Before “Raya and The Last Dragon”, Disney still has these 12 princesses.
The animated film “Raya and The Last Dragon” featuring Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess “Raya” as the protagonist will be seen today on the big screen in mainland China.
Before Raya appeared, the 12 princesses of Disney were household names. Of course, not all heroines in Disney cartoons belong to “Disney Princess”. Since the birth of “Snow White” in 1938, until “Raya and The Last Dragon”, 11 Disney cartoons and 1 Pixar animation The princesses in the film make up the 12 princesses of Disney.
The concept of “Disney Princess” came from the 1990s. The Disney Product Department realized that female characters in its own cartoons were very popular. In order to sell princess toys and peripheral products, this series was born.
Disney carefully selected some heroines who fit the definition of “princess”. They were either born in the royal family, married into the royal family, or were like “Mulan”, neither of which met, but they were selected because of their exceptional bravery.
The “Wonderful Fairy” in “Peter Pan” and the “Esmeralda” in “The Oddity of Notre Dame” were once selected as “Disney Princess”, and later both were expelled due to “tonality inconsistency”.” Princess status”.
In 2005, Wonder Fairy opened his own series-“Disney Fairy”, “Jane Potter” in “Tarzan of the Apes”, as well as sisters Aisha and Anna in “Frozen” that we are familiar with. Join the ranks of the “fairies”, and later this plan failed.
Although Disney princesses come from different cartoons, they have many things in common, such as being friendly to animals, their hearts are more beautiful than their appearances, and their singing voices are excellent. Each has their own classic theme song, with one exception— -Melida in “Brave”, she only sang with her mother when she was young, and stopped singing when she grew up. This is also the only Disney princess from a Pixar movie, and it was mentioned in the “Princess Party” of “Invincible Destruction King 2”.
Among the 12 princesses before Raya, except for Merida and Moana in “Sea Moana”, every princess will be with the favorite Prince Charming in the finale of the film-they form the “Disney Prince” series.
With different periods, Disney princesses have also developed different types of personality traits. The first batch are Snow White, Cinderella and Arlo in “Sleeping Beauty”. They are elegant, noble, kind, compassionate and full of love. Beautiful fantasy, suffered bad luck from the outside world.
1989-1999 was the famous “Renaissance” period of Disney Animation. Since then, Disney princesses have been more active, including Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”, “Bell” in “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Aladdin” in “Jasmine”, Pocahontas in Pocahontas, and our Mulan.
The princesses of this period are firm-willed, full of adventurous spirit, active and charming. Their focus is more on adventure and freedom. Love often has to stand aside and dare to fight for their dreams than the first batch of princesses.
The world they live in also shows the ever-changing female roles. For example, Ariel was told that women on land should “keep silent”; Bell was told that “it is wrong for women to read books”; and Mulan is not to mention. “How can a woman fight a war?”
The latest batch of princesses is more modern, including Diana in “The Princess and the Frog”, Le Pei in “Tangled”, as well as Merida and Moana.
Among the 12 princesses, Snow White, Arlo, Ariel, Jasmine, Le Pei, and Merida were born in the royal family. Bougainvillea was the chief’s daughter, and Cinderella, Bell and Tiana were married into the royal family.
Although Moana is the chief’s daughter, she clearly stated that she is not a princess. Like Hua Mulan, she was classified as a “heroine” because she saved the world from fire and water, and then joined the “Disney Princess”. “.
- Snow White
Disney’s first princess first appeared in 1937 in “Snow White”, from the famous Grimm’s fairy tale, voiced by Adriana Casslotti.
Snow White is essentially a German princess. The stepmother was jealous of her beauty and poisoned her with an apple. The seven dwarfs failed to save her life. And the prince who passed by her crystal coffin, saw her beautiful face a year after her death, and saved her life with a kiss of true love (this part can not be considered).
At the age of 14, she is also Disney’s youngest princess.
- Cinderella
Cinderella is Cinderella, adapted from ancient European legends. The most famous version is included in the fairy tale collection “Mother Goose” published by French writer Charles Perrault in 1697.
In 1950, the cartoon “Cinderella” came out, and Irene Woods dubbed her. The 19-year-old Cinderella is also the oldest of all Disney princesses, and is generally regarded as the “boss” of the princesses. After Cinderella’s father died, her stepmother made her a servant in the house.
With the help of the fairy godmother, Cinderella participated in the royal ball and finally married the “Prince Charming” (Prince Charming) and ended her life as a domestic servant.
- Aurora
“Arlo” means “Aurora” and appeared in “Sleeping Beauty” in 1959. The story is also adapted from “Sleeping Beauty in the Forest” recorded by Charles Perrault. The older Italian version is darker.
In the film, due to the different opinions of the good fairies, Arlo’s dress often changes between blue and pink, but she is usually shown in the image of a pink dress.
- Ariel
“The Little Mermaid” in 1989 was adapted from Andersen’s Danish fairy tale “The Daughter of the Sea”, with Judy Benson voiced for Ariel. 16-year-old Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Trinton under the sea. She falls in love with the falling land prince Alec, who satisfies all her illusions about life on land.
The witch Ursula proposed to let Ariel give her voice and have 3 days to go ashore and become a human being. If Ariel can’t make the prince fall in love with herself within these 3 days, and the two do not kiss, she will return to the bottom of the sea and become Ursula’s eternal slave.
In the end of the film, with the help of the prince and father, Ariel became a human forever and married Eric. Ariel in the original fairy tale was very miserable. When she went ashore, she had to endure the pain of a fishtail turning into a human leg, and she had to accept the painful fact that the prince did not love her and wanted to marry other brides.
The sisters all gave their hair to the witch in exchange for a knife, but Ariel couldn’t bear to insert the sharp knife into the prince’s chest, and she finally turned into foam in the sea. The film director felt that the ending was too cruel, so he changed the ending of the film to a fairy tale and a happy ending.
- Belle
In 1991, “Beauty and the Beast” was adapted from a French fairy tale of the same name released in 1740, with Peggy O’Hara dubbing Bell. “Bell” means beauty in French. At the age of 17, she was born as a civilian. In order to save her father, she took the initiative to dedicate herself and asked to be a prisoner/guest in the Beast Castle.
She quickly saw the goodness and beauty under the ugly appearance of the beast. When she confessed to the beast, she broke the curse in the castle. The beast and his servants were restored to human form, and Bell was married to the man who became human. Prince Adam.
- Jasmine
Princess Jasmine is from 1992’s “Aladdin”, Linda Larkin dubbed her voice, and Leah Salonga sang the songs in her film. Jasmine is the Arab princess of Agrabah. She has always dreamed of seeing the world outside the palace and getting rid of the arranged marriage arranged for her by her father.
Jasmine fell in love with the street gangster Aladdin, and when Aladdin became a “prince” due to the wish of the elf, Jasmine fell in love with him who showed her “A Whole New World” again, although At first, I didn’t recognize that the prince and the bastard were actually the same person.
Aladdin finally confided his true identity to Jasmine, saved the country from the villain Jia Fa, and also saved her. Jasmine’s father finally agreed to her and Aladdin’s marriage.
- Pocahontas
Pocahontas is the heroine of “Pocahontas” in 1995. It is adapted from the true story of the daughter of the chief of the Indian Powatan tribe. Her real name is “Matoaka” and her nickname is “Pocahontas”, which means “naughty person.” “.
After the British colonists came to the United States, Pocahontas met John Smith, a British man, and told him a lot of Indian culture. The two fell in love.
When Smith was imprisoned by the chief, Pocahontas saved him and prevented a war between the whites and the Indians. At the end of the film, the injured John was sent back to London for treatment, but Pocahontas did not follow him. She chose to stay and be with her people.
- Mulan
The story of Hua Mulan is well known in China. She joined the army for her father, dressed as a man, fought on the battlefield, and returned home with honor. In the 1998 cartoon “Mulan”, Wen Mingna dubbed her voice, and Lia Salonga sang again. The story was adapted from the folk song “Mulan Ci” of the Northern Dynasties in China.
In the cartoon, Mulan pretends to be his father’s son Huaping and joins the army led by General Li Xiang. After being injured, Hua Mulan was discovered the true identity of her daughter. Because she saved Li Xiang’s life, she was exempt from military punishment.
At the last moment of the film, Hua Mulan, who fought alone, defeated the Huns and saved all of China. The emperor of China called her a hero, Mulan returned to her hometown, and Li Xiang, who came later, confirmed their love for each other.
Mulan is the only Disney princess whose bloodline and marriage have nothing to do with the royal family. She has the identity of a “heroine” and is Disney’s first Chinese princess.
- Tiana
In 2009, the story of “The Princess and the Frog” is derived from the novel “The Frog Prince”, which was originally from Grimm’s fairy tales. Tiana is Disney’s first black princess and the first American princess, voiced by Anika Noni Rose.
She dreams of working hard to open a restaurant of her own. In the film, Tiana kisses a frog, but not only does not turn it back into Prince Naveen, she also becomes a frog herself, and the two frogs embark on a journey to find a way to break the spell. Eventually she found out that she fell in love with the prince, and the curse was finally lifted, and the two returned to human form.
- Rapunzel
The 2010 “Tangled” brought Rapunzel Princess Le Pei, and Mandy Moore dubbed her, adapted from Grimm’s fairy tale “Lettuce Girl”, “Lope” means “lettuce”.
Her hair is more than 20 meters long. It not only has healing function, but also can be used as a weapon, but her favorite weapon is the pan. The magic of Le Pei’s hair comes from a golden flower. In order to use her hair to keep her youth forever, the witch Ge Duo kidnapped Le Pei when she was a baby and raised her as a daughter.
Related Post:”Tangled”: an undervalued Disney CG animation masterpiece.
Eighteen years later, Le Pei and the thief Flynn Ryder escaped from the tower used to close her, looking for the sky lantern that floats in the air every year on her birthday. In order to save her from Godot’s clutches, Flynn cut Le Pei’s hair short, and Le Pei, who lost his magical power, finally returned to her biological parents. At the end of the film, she and Flynn tied the knot. Le Pei’s blond hair, royal origin, and the experience of being taken away from his parents’ raising are all similar to Sleeping Beauty.
- Merida
The only Disney princess from the Pixar movie! In 2012’s “Brave”, 16-year-old Melida has red hair like Ariel, and she is voiced by Scottish actress Kelly MacDonald.
The mother in Melida’s heart is cold and estranged, and the two have constant conflicts. She grew up as a Scottish princess with a wild hairstyle and personality. She is very good at archery, swordsmanship and horse riding. As an adult, Melida almost caused a war in order to avoid arranged marriages.
After a fierce dispute with her mother, Merida mistakenly turned her into a bear, and the mother and daughter began to find a way to break the spell. They finally resolved their conflicts over the years, settled disputes with other countries, abandoned arranged marriages, and their mothers returned to human form.
Merida is the first completely original Disney princess, neither adapted from a literary work, nor from a legendary or real character, but also the first to have no “boyfriend” at all. She still didn’t sing a serious song! Only when I was young I sang a short Gaelic ballad with my mother.
- Moana
In the 2016 “Pocahontas”, Moana is the daughter of a Polynesian tribal chief and is voiced by the native Hawaiian actress Olyi Caravajo. The sea chose Moana and asked her to return the heart of the pebble Tefeti that was stolen a long time ago, and save her island from the darkness.
The chief’s father forbids Moana to go to sea, but she still secretly plucked up the courage and embarked on the journey. With the help of the demigod Maui and the guidance of her grandmother Tara, Moana returned the heart and things of Tefiti to the original owner and lifted the curse on this world.
The role of Moana in the process of becoming a Disney princess did not have a grand “coronation ceremony”, but slowly penetrated and joined in 2019. She was also the first princess who did not join the series for the first time after the film was released.
Moana is Disney’s first Polynesian princess, and after Melida, another without a boyfriend.
Once Disney Princess
These princesses were previously characters in the Disney princess series, but were later removed from the ranks of princesses.
Wonderful Fairy-“Peter Pan” (1953)
Esmeralda-“The Weird of the Clock Tower” (1996)
Jane Potter-“Tarzan of the Apes” (1999)
Unofficial princess
These characters meet the criteria for joining the Disney Princess series, but are not part of the official princess series.
Anna, Aisha-Frozen (2013)
Nana-“The Lion King” (1994)
Giselle, Nancy-“Magic Romance” (2007)
Winnie Lopp-“Invincible Destruction King” (2012)
Minnie-“Mickey Mouse” series
Fei Lin-“Bambi” (1942)
Alice-“Alice in Wonderland” (1951)
Shanti-“The Prince of the Forest” (1967)
Tracey-“Toy Story 2” (1999)
……and many more.
Related Post:Frozen II.
And will the “Raya” in “Raya and The Last Drago” join the ranks of “Disney Princess” in the future? let us wait and see.
