Fairy Godmother

"On the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken, and everything will be as it was before."

- The Fairy Godmother warning Cinderella when the spell will be broken

The Fairy Godmother is Cinderella's fairy godmother who helped her get to the ball in Disney's 1950 film Cinderella and its sequels.

She has been voiced by Verna Felton, Russi Taylor and Jane Carr.

Background
"The Fairy Godmother should have a kindly voice with a certain age in it. I don't see her as being goofy or stupid, but rather as having a wonderful sense of humor."

- Walt Disney

The Fairy Godmother's design underwent numerous changes in development, with the original source becoming difficult to narrow down. Eventually, layout artist Ken O'Connor looked to his wife, Mary Alice O'Connor for inspiration. The Fairy Godmother's design was what Ken tried to imagine how she'd look a few decades older. Dedicated to community work and charities, Mary Alice's personality served to fit the character as well.

Personality
The Fairy Godmother is sweet and kind and a motherly type of person, especially to Cinderella. She cares about people and loves to make her god-daughter, Cinderella, happy as well as her friends. She is also a little bit absent-minded, as she almost sent Cinderella on her way without fixing her dress, and has a tendency to forget her magic words.

My Disney Experience Official Description
With a bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, the Fairy Godmother turned a pumpkin into a coach and made Cinderella's dreams come true.

Cinderella
After her wicked stepsisters cruelly destroy the dress she plans on wearing to the ball, Cinderella runs out to the backyard of her stepmother Lady Tremaine's chateau. There, she breaks down in sorrow as she has no way of getting to the ball, beginning to lose her faith in dreams. However, her faith is still strong enough to summon her Fairy Godmother. Fairy Godmother explains that she has arrived to help Cinderella in her time of distress. To get her to the ball, she transforms an ordinary pumpkin into a carriage, and four of Cinderella's mice friends into horses for the carriage. She attempts to turn Lucifer into something, but he flees, and it is unknown what he would have transformed into, or if he managed to dodge it.

She then turns Cinderella's horse, Major, into a coachman, and her dog Bruno into a footman. Finally, after Cinderella points out her tattered gown, Fairy Godmother bestows a beautiful white dress upon Cinderella, complete with two enchanted glass slippers that only Cinderella can wear. Before she departs, the Fairy Godmother gives Cinderella a word of caution: at the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken, and everything will return to normal. Grateful for the gifts anyway, Cinderella thanks her Fairy Godmother, and happily rides off to the ball as Fairy Godmother bids her farewell.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
In the second installment of the Cinderella series, Cinderella ll: Dreams Come True, the Fairy Godmother is shown at the very beginning telling the story of Cinderella to the mice. Jaq, Gus, and the other mice then decide to create a storybook of their own, reflecting on various events that occurred since they first arrived at the castle.

The Fairy Godmother happily assists the mice in creating the book and actually appears in the second story: Tall Tail. Here, Jaq desperately wants to help Cinderella with her daily duties around the castle, but because of his small size, he cannot. Soon enough, Fairy Godmother appears and offers to help Jaq by turning him into a human--Sir Hugh--which he accepts. However, he causes more trouble as a human than he ever did as a mouse.

In the end of the segment, Fairy Godmother returns again, changing Jaq back into a mouse. Though he learns a great lesson from his human adventure, Jaq apparently grows a disliking of magic. In the end of the film, Fairy Godmother helps the mice take their completed book to Cinderella who gladly reads her new book together with the mice.

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
In the third installment of the Cinderella film series, Cinderella and Prince Charming are celebrating an entire year together filled with magic and romance. Unfortunately, during the festivities, the Fairy Godmother accidentally loses her wand, which falls into the hands of Anastasia, one of Cinderella's stepsisters. Anastasia quickly takes it to her mother and sister Drizella.

As she witnesses Fairy Godmother's magic doings with the wand, she tries to convince her mother and sister that it is magic. Lady Tremaine and Drizella find the conversation to be absurd until Fairy Godmother arrives, requesting the return of her wand. Anastasia fights her back, accidentally turning their cat Lucifer, into a half goose, half cat hybrid. The astonishing sight convinces Tremaine, and Anastasia accidentally transforms the distracted Fairy Godmother into a stone statue.

With the magic of the wand in her hands, and no one to stop her, Lady Tremaine alters time and history, so that Anastasia was the one to fit the slipper. Fortunately, Cinderella, Jaq and Gus catch on, battle against Lady Tremaine for the wand, and restore the Fairy Godmother. Before the film closes, Fairy Godmother asks if Cinderella and Prince Charming would like to return to their normal lives, but the couple seem happy enough as it is.

Schoolhouse Rock!
The Fairy Godmother made a cameo in Schoolhouse Rock in "The Four-Legged Zoo".

House of Mouse
Fairy Godmother is a guest character in the series, often seen with Cinderella.

In "Goofy's Menu Magic" after she eats her meal, Fairy Godmother accidentally places her wand on her plate. It is taken to the kitchen and Goofy accidentally uses it to make an incredible stew. In the end, the club is flooded with stew but is saved when Fairy Godmother regains her wand. In "House of Magic", the wand is stolen by Daisy Duck in order to do a magic trick. In "Ladies' Night", Minnie Mouse wears Cinderella's ball dress in a fashion show, but Fairy Godmother accidentally forgets to warn her that it will eventually transform back into ragged clothes, like in the film.

She also appears in a non-speaking cameo in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse.

Once Upon a Time
The Fairy Godmother, portrayed by Catherine Lough Haggquist, makes a small appearance in the ABC series Once Upon a Time as Cinderella's proposed godmother until Rumplestiltskin appears and murders her for her incredibly powerful magic wand, taking her place as Cinderella's guardian. She is later mentioned by Rumpelstiltskin to Regina (the Evil Queen) after the curse is broken when he uses her wand once more.

Cinderella (2015 film)
Helena Bonham Carter will play the Fairy Godmother. The character will have a much larger role in this film than in the animated movie, she will be disguised as an old beggar who watches over Cinderella before revealing herself as the magical being she truly is.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, which sets ten years before the first game, the Fairy Godmother lives in Castle of Dreams, where she watches over the poor Cinderella, who begins the world's storyline serving Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella like in the classic Walt Disney film. When she finds herself unable to attend the ball, the Fairy Godmother appears before her dressing her in an elegant gown for Prince Charming's royal ball and creating a carriage using a pumpkin with her magic. After Cinderella was sent off to the ball, she asks Terra if he has a heart that believes in dreams.

When Prince Charming begins his search for Cinderella, Lady Tremaine locks the poor girl in the attic room. The Fairy Godmother appears before Aqua, asking her to help Cinderella before shrinking her to the size of a mouse and transporting her into the inside of the manor where she helps Jaq get the key to Cinderella. She is seen at the gate with Aqua when they observe the reunion of the couple, and she tells her about Terra and renews Aqua's hope.

During the ending credits, she can be seen watching over Cinderella and Prince Charming from the balcony with Jaq and then filling the ballroom with joyful fireworks.

Kingdom Hearts
Sometime prior to the events of Kingdom Hearts, her world, Castle of Dreams, was destroyed by the Heartless, but she managed to escape safely. Sora and friends first met her in Traverse Town, where she was living with Merlin in his house. She stayed in the form of a small carriage (similar to the one that Cinderella uses to arrive at the Ball) and only assumed her true form when Sora needed to talk to her. Somehow, she knows that Cinderella is still alive somewhere and shares her worries with Sora.

Whenever Sora found a new Summon Gem, he gave it to her so she could restore that being's spirit, allowing Sora to summon them in battle. After Sora obtains all six summons, she gives Donald the Lord Fortune staff.

After Sora seals Kingdom Hearts, the Fairy Godmother returns to her world with Cinderella.

Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey
The Fairy Godmother is a supporting character in the game. Cinderella's world has been frozen and only Cinderella and the heroine can set things straight. The Godmother was found at Cinderella's chateau using her magic to assist the young heroine.

Disney Parks
Fairy Godmother is seen at the parks as a meetable character. She is seen mostly in the Magic Kingdom Park. She makes appearances in shows and parades. She appears as a face character in the US parks and an atmosphere character in other international parks.

In the show Believe, on board the Disney Dream cruise ship, Fairy Godmother is one of the "magic makers" who help Dr. Greenway believe in dreams and miracles. Fairy Godmother is assisted by Cinderella, Prince Charming, Aladdin and Jasmine.

Fairy Godmother has her own spell card known as "The Fairy Godmother's Pumpkin Bash" in the attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

In Disneyland Paris, Fairy Godmother is one of Mickey Mouse's mentors who help make his dreams of becoming a magician come true. Fairy Godmother helps him out by giving him his Sorcerer's Apprentice costume.

Fantasmic!
The Fairy Godmother appears in both American versions of the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! In the Florida version the Fairy Godmother appears in both the bubble montage and riding Steamboat Willie. In the California version Fairy Godmother occasionally appears riding the Mark Twain Riverboat.

Magic, Music and Mayhem
The Fairy Godmother hosts the fireworks spectacular Magic, Music and Mayhem during the Princess and Pirate Party at Walt Disney World. In the show, Fairy Godmother along with the Three Good Fairies and King Triton host several elements including romance and adventure. Later on, they are joined by Tinker Bell, who helps defeat Captain Hook and his crew when they attempt to take over Cinderella Castle.

Magic Kingdom Christmas
Formerly, at the live celebration of the Christmas season in the Magic Kingdom park, the Fairy Godmother appeared as the mistress of ceremonies. In the event, Fairy Godmother used her magical abilities and the power of dreams and imagination to turn Cinderella Castle into an ice castle. She was replaced by Elsa the Snow Queen from Frozen in 2014.

Trivia

 * On October 2, 2011, Fairy Godmother christened Rapunzel for her welcome into the Disney Princess royal court in London, England.
 * She also christened Tiana for her welcome into the Disney Princess court in New York City, New York.
 * Despite not being the lead character, and only appearing in one scene in the original film, Fairy Godmother is one of the most recognizable Disney characters, as well as being the most famous and the most popular character in the Cinderella series (after Cinderella herself).
 * She and Maleficent are the only fairies in the Disney Universe to not have wings. Both of them also retain their human size during their films (along with the Blue Fairy) and never become smaller like Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.

El Hada Madrina