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.

The character lineup has varied since the creation of the franchise, but 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.

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 begining 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, 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 list
The characters themselves, despite originally 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.

Snow White
The character of Snow White first originated in a Brothers Grimm fairytale 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 a nameless handsome prince, who breaks her slumber kiss sealed with a kiss of true love. She befriends the seven dwarfs during her stay at their cottage. She is the youngest of the disney princesses, being 14 years old.

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Adriana Caselotti (Original Film), Mary Kay Bergman (80's and 90's merchendise) Carolyn Gardner (Kingdom Hearts series, House of Mouse and others)

Cinderella
The best-known version of Cinderella is the fairytale by Charles Perrault in 1697, which was based on an earlier version by Giambattista Basile in 1634. In 1950, it was turned into an animated feature-length film by Walt Disney. 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. Cinderella is one of the oldest disney princesses, being about 16-19 years old.

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

Aurora
Best known as the German heroine of the 1959 animated classic ''Sleeping Beauty. '' She is 16 years old. Although her dress changes from blue to pink (thanks to two of her guardians, Merriweather and Flora) she is most commonly seen wearing pink. She was cursed at birth by an evil witch 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 the kiss of true love. 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 witch is defeated.

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Mary Costa (Original Film), Jennifer Hale (Speaking 2000-2005, 2007-present Kingdom Hearts series, various apperences), Erin Torpey (Speaking, various apperences 2005-2007) Cassidy Ladden (Singing various apperences)

Ariel
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)

Belle
French commoner who is the heroine of the 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast, 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.

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Paige O'Hara (Original Film, sequels, Kingdom Hearts series, various others), Jodi Benson (House of Mouse)

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.

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)

Pocahontas


Disney"s Pocahontas is 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)

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 the only Disney princess who is not royal by blood or marriage, but 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
Tiana is the heroine of the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog” and is the first Princess of 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)

Rapunzel
The German heroine of the 2010 animated film Tangled, which was to have been self titled. 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 her 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.

Speaking Voice and Singing Voice: Mandy Moore

Guest Characters
Other Disney characters have guest starred alongside the nine 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.

Unofficial Princess list
Disney heroines and actual Princesses that are not official Disney Princesses.
 * Minnie Mouse
 * Daisy Duck
 * Faline (Bambi)
 * Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
 * Wendy Darling (Peter Pan)
 * Tinker Bell (Peter Pan)
 * Maid Marian (Robin Hood)
 * Eilonwy (The Black Cauldron)
 * Calla (Adventures of the Gummi Bears)
 * Nala (The Lion King)
 * Kiara (The Lion King II: Simba's Pride)
 * Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
 * Megara (Hercules)
 * Jane Porter (Tarzan)
 * Melody (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea'')
 * Kida (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
 * Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)
 * Ting-Ting, Su, and Mei (Mulan 2)
 * Giselle (Enchanted)
 * Kilala Reno (Kilala Princess)

Mickey’s Pirate and Princess Party
Begining on January 22, 2007, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World hosted their newest hard ticket (seprate 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, January through June of 2008, and returned in 2009. There are no events scheduled for 2010 or 2011.

External link

 * Official Disney Princess site

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