2. Cinderella
The best-known version of Cinderella is the
fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault in
1697. In 1950, it was turned into an animated
feature-length film by Walt Disney. Cinderella
Tremaine is the eldest of all the Disney
Princesses. She is 19 years of age during the
events of the film. Her stepmother turned her
into the family's sole servant after the death of
her father. With magical help from her Fairy
Godmother, she attends a royal ball and meets
the prince of her kingdom, and eventually
marries him, thus freeing her from her life of
servitude.
3. Snow White
• The character of Snow White
first originated in 1937 from a
Brothers Grimm fairy tale
"Schneewittchen" about a
beautiful German princess with
a jealous stepmother. Walt
Disney turned this classic fairy
tale into his very first animated
feature film. Her true love is
Prince Ferdinand, who breaks
her sleeping death 'slumber'
(caused by the Evil Queen) with
love's first kiss. She befriends
the seven dwarfs during her
stay at their cottage. At 14,
she's the youngest of the
princesses and is considered to
be the leader of the Disney
Princesses.
4. Aurora
• Best known as the heroine of the 1959
animated classic Sleeping Beautywhich is
very loosely based on Charles Perrault's
"La Belle au Bois Dormant". Although her
dress changes from blue to pink thanks to
disagreement between two of her
guardians, Merryweather and Flora,
outside the film she is most commonly
seen wearing pink. She was cursed at birth
to die before the sun sets on her 16th
birthday by the evil fairy Maleficent. One of
the three good fairies, Merryweather, was
able to weaken the curse by changing
death to a deep slumber that could only be
awakened by true love's kiss. By falling in
love with Prince Phillip, the prince of a
neighboring kingdom--and unknown to
either of them, her betrothed) she was
freed from the curse. Aurora is shown to be
one of the taller princesses in the
franchise.
5. Ariel
The heroine of the 1989 film, loosely based on
the Danish fairy tale "Den Lille Havfrue"
by Hans Christian Andersen, and the daughter
of King Triton, ruler of the sea, 16-year old
mermaid Ariel falls in love with a dashing
human prince named Eric, an extension of her
fascination with all things from the surface
world. Her dream of life on land makes her
vulnerable to Ursula's offer as her only chance
to be with Eric. Ursula persuades her to trade
her voice to the sea witch (who was supposed
to be her aunt in the uncut version of the film),
in order to become a human and be with him
forever. However, Ursula cunningly tricks her.
Hans Christian Andersen's original character
dissolves into foam on the sea after the prince
marries someone else, but through an act of
compassion is transformed into a spirit of the
air. Co-director Ron Clements felt the story was
too tragic and changed the original character
from the tragic but hopeful heroine, to the
brave and resourceful Ariel.
6. Belle
The French commoner who is the heroine of
the 1991 animated classicBeauty and the
Beast, is loosely based on the French fairy tale
"La Belle et la Bête" abridged from the version
by Madame Jeanne-Marie le Prince de
Beaumont. The name Belle translates from the
French word for "beauty". She selflessly trades
her freedom for that of her father in a bargains
with the Beast and becomes his
prisoner/guest. She soon learns to see the
good hidden behind his hideous appearance
and rough manner eventually falling in love
with him over time. By confessing her love at
the end of the movie she breaks the spell
placed on him by an evil fairy. The Beast and all
his household are restored to their human
forms and Belle becomes his princess. It should
be noted that Belle is never seen to marry her
Beast/Prince so her princesshood may be only
honorary. Belle's prince (the Beast) is named
Adam.
7. Tiana
Partly inspired from E.D Baker's 2002 novel The
Frog Princess, and the original fairy tale "The
Frog Prince". Tiana is the heroine of the 2009
animated film The Princess and the Frog and is
the first Princess of African American decent.
She dreams of opening her own restaurant
through hard work. By kissing Prince Naveen in
frog form, she is turned into a frog (because
the magic can only be broken by a princess)
and they are forced to set on a journey to find
a way to undo the magic. Eventually, she finds
herself falling for the handsome, but spoiled
prince and willingly gives up her personal
wants to be with him. By marrying the prince,
Tiana becomes a real princess and so breaks
the spell with a kiss. They finally open their
own restaurant at the end of the film.
She is the first and currently only princess
who's story was inspired by an original fairy
tale, a literature novel and a real life person.
8. Mulan
Fa Mulan is a brave Chinese heroine who
dresses up like a soldier and goes to war in
place of her crippled father, risking death and
dishonor.
She is loosely based on the heroine from the
well-known ancient Chinese poem "The Ballad
of Mulan" (木蘭詩). She is the only Disney
Princess who is not royal by blood or marriage
and is literally not one. However, she has the
honor of a princess because she achieved
honor from the Emperor himself by saving
China. During her stay in the army, she falls in
love with the captain, Li Shang, whom she
starts dating by the end of the film.
9. Pocahontas
Disney's Pocahontas is loosely based on
the real-life Native American "princess" of
the Powhatan tribe (a name also borne by
her father, the chief.) Her real name was
Matoaka, since Pocahontas was her
nickname and meant 'Playful One'. She
falls in love with a man named John Smith,
who helps her prevent a war from
commencing between their people. At the
end of the film, John is wounded and sent
back to London for treatment.
10. Jasmine
The spunky, independent Arabian
Princess of Agrabah, who dreams of
seeing what's beyond her palace and be
freed from her father's constant
pestering of arranged royal marriage.
She falls in love with the title character
in 1992's Aladdin, whom she eventually
marries.
She is loosely based on Princess
Badroulbadour (Arabic badru l-
budūr, "full moon of full moons")
featured in the story of "Aladdin and his
Wonderful Lamp" from "One Thousand
and One Nights" of Scheherazade.
Interestingly, the original story took
place in China and not the Middle East.
11. Rapunzel
• The heroine from the animated feature Tangled is
loosely based on the German title character from the
Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Rapunzel". Her long hair,
which is said to measure 70 feet in length, not only
has magical healing powers, but can be used as a
weapon. Given the power by a magic golden
flower, Mother Gothel kidnaps her as an infant to use
her power to keep herself young. 18 years later,
Rapunzel sneaks away from her tower with a
thief, Flynn Rider, and sets on her own journey to find
the flying lanterns that float into the sky every year on
her birthday. To free her from Gothel's clutches, Flynn
cuts her hair, thus destroying her power, and she is
returned to her family. Rapunzel was "officially
welcomed into the Disney Princess Royal Court"
during a promotional event at Kensington Palace in
London on October 2, 2011. Interestingly, even
though Rapunzel's long golden hair is cut off in the
movie, changing it from blonde to brown, her
redesigned image shows it fully restored back to
blonde, although somewhat shorter than its original
70-foot length.
