5 Facts About Ilene Woods and Her Role as Cinderella

Ilene Woods was cast as Cinderella after Disney heard demo recordings she made with a friend. The recordings caught the attention of Disney animators, leading to her being chosen for the role.

She voiced Cinderella in the 1950 Disney film. This was her only major voice acting role in a Disney feature.

Woods was not a professional voice actor before Cinderella. She was a singer and radio performer, which made her demo recordings stand out.

Her performance defined the character for generations. Woods’ warm, gentle voice became the iconic sound of Cinderella.

She did not receive widespread recognition for the role at the time. Voice actors were not credited prominently in early Disney films, but her work remains legendary.