Disney Princess

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 line-up has varied since the creation of the franchise; Princesses Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Fa Mulan, Tiana and Rapunzel.

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.

History
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". 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.

Character Background
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 debut film; the male counterparts known as "Disney Princes". These charismatic girls carry a similar personality in their eras, in the beginning with the first three (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora), their characteristics were well known as classy, girly, and romantic daydreamers and were all pushed around by others, but Cinderella had more spunk. After the renaissance era these popular heroines had more of a modern touch for Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan. Their characteristics were known to be strong-willed, adventurous, feisty, cunning and determined. As well their goals were more on adventure and freedom than love, these girls were more fighters for their dreams than the first three. The latest ones: Tiana and Rapunzel are in their modern era; Tiana, an original character, is much more a realist than the others, she doesn't want magic to make a dream come true but with only hard work. And Rapunzel, who is much like the idealistic ones than to Tiana.

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 and Tiana become royalty by marriage. Mulan is the only Disney princess who does not become royalty by blood or marriage, but she does, however, receive a grace of honor from the Emperor of China making her the only woman to ever do so.

Snow White


The character of Snow White first originated in a Brothers Grimm fairytale "Schneewittchen" 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. She is the youngest princess, being about 14 during the film's events.

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Adriana Caselotti (Original Film), Mary Kay Bergman (80's and 90's merchandise), Carolyn Gardner (2000-2010, Kingdom Hearts series, House of Mouse and others), and Katherine Von Till (2011-present).

Live-Action Reference Model: Marge Champion.

Cinderella
The best-known version of Cinderella is the fairytale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault in 1697. 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. She is often considered the "Leader of the Disney Princesses."

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Ilene Woods (Original Film), Jennifer Hale (Speaking, sequels, House of Mouse, Kingdom Hearts series; Currently), and Tami Tappan Damiano (Singing, sequels).

Live-Action Reference Model: Helene Stanley.

Aurora


Best known as the heroine of the 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty which 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 apparances), Erin Torpey (Speaking, various appearances 2005-2007), and Cassidy Ladden (Singing various appearances).

Live-Action Reference Model: Helene Stanley.

Ariel


The heroine of the 1989 film, loosely based on the Danish fairytale "Den Lille Havfrue" 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 has always dreamt of life on land. 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. However, Ursula was not who she seemed. 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. The co-directer, Ron Clemets, changed the original character (from Hans Christian Andersen tale), seeing her as 'too tragic'; resulting in Ariel. It is known that, Ariel is the only princess and one of few Disney Heroines to be a mother.

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Jodi Benson.

Live-Action Reference Model: Sherri Stoner.

Belle


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" abridged version 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 princess. Though, her princess hood is only technical since she never marries the Beast. Belle's prince (the beast) is named Adam.

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Paige O'Hara (Original Film, sequels, Kingdom Hearts series, various others 1991-2011), Jodi Benson (House of Mouse) and Julie Nathanson (2011-present).

Live-Action Reference Model: Sherri Stoner.

Jasmine


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 Princess Badroulbadour (Arabic بدر البدور, badru l-budūr, "full moon of full moons") featured in the story of "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp" from "1001 Arabian Nights". Interestingly, the original story took place in China, and not the Middle East.

Speaking Voice: Linda Larkin (Original Film, sequels, House of Mouse, TV series, Kingdom Hearts series various others).

Singing Voice: Lea Salonga(Original Film) and Liz Callaway (sequels).

Pocahontas


Disney's Pocahontas is loosely based on the real-life Native American princess whose name was Matoaka (Pocahontas was her nickname and meant 'Little Mischief'). 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).

Mulan


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"(花木蘭傳奇) 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).

Tiana


Partly inspired from E.D Baker's 2002 novel The Frog Princess, 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.

Rapunzel


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 "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.

Expected Future Princesses
Princesses who are expected to join the Disney Princess line-up but must wait until they either make the cut or not.

Guest Characters
Other Disney characters have guest starred alongside the ten above princesses in various Disney Princess products.
 * Princess Collection 2: Songs by Maid Marian, Nala and Megara are included.
 * Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Once Upon a Dream: Sing along segments by Princess Minnie Mouse, Megara, and Ting-Ting, Su and Mei are included.
 * Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Enchanted Tea Party: Sing along segments by Alice, Maid Marian and Melody are included.
 * Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Perfectly Princess: Sing along segments by Alice and Melody are included.
 * Once Upon A Princess: Volume 1: A story book segment by Esmeralda is included.
 * Disney Princess Doll Figurines: Esmeralda is included.
 * Disney Princess: "It's not Just Make Believe" Music Video: Alice and Melody are included.

Unofficial Princess list
Disney heroines and actual Princesses that have been included in some material but are not official Disney Princesses.
 * Minnie Mouse
 * Daisy Duck (Daisy Duck has portrayed a princess)
 * Faline (Bambi)
 * Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
 * Wendy Darling (Peter Pan)
 * Tinker Bell (Peter Pan, was originally part of the lineup, but was eventually dropped)
 * Maid Marian (Robin Hood)
 * Eilonwy (The Black Cauldron)
 * Nala (The Lion King)
 * Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
 * Megara (Hercules)
 * Kiara (The Lion King II: Simba's Pride)
 * Jane Porter (Tarzan)
 * Melody (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea)
 * Jane (Peter Pan) (Return to Never Land)
 * Kida (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
 * Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)
 * Ting-Ting, Su and Mei (Mulan II)
 * Giselle (Enchanted)
 * Kilala Reno (Kilala Princess)
 * Vanellope von Schweetz (Wreck-It Ralph)
 * Sofia (Sofia the First)

Mickey’s Pirate and Princess Party
Begining on January 22, 2007, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World hosted their newest hard ticket (separate admission) event, “Disney’s Pirate and Princess Party”, renamed “Mickey’s Pirate and Princess Party” in 2008. The event combines the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction and movie series and the Disney Princess line, and cosplaying as both pirates and royalty is encouraged. Visitors can have meet and greets with characters from both franchises, as well as the other classic characters dressed as buccaneers and royals, and take part in various activities. Other features include a new parade, the “Disney’s Enchanted Adventures Parade” and the “Magic, Music and Mayhem” fireworks spectacular. Because the event has become so popular, Pirate and Princess events has become an annual hard-ticket staple with dates into August and September of 2007 and January through June of 2008.

Trivia

 * The ages of the Princesses are somewhat ambiguous, save for a few canon remarks by their film's makers (although a few get their age adressed in-universe). For now, their ages rank as follows; Snow White is 14 (canon), Cinderella is 17-19, Aurora is 16 (canon), Ariel is 16 (canon) and (during Kingdom Hearts II), Belle is 17, Jasmine is 15 (Canon) but turns 16 at the end of the film, Pocahontas is 15-18, Mulan is 16 (Canon) then 17 in second film, Tiana is 19 (canon) and Rapunzel is 18 (canon).
 * Out of the ten Disney Princesses, only five of them are royal by birth; Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine and Rapunzel. Cinderella, Belle and Tiana become princesses by marrying a prince, and Pocahontas is the daughter of a Native-Indian chief. Mulan also isn't actually a princess (she is the daughter of a war hero) but she does however receive a grace of honor from the Emperor of China who is royalty making her the only woman to ever do so. Pocahontas and Mulan are included in the princess line-up because of their high status and significant acts of heroism in their films.
 * Kida from the film Atlantis, who is the daughter of the emperor of Atlantis, and Eilonwy from The Black Cauldron are the only actual born Princesses not to be officially part of the Disney Princess line.
 * Conversely, Tinker Bell is the only princess to actually be dropped from the official lineup, she was originally considered as an official member during the franchise's early years.
 * Snow White is the only Disney Princess with short hair, all the rest have either long or shoulder-length hair, some of which are sometimes tied in a bun. Mulan had to cut hers short to be a soldier and Rapunzel had her hair cut off which changed it to brown by Eugene.
 * Kairi is the only Princess of Heart instead of a Disney Princess.
 * Ariel is the only Princess to be a Mythical Creature. All of the others are humans.
 * Tiana is the only Princess to be an animal (in her case, a frog, but only temporarily).
 * The Princesses made their LEGO Duplo debut in 2012.
 * Only five of the official Princesses are Princesses of Heart (Snow White, Jasmine, Belle, Cinderella and Aurora) in Kingdom Hearts.
 * Alice is the only unofficial Princess to be a Princess of Heart in Kingdom Hearts.
 * Though Ariel and Mulan appear in Kingdom Hearts, they aren't Princesses of Heart, but two of your allies.
 * Pocahontas, Tiana and Rapunzel have not been featured in any of the latest Kingdom Hearts series yet.
 * Cinderella and Pocahontas are the only Disney Princesses that didn't have their antagonists killed in their movies.
 * Currently, Snow White and Tiana are the only two Disney Princesses that don't have sequels to their movies.
 * Princess Snow White, Aurora and Ariel, are at the same time, royal by blood and marriage.
 * Out of ten Disney Princesses, only five were seen wearing tiaras/royal crowns in their film. They are Aurora, Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel and Ariel. Although in the new promotional photos of the Disney Princess, each princess is seen wearing tiaras.
 * Mulan and Tiana are the only Princesses to kill the main antagonist in their respective films; all other villains either were not killed, killed by accident or killed by allies.
 * Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Pocahontas, Mulan and Rapunzel are the only princesses to get their names from their original stories.
 * Snow White and Cinderella are the only two orphaned Princesses.
 * Half of the Princesses (Snow White, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan and Tiana) have brown eyes (though in different shades, Pocahontas' and Mulan's eyes are darker), but this is due to four of them being of different ethnicities, which all have brown eyes. Snow White is the only Caucasian princess that has brown eyes. Cinderella and Ariel are the only two Princesses to have blue eyes, Aurora the only one with violet eyes, Belle with hazel eyes, and Rapunzel with green eyes. However, most of the female human characters (including unofficial members) are all depicted with blue eyes.
 * The same five Princesses that have brown eyes also have black hair, while none of the other five have black hair.
 * With the exception of Belle, Ariel and Kida, none of the princesses ever become queens. This is because in order for a princess to become a queen, either the princess'/prince's parents must both be dead by the time they marry, and/or she ends up marrying a non-royal male. However, King Triton is still alive after The Little Mermaid, while both the Queen of Atlantis and Kashekim Nedakh are dead by the end of Atlantis (the former was sacrificed by the Crystal in the prologue, while the latter was murdered by Rourke, combined with Kida marrying Milo).
 * Pocahontas and Mulan are the only Princesses to not originate from the traditional fairy tales.
 * They are also the least popular princesses in the official line-up since they rarely appear in any merchandise let alone several group shots.
 * All of the Princesses have at least one animal sidekick: Snow White has various forest animals; Cinderella has various mice (including Jaq and Gus) and birds, as with Major the horse and Bruno the bloodhound; Aurora has her fairies, birds, and squirrels; Ariel has Flounder the fish, Sebastian the crab, and Scuttle the seagull, Belle has Philippe the horse, Jasmine has Rajah the tiger, Pocahontas has Meeko the raccoon, Flit the hummingbird, and eventually Percy the pug (originally owned by Governor Ratcliffe); Mulan has Mushu the dragon, Cri-Kee the cricket, and Khan the horse; Tiana has Louis the alligator and Ray the firefly (in all appearance after the film's events she now only has the former as the latter is now already dead); and Rapunzel has Pascal the chameleon and Maximus the horse.
 * All princesses sing their film's theme songs expect for Belle who doesn't sing the title song from her film. Mrs Potts sings it instead.
 * At least one horse has appeared in each one of their films.
 * None of the Princesses ever make eye contact with each other whenever they are seen together.
 * Five out of the Disney Princesses have danced with their respective love interest, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Tiana. Snow White, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan and Rapunzel did not. The Kingdom Dance would not could as a dance between Rapunzel and Flynn for they only end up with each other at the dance's end.
 * Some of the Disney Princesses have appeared in the ABC series Once Upon a Time, with the series centering on Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White who has to break a curse. The ABC Studios is owned by Disney and therefore they have rights to the princesses. Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Aurora and Mulan have appeared so far in Seasons 1 & 2. Ariel, Jasmine and Rapunzel have yet to featured. Pocahontas most likely will not be featured on Once Upon a Time since her story is based on actual events. Tiana also might not appear since her story takes place in New Orelans during the 1920s.
 * An easy way to remember the Princesses' names to by saying the sentence, "Snow White came(Cinderella) skipping back (Sleeping Beauty(Aurora)) again (Ariel) before (Belle) just (Jasmine) picking (Pocahontas) more (Mulan) tulips (Tiana) and roses (Rapunzel)."
 * The first eight Princesses were once represented as elements on a periodic table at a candy store at Downtown Disney in Orlando, FL.
 * Though Vanellope is revealed to be the princess of Sugar Rush from Wreck-It Ralph, she is not included in the Disney Princess (and decided to become its president instead).
 * Jasmine is the only Princess to not be the main protagonist of her movie.
 * Unless there was an official coronation in the film, proclaiming the princess as a queen and not an official princess in the FILM, none of the Disney Princesses are queens, except Kida from Atlantis.