Disney Princess
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Disney Princesses are fictional characters who have been featured as part of the Disney character line-up. However, usually only one Disney Princess has appeared in each Disney animated film. The main six are: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, all of whom have royal title by marriage or birth. Recently, Mulan and Pocahontas have been included as princesses, despite having neither character being a "real" princess (Pocahontas, however, is referred to as a princess in Pocahontas II, and could be considered a princess given that she is the chieftain's daughter).[1] Also, Disney announced that their 2009 animated feature The Frog Princess will feature Princess Maddy, the first black princess to join the ranks of Disney Princesses.[2]
Despite each being from different films, all the Princesses have distinct similarities. All of them are leads in their respective movies (with the exception of Princess Jasmine), all have the ability to communicate with animals (displaying a sign of goodness towards all creatures), all have beautiful singing voices, and all have a love interest that is resolved at the end of their movies. The first three (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora) are victims of misfortune until their happy endings; the others (whose movies were created in the late 20th century) have strong personas and seek adventure in the unknown world. Unsurprisingly, all of the Princesses are known for their beauty in both their movies and the real world.
The Walt Disney Company has released dolls, sing-along videos, and miniature doll castles featuring the Disney Princesses.
The Disney Princesses are also featured in the Fantasmic! Nighttime Show Spectacular in Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studios.
Apart from them but not featured in any books and videos, there are Disney Princes who are the husbands of most of the princesses.
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[edit] 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".[3] She now stars in her own Disney franchise, the Disney Fairies.
[edit] Character list
[edit] Canon Disney Princesses
- Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
- Cinderella (Cinderella)
- Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
- Princess Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
- Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
- Princess Jasmine (Aladdin)
- Pocahontas (Pocahontas)[1]
- Mulan (Mulan)[1]
- Princess Maddy (The Frog Princess)[4]
 Snow White and her prince |
 Cinderella and Prince Charming |
 Princess Aurora (Briar Rose, Sleeping Beauty) and Prince Phillip |
 Princess Ariel and Prince Eric |
 Belle and the transformed Beast |
 Princess Jasmine and Aladdin |
 Pocahontas and John Smith |
 Mulan and Shang |
 Princess Maddy |
[edit] Other Disney Princesses
On the Princess Collection 2 CD, songs by Meg (Hercules), Maid Marian (Robin Hood) and Nala (The Lion King) are included as well.
On the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Once Upon a Dream DVD, sing along segments with Princesses Mei, Ting-Ting, and Su (Mulan II) and Meg (Hercules) are included as well.
 Maid Marian and Robin Hood |
 Nala and Simba |
 Megara (Meg) and Hercules |
[edit] Original Songs
- If You Can Dream
- Where Dreams Begin
- Every Girl Can Be a Princess
[edit] Kingdom Hearts
In the Kingdom Hearts video game for Playstation 2, Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Jasmine are featured as five of the seven "Princesses of Heart", a term for young ladies with entirely pure hearts. Ariel, while featured in the game as an aid to Sora in battle when he visits her world, is not one of the Princesses of Heart. The other two Princesses of Heart are Alice from Alice in Wonderland and the original character Kairi.
In the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, Mulan is also a character in the game, as an aid in battle when Sora visits her world (like Ariel in the previous game). Ariel, Jasmine and Belle also make a return, though this time around Ariel is a plot object rather than an aid in battle, and Belle plays a much bigger and more prominent role in the story (unlike last time, she has her own world, and voice acting rather than just speaking through text).
Pocahontas is the only official Disney Princess that does not appear whatsoever in any of the Kingdom Hearts games.
A children's chapter book is currently in development about the Princesses of Heart. The Princesses of Heart in this book series are Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, and Snow White. The books feature a magical girl theme, combined with Kingdom Hearts elements. The leader of this magical girl group this time is Ariel, who can use a tiara to transform into her Princess form. She has to find the other four Princesses and defeat Maleficent to save Kingdom Hearts and her Twilight Universe.
[edit] Disney's Pirate and Princess Party
On January 22, 2007, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World began its first Pirate and Princess Party. This hard-ticketed event featured a new “Enchanted Adventures Parade" and a specially themed fireworks spectacular called "Magic, Music and Mayhem." The parade featured the six main Princesses attended by knights and dancers.
Each land was themed accordingly to a pirate or princess. Among the themed areas included Jasmine's Court in Adventureland, Ariel's Court in Fantasyland, and the Princess Pavilion in Mickey's Toon Town Fair. The princesses available for meet-n-greets were Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, and Pocahontas. The Magic Kingdom has scheduled 13 nights for this event.
[edit] Criticism
On December 24, 2006, Peggy Orenstein published, “What’s Wrong With Cinderella?” in the New York Times. In her article, Orenstein discussed her concerns about the effects of princess figures on young girls. Orenstein uses the Disney Princesses specifically to present many of her points.
Orenstein also notes the pervasive nature of Princess merchandise and that every facet of play has its princess equivalent. Orenstein references how “dirty kneed” Dora the Explorer became a princess in 2004, with merchandise released to commemorate the event. [5]
