“Here, in a stately château, there Iived a widowed gentleman... and his IittIe daughter, Cinderella.”
―Narrator describing the Château
Cinderella's Château was where Cinderella herself and her late father and mother once happily lived. Although it was once a grand and imposing building, it fell into "disrepair" in the years following the death of her father, for her stepmother neglected to care for it. She preferred to squander the family fortune she inherited from her late husband on her daughters, Anastasia and Drizella, spoiling them rotten for over a decade after the death of both girls' stepfather.
When Cinderella married Prince Charming and thus became a princess, she left it and moved into the King's Castle. Major, Bruno, the mice and her bird friends also left with her. Lady Tremaine forced in place her own daughters to do all the chores instead. However, when she and Drizella were defeated once for all in the second sequel, it is very likely the château became completely abandoned, as Anastasia most likely came to live with her stepsister and stepbrother-in-law, and the Tremaine's former pet cat Lucifer was left behind in a very distant place from the château.
Places of interest[]
The Attic: Located in the château's highest room, this is where Cinderella used to sleep. It has a long staircase to reach it. The mice also redesigned Cinderella's late mother's dress into a more fashionable garment to fit her for the ball. They used Anastasia's discarded sash and Drizella's neglected beads in order to proceed ("Cinderelly, Cinderelly"). Later on, after realizing her identity as the mysterious maiden who danced with the prince, Lady Tremaine locks her stepdaughter in the attic to prevent her from trying on her glass slipper she left at the castle that has been brought by the Grand Duke for Cinderella and her stepsisters to try on. Fortunately, Jaq and Gus retrieves the key and she exits her room and rushes downstairs to reveal herself as the true owner of the glass slipper. It can be accessed by a minor door in the hallway, similar to the kitchen's. In the attic, one's can find ruined and broken furniture from the lower rooms of the manor.
Lady Tremaine's Room: This is where Lady Tremaine and Lucifer slept until the former became a maid at the end of the third film, and her pet cat was left in a distant place from his former home, after he attempted to murder Cinderella, Jaq and Gus at Lady Tremaine's command. It can be accessed by the third main door in the hallway. It's predominantly purple and in darker colors, which might indicate Lady Tremaine's wicked and cold nature. In the right side of her bed, Lucifer had his own fancy cat-bed decorated with many ribbons. He used to sleep there.
Kitchen: It is where Cinderella was often found working, be it cooking or serving her stepfamily. Bruno also slept here until he was forced to left by Cinderella when he attempted to attack Lucifer, but later moved away from the manor following her ascension into royalty. The kitchen has three bells connecting the Tremaine rooms and they used it to call Cinderella in the past. It can be accessed by a minor door in the entrance hall, similar to the attic's. At the end of the kitchen, a second door leads directly to the barn. Just like the Attic's, it displays rustic-like furniture due mostly because Lady Tremaine and her daughters doesn't goes much in there. In the second sequel, however, both Drizella and Anastasia became servants in place of Cinderella, who left the manor to live with her true love, Prince Charming at his father's castle. It was until Lady Tremaine took over her stepdaughter's Fairy Godmother's magic wand and used it to reverse time to the point that Cinderella still worked there as a scullery maid, was mistreated and bullied in her own house.
Drizella's Room: Where Drizella used to sleep until she became a maid in the king's castle alongside her mother at the third, final movie. Lady Tremaine rushed in and woke her up desperately to tell both her and Anastasia about the mysterious maiden who danced at the ball. It can be reached by the first main door in the hallway. It's predominantly green in color which might indicate Drizella's favorite color.
Anastasia's Room: Where Anastasia slept until she moved away to the King's Castle in the second sequel, had made amends with Cinderella and was forgiven for all she'd done to her, while both lived in the manor. In the original film, it is where Lady Tremaine tells her daughters about the mysterious maiden who lost one of her glass slippers at the royal ball, and she denied for the first time doing their chores. It can be accessed by the second main door in the hallway. It's predominantly pink in color, which might indicate Anastasia's favorite color. After her mother open the curtains, windows, a small-twirled balcony can be slightly seen.
Music Room: Where Lady Tremaine and her daughters used to practice music. It can be accessed by a final door at the end in the hallway. Similar to Drizella's room, it is predominantly in green wallpaper and, similar to other rooms of the manor, it has very lavishly furniture. The room also displays a baroque-styled white piano and fancy draperies on the circular windows. The portrait of a woman very similar to Lady Tremaine herself is on the wall, displayed in an intricate framework of gold. It's unknown if she is the one depicted in the painting, a relative or another person. In Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure, there is actually a portrait of hers in the Music Room.[1]
Wardrobe Room: Where discarded clothes or jewelry by the mean stepsisters were thrown away. In the original film, Jaq and Gus goes there to find a discarded pink sash and a cyan beaded necklace to fix the old dress who'd once belonged to Cinderella's late mother. Unfortunately, Lucifer was sleeping there and chased them down after he woke up but the mice had escaped unharmed and brought the items with them to the attic. This room is prominent in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, as both Ventus and Aqua finds themselves there while magically shrunken to mouse-size[2] most probably to avoid detection by the estate's owner Lady Tremaine or her wicked daughters.
Hallway: Located on the second floor, it is where the château's upper rooms can be reached upon. While there, Lady Tremaine realized Cinderella's identity as the mysterious maiden who attended the royal ball and locked her in the attic. Lucifer also tried but failed to capture Jaq and Gus there. It has a minor door leading to former Cinderella's room, three lavishly doors of the Tremaines' bedrooms and a final door at the end of the hallway which leads to the Music Room. The hallway features a mousehoule in which Gus escaped from Lucifer with the help of Cinderella. A large window ornamented with crimson, fancy draperies can also be found there.
Foyer: It is the first place reached when entering the château by its front door.[3] Cinderella cleans its floor in one scene ("Sing, Sweet Nightingale"). Later, Lady Tremaine breaks one of the glass slippers; Cinderella has the other one and it fits perfectly on her feet. A staircase connects both floors of the château, but it is unknown if there are more staircases aside from those leading to former Cinderella's room (the attic). Just like the upper rooms, it has many baroque-styled, lavishly mirrors that formerly reflected the stepsisters' vain, greedy and unloving natures. There is also a pastel-colored fine sofa, large windows and a grand, gorgeous clock nears the kitchen's door. A large, shiny and majestic chandelier also hangs off an ornate, dome-like structure which lightens up the main area of the Foyer rather the entire place. By last, there are many crimson draperies on the windows found in the west side.
Main Hall/Drawing Room: It can be accessed by an archway in the east side of the Foyer.[4] It is also a room in which guests can be entertained, while in the château. After hearing about the Grand Duke would come to try on the glass slipper on the girls, Lady Tremaine locks her stepdaughter in her room so she could never reveal herself as the legitimate owner of the delicate slippers and Prince Charming's true love. However, after Anastasia and Drizella tried it unsuccessfully, Jaq finally retrieves the key from the spoiled girls' mother and Gus almost got scalded by her while she was unaware trying to prolong the Grand Duke's visit so her own awkward daughters could have more chances to fit their unusual, large feet on the delicate yet charmingly slipper of glass. After some attempts, they all leave the drawing room back to the foyer as he gets ready to leave. Once there, Cinderella exits and rushes downstairs to meet up with his Imperial Grace who gives her a chance to fit on the slipper he was carrying with, but the Herald stomp on the floor and shatters it, just because of Lady Tremaine's mean action, in a final attempt to prevent her stepdaughter to meet up with her true love and subsequently ascend into royalty. As the Duke disparates himself, the servant girl reveals another glass slipper she'd kept for herself and it fits perfectly. Later, they both leave the château alongside Major, Bruno and all of her mice and bird friends straight to the King's Castle, while the Tremaines and pet cat Lucifer are left behind shocked and ashamed. In the original movie, Lady Tremaine punishes Cinderella by ordering her to clean the large carpet in the Main Hall, which can be an alternative name for the estate's sole Drawing Room.[3]
Garden: It faces the château. In the prologue, the widowed gentleman who happens to be Cinderella's father was seen with his ten-year old daughter watching the fountain, while a younger Major drinks from it. Many pumpkins grow on its patch and it is where Cinderella met her Fairy Godmother for the first time. She created her Pumpkin Coach, turned Jaq and Gus and other mice temporarily into horses, Major into a coachman, and Bruno into a footman ("Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"). Later, she bestowed her goddaughter a stunning ballgown with unusual yet delicate glass slippers, and sent her to the royal ball. About a decade later after his death, the once luxuriant garden became infested with weeds and intertwined with herbs which shielded the formerly impressive fountain who were still active by the time he was alive. A large willow lies by the garden facade beneath it there is a stone bench which Cinderella wept when her stepsisters torn apart her dress to nothing but rags. This is also where Anastasia tells her mother and sister Drizella about their own but former scullery maid's happily ever after. The Fairy Godmother were accidentally transfigured into a stone statue after the silly "goose" gets possession of her magic wand, and then, Lady Tremaine took over it and makes the clock reverse so she could ruin her stepdaughter's life and make it miserable once more. But at the end, both Cinderella and Anastasia together bring back the kind-hearted fairy, who bestows her goddaughter a new yet lovely, enchanting wedding gown in the wedding chapel at the King's Castle and forgives Anastasia for all she'd done to her stepsister.
Barnyard: It is located just next the garden, and is where Major and Bruno lived until they moved away to the King's Castle. It also housed many chicken, who were fed daily by Cinderella until she also left. A wishing well[4] is at the center, but is uncertain if it is still functional or not after the Tremaines, Cinderella and her animal friends all left. The mice enjoyed food there, and strived to be out of Lucifer's sight. The barn also can be reached by the second and final door in the kitchen.
In Cinderella, the story mostly takes place inside the château. It depicts Cinderella's daily life with her helpful animal friends and her abusive stepfamily after her father's passing. It shows her doing the chores of the house and how she's mistreated by her stepmother, her stepsisters, and Lucifer, the mischievous cat. The once-grand home has fallen into disrepair in the years following the death of Cinderella's father.
The only appearance of the château is at the last segment, An Uncommon Romance, where Anastasia falls in love with a baker, whom her mother forbids her to be with because he's not of high social status. Cinderella forgives Anastasia for all of the mean things she had done to her in the past, and Cinderella and her animal friends do everything they can to help Anastasia and the baker get together.
The château makes its final appearance in Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. At the beginning of the movie, it's shown that Cinderella's stepfamily is now stuck doing all the chores that they had forced Cinderella to do in the past. But now that Cinderella's a princess and living at the castle with her husband and father-in-law, she can't do any of the chores for them anymore. The château had also lost its upkeep since Cinderella left. It's also the place where Lady Tremaine took possession of the magic wand of the Fairy Godmother and how she turned back in time in an attempt to destroy Cinderella's happy ending.
When Lady Tremaine turned back time, the grim condition of the château went back to being nice and clean, as Cinderella was still living there at that time. The Tremaines leave the château and move into the castle and Cinderella follows them there, while the château itself is not seen for the rest of the film. Cinderella becomes the princess again, deciding to keep the timeline as it is and re-live her happily ever after, and having repaired her relationship with Anastasia, she allows her moves into the castle with her, Prince Charming, and the King, Lady Tremaine and Drizella move into the castle too, but are given their ultimate comeuppance by being forced to work as maids at there for their crimes. Afterwards the ownership of the chateau was given to Cinderella.