Disney Princess

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For the Game Boy Advance game, see Disney Princess (game).
The official Disney Princess logo

Disney Princess is a Walt Disney Company franchise, based on fictional characters who have been featured as part of the Disney character line-up. The main six are: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, all of whom have royal title by marriage or birth. Recently, Mulan and Pocahontas have been included as princesses.[1][2] In 2007, Disney announced that a new Princess would be added: Princess Tiana, from their 2009 animated feature The Princess and the Frog, will become the first African American princess to join the ranks of Disney Princesses.[3]

The franchise has released dolls, sing-along videos, and a variety of other children's products, apparel and even band-aids featuring the Disney Princesses.

The Eight Disney Princesses
The Eight Disney Princesses
New Enchanted Tales PEZ set featuring the eight Disney Princesses
New Enchanted Tales PEZ set featuring the eight Disney Princesses

Contents

[edit] History

In early 2000, when Andy Mooney was hired by Disney's Consumer Products division to help combat dropping sales, the idea for the Disney Princess franchise was born. Soon after joining Disney, Mooney attended his first Disney on Ice show. While waiting in line, he found himself surrounded by young girls dressed as princesses. “They weren’t even Disney products. They were generic princess products,” he mused. Soon after realizing the demand, the Disney Princess line was formed.

Despite limited advertising and no focus groups, the various Disney Princess items released became a huge success. Sales at Disney Consumer Products rose from $300 million in 2001 to $3 billion in 2006. Today there are over 25,000 products based on the franchise.

The princesses to be featured in the line were chosen from classic Disney films. The characters were not chosen specifically for their royal titles, but rather for how well they fit into what Disney executives deemed “the Princess mythology”. Mulan is an example of this concept; she has no familial ties to royalty, but is still included in the character list. Tinker Bell was once included under the same principle before it was decided she was not suited for the "mythology". [4] She now stars in her own Disney franchise, the Disney Fairies.

[edit] Character list

[edit] Disney Princesses

Disney Princess Figurine Set with the Eight Princesses
Disney Princess Figurine Set with the Eight Princesses
  1. Princess Snow White - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
  2. Cinderella - Cinderella (1950)
  3. Princess Aurora - Sleeping Beauty (1959)
  4. Princess Ariel - The Little Mermaid (1989)
  5. Belle - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  6. Princess Jasmine - Aladdin (1992)
  7. Princess Pocahontas - Pocahontas (1995)[2][1]
  8. Mulan - Mulan (1998)[2]

[edit] Announced Disney Princesses

  1. Tiana - The Princess and the Frog (2009)[3]
  2. Rapunzel - Rapunzel (2010)[5]
  3. Princess Merida - The Bear and the Bow (2011)

[edit] Guest Disney princesses

Official Disney Princess art with Alice accompanied by the eight princesses
Official Disney Princess art with Alice accompanied by the eight princesses

Various other Disney princesses have guest starred alongside the nine above princesses in franchise merchandise.

  • On the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Enchanted Tea Party DVD sing along segments with Alice (Alice in Wonderland), Maid Marian (Robin Hood) and Princess Melody (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea) are included. Sing-along segments with both Alice and Princess Melody are also included in the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Perfectly Princess DVD as well.
  • It should also be noted that Alice was included in Kingdom Hearts as one of the Princesses of Heart, all of whom were official Disney Princesses besides her (and the game's original princess Kairi). Ariel, who's one of the (Disney)'s "official princesses", however, is not one of them. Alice has recently appeared in official Disney Princess art, and is included in the Disney Princess music video It's Not Just Make Believe and The Perfect Princess Tea with the eight official princesses, though she still remains excluded from the line up.
  • Giselle from Disney's film Enchanted was originally going to be added to the line until the company realized it would have to pay the actress, Amy Adams, royalties [5].

[edit] Original songs

Aside from the pre-existing princess songs from the films, there have been original songs produced for the Disney Princess franchise. All of the songs are sung by the princesses, with the exception of "Where Dreams Begin" which is sung from the perspective of the eight princesses, but not by the princesses themselves, and is merely credited by Disney as being sung by "Disney Princess".

  • "Where Dreams Begin"
  • "The Way To Bake (A Delicious Cake)" (sung by Snow White)
  • "A Holly Jolly Christmas Snow" (sung by Snow White, Grumpy, Bashful and Doc)
  • "The Night Before Christmas" (sung by Snow White, Grumpy, Bashful and Doc)
  • "Every Girl Can Be a Princess" (sung by Cinderella)
  • "I’m Giving Love for Christmas" (sung by Cinderella)
  • "It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (sung by Cinderella)
  • "Waiting For My Prince" (sung by Princess Aurora)
  • "Christmas With My Prince" (sung by Princess Aurora)
  • "Keys to the Kingdom" (sung by Princess Aurora)
  • "Happy Birthday, Princess!" (sung by Princess Ariel)
  • "Manners And Etiquette" (sung by Princess Ariel)
  • "I Just Love Getting Dressed For Tea" (sung by Princess Ariel)
  • "Christmas in the Ocean" (sung by Princess Ariel and Sebastian)
  • "Ariel's Christmas Island" (sung by Princess Ariel and Sebastian)
  • "There's Only One Ariel" (sung by Princess Ariel and her sisters)
  • "The Perfect Princess Tea" (sung by Belle)
  • "The Princess Dance" (sung by Belle)
  • "So Very Glad You're Here" (sung by Belle)
  • "Holidays at Home" (sung by Belle)
  • "The Christmas Waltz" (sung by Belle)
  • "Musical Chairs" (sung by Princess Jasmine)
  • "I've Got My Eyes On You" (sung by Princess Jasmine)
  • "Peacock Princess" (sung by Princess Jasmine)
  • "These Moments We Share" (sung by Pocahontas)
  • "Silver and Gold" (sung by Pocahontas)
  • "Cups and Saucers" (sung by Mulan)
  • "The Holly and the Ivy" (sung by Mulan)
  • "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (sung by Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Princess Ariel, Belle and Princess Jasmine)
  • "The Beauty of the Season" (sung by Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Princess Ariel, Belle and Princess Jasmine)
  • "Christmas Is Coming!" (sung by Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Princess Ariel, Belle, Princess Jasmine and Pocahontas)
  • "If You Can Dream" (sung by Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Princess Ariel, Belle, Princess Jasmine, Pocahontas and Mulan)

[edit] Live events

[edit] Disneyland Resort

All the princesses are available for meet-n-greets in the Disneyland Resort in CA. Additionally, Snow White has her own ride known as Snow White's Scary Adventures. In 2006, as part of the Year of Million Dreams celebration, the Fantasyland Theater began hosting the Disneyland Princess Fantasy Faire. The show has Lords and Ladies teaching young girls the proper ettiquete for a princess and features appearances by the Disney Princesses themselves. Princesses that have appeared include Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Princess Minnie and Ariel.

Young girls will have the opportunity to meet their favorite Disney Princess as they dine in at Ariel's Grotto Character Dining in Disney's California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.

The princesses are also featured in parades and shows throughout the resort, including Fantasmic!, Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams, A Christmas Fantasy Parade and Disney's Electrical Parade.

[edit] Walt Disney World

The princesses are also available for meet-n-greets in Florida, but in more specific locations. Cinderella and her friends appear at Cinderella's Royal Table in her Magic Kingdom castle, as well as "Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner, formerly known as the Cinderella's Gala Feast Dinner, at 1900 Park Fare in the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The other princesses are showcased at the Princess Storybook meal - breakfast, lunch, and dinner - at Akershus Castle in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. This particular meal is known to feature many guest Disney Princesses, including (but not limited to) Alice, Megara, Esmeralda, Princess Minnie, Wendy Darling and Jane.

Many shows and parades across the property feature the princesses, including Fantasmic, SpectroMagic, Dream Along with Mickey, the Disney Dreams Come True Parade, Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.

[edit] Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

This store opened April 5, 2006 at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World. The salon allows little girls 3 and up to being transformed into Disney princesses with hairstyling, make-up, and manicures, dresses, wands, crowns, etc. A second salon opened in Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom on September 10, 2007. Prices range from $45 to $280.[6]

[edit] Mickey's Pirate and Princess Party

On January 22, 2007, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World began its first Pirate and Princess Party. This hard ticketed event features “Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade" and a specially themed fireworks spectacular called "Magic, Music and Mayhem." The parade features the six main Princesses attended by knights and dancers.

Each land is themed accordingly to a pirate or princess. Among the themed areas are Jasmine's Court in Adventureland, Ariel's Court in Fantasyland and the Princess Pavilion in Mickey's Toontown Fair. The princesses available for meet-n-greets include Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Snow White and Belle.

[edit] Disneyland Resort Paris

See also: Disney's Fantillusion

Disneyland Paris features the special nighttime show Disney's Fantillusion which involves the princesses as the finale. The four princesses that appear are Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine.

[edit] Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Cruise Line ships features musical stage shows which feature the Princesses. Pocahontas, Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan, Belle, Cinderella, Aurora and Snow White also appear for meet-and-greets on the boat. Other popular Disney girls appear for meet and greets as well such as Meg, Alice, Jane, Wendy, Esmeralda and Nala.

[edit] Television and video

Princess Party Palace (formerly known as The Princess Power Hour) was a television series on Toon Disney from 2000 until 2007. It aired episodes of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.

[edit] Enchanted Tales

In early 2007, Disney announced Disney Princess Enchanted Tales, a new series of direct-to-video features that feature new stories for the Disney Princesses. The first movie in the series, entitled Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, was released on September 4, 2007. It is a musical film featuring new tales about Princess Jasmine, and the first new tale about Princess Aurora since the original Sleeping Beauty.

Originally, Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: A Kingdom of Kindness was announced as the first film in the series, which contained a different Princess Aurora story, and had a Belle story rather than a Princess Jasmine story. Disney made this change without any sort of notice, and it remains unclear what the current status of A Kingdom of Kindness is.

The second installment in the series (that has yet to receive a title) is to feature a new Mulan story and a new Cinderella story, and will center around the theme of honesty. It is set to be released sometime in 2008.[7]

[edit] Video games

[edit] Kingdom Hearts

In the Kingdom Hearts video game for Playstation 2, Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Jasmine are featured as five of the seven "Princesses of Heart", a term for young ladies with entirely pure hearts. Ariel, while featured in the game as an aid to Sora in battle when he visits her world, is not one of the Princesses of Heart. The other two Princesses of Heart are Alice from Alice in Wonderland and the original character Kairi.

In the first sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, the princesses reprise the same roles, but this time as figments of Sora's memory.

In the second sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, Mulan is also a character in the game, as an aid in battle when Sora visits her world (like Ariel in the previous game). Ariel, Jasmine and Belle also make a return, though this time around Ariel is a plot object rather than an aid in battle, and Belle plays a much bigger and more prominent role in the story (unlike last time, she has her own world, and voice acting rather than just speaking through text).

As of now, Pocahontas is the only official Disney Princess that does not appear in any of the Kingdom Hearts games, though future installments to the series are currently planned and it is unknown whether she or her world will be included in them.

[edit] Kilala Princess

Main article: Kilala Princess

Kilala Princess is a Japanese fantasy/romance manga produced by Tokyopop that debuted in January 2007, which revolves around a girl named Kilala and her adventures to find her kidnapped friend with the help of the six Disney Princesses, who are Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, and Belle. The storyline and overall makeup of the manga bears much resemblance to the Kingdom Hearts video game series.

[edit] Disney Princess video games

[edit] Comparisons

 This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (November 2007)

Despite each being from different films, all the Princesses have distinct similarities. All of them are the protagonists of their respective movies (with the exception of Princess Jasmine), all have the ability to communicate with animals (displaying a sign of goodness towards all creatures), all have beautiful singing voices, and all have a love interest that is resolved at the end of their movies. Most of them have an older woman as an enemy (except Mulan, Belle and Pocahontas). The first three (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora) are victims of misfortune until their happy endings; the others seek adventure in the unknown world. Most of the Disney Princesses are motherless(except Mulan), often when the Princess was a baby or small child.

[edit] Criticism

On December 24, 2006, Peggy Orenstein published, “What’s Wrong With Cinderella?” in the New York Times. In her article, Orenstein discussed her concerns about the effects of princess figures on young girls. Orenstein used the Disney Princesses specifically to present many of her points. Orenstein also noted the pervasive nature of Princess merchandise and that every facet of play has its princess equivalent.[4]

Other sources have also voiced concern that the franchise could give young girls the wrong message. However, other parents say that young girls would eventually grow out of this phase.[8]

Princess Clara from the animated television series Drawn Together is a parody of the Disney Princesses.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Pocahontas is referred to as a princess in Pocahontas II, and could be considered a princess as the chieftain's daughter. She was also referred to as a princess during production of the first film by Glen Keane).
  2. ^ a b c Official Disney Princesses website. disney.go.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  3. ^ a b Chavez, Kellvin (2007-03-08). Disney To Release The Frog Princess In 2009. www.latinoreview.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  4. ^ a b Orenstein, Peggy (2006-12-24). What’s Wrong With Cinderella?. www.nytimes.com. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  5. ^ a b Marr, Merissa (2007-11-19). Disney Reaches to the Crib To Extend Princess Magic. Retrieved on 2007-11-25].
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ Wilensky, Dawn (June 15, 2007). Putting Its Princesses to Work. www.licensemag.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
  8. ^ What's Wrong With Being a Princess?. abcnews.go.com (April 22, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-04.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links