Our most favorite musical made-for-TV adaptation ever is making a comeback — sort of.
Disney’s Cinderella, which originally premiered on November 2, 1997 is setting the stage for a reunion. Cinderella: The Reunion, a Special Edition of 20/20 will air on Tuesday, August 23 at 8pm on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu. The 25th anniversary celebration of “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” will feature members of its all-star cast — Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg, Paolo Montalban, Victor Garber, Bernadette Peters, Jason Alexander and Veanne Cox.
Following the news special, The Wonderful World of Disney will air, for the first time on broadcast television in more than two decades, a presentation of the original film which is available to stream on Disney+.
The classic Disney live-action film marked a groundbreaking moment in television history, introducing America’s first Black Cinderella (Brandy) and Fairy Godmother (Whitney Houston). The ABC News Studios reunion special explores how the revolutionary made-for-television musical expanded society’s view of the term “princess” and includes interviews with original cast members, as well as rare behind-the-scenes footage with Whitney Houston.
The one-hour program, airing during Disney’s World Princess Week, also dives into the film’s positive impact on representation in Hollywood and features interviews with stars who share a connection to the project, including Tony, GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer Billy Porter, who played the gender-neutral fairy godmother, Fabulous Godmother, in the 2021 Amazon Original “Cinderella” reimagining; actress Jade Jones, who plays Belle in the off-Broadway tour of “Beauty and the Beast”; and singer-songwriter and choreographer Todrick Hall, a “Cinderella” superfan who has drawn inspiration from the film throughout his career.
“Cinderella: The Reunion, A Special Edition of 20/20” features interviews with the original production team from “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” including producers Debra Martin Chase and Neil Meron, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick and more.
“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” stars Brandy in the title role and Whitney Houston as “Fairy Godmother” alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Victor Garber, Natalie Desselle Reid, Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalban, Jason Alexander and Veanne Cox.
Rowell was born and raised on Maui, Hawai’i, and now lives in the almost-as-green Pacific Northwest. He’s obsessed with Cirque du Soleil, loves teen dramas (especially those with a supernatural element) and horror movies, and is addicted to sushi. Prior to PopWire, he created individual fan sites for the shows Friends, Hellcats, Nikita and others, which led to creating and working on OMFGTV.
