‘Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ Will Hit Disney+ February 12
If you were a little Black girl in the 1990s, you may have seen Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the 1997 retelling of the classic fairy tale starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. On February 4, streaming service DisneyPlus announced that the iconic movie would be available for viewing on February 12.
“Anything is possible,” DisneyPlus wrote on Twitter.
The film also featured Whoopi Goldberg and Natalie Desselle Reid, who sadly died from colon cancer in December 2020.
In the late 90s, a teenaged Brandy received word that Whitney Houston had personally selected the platinum-selling singer to play the title character in Cinderella. It was a dream for the R&B/pop princess, who grew up idolizing Houston. “Whitney called me at home on my house phone in Carson, California. Imagine — anyone could have picked up! Luckily I grabbed it, and I hear Whitney on the other end, ‘Brandy, what do you think about being Cinderella?’,” Brandy said to Shondaland in 2017.
Houston portrayed Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother in the musical. She was originally tapped to play the princess, but passed the opportunity on to her young mentee. Their primary duet together, “It’s Possible,” has become a cherished single in the hearts of Black girl fans.
Previously, Brandy worked as an actress on shows like “Thea,” and her own, “Moesha.” She would be stepping up as the first Black actress to stand as the princess, and managed to influence a generation in the process. “I was just happy to be Cinderella. I never felt like we were ‘breaking the rules,’ but I knew that we were doing something different,” Brandy also said.
The rollout date has especial significance as well, as it will mark nearly 9 years to the day since Whitney Houston’s 2012 passing.
We are so excited for this transformative film to be available in this way!