Disney Princess

The Disney Princesses are fictional characters that feature in the Disney Princess franchise. The character list has varied since the creation of the franchise, but Princesses Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas and Mulan have most consistently been included. A new addition, Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, has been made in 2009, making her the first princess of African decent.

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.

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 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. (See: Disney Princes).

Snow White
The character of Snow White first originated in a Brothers Grimm fairytale about a beautiful princess with a jealous step-mother. In 1937, Walt Disney turned this classic fairytale into his very first animated feature film. Snow White is the daughter of a king, who re-married a manpiulative and cruel woman. This woman hated Snow White, because she wanted to be the fairest in the land. As long as Snow White was alive, this title went to the princess. After her step-mother tries to have her killed, Snow White runs away and lives in a cottage with seven little dwarfs. Her step-mother finds out that she is still alive, and using dark magic, poisons an apple and changes her own appearance. In disguise, she goes to the cottage and gives Snow White the poisoned apple. The apple, however, does not kill her; it merely puts her to sleep until the Prince wakes her with his kiss.

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.

Aurora
Best known as the heroine of the 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty.

Ariel
Daughter of King Triton ruler of the sea, 16 year old mermaid Ariel falls in love with a dashing prince named Eric who just happens to be human. Ariel then had a daughter with Eric, Melody, in the 2000 straight-to video film The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Disney remade the fairytale of The Little Mermaid in 1989.

Belle
Commoner who is the heroine of the 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast, her name is translated from the French word for "beauty".

Jasmine
The Princess of Agrabah, she marries the title character in 1992's Aladdin.

Pocahontas
The Disney Pocahontas character is based on the real-life Indian princess.

Mulan
Mulan is a brave Chinese heroine who goes to war in place of her father but is not royal but it is rumored that she is adopted because she does not resembles her father, mother, grandmother, or her anseters so it could be that her real family is royal but if she was adopted or not is a mystery.

Tiana
Tiana is the heroine of the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog,” and will be the first Princess of African-American decent.

Rapunzel
The self-titled heroine of the 2010 animated film.

Guest Characters
Other Disney characters have gueststarred alongside the eight above princesses in various Disney Princess products. In addition to those mentioned above, Giselle, the heroine of the 2007 live action/animated film Enchanted is considered an "honorary princess" by Disney.
 * Princess Collection 2: Songs by Maid Marion, Nala, and Megara are included.
 * Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Once Upon a Dream: Sing along segments by Princess Minnie, Megara, and Mei, Ting-Ting, and Su are included.
 * Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Enchanted Tea Party: Sing along segments by Alice, Maid Marion, and Melody are included.
 * Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Perfectly Princess: Sing along segments by Alice and Melody are included.

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 a return in 2009.

External link

 * Official Disney Princess site
 * Disney Princess Toys at Toys R Us
 * Disney Princess Toys at Characters n Toons