Every Disney Princess Singing Voice: RANKED

Magic mirror on the wall, who is the most high-pitched of them all? That would be Adriana Caselotti, of course. She was a fantastic choice for Snow White, who is still the youngest princess today at just 14 years old. Walt Disney, during casting, was apparently looking for a voice that sounded, quote: “kind of away from every day… kind of off in another world”. Well, mission accomplished. Snow White’s song at the beginning of the movie is all kinds of ethereal and that’s largely in part due to Caselotti’s performance. It seems distinct and eccentric today but, for 1930s animation, it feels right on par.

This is the point where you pause the video and head straight to the comments. Hear us out before you do that. Raya doesn’t actually have a full song to herself, but there is a brief moment where she sings. And, considering that she’s now the thirteenth official princess, it felt remiss to exclude her. The moment comes when she’s summoning Sisu, the last surviving dragon. She recounts a short passage in her native language, what is reportedly a conlang created by David J. Peterson. Raya’s voice is soft and just really pleasant to listen to; we would have loved to hear a full solo.

With a bright tone that sort of makes it sound like Paige O’Hara is always smiling behind the mic, Belle has the kind of singing that’s just really enjoyable overall. She’s a bit less mid-Atlantic and a bit more modern-sounding, though that transitory period is still obvious when we compare her to newer Disney women. This is especially obvious in “Something There”, where we hear her hit high notes in an operatic way, as opposed to lower notes where she sounds softer and more natural. Unfortunately, with all the accompaniment in her opening track plus the duet later on, Belle never actually gets a solo entirely to herself.

Regardless of what you think about the Disney-Pixar merge, at least one good thing came of it: Merida is finally getting the recognition she deserves. As the official eleventh member of the Disney Princess line-up, she certainly belongs to the newer generation of princesses who are less concerned with finding love so much as they are chasing their dreams. While Merida doesn’t actually sing in her movie, Julie Fowlis is responsible for the beautiful number “Touch the Sky”. It’s supposed to be Merida’s off-screen musical thoughts so, while it’s not technically her own singing voice, it’s still meant to represent her inner dialogue. Fowlis’ voice is clear and bright, but also so full of personality, which makes for an absolutely stunning blend.

Okay, so yes, Aurora sounds much older than she is. But that doesn’t take away from the downright beauty of Mary Costa’s voice. Aurora delivers pure fairytale magic – we’re talking the old-timey stuff from storybooks. We’ll excuse Prince Phillip’s forwardness just this one time, because if we heard this voice singing in the forest, we’d be pretty entranced too. She has much more of an operatic register, very characteristic of her time, and it’s exactly what distinguishes her from the rest. We’re not sure if we believe in destiny or soulmates, but “Once Upon a Dream” definitely makes us want to.

Ilene Woods brought such a tranquil quality to both Cinderella’s speaking and singing voice. Even with that classic transatlantic accent characteristic of the time, she still manages to sound down to earth. Her delivery is right on par with a natural sort of elegance that makes her true princess material. This is best heard in “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and “So This Is Love”, where her tone is so dreamy and yet so refined. Woods was actually known for performing during World War II with Paul Whiteman and also had her own radio program before ever landing this role, so it’s not really surprising that her crooning was so spectacular.

Here’s a princess who actually has two different voice actresses. Irene Bedard is responsible for all of Pocahontas’ dialogue, though that was originally not the case. Broadway performer Judy Kuhn was initially hired to do both Pocahontas’ singing and dialogue, until they found a Native American actress – Irene Bedard – to take over the latter. Both women share rather similar tones, so the swap is not very noticeable unless you’re looking for it – or rather, hearing for it. In any case, Kuhn’s musical theater roots shine in “Just Around the Riverbend” and “Colors of the Wind”, and they’re two songs that are still super revered by Disney fans today.

Mandy Moore has a pretty unique voice as it is, but she also does a lot to enforce Rapunzel’s cinnamon roll pureness and true authenticity. Her sound is more in line with what we’ve come to expect from the newer generation of princesses. But, make no mistake, she was singing and acting long before she became Rapunzel. Moore brings heart, humor and, above all, passion to her character regardless of the dialogue or note. We get to hear her shine in three of the movie’s tracks and, honestly, it still doesn’t feel like enough. Luckily, “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure” introduces some new numbers to keep us satiated.

At just 15 years old Auliʻi Cravalho made headlines as the first Polynesian princess. Not only was it a step in the right direction for diversity and representation, but Cravalho could sing. For being so young, she stunned with powerful vocals and phenomenal projection. She was also about the same age as her character when she was first cast, which gave Moana an extra layer of believability. With a round, full voice, she has the kind of trill that could impress even the most cynical critic. It all makes her “I Want” number that much more convincing.

There’s no better way to describe Anika Noni Rose’s voice than the word ‘majestic’. It’s soulful and warm; the kind of voice that wraps us up in a hug and inspires us to follow our dreams. Rose is yet another actress with a musical theater background and it shows! Every note is exactly where it needs to be, with lows and highs alike wowing every single time. Rose also has incredible skill when it comes to trill and belting, as evidenced by that last note in “Almost There”. It’s always wonderful to hear a character’s personality reflected in their voice, and Tiana’s strength and elegance certainly is.

Jodi Benson’s Broadway experience is so palpable in “Part of Your World”. The song gives us chills every time we hear it and that’s largely owing to Benson’s performance. She manages to imbue so much emotion in every line, which is especially needed for this song as Ariel transitions from wonder to longing. Benson remains crisp and clear even as she transitions from vibrato to a sort of breathy excitement and back again. This is a woman who holds notes like a goddess. We’re not saying Ursula was right to take her voice, all we’re saying is that we kind of get it.

How skilled a singer do you have to be to voice not one, but two Disney princesses?! While the characters’ speaking voices are different, Lea Salonga is responsible for both “A Whole New World” and “Reflection”. Other than being a Disney legend, she’s also known for her roles as Éponine and Fantine in “Les Misérables” as well as Kim in “Miss Saigon”. That pretty much tells us everything we need to know. Interestingly, it’s not at first obvious that Mulan and Jasmine share a singing voice, which really only speaks to the unmatched brilliance of Salonga. With performances that are nothing short of angelic, few other talents come close.

Which Disney character, princess or otherwise, do you think has the best voice? Let us know in the comments.