Disney Princesses: Who Is The Fairest Of Them All?

According to Disney’s official princess website (yes, that’s a thing), the thirteen Disney Princesses are Ariel (“The Little Mermaid”), Aurora (“Sleeping Beauty”), Belle (“Beauty and the Beast”), Cinderella (“Cinderella”), Jasmine (“Aladdin”), Merida (“Brave”), Moana (“Moana”), Mulan (“Mulan”), Pocahontas (“Pocahontas”), Rapunzel (“Tangled”), Raya (“Raya and the Last Dragon”), Snow White (“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”), and Tiana (“The Princess and the Frog”).

These ladies have all significantly impacted Disney’s movies and theme parks, so much so that this year Disneyland Resort is introducing Disneyland After Dark: Princess Nite, an all-new separately-ticketed after-hours event from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on March 7 and 9, 2023, that’s completely dedicated to Disney princesses and heroines.

While most Disney fans already know and love the members of this elite squad, Disneyland’s new royal celebration is the perfect opportunity to learn more about them.

What Makes a Disney Princess?

While there’s no definitive statement from Disney regarding the qualifications to be a Disney Princess, the rules appear to be that a female Disney character must 1. play a central role in a Disney or Pixar film (not introduced in a sequel) and 2. be royal by birth or marriage or – lucky for Mulan – do a heroic deed. She also apparently must sing at least one song and be able to communicate with animals and/or have an animal companion.

You may be wondering why Anna and Elsa aren’t official Disney princesses when the sisters definitely have royal blood and are clearly central characters in both “Frozen” movies (I certainly was). Well, Screen Rant justifies it by noting that, by the end of “Frozen 2,” both are queens, so evidently, that makes them “not Disney princess material.” They also don’t technically have animal sidekicks, though I would argue Olaf is the only sidekick any princess needs, so for the purposes of this article, they shall receive MiceChat Disney Princess status, which puts the total count at 15.

Fairytale Princesses

Disney didn’t invent the idea of fairytale princesses – though they certainly know how to market it. In fact, most Disney Princesses have their roots in European fairytales, folktales, or even pages from history.

We have the Brothers Grimm to thank for Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Snow White. One official Disney Princess (Ariel), plus at least one of our MiceChat Disney Princesses (Elsa) can be traced to “The Little Mermaid” and “The Snow Queen,” both written by Hans Christian Andersen.

Did You Know? There’s a statue of the Little Mermaid at the harbor in Anderson’s hometown of Copenhagen.

The story of “Beauty and the Beast” can be traced back to the 1740 French fairytale “Belle et La Bête.” In the story, Belle was called Beauty (which would be Beauté in French), but since Belle translates to beautiful, that’s likely why Disney named her Belle. N’est-ce pas?

According to the World History Encyclopedia, the story of Mulan (“Magnolia”) dates to the 6th century CE, with the fictional Chinese literary character taking her father’s place in the army to help save her country. The tale was originally called The Poem of Mulan (or Ballad of Mulan) and later Song of Mulan.

Fun Fact: When the live-action Mulan movie was in production, the project’s code name was Magnolia.

The First Disney Princess

For his studio’s very first feature-length animated film – and the first feature-length animated film ever – Walt Disney chose the Grimm fairytale, “Snow White,” the story of a girl with “skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony,” who, despite being the target of a jealous queen, lives happily ever after (with the help of seven dwarfs)

With Snow White as their leading lady (and first Disney Princess), Disney animators stuck fairly close to the original story. The main exception? The Grimms’ dwarfs don’t have names; however, as we all know (And Walt explains below), Disney’s dwarfs do have names (and distinct personalities to match): Doc, Bashful, Sneezy, Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, and Dopey.

Classic Disney Princesses

After the success of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, two more animated Disney princesses graced the screen in “Cinderella” (1950) and “Sleeping Beauty” (1959). Together, these three ladies are referred to as “classic Disney Princesses.”

Cinderella was the first of the trio to make the jump to Disney live-action in 2015’s “Cinderella” (played by Lily James), followed by Sleeping Beauty – AKA Aurora – in “Maleficent” (2014) and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (2019), both times played by Elle Fanning. In 2024, we’ll finally see a live-action (and musical) version of Disney’s first princess in “Snow White” starring Rachel Zegler who starred as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” (2021).

First look at Rachel Zegler in Disney’s live-action ‘Snow White’ film. pic.twitter.com/u0EVjZaK5l

— Cinema Solace (@CinemaSoIace) May 20, 2022

Modern Disney Princesses

After “Sleeping Beauty,” it seemed like Disney might be out of the princess business until animators introduced a cavalcade of “modern Disney Princesses,” beginning with Ariel in 1989 and followed in quick succession by Belle in 1991, Jasmine in 1992, Pocahontas in 1995, Mulan in 1998, Tiana in 2009, Rapunzel in 2010, Merida in 2012, Anna and Elsa in 2013, Moana in 2016, and Raya in 2021.

Like their classic sisters, several modern princesses have appeared in Disney live-action remakes: “Beauty and the Beast” with Emma Watson as Belle (2017), “Aladdin” with Naomi Scott as Jasmine (2019), “Mulan” with Liu Yifei as Mulan (2020), and coming in 2023, “The Little Mermaid” with Halle Bailey as Ariel.

Disney princesses have also appeared onstage in Disney-produced Broadway musicals “Beauty and the Beast” – the 10th longest-running show in Broadway history, by the way – “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Frozen.”

Princesses in the Parks and Resorts

All Disney Princesses appear in Disneyland and Walt Disney World at one time or another in parades/cavalcades, at meet and greets, or during character dining opportunities, but some definitely appear more often than others.

In addition, certain princesses show up at specific times of the year, like Mulan (and more recently Raya), who both meet guests during Disney California Adventure’s Lunar New Year celebration (This year from Jan. 20th through Feb. 15th).

Mulan is also one of eight princesses – along with Rapunzel, Ariel, Tiana, Pocahontas, Belle, Jasmine, and Aurora – who participate in the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures at Napa Rose restaurant in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

The three-course breakfast is served Thursday through Monday from 8 to 11:00 a.m., and is priced at $125 per guest (ages 3+). Click here for more information.

Last, but certainly not least, Moana, Cinderella, Tiana, Anna, Elsa, and Aurora are also returning to Disneyland on Feb. 24th in the spectacular (and much-too-short-lived) Magic Happens parade

We recently learned that Tiana snagged prime New Orleans Square real estate for her Tiana’s Palace restaurant and we expect to see more of her in the area, though Disneyland has said it’s not a character dining location.

Tiana’s Palace to Replace New Orleans Square Classic in Disneyland

Additionally, we learned from a Disneyland casting call that the park is looking for an Ariel character as represented in the upcoming “The Little Mermaid” movie played by Halle Bailey. Get more information on the recent Disneyland casting call news here.

For guaranteed Princess sightings at Walt Disney World, guests can pay a visit to Princess Fairytale Hall at Magic Kingdom Park or make a reservation for Princess Storybook Dining in Magic Kingdom or Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot.

Princess fans who spring for airfare to Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, can meet Moana, who also briefly appears in the resort’s Ka Wa’a – A Luau, which is not a “Disney show,” but tells the story of Hawaiian canoe (waʻa) exploration that brought the ancient voyagers to Ko Olina.

Disneyland After Dark: Princess Nite

Disneyland describes its first-ever Princess Nite as “an all-new celebration of our most beloved leading women and their shared values of bravery, beauty and grace [that] will immerse you in the stories of Disney heroines, placing iconic Disney Princesses center stage.”

We’d like to think Disneyland has invited all 15 ladies to Princess Nite, which includes a princess-themed concert, photo ops with Disney Princesses, and character experiences with some of Disney’s most beloved leading ladies, but since this is the first year for this event, we’ll have to see who graces us with their royalness.

Disneyland After Dark: Princess Nite general admission tickets are $129 per guest (ages 3+) on March 7th and $145 per guest (ages 3+) on March 9th. Click here for details and to purchase tickets.

Disneyland After Dark Returns in 2023 with Sweethearts & New Princess Nites

Did You Know?

Eleven ladies who voiced animated Disney princesses have been honored as Disney Legends:

• Adriana Caselotti (Class of 1994) – Voice of Snow White
• Mary Costa (Class of 1999) – Voice of Aurora
• Ilene Woods (Class of 2003) – Voice of Cinderella
• Paige O’ Hara (Class of 2011) – Voice of Belle
• Liinda Larken (Class of 2011) – Speaking voice of Jasmine
• Lea Salonga (Class of 2011) – Singing voice of Jasmine and Mulan
• Jodi Benson (Class of 2011) – Voice of Ariel
• Anika Noni Rose (Class of 2011) – Voice of Tiana
• Ming Na-Wen (Class of 2019) – Speaking voice of Mulan
• Kristen Bell (Class of 2022) – Voice of Anna
• Idina Menzel (Class of 2022) – Voice of Elsa

 

Let’s Hear From You!

Who is your favorite Disney Princess? And is she classic or modern? Is there a Disney character you think should be promoted to official Disney Princess status? Let us know in the comments!

Sharing is caring!