Who Is The Most Important Disney Princess in the Disney World? Disney’s signature princesses remain the lynchpin of the animation studios’ success. Since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs catapulted Walt Disney to global acclaim over 80 years ago, the world’s love for adventurous, beautiful, musical heroines hasn’t waned. With the new version of Mulan finally hitting (albeit small) screens this week via Disney+, there’s never been a better time to appreciate the huge cultural impact of Disney’s leading ladies. But who is the most important princess of them all?
Before drawing back the royal curtain, we’d like to point out that every Disney princess has admirable, teachable qualities, be it bravery, compassion, intelligence, resourcefulness, or – more likely – a combination of them all. 2018’s Ralph Breaks the Internet perfectly illustrates how each princess has unique skills to offer, which can be harnessed — and strengthened through teamwork, reminding us that sisterhood is everything — to triumph against almost all challenges.
In order for us to determine which princess is the most important, we’re going to explore the personal qualities that constitute the perfect Disney heroine, as well as their popularity and cultural impact. Oh, and by Royal Decree, we’re sticking to the official Disney Princess list – Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana – plus Anna and Elsa. If you think someone’s missing, take it up with Mickey.
Pioneer Women
The current Disney Princess lineup features a range of personalities, looks, cultures, and backstories. Young viewers have more chances of finding a Disney heroine to identify with than ever. That said, we need to recognize the princesses who broke significant barriers for the first time to make this possible.
Firstly, the 14-year-old who started it all – Snow White. While she might be seen as meek and mild by today’s standards, she set the world alight with her elegant big-screen debut. The main protagonist of the first ever feature-length animated film, Snow White was the star of not only the highest-grossing flick of 1938 but the most successful of all time – until Gone With the Wind came along a couple of years later. She proved that the Disney Princess formula worked, and set the standard for more female-centric fairytale retellings at the studio.
Continue Reading --> https://fandom.com.ng/who-is-the-most-important-disney-princess/While Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Belle each brought new dimensions to the princess role, Jasmine was the next in the lineup to break significant new ground. The first character of colour to join the canon, Jasmine opened up the possibility of non-white cultures being represented in Disney Princess films. She may not be the main protagonist of Aladdin, but Jasmine’s shrewdness, beauty, and natural leadership pave the way for Disney Princesses of colour to be taken seriously.
Jasmine �♂️✨
She’s sassy, shady, smart & she knew Aladdin was Prince Ali the whole time. He thought he was playing her but she was actually playing him. Rashad Hardrick on Twitter (http://pic.twitter.com/c8vt30SGe3)
— Rashad Hardrick (@_raSHADE_) August 29, 2020
Disney took another progressive step forward – perhaps later than expected – in 2010, with the first Black Princess, Tiana. This was particularly important for the studio’s domestic US audience, where almost a sixth of the population is Black. Many parents were thankful that finally there was a Disney Princess their daughters could see themselves reflected in, and it was about time. The fact that The Princess and the Frog is set in 1930s New Orleans, and not a fictional African land like The Lion King, makes Tiana’s story all the more vital for an American audience.
Pixar’s only princess, Merida, is a different kind of pioneer – she’s the first Disney Princess who doesn’t fall in love with a man. It took 75 years, a trip to ancient Scotland, and a different studio, but Brave finally took us to a place where a Disney Princess can fight for herself, and doesn’t need a prince to deliver her Happily Ever After. But did they ever really need that in the first place?
**Princesses Are Doing It For Themselves**
Disney Princesses are often painted with the ‘damsel in distress’ brush, and scorned for needing a man to rescue them, thus setting a bad example to kids. However, examine the evidence and all of the Disney Princesses are actually surprisingly self-sufficient. Even in the early films, contrived plot devices are the only way to take them down.
Think of Snow White, for example: when left in the forest to die, she finds herself a cosy cottage, installs herself in her new home, and manages quite capably to look after herself AND seven grumpy men. It’s not her fault that she’s given LITERAL POISON and only a gallant prince can save her. She was doing just fine until then. Fortunately, however, Disney soon dropped the ‘poison motif’ in favour of princesses who don’t need true love’s kiss to save their souls.
Beauty and the Beast’s Belle is surprisingly feminist, given that she stars in one of the most romantic fairytales of all. Dreaming of more than a ‘provincial life’ as a housewife, she steadfastly rejects the most handsome – if brutish – man in town, knowing that she deserves more. She craves knowledge and adventure, not a man to subdue her. Although she begins as the Beast’s prisoner, it soon becomes clear that only she has the power to break his curse, and only when she has the chance to fall in love with him of her own free will does she set him free. For once, the prince is at the mercy of the princess.
Pocahontas takes this new trope to the next level, by saving hundreds of men’s lives with her independent thought and strong will. Her romance with John Smith is on her terms, and she quickly asserts herself as the wiser of the two. By being willing to sacrifice her own life to save Smith, she schools two entire armies and stops the bloodshed. Even after all that, she still lets her man drift away overseas to get his wounds healed, knowing that her people need her strong spirit to guide them.
Mulan is one of the most independent princesses of them all – if you can even call her a princess. She’s a warrior, first and foremost. Selflessly taking her father’s place to fight for her country, she defies her submissive upbringing and endures blood, sweat, and tears to earn the respect of her comrades-in-arms. Her romance with Li Shang is just a footnote on her grand achievement of saving China from ruin — it’s even missing in the live-action remake.
Tiana is another princess who shows that finding romance doesn’t have to be the default dream of a Disney heroine. Already self-sufficient, she puts in the work to open her own restaurant, and nearly fulfills this dream completely by herself. Her unintentional amphibian adventure with Prince Naveen only serves to show that she can enjoy a loving relationship as well as achieving her professional goals. When Tiana and Naveen work together to earn the money to fund and build her dream restaurant, Disney shows a princess who goes after her independent ambitions, whose prince’s role is to cheer her on.
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