Cendrillon

On my recent tape of Russian animation, I came across a nicely made Animated short called "Zolushka".

Zolushka is based off of a Russian faery tale not unlike Cinderella. The only differences is that Zolushka is an orphaned peasant and the people she serves are a snobbish Czarina and her two spoiled rotten daughters. Poor Zolushka, things seem hopeless until she comes across the ghost of her mother that came to life from an old portrait that Zolushka kept with her in her working quarters. And like the Grimm bros. and the Roger and Hammerstein Cinderella stories, the ghost turns a pumpkin into a chariot, rodents into horses and salamanders into horsemen leading the chariot. She is given Diamond slippers instead of glass (makes a lot more sense too!). And if you read the tale (I know most have), you will know the rest of the story and smile at the end.

Nice plot faithful to the original "Russian Cinderella-esque" story and lovely animation, especially the scenes of the motherly ghost that helps Zolushka and the festival scenes.

Hopefully, you will eventually come across it if you are into Russian or Eastern European animation and animated short collections.