The Disney Princesses are characters that are currently featured in the Disney Princess franchise. The franchise is now comprised of ten female protagonists from ten different Walt Disney animated films who are either royal by birth, royal by marriage, or considered a "princess" due to their significant portrayal of heroinism in their film and/or of a very high status in their country/region.
The character lineup has varied since the creation of the franchise; Princesses Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Fa Mulan and Tiana have most consistently been included. A new addition, Princess Rapunzel, made her debut in Tangled on November 24, 2010 and was officially included in the lineup on October 2nd, 2011.
The Disney Princesses are featured in various sing-a-long video series released through The Walt Disney Company. In addition, the franchise includes dolls, miniature castles, and other toys. The princesses are also featured in the nightly “Fantasmic! Nighttime Show Spectacular” in Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios and beginning in 2011 at Tokyo DisneySea in Japan.
In early 2000, when Andy Mooney was hired by the Disney consumer-products division to help combat dropping sales, the idea for the Disney Princess franchise was born. Soon after joining Disney, Mooney attended his first “Disney on Ice” show. While waiting in line, he found himself surrounded by young girls dressed as princesses. “They weren’t even Disney products. They were generic princess products,” he mused. Soon after realizing the demand, the Disney Princess line was formed.
Despite limited advertising and no focus groups, the various Disney Princess items released became a huge success. Sales at Disney Consumer Products rose from $300 million in 2001 to $3 billion in 2006. Today there are over 25,000 products based on the franchise.
The princesses to be featured in the line were chosen from classic Disney films. The characters were not chosen specifically for their royal titles, but rather for how well they fit into what Disney executives deemed “the Princess mythology”. Mulan is an example of this concept; she has no familial ties to royalty, but is still included in the character list. Tinker Bell was once included under the same principle before it was decided she was not suited for the "mythology". [1] Recently though, Tinker Bell has starred in her own Disney franchise, Disney Fairies. Other fairies were created specifically for the franchise. The line began with a book series by Gail Carson Levine, and has since spawned toys, direct-to-video movies and other products based on the characters.
The characters themselves, despite appearing in separate films, have distinct similarities. The princesses show good will towards all creatures, evidenced by the common ability to commune with animals. The princesses are known for their inner and outer beauty as well as having beautiful singing voices. Each princess has a romance that is resolved by the end of her film; the male counterparts known as "Disney Princes".
Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, and Rapunzel are born of royal heritage as daughters of kings and queens. Pocahontas can be considered as being of royal heritage, as she is the daughter of a chief and considered Native American royalty by the English. Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana become royalty by marriage. Mulan is the only Disney princess who does not become royalty by blood or marriage.
The character of Snow White first originated in a Brothers Grimm fairytale "Little Snow White" about a beautiful German princess with a jealous step-mother. In 1937, Walt Disney turned this classic fairytale into his very first animated feature film. Her true love is Prince Ferdinand, who breaks her sleeping death 'slumber' with love's first kiss. She befriends the seven dwarfs during her stay at their cottage.
Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Adriana Caselotti (Original Film), Mary Kay Bergman (80's and 90's merchandise) Carolyn Gardner (Kingdom Hearts series, House of Mouse and others)
The best-known version of Cinderella is the fairytale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault in 1697, which was based on an earlier version by Giambattista Basile in 1634 and was later adapted by The Brothers Grimm as "Aschenputtel". In 1950, it was turned into an animated feature-length film by Walt Disney. Cinderella is probably the eldest of all the Disney princess. She is either 19 or 20 years of age Her stepmother turned her into the family's sole servant after the passing of her father. With magical help from her Fairy Godmother, she attends the ball and meets the prince of her kingdom, and eventually marries him, thus freeing her from her life of servitude. .
Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Ilene Woods (Original Film), Jennifer Hale (Speaking, sequels, House of Mouse, Kingdom Hearts series), Tami Tappan Damiano (Singing, sequels)
Best known as the heroine of the 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beautywhich is very loosely based on Charles Perrault's "La Belle au Bois Dormant". Although her dress changes from blue to pink (thanks to two of her guardians, Merryweather and Flora) she is most commonly seen wearing pink. She was cursed at birth by an evil fairy called Maleficent, who predicted her death on her 16th birthday. One of the three good fairies, Merryweather, softened the curse by changing her death to a deep slumber that will only be awakened by true love's kiss. By falling in love with Prince Phillip, the prince of a neighboring kingdom, she is freed from the curse by the end of the film after the evil fairy is defeated.
Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Mary Costa (Original Film), Jennifer Hale (Speaking 2000-2005, 2007-present Kingdom Hearts series, various appearances), Erin Torpey (Speaking, various appearances 2005-2007) Cassidy Ladden (Singing various appearances)
The heroine of the 1989 film, loosely based on the Danish fairytale "Den Lille Havfure" by Hans Christian Andersen, and the daughter of King Triton, ruler of the sea, 16 year old mermaid Ariel falls in love with a dashing human prince named Eric. She trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula (who was supposed to be her aunt in the uncut version of the film) in order to become a human and be with him forever. Ariel was featured in three Disney movies: The Little Mermaid,The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. She is the first and only princess to have a child, a human and mermaid princess named Melody.
Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Jodi Benson (Original Film, sequels, TV series, House of Mouse, Kingdom Hearts series and various others)
French commoner who is the heroine of the 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast, loosely based on the French fairytale "La Belle et la Bete" by Madame Jeanne-Marie le Prince de Beaumont, her name is translated from the French word for "beauty". She trades her freedom for her father's with the Beast and becomes his prisoner, but she soon learns to see the good hidden behind his hideous appearance and falls in love with him over time. By confessing her love at the end of the movie, the Beast is turned back into a human along with his enchanted servants and Belle becomes his queen. Belle's prince (the beast) is named Adam.
Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Paige O'Hara (Original Film, sequels, Kingdom Hearts series, various others), Jodi Benson (House of Mouse)
The spunky, independent Arabian Princess of Agrabah, who dreams of seeing what's beyond her palace and be freed from her father's constant pestering of royal marriage. She falls in love with the title character in 1992's Aladdin, whom she marries at the end of the third movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves. She is loosely based on the unnamed princess featured in the story of "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp" from "1001 Arabian Nights".
Speaking Voice: Linda Larkin (Original Fim, sequels, House of Mouse, TV series, Kingdom Hearts series various others), Singing Voice: Lea Salonga (Original Film) Liz Callaway (sequels)
Disney's Pocahontas is loosely based on the real-life Native American princess. She falls in love with a man named John Smith, who helps her prevent a war from commencing between their people. At the end of the film, John is wounded and sent back to London for treatment, and so they lose contact with one another. Years later, Pocahontas travels to London as her people's representative to prevent a potential war between the English and the Native Americans. Though they succeed in stopping the conflict, Pocahontas finds her path different from John Smith's and sails back to her country with her new lover, John Rolfe.
Speaking Voice: Irene Bedard (Original Film, sequel), Singing Voice: Judy Kuhn (Original film, sequel)
Fa Mulan is a brave Chinese heroine who dresses up like a soldier and goes to war in place of her crippled father, risking death and dishonor. She is loosely based on the heroine from the ancient Chinese epic poem "The Legend of Hua Mulan" and she is the only Disney Princess who is not royal by blood or marriage and is literally not one, however, she has honor of a princess because she achieved honor from the Emperor himself by saving China. She comes close to marrying a prince in her second movie. During her stay in the army, she falls in love with the captain, Li Shang and they marry at the end of the second movie.
Speaking Voice: Ming-Na (Original Film, sequel), Singing Voice: Lea Salonga (Original Film, sequel)
Based on both E.D Baker's 2002 novel The Frog Princess and The Brothers Grimm fairytale "Die Froschkonig", Tiana is the heroine of the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog” and is the first Princess of African-American decent. She dreams of opening her own restaurant through hard work. By kissing Prince Naveen in frog form, she is turned into a frog (because the magic can only be broken by a princess) and they are forced to set on a journey to find a way to undo the magic. Eventually, she finds herself falling for the handsome, but spoiled prince and willingly sacrifices her own humanity to be with him. By marrying the prince, Tiana becomes a real princess and so breaks the spell with a kiss. They have their own restaurant at the end of the film.
Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Anika Noni Rose (Original Film)
The heroine from the animated feature "Tangled" is loosely based on the German title character from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Rapunzel". Her long hair, which is said to measure 70 feet in length, not only has magical healing powers, but can be used as a weapon. Given the power by a magic golden flower, Mother Gothel kidnaps her as an infant to use her power to keep herself young. 18 years later, Rapunzel sneaks away from her tower with a thief, Flynn Rider, and sets on her own journey to find the flying lanterns that float into the sky every year on her birthday. To free her from Gothel's clutches, Flynn cuts her hair, thus destroys her power, and she is returned to her family. Rapunzel was to be "officially welcomed into the Disney Princess Royal Court" during a promotional event at Kensington Palace in London on October 2, 2011.
Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Mandy Moore
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