The Evolution of Disney Animated Princesses

Whether they were the fairest one of all or wanted adventure in the great wide somewhere, there’s no limit to how far these ladies will go. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the Evolution of Animated Disney Princesses. For this essay, we’ll be looking not only at characters who are technically categorized as “princesses” in the Disney canon, but other female protagonists as well. While there’s plenty to discuss when it comes to the live-action adaptations of some of these stories, we’ll just be focusing on the animated originals here. “Someday My Prince Will Come” Walt Disney’s very first feature length animated film - and princess - “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was released in 1937, to much acclaim. Though groundbreaking from a technical perspective, and featuring a central female character, the story more or less unfolds around the titular Snow White. As a character, she’s agreeable and kind to everyone she meets - whether it’s a woodland creature or a suspicious hag - and is the perfect picture of feminine domesticity, taking care of the dwarfs and the housework while they’re off digging in a mine. She doesn’t take action of her own accord, though, acting as a passive participant, wishing for her true love to find her, and have her happily ever after. While this all seems incredibly dated now, it was perfectly in line with gender norms in the ‘30s. Though “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty” were released more than a decade after “Snow White”, in 1950 and 1959 respectively, the character traits of an ideal woman were still prevalent. Cinderella notably doesn’t start out as a princess, but carries out the housework yet again - though her housemates, her step-family, are decidedly less amicable than dwarfs. Ever the optimist, Cinderella indicates a desire to have a different life than the one in which she finds herself. Though we seem to understand more of how she thinks and feels, she’s rescued by magic in one way or another, ultimately fulfilled by a prince changing her fortune. Aurora is almost a secondary character in “Sleeping Beauty.” While a baby, she’s promised to a prince, then promptly cursed - through no fault of her own. As an adult, she barely has the chance to “wonder” whether she’ll find love and be whisked off her feet by a dream prince before she pricks her finger and falls asleep. Thankfully magic is on her side, and Prince Phillip - with the assistance of three Good Fairies - wakes her. We think of these three as the “classic” Disney princesses, and you may not have noticed that after “Sleeping Beauty” was released, Disney took a sharp turn in terms of the types of feature films they made. “Sleeping Beauty” was a box office failure, prompting the studio to focus on movies about animals rather than princesses. Not a Prize to Be Won Three decades later, we got our next “official” Disney princess when “The Little Mermaid” was released in 1989. Other Disney ladies in 30 years had some noble pedigrees, such as Maid Marian and Princess Eilonwy, but Disney’s difficult period of uncertainty was about to usher in what’s called the Renaissance. Unlike the princesses of the Golden and Silver Ages. Ariel had clear motivations - that had nothing to do with a man. She desperately wanted to experience life on land, and felt confined by her existence under the sea. She rebelled against her family, and was extremely assertive, exuding a certain confidence - if not some recklessness - in her own decisions. “The Little Mermaid” marked the beginning of another trifecta: the Alan Menken/Howard Ashman collaborations. With a background in musical theatre, Ashman brought the concept of the “I Want” song to the forefront, which replaced the “I Wish” song. Ultimately though, Ariel spends a chunk of the film without a voice. Her efforts end up becoming centered on a man - though she maintains a level of agency. She was willing to risk her entire life and abandon her family in order to be with Prince Eric. Though he’s handsome, likewise resistant to accepting others’ plans for him, Ariel’s motivations seem misguided. Just like the women who came before her, her romance goes from meeting to marriage in a matter of days. Ariel walked so Belle could run. “Beauty and the Beast” introduced a burgeoning feminist icon, who’s underestimated because of her beauty, but lets her intelligence shine through first and foremost. Belle is a bookworm who longs to escape her “provincial life” (sorry townspeople) and strives for bigger and better things. She solidly rejects Gaston and his positively primeval ways, seeing past his posturing for who he really is. She’s the one to do the rescuing, sacrificing her freedom to save her father from the Beast’s imprisonment. The problem is though, that Belle’s relationship with the Beast has lots of red flags. He essentially kidnaps her and holds her hostage initially, and many have described her falling for him as a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome. However, that does discount Belle’s choice in the matter, as well as the fact that she repeatedly stands up to the Beast, showing him how to be better, and worthy, of someone’s love. In 1992’s “Aladdin,” we met another princess who wasn’t happy with her lot in life, refusing the arranged marriage that’s being set up for her. Jasmine, like Ariel and even Belle, had a feisty personality. One thing that ties Jasmine and Ariel together is that they show characteristics of classic teenage rebellion, acting out against the lives others - i.e. men - want for them. Ultimately, the completion of the story is a happily ever after, or at least on their way to one - on a magic carpet and all. Additionally, while many credit Jasmine with being the first princess of color, there are a lot of racial issues in “Aladdin” that somewhat discredit the film from actually being progressive, such as a lighter skin tone for more “beautiful” and “good” characters. But as audiences would see in the coming years, Jasmine marked a shift towards princesses who didn’t all look the same. No More Crowns Things changed again in the mid ‘90s, with Disney moving away from the concept of a “princess” to focus on other female characters. While Nala isn’t the primary protagonist of “The Lion King”, she’s the voice of reason for Simba, and repeatedly puts him in his place when she feels he’s making irresponsible decisions. In rapid succession, we met Pocahontas in 1995. Like Jasmine before her, Pocahontas doesn’t want to marry the man who’s matched with her and wants to assert her ability to make independent decisions. Like earlier female characters however, she does end up risking much in her life for the man who she falls in love with, and her relationship with John Smith does drive her narrative - though importantly, she doesn’t go with him in the end. While theoretically, creating a Native American protagonist was progressive, the execution featured many racist stereotypes of native cultures, and was seen by some to encourage racism rather than condemn it. One only has to look at the true story of Pocahontas to realize that this was history with a Disney twist. The latter half of the ‘90s brought us Esmeralda, a female character taking charge of her sexuality, who did a lot of the rescuing, and who ultimately makes a choice who she wants to be with. “Hercules”’ Megara started out almost as a villain, assisting Hades in duping our central hero, but redeeming herself throughout. Those ladies were soon to be joined by a woman who’d “bring honor to us all.” Mulan is another character who’s lauded as a positive feminist portrayal. At its core, “Mulan” is about a girl who wants to help her family (and her country), and while she does fall in love along the way, romance is a mere subplot and isn’t her primary motivation. This was a significant departure for Disney, since even the seemingly independent princesses of years past had a prince and true love - kisses and all - at the crux of their narratives. “Almost There” It seemed like the days of Disney princesses may have been in the past for awhile. The turn of the millennium saw increased instability for the company due to risky story choices in the wake of other animation studios gaining traction. Disney did produce some female characters reminiscent of protagonists past, such as Jane Porter, Princess Kida, and even Giselle, almost a personified statement that Disney knew their older princesses were antiquated. In 2009, the House of Mouse returned to their tried and true formula of adapting classic fairy tales into animated films. “The Princess and the Frog” centered on Tiana, the first African-American Disney princess, which was a big step. Many were excited, but like Disney’s efforts in the past to address racial diversity, many consider this effort to be a flop. Like some of the earliest Disney princesses, Tiana possesses classic domestic skills like cooking and cleaning, which interestingly hadn’t been qualities of any of the princesses in more recent decades. Tiana did, however, challenge Disney’s signature “wishing upon a star” headon, showing the value of hard work, yet also learning the importance of balance - a message audiences could relate to. In another adaptation of a well-worn tale, 2010 brought us “Tangled”, which told the familiar story of Rapunzel, who is the epitome of a damsel in distress. Of course, Disney updated the story for the modern era and subverted the trope in an interesting way. While Rapunzel does still have a male rescuer like in the original story, she’s a very active participant in her escape. The romance between the two characters develops organically, isn’t the defining characteristic of their relationship, and doesn’t conclude with a marriage by the movie’s end. Rapunzel and Flynn work together as a sort of dynamic duo, making viewers realize that princesses don’t need to be left in the past. Disney seemed to be taking back its crown in the animation scape - and not just because they’d bought Pixar. 2012 saw them release 2 animated films due to this acquisition: “Brave” and “Wreck-It Ralph.” Pixar, who had really only had Princess Atta before, created their own princess who’d be considered among the ranks of Disney’s royalty: Merida. “Brave” featured an even more overtly feminist plotline than the other films of the era, with a heroine who competes against suitors for her own hand in marriage and ultimately changes the laws for the better. “Wreck-It Ralph” saw little Vanellope - who spent most of the film unaware she was a princess - make a friend and accept her uniqueness along the way. Progressive Future While Disney’s storylines had already been becoming increasingly progressive for decades, things really changed with “Frozen” in 2013. At first, it may seem like a return to a familiar formula, with princes and princesses and a love story or two. But if you’ve seen “Frozen”, you know any romance found along the way is something of an afterthought. In fact, the film even shows the perils of falling in love and trusting someone you hardly know (which so many princesses of years past did without a second thought). The surprise twist of the movie is that Prince Hans, the object of Anna’s affections, is actually the villain, and has been trying to take the throne for himself. The heart of the story is about sisterly love between Anna and Elsa. When we revisited the siblings in the 2019 sequel, this was still the underlying thread, with accepting and embracing oneself also coming to the forefront as a key message to convey to audiences. After “Frozen” came 2016’s “Zootopia” and “Moana.” Judy Hopps battled workplace and societal sexism and racism head-on, showing us a world not unlike our own. Moana was another princess of color, whose culture was treated with much more respect. The creators of the film did extensive consultations with expert advisors for historical and cultural accuracy; not to mention, much of the voice cast is actually Polynesian. Another salient feature of Moana’s character is her body type. Every other princess before her ranged from stick thin to ever so slightly curvy, but Moana appears as though she’s actually built for adventure and physical activity. We can’t say how Disney will continue to adapt to the times and portray their female characters moving forward. 2020’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” has us very optimistic, though, as it centers on an adventurous female warrior in a similar vein to Mulan and Moana. Whatever the future holds, all of these women prove that crafting role models is a responsibility, but an important one.