My daughter Georgia has fallen in love with watching Disney's Cinderella and while at 2½ she doesn't quite understand the whole story, it's not a bad tale for her to learn.
Granted falling in love isn't a dance at a ball, Cinderella shows spirit that is sorely lacking in today's cartoons. Abused and neglected, she shows that the human spirit can survive. And even when the ball is over and she has lost everything she had, she simply says 'thanks' and appreciates what she was given, temporary as it was.
Of course, in the end Cinderella gets hitched to the Prince and lives happily ever after (I hope I didn't ruin the ending for those of you who have not seen the movie). However, that's where the movie ends. I wonder what she does with her step-mother and step-siblings now that she's powerful.
Does she have them imprisoned / punished or does she leave them alone to suffer in anguish for the rest of their lives? How does one react to such horrors throughout their lives when they finally have the ability to correct them? Her step-mother did everything possible to prevent Cinderella from gaining happiness. Should Cinderella return the favor? And how?
When the wedding with the king's son was to be celebrated, the two false sisters came and wanted to get into favor with cinderella and share her good fortune. When the betrothed couple went to church, the elder was at the right side and the younger at the left, and the pigeons pecked out one eye from each of them. Afterwards as they came back the elder was at the left, and the younger at the right, and then the pigeons pecked out the other eye from each. And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness all their days.