Lady Tremaine: Evil Step Mother

Lady Tremaine is the evil stepmother in the Disney animated feature film Cinderella and is often compared to the evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film.

Lady Tremaine Disney

Lady Tremaine is a cruel high society woman with two daughters, Anastasia and Drizella Tremaine. She never physically harms Cinderella but punishes and degrades her with her daughter’s help. The Tremaine trio is madly jealous of Cinderella’s talent and beauty. 

Lady Tremaine’s Story

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Background

In the Disney movie Cinderella, she marries a wealthy widower who lives alone with his daughter, Cinderella.

Shortly after marrying, Cinderella’s father dies and leaves his fortune in the care of Lady Tremaine to take care of his daughter and her daughters Drizella and Anastasia.

Lady Tremaine reading the Royal Ball invite

When Lady Tremaine gains possession of her fortune, she begins to mistreat and humiliate Cinderella, enslaving her to take over all household chores.

Her fortune is only used for the well-being and comfort of her and her daughters. As the story unfolds, this character’s treatment and wickedness are increasingly cruel and cunning.

Lady Tremaine’s goal is to marry off her daughters to noble-blooded young men with prestigious status and wealth as she did. 

Lady Tremaine standing by a piano

Lady Tremaine’s Personality and Characteristics

Disney’s Lady Tremaine does not have any magical powers, nor does she exert any physical force, unlike most Disney female villains. She only gains magic power when she manages to steal the wand from Cinderella’s fairy godmother in A Twist In Time

She believes it is best to maintain self-control and composure, and it is what she tries to teach her daughters, although their bad behavior shows they are not learning their mother’s lessons. 

In her house, she is a tyrant who forces Cinderella to work as an enslaved person. She sometimes also abuses her daughters, Anastasia and Drizella.

Young Cinderella with her father and pets next to a water fountain

Lady Tremaine is envious of Cinderella because of the incredible beauty and charm Cinderella possesses as well as Cinderella’s dress. For this reason, she constantly mistreats her and uses subtle methods to make her suffer.

Cinderella’s wicked stepmother never hits her, but she doesn’t stop her daughters who do, she doesn’t mess up her house either, but she allows her cat Lucifer to do it.

As her jealousy of Cinderella grows, the vast majority of her actions, except when she mistreats her stepdaughter Cinderella, are with a selfish power goal.

Lady Tremaine in her purple dress

She aims to make her two daughters, Drizella and Anastasia, obedient and able to have good marriages, raising her social status and helping her estate thrive.

Her ultimate goal is to have a daughter marry Prince Charming after meeting him at the royal ball or create other possible royal family connections.

She is a selfish, spiteful, cruel, greedy, cunning, evil, and intelligent woman. She even tries to keep Cinderella locked in her room when the Grand Duke arrives to see if the single glass slipper fits.

Lady Tremaine tapping a magic wand in her hand with an evil grin

Lady Tremaine’s Physical Appearance

Lady Tremaine is an older woman with a long, narrow face and a narrow chin. The creases around her mouth and her gray hair show her age. 

Her hair is styled up to show her round green earrings that match her green eyes. She has a similar style round green ring on her right ring finger and a large green brooch along her neckline. 

Lady Tremaine wearing red and purple with green earrings

Lady Tremaine is always shown fashionably dressed. She usually wears a purple burgundy-colored dress with a purple collar and purple cuffs. She also wears makeup that highlights her striking facial features.

Lady Tremaine’s Strengths and Abilities

Lady Tremaine is not a character with super abilities or strength. Instead, she uses her wits and authority as the household leader to enforce her strict rules on Cinderella. 

Lady Tremaine’s mind games and cruel comments chip away at others and discourage them from putting up a good fight. This strongly affects Cinderella, but luckily, she has some friends who stand by her side and help her through the tough times. 

Lady Tremaine Pictures

Films, Shows, and Video Game Appearances

Cinderella

In this fairy tale movie, she makes her first appearance, marrying Cinderella’s father, thus becoming Cinderella’s stepmother. Lady Tremaine becomes the Disney Cinderella villain.

Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True

This second film takes place sometime after the events. It is when Lady Tremaine’s daughter Anastasia falls in love with a baker.

In this film, she is still the main antagonist. She seeks to demonstrate the importance of her social status, reputation, and appearance, forbidding Anastasia to see the baker she fell in love with because he is of a lower class.

Lady Tremaine with an evil stare

However, Anastasia manages to see him again with the help of Cinderella. When Lady Tremaine tries to separate them, she defends her love and attends Cinderella’s ball with him.

After this, Anastasia and the baker marry, causing great displeasure to her mother, Lady Tremaine, and her sister, Drizella.

Cinderella 3: A Twist In Time

Lady Tremaine’s character has a leading and prominent role as a villain again.

She manages to steal the fairy godmother’s magic wand in this movie. She casts a spell to go back in time and make her daughter Anastasia the one who stays with the prince.

Lady Tremaine holding up her finger

She also bewitches the prince by corrupting his dance memories and thus believes that it was Anastasia who danced with him instead of Cinderella. This prevents Cinderella and the prince from having a happy ending.

Cinderella (Live-Action 2015)

In this live-action remake, she is once again the cold, cruel, and abusive stepmother who enslaves Cinderella to do housework, played by Cate Blanchett.

Lady Tremaine in the live action Cinderella breaking the glass slipper

Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse

Mickey’s House of Villains 

Once Upon a Halloween

Shows

  • Walt Disney Anthology Series
  • House of Mouse
  • Once Upon A Time

Video Games

  • Disney Princess
  • Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
  • Disney Villians Challenge
  • Kingdom Hearts Unchained X
  • Disney Magic Kingdoms
  • Disney Emoji Blitz
  • Disney Sorcerer’s Arena
  • Disney POP TOWN
  • Disney Tsum Tsum
Lady Tremaine in a purple dress with green jewelry

Lady Tremaine Trivia and Fun Facts 

  • Lady Tremaine was animated by Frank Thomas and voiced by Eleanor Audley.
  • Lady Tremaine is often referred to as the Evil Stepmother or Wicked Stepmother. 
  • Lady Tremaine has a pet cat named Lucifer. 
  • Lady Tremaine’s name is only mentioned once in the Cinderella film when she and her daughters are introduced at the Royal Ball. 
  • Lady Tremaine’s dress changes from burgundy to purple in the Cinderella sequels. 
  • Her full name is Lady Madonna Tremaine. 
Lady Tremaine pointing her new magic wand and shouting

Lady Tremaine Quotes

“Now, let me see … There’s the large carpet in the main hall. Clean it! And the windows, upstairs and down. Wash them! Oh yes. And the tapestries and the draperies. Do them again! And don’t forget the garden. And scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys, and of course, there’s the mending and the sewing and the laundry. Oh yes, and one more thing. See that Lucifer gets his bath.”
Tremaine
“Cinderella will be put in her place.”
Tremaine
“Above all, self-control.”
Tremaine
“Well, I see no reason why you can’t go if you get all your work done. And if you can find something suitable to wear.”
Tremaine
Lady Tremaine sees Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing
“Of course … I said ‘If.'”
Tremaine
“How very clever. These beads, they give it just the right touch. Don’t you think so, Drizella?”
Tremaine
“The glass slipper is their only clue. The Duke has been ordered to try it on every girl in the kingdom. And if one can be found whom the slipper fits, then, by the King’s command, that girl shall be the Prince’s bride.”
Tremaine
“Shh. Quiet, my dear. We mustn’t disturb his Grace.”
Tremaine
Lady Tremaine angry look
“Young man, are you sure you’re trying it on the right foot?”
Tremaine
“Girls, girls. That’s quite enough. Hurry along, now, both of you. I won’t have you upsetting yourselves.”
Tremaine
“Oh, everyone’s talking about it – the whole kingdom! Oh, hurry now. He’ll be here any minute.”
Tremaine
“For that girl! The one who lost her slipper at the ball last night. They say he’s madly in love with her.”
Tremaine
Lady Tremaine locking Cinderella's door
“Well, I see no reason why you can’t go… if you get all your work done.”
Tremaine
“Hold your tongue! Now, it seems we have time on our hands.”
Tremaine
“Silence! Time for vicious practical jokes. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now, let me see… There’s the large carpet in the main hall- Clean it! And the windows upstairs and down- Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies…”
Tremaine
“Do them again! And don’t forget the garden. Then scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys. And of course there’s the mending, and the sewing, and the laundry… Oh, yes, and one more thing: see that Lucifer gets his bath.”
Tremaine
Lady Tremaine petting Lucifer her cat as she sits up in bed
“You clumsy little fool!”
Tremaine
“Oh. Well, don’t just stand there. Bring up the breakfast trays at once, and hurry!”
Tremaine
“And, by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend.”
Tremaine
Lady Tremaine tapping the key to lock Cinderella's room in her hand

View the full list of Disney characters list from A to Z. Look back at another female Disney villain, Mother Gothel in Tangled.

Brandon Crombar

Brandon Crombar

Editor In Chief / Founder

Brandon is an animation enthusiast and animated film critic. He has been writing about animation since 2013 to celebrate animated movies, characters, and songs. His favorite animated movies include Finding Nemo, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

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