Back in February, long before the live action Cinderella movie opened, Raymond and I were very typically spending an evening at home watching TV and working on our respective computers; sharing companionable silence with an occasional comment on this or that.  I noticed something in my Facebook news feed that caught my eye and I turned my screen around to show Raymond the beautiful blue and white Cinderella Tea Set for sale through the Disney Store online.

Raymond, in his usual way, managed to convey volumes in as few words as possible.  His comment, as he studied the picture through his reading glasses was, “You need one.”  Haha, I thought.  Very funny.  I did then notice that the production number was 3000 and mentioned that it was a limited edition set and that it came with a steep price tag.  This time he looked at me over those reading glasses, one eyebrow raised, and said, “Get it.”

We have a few tea pots, but I wouldn’t really call them a collection.  I have two that are Disney, like this Dalmatian, and three others that were given to me as gifts and are all very beautiful.  I enjoy hot tea very much, but I certainly didn’t need this pricy Cinderella tea set.  I couldn’t stop thinking about it though.  It’s hard to hold out against temptation when I have Raymond’s encouragement to cave!

The box arrived a day before we left for Walt Disney World, so I didn’t have time to do anything but check to make sure the pieces were unbroken.  When we got home, I took the time to appreciate the beauty of both the box and its fragile contents more completely.   I have to say, Raymond was right – this was a great purchase.  The certificate of authenticity is written in French on one side and English on the other.  The shape of the teapot is elegant, the cups and saucers dainty and beautiful.  Sadly, there are no cream and sugar servers in this set, but the gold design on a blue and white background is gorgeous and depicts many of the Cinderella movie’s best moments.

Speaking of the movie.  We didn’t see it on opening weekend due to prior commitments.  During the movie’s first week post-release, I read many ridiculous (to me) blog articles about this unexpectedly controversial film – one mother wrote an entire post on why she wouldn’t be taking her child to see Cinderella, basically because there are moments dealing with death and loss, moments dealing with unkind behavior, moments dealing with falling in love, moments dealing with people consuming (presumably) alcoholic beverages, playing card games, and so on and so forth.  When we finally got to see Cinderella this past Saturday morning, I had no idea what to expect!  All that drama over a fairytale?  Maybe Disney ruined the story!

Here’s my two cents:  This isn’t a movie for small children, but not because it deals with actual things that happen to people in real life or make-believe, magical things that don’t.  Small children may find the movie boring and the subtle parts of the film that I found touchingly beautiful might be outside a pre-school-aged child’s ability to understand.  One little one sitting near us in the theater (which was heavily packed with princesses under the age of 6), loudly exclaimed, “I hate this movie!” about halfway through.

Cinderella is visually stunning and true to the story I grew up with.  It also offers a modern touch that, while keeping the story timeless, allows us to see the characters in a deeper, more genuine way than the run-of-the-mill fairy tale usually offers.  The main lesson in the movie?  Be true to your convictions and your heart.  Love, kindness, and courage will help you prevail in the most difficult times, even when it’s impossible to understand what motivates others to be hurtful.  As far as a story’s moral goes, what could be wrong with that?