Welcome to the Everything Iconic Pop Dive with me, Danny Pellegrino, where my guests and

I dive into iconic pop culture touchstones.

Today we are diving into 1997's Rogers and Hammerstein Cinderella, starting the late Whitney

Houston in Brandy, Norwood.

This made for TV remake of the classic fairy tale was one of the very first entries into ABC's

weekly wonderful world of Disney.

Cinderella first aired on Sunday, November 2nd, 1997 at 7pm, months after Brandy

premiered her hit TV sitcom Moesha, and three years after her self titled debut album.

It was one of the highest rated programs of the year, seen by over 60 million people

in its first showing.

The film went on to become a home video sensation on VHS and continued to have robust ratings

and encore airings for the ABC Network and the Disney Channel.

The film was revolutionary for its colorblind casting, paving the way for Broadway's Hamilton,

and showing us the very first African-American Disney Princess.

Children of all colors could see themselves portrayed on screen, and the incredible ratings

for the TV film proved that audiences were hungry for multi-ethnic stories.

Filmed for $12 million, the film had a-list talent, robust and colorful sets, beautiful

music, and was produced by Queen Whitney herself.

We watched in awe as Whitney whist Brandy off to the ball of her dreams and told her

it's possible through a song.

Whitney wasn't just singing to Brandy, she was singing to a generation of children watching,

telling them that their dreams are possible.

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