Over the years,Disney has released many, many movies that turned into great classics. And in those movies, they featured characters of all sorts. However, it is safe to say that a large amount of Disney's popularity stems from one particular group of characters that stands out from the rest: princesses. Not only are they the company's most distinctive characters, but they are also the ones that sell the most merchandising. While each one of them has her own unique story and comes from a different background, there are many things theyhave in common, ranging from their love stories to theadorable animal sidekicks that always keep them company.
Fortunately, as the world has evolved,so have Disney princesses, who turned into the heroines of their own tales and no longer need to be saved by men. Characters like Merida and Moana, for instance, are an inspiration for girls and boys around the world. However, in spite of all these changes, there is one thing that still remains unaltered: Disney's rules for defining which characters are entitled to a princess status and which ones are not. Surprisingly, being a princess in their own movies is not enough; there are some other requirements that exclude many characters from this list, resulting in a line-up of 13 official princesses.
Update October 16, 2023: In honor of Disney's 100th Anniversary Celebration, this article has been updated by Samuel Cormier with even more material about the official rules for being a Disney Princess and what will come next in the company's future.
What Makes a Disney Princess?
For a female Disney character to be considered an official princess, she must meet certain requirements (as outlined byScreen Rant). For starters, the character must play a central role in a Disney or Pixar film and must not be introduced in a sequel. At the same time, she must be royal by birth or marriage or do a heroic deed, as was the case with Mulan. She must be human or human-looking, as is the case with Ariel inThe Little Mermaid, and be appealing and recognizable to the audience. Last but not least, the film in which this character is featured must neither be a flop nor an absolute hit.
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While these are the official requirements, several other rules emerged over the years, albeit they are not considered official. Among them, it is established that all princesses are typically escorted by an animal sidekick, are innately skilled at communicating with animals, and are beautiful inside and out. The vast majority of them are also gifted singers, except for Merida and Raya, both of whom do not sing in their films, therefore, it is unknown. Considering Disney's requirements, the list of official princesses comprises Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Moana, and Raya.
Tinker Bell, Esmeralda, and Jane: Three Princesses Dropped From the List
The list of official princesses kept changing over time, mainly because new characters were added to the list as new movies emerged. Still, three princesses were removed from it in 2005: Tinker Bell, Esmeralda, and Jane Porter. The reasons why they made the list in the first place are not entirely clear since they are neither main characters in their films nor do they have royal heritage.
Indeed, Tinker Bell is Peter Pan's sidekick and does not even speak in the movie. However, despite the reasons that got them on the list in the first place, they were eventually stripped of their title as official princesses for different reasons. In Esmeralda's case, the reason was that the sales ofThe Hunchback of Notre Dameproducts were not going as Disney had hoped, and the character was not as popular with the audience. Tinker Bell's situation was quite different because she was removed so that she could star in her own franchise known asDisney Fairies. Finally, Jane Porter probably lost her place because her dress color and design were too similar to Belle's.
Anna and Elsa: Too Popular To Be Official
Frozen'sAnna and Elsa's omission from the list of official Disney princesses has drawn a lot of attention from the audience. There are plenty of reasons why they should make this list, starting with the fact that they are both royalty by birth, although, by the end ofFrozen 2, they each hold a Queen title. They are both human, beautiful inside and out, and with a gorgeous singing voice. And while they have no animal sidekick, Olaf fills the role of their faithful companion.
Where the Original Disney Princess Stars Are Today
Princesses are among Disney's most iconic characters. This is what the original actresses who voiced them are up to these days.
However, the reason why Anna and Elsa are not part of the group of official Disney princesses is quite simple: they are extremely popular on their own, so they both have been given their own franchise, which also features the otherFrozencharacters.Frozen as a brand name is so strong that they do not need to be lumped into the Disney Princess brand. In spite of this, the two are often associated with the other Disney princesses, which is why they were given the title of Honorary Official Disney Princesses. This is why they were included in the Ralph Breaks the Internet scene with the official Disney Princesses.
Heroines Without a Title
Despite being so popular, princesses only represent a small percentage of Disney's notable female characters. Apart from this group, there are many other Disney heroines who became highly sought-after characters and, for different reasons, did not make it to the list of official princesses. These include those who are neither human nor humanoid in form, such as Nala fromThe Lion King, or those whose films were box-office or critical failures, such as Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Heroines may also not qualify if they are from a Disney television series, like Kim Possible, or if they do not have their own cinematic movie, like Elena of Avalor. As well,female leads fromStar Wars or Marvel cannot become Official Princesses because they are from a company acquired by Disney. Some characters are also out of the running since they were created in a foreign country (including characters from European Disney comics).
Some of Disney's most successful female characters with no official princess titles are Minnie Mouse, Princess Sophia, Mirabel, and Jessie fromToy Story. Among them is also Giselle fromEnchanted, who came very close to being included in the official list. However, since she was played by Amy Adams in the live-action portion of the movie, Disney decided to leave her out since it would mean paying royalties to the actress for any merchandise they sold of her.
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Selling an incredible amount of merchandise, Alice from Alice in Wonderland could also have qualified; however, it seems that she may be a bit too young and chaotic to appear alongside the other princesses. Megara from Hercules was also considered, but fans speculate that she may be a bit too sensual for children and not have a completely pure heart.
The next official Disney princess?
In September 2022, Disney revealed that they wereworking on a new film to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company:Wish. Set to be released this November,Wishis centered around the concept of the shooting star, an iconic Disney symbol throughout the years.From the trailer, the viewer learns that Asha, a young woman living in the Kingdom of Rosas, one night makes a wish to the stars, and one of them falls to earth to accompany her in her quest for unity and fairness.
The character has a positive and fearless attitude, as well as an adorable sidekick (and there is even a cute little goat, too). While she is not a princess by blood, merely an apprentice under the King, she will hopefully make it on the list if she succeeds in bringing light back to her world. Asha will be the first Disney heroine to appear in both 2D and 3D animation in the same movie and the second Black Official Disney Princess alongside Tiana.
The Disney Princess brand is certainly one of Disney's most popular, one that is part of the company's year legacy. Disney has already brought many of them tolive-action with remakes of their classic Princess films, and with the state of the industry crossing over various properties, it seems like only a matter of time before they get an Avengers-style team-up movie. It is certain that as the years go on, the lineup will grow over time. There is a lot to look forward to in the next 100 years.
