamoring to get Cinderella on streaming for years.
The movie musical first aired on ABC on November 2, 1997. It relaunched the anthology series The Wonderful World of Disney. This marked the third version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s popular musical, originally from 1957. And this remake is certainly the most radical and most beloved by fans. Singer and actor Brandy Norwood, best known as just Brandy, starred in the fairy tale and became the first Black woman to portray Cinderella. Producer Whitney Houston, who plays the Fairy Godmother, hand-picked Brandy for the lead. Brandy stunned in the role.
Buena Vista Television
This Cinderella story follows the familiar fairy tale: Cinderella’s mean stepmother ruins her life and prevents her from attending the Royal Ball. But then her Fairy Godmother steps in. The film definitely caught the audience’s attention with its diverse cast, lush costumes, and gorgeous sets. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella garnered 60 million viewers when it premiered. The movie also earned seven Emmy nominations. Besides Brandy and Houston, Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Natalie Desselle Reid, Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalban, Jason Alexander, and Veanne Cox also appeared.
EXCLUSIVE: @4everBrandy announces on @TheView Rodgers and Hammerstein’s #Cinderella will premiere on @disneyplus February 12!
— The View (@TheView) February 4, 2021
“We can celebrate and share and inspire a whole new generation to see this wonderful piece,” she tells us. pic.twitter.com/GVqNeM4Cf1
Brandy joined The View on Thursday morning to share the news with her co-star Goldberg and the world. A clearly excited Brandy told Goldberg, “We can celebrate and share and inspire a whole new generation to see this wonderful piece.”
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella will join the “Celebrate Black Stories” collection already on Disney+ on February 12. Here’s hoping that Disney also plans on re-releasing the film’s incredible soundtrack.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of The Jedi Mind, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.