The Evolution of the Disney Princess
Snow White
Debut: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Likes: woodland creatures, cooking and cleaning, singing
Must Overcome: an evil stepmother who is jealous of her beauty
Rescued By: a handsome prince who awakens her from a cursed sleep with a love-conquers-all kiss
What do the Critics have to say?
"Snow White it, truth to tell, a bit of a bore, not a character who acts but one whose mere existence inspires others to act." -Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Snow White is the embodiment of girlish sweetness and kindness, exemplified in her love for the birds and the small animals of the woods that are her friends and, as it subsequently develops, her rescuers." -John C. Flinn Sr., Variety
Cinderella
Debut: Cinderella (1950)
Likes: singing while cleaning, mice
Must Overcome: an evil stepmother and two evil stepsisters who are jealous of her beauty
Rescued By: a handsome prince who loves her for her beauty
What do the Critics say?
"Of all the Disney princesses, she's the one who seems to well and truly lack any other element to her personality besides 'wants to be in love with a prince.' That, and she wants to wear a pretty dress." -Tim Brayton, Antagony and Ecstasy
"The beautiful Cinderella has a voluptuous face and form - not to mention an eager disposition - to compare with Al Capp's Daisy Mae." -Bosely Crowther, New York Times
Aurora
Debut: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Likes: spinning wheel spindles, singing and dancing, power naps
Must Overcome: unconsciousness at the hand of an evil fairy
Rescued By: a handsome prince who awakens her from a cursed sleep with a love-conquers-all kiss
What do the Critics say?
"Sleeping Beauty, also known as Princess Aurora, is forgettable even among Disney dolls..." -Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
"The princess looks so much like Snow White they could be a couple of Miss Rheingolds separated by three or four years. And she has the same magical rapport with the little creatures of the woods." -Bosley Crowther, New York Times
What Makes a Disney Princess?
Ariel
Debut: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Likes: swimming to the ocean surface, being rebellious, collecting human artifacts, singing
Must Overcome: a controlling, narrow-minded father who forbids her from contact with humans (and later, the evil sea witch who steals her voice)
Rescued By: she pretty much rescues herself, and convinces her father to give her legs (side note: she rescues her love interest at the beginning of the movie)
What do the Critics say?
"The heroine, a mermaid named Ariel, is even capable of wit, which is more than could ever be said of Snow White or Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella." -Janet Maslin, New York Times
"It's unlikely, for example, that many young kids will identify with Ariel's feelings of disenchantment and longing for another world because, frankly, she doesn't have much personality." -Hal Hinson, Washington Post
A look at how the "princess" ideal has slowly evolved, mirroring societal change,
Belle
Debut: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Likes: reading, singing, walking through town
Must Overcome: her "blah" provincial life and the affections of the local meathead
Rescued By: rescues her prince and herself, by falling in love with the Beast
What do the Critics say?
"Belle is strong-willed, independent, and smart." -James Berardinelli, Reelviews
"The heroine, Belle, isn't insipid and Barbie-doll cute the way the Little Mermaid was. She's a more worldly girl than Ariel, a bookworm, with gumption and a mind of her own." -Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Pocahontas
Debut: Pocahontas (1995)
Likes: nature, singing, canoeing, old trees
Must Overcome: an arranged marriage and imminent war between her tribe and white settlers
Rescued By: herself. She rescues her "prince" from execution and prevents the war, as well as remaining with her tribe instead of moving to England with her love interest
What do the Critics say?
"Pocahontas is one of the most interesting Disney heroines: she begins the movie by disrespecting her father's wishes to marry and have children, and ends it by deciding that there are more important things than having a man by whom to define herself, and for both these reasons the film praises her." -Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
"Pocahontas is unlike any other Disney heroine in many ways, the most striking distinction being an unabashed sensuousness." -Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Tiana
Debut: The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Likes: cooking, singing, working hard
Must Overcome: being a frog, saving money to buy and open her own restaurant
Rescued By: herself. She rescues her prince and magically returns to human form AFTER she is married
What do the Critics say?
"Tiana is a girl growing up in New Orleans...She's a hard worker, a Disney heroines for this time and place, a slinger of pancakes and a baker of beignets." -Laremy Legel, Film.com
"Tiana is a hard-headed heroine who works hard and displays a focus and drive - aimed at opening her own restaurant - hitherto entirely lacking from Disney princesses." -Helen O'Hara, Empire Magazine
Jasmine
Mulan
Debut: Mulan (1998)
Likes: cross-dressing, fighting, singing, dragons
Must Overcome: ancient China's rigid gender role system, the Huns
Rescued By: herself. She rescues her father from enlistment, her love interest from an avalanche, and the emperor of China from the Huns
What do the Critics say?
"Although she looks different from Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, and Pocahontas, Mulan is very much the same type of individual: a woman with a strong, independent streak who is unwilling to bend to the customs of her culture, which decree that the role of the female is to be ornamental." -James Berardinelli, ReelViews
"Mulan is a strong, engaging character who, unlike many of her Disney counterparts, needs no one to rescue her from danger." -Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Debut: Aladdin (1992)
Likes: tigers, carpets, slumming it, large earrings, boys from the other side of the track, midriffs
Must Overcome: an arranged marriage
Rescued By: her true love Aladdin, the wily street rat who wins Jasmine's heart despite his poverty and near-constant dishonesty
What do the Critics say?
"While Jasmine is not quite so liberated as Belle, she is advanced considering that she lives in the Dark Ages...She is waiting for her prince to come, but he must be a man with both looks and character." -Rita Kempley, Washington Post
"Princess Jasmine is the most full-bodied (in every sense) of the new Disney heroines..." -Ty Burr, Entertainment Weekly
Rapunzel
Debut: Tangled (2010)
Likes: painting, singing, brushing her hair, hitting people with frying pans
Must Overcome: an evil "mother" who refuses to let her experience the outside world
Rescued By: herself, and saves her love interest from death
What do the Critics say?
"Rapunzel is given a sharp wit and intelligent concerns; she doesn't sound like a nattering teen-ager." -Bruce Diones, The New Yorker
"But Rapunzel isn't a terrified, cowering girl. She's naive but plucky, and handy with a frying pan which she uses to knock out an intruder." -Roz Laws, Birmingham Post
Merida
Debut: Brave (2012)
Likes: archery, riding her horse, climbing
Must Overcome: her mother's wish for her to be a lady and to get married
Rescued By: Herself. No love interest at all.
What do the Critics say?
"Another issue is that the lead character, the wild, arrow-shooting, red-headed Princess Merida, is more of a brat than a spunky, strong-willed girl." -James Berardinelli, ReelViews
"Crowned with a waterfall of magnificent coppery curls glinting like Irn-Bru, plucky, exasperated Merida is a modern girl in an ancient world (i.e. she won't marry some local snottling." -Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine
Important Facts about Disney Princesses
Based on a study done by students at the University of Connecticut, there are several characteristics that are common to most or all of the Disney princesses:
1) Certainty, assertiveness, and affectionate behavior
2) Risk taking, being helpful, and thinking or doing something intellectual
3) Cooperative, nurturing, tending to their physical appearance, and troublesome
4) Domestic work and time spent interacting with animals
In addition to that, seven of the eleven princesses were brought up in single-parent homes (Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Rapunzel), three have both their parents (Mulan, Tiana, and Merida), and one (Aurora) was raised by three women.
Most were also born into royalty (with the exceptions of Cinderella, Belle, Mulan, and Tiana).
Of those born into royalty, only two do not know their true identity (Aurora and Rapunzel).
All Disney princesses share a certain amount of rebelliousness towards authority or societal expectations of them.
YouTube Video
This is a very short documentary of the influences on the creation of each of the Disney princesses from Snow White (1937) to Tiana (2009).