10 of The Princesses: Ranked

10. Aurora

Aurora’s story is usually about her being asleep for a period of time to protect her from an evil curse or spell, and being woken by a prince. Briar Rose is another name for this heroine. A jealous villainess, an evil fairy from a neighboring kingdom, decrees that if Aurora pricks her finger on a cursed object, she will die. Some objects in some versions are a spindle, a needle, thorns, and vines. Aurora was sent away to protect herself, to live with fairy godmothers. But it being a curse, she did prick her finger. Aurora’s fairy godmothers cast a spell on her to be asleep instead, until the curse could be broken. Most versions say that she slept a hundred years before finally awakening, and some also say that the entire kingdom went to sleep with her. The curse breaks various ways, too, but by the end, Aurora is usually married to the prince that was involved. The main theme of her story is that Good triumphs over all, that Good will always win, sooner or later.

According to critics, the Sleeping Beauty tale has been disparaged by modern-day feminists who consider the protagonist to have no agency and find her passivity to be offensive; some feminists have even argued for people to stop telling the story altogether because of the sheer lack of character.

\In 1959, Walt Disney animated the musical fantasy film "Sleeping Beauty" and you can watch it here by paying on Google Play; Sleeping Beauty. You can watch the trailer down below.

9. Snow White

Who doesn’t know the fairest of them all? With hair as black as ebony, lips as red as blood, skin as white as snow, everyone would know of the girl who ate the poisoned apple. Being feminine, sweet, kind, a good cook, able to sing to birds, and beautiful, Snow White truly was “the” princess. Though her story differs with each version, from The Grimm Brother’s to different countries’ interpretations to Disney’s, it can roughly be said as this; her stepmother, The Evil Queen, jealous of Snow White’s looks, orders her to be killed. Snow White manages to escape and meets The Seven Dwarves. The Evil Queen eventually gets to her and poisons her, causing her heart to stop/fall dead/fall asleep (according to various versions). Then the prince came along, and whether the prince did or did not contribute to the waking of Snow White, they married shortly after. Snow White’s story teaches us of stranger danger and the ills of jealousy.

Snow White as told by the Brothers Grimm was first published in 1812, where, at the time, it was arguably commonplace for people to live according to traditional gender roles. Critics argue that since The Queen usually dies at the end of the story, while Snow White lives happily ever after with the Prince, it implies that the Queen's cunning was not enough to counter the power of Snow White's elegance. This suggests that the moral of the story is that beauty is more desirable than intelligence, which does not go well with modern connotations.

Walt Disney produced "Snow White and The Seven Dwarves" in 1937. You can watch the trailer down below.

8. Ariel

Let’s be honest, Disney’s The Little Mermaid was probably the first mermaid thing you ever saw. Everyone loved her underwater friends and her handsome prince. Her story is loosely about a curious mermaid princess willing to give up her life in the sea for a chance at humanity. One day after peeking onto the sea’s surface, she saw a human and fell in love with him. In order to be with that human, she traded her beautiful voice for a pair of legs to an evil sorceress. Once on the surface, the prince she saw that day was not in love with her, but did take quite a liking to her, thus keeping her around. Ariel, being mute, could not communicate any of her feelings to the prince and had to watch the prince wed another princess. Different versions tell different ways of how the story ended, but in the end Ariel does get her voice back and stops the wedding. Ariel is keen for something new and shows her perseverance through out her story.

Audience response of the targeted family demographic to the musical has been generally positive. Critics gave the show a mixed response, with some praising it, and some calling it "less than witty" and "bloated".

"The Little Mermaid" was produced by Walt Disney in 1989 and is available to watch here, on Google Play; The Little Mermaid by paying. The prequel "The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea" was produced in 2000 by Walt Disney. In 2008, DisneyToon released "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning" which is chronologically set before the main events of her first movie. You can watch the trailers down below.

7. Jasmine

Unlike the other heroines on this list, Jasmine is not the main character of her story, but a supporting character, taking the secondary role of the love interest. She was based on a middle-eastern folktale, and what defines her character is her strong will. Despite an age-old law stipulating that the princess must marry a prince in time for her upcoming birthday, Jasmine is instead determined to marry someone she loves for who he is as opposed to what he owns. Jasmine stands up for the people she cares about and is also outrightly against the injustice that happens on the streets of her kingdom. Jasmine wants to live her life her own way, and helps the thief Aladdin against the evil sorcerer.

Critical opinions of Jasmine have been generally mixed to positive; some critics appreciated the character for continuing to "break the mold" that had been demonstrated by Disney's earliest princesses. Jasmine in the 2019 film was generally well-received by critics. They say the portrayal of Jasmine, "a clear improvement over the 1992 version".

Walt Disney first produced "Aladdin" in 1992 and in 2019 was followed by a live action/CGI adaptation under the same name. You can watch Aladdin (2019) by paying on Google Play; Aladdin. You can watch both movies' trailers down below.

6. Rapunzel

Rapunzel tells the story of a girl with long golden hair and a witch, the only consistent thing recurring throughout all the different versions of her story. Some versions say she is a princess, some say that she is the daughter of people who stole vegetables from the witch. Whichever it was, in all versions Rapunzel is imprisoned by the witch in a tower, locked away from the rest of the world. Rapunzel is never let out, and she does not know her true parents. She longs everyday to see the outside world but is forbade to by the witch. The circumstances on why the prince comes to find her in the tower also varies from version to version. In some he is not even a prince, merely a passerby, but they fall in love with each other nonetheless. He gets into the tower by climbing up Rapunzel’s long hair. With the influence of her love, Rapunzel manages to escape from the clutches of the witch, tricking her. She then finds happiness with her love. Rapunzel is determined to not give up and is always trying to get out of her comfort zone.

Many scholars have interpreted “Maiden in the Tower” stories, which Rapunzel is a part of, as a metaphor for the protection of young women from pre-marital relationships by overzealous guardians. Scholars have also noted the strong theme of love conquering all in the story, as the lovers are united after years of searching in all of the versions.

Many Disney fans will say that the Tangled franchise is one of the best in Disney. In 2010, Walt Disney produced "Tangled", a loose retelling based on Rapunzel's character. With it being a big hit, it added a sequel, "Tangled Ever After" in 2012. "Tangled; Before Ever After" is a series released in 2017, chronologically taking place before the second movie, where you can catch on Disney Channel. You can watch the trailers down below.

5. Cinderella

Cinderella’s story tells us of the heroine who triumphs after being oppressed. The magical help she receives differs in each version of her story; a fairy godmother, a fish, a cow, a magical tree, her mother’s spirit, and sometimes various magical objects. Almost all versions depict an evil stepmother and her biological mother/father being dead. Cinderella is looked down upon by her step family but is still kind to them. She gets her name “Cinder-Ella” by being covered in fireplace cinders due to constantly cleaning and serving her step family. With the magical help, Cinderella is able to defy her evil step family and meet her prince. Due to circumstances, her meeting with the prince was forced to be brief. The prince sought out to find her, and when he did, he knew right away and proved it. Cinderella and her prince married, leaving her step family furious.

Although the story's title and main character's name change in different languages, in English-language folklore Cinderella is an archetypal name. The word Cinderella has, by analogy, come to mean one whose attributes were unrecognized: one who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect. The still-popular story of Cinderella continues to influence popular culture internationally, lending plot elements, allusions, and tropes to a wide variety of media.

In 1950, Walt Disney produced "Cinderella" which is now considered an animation classic from Disney. "Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True" is a sequel to that film which released in 2001. In 2015, Disney did a live action of the story under the same name, which you can watch here by paying on Google Play; Cinderella. You can watch the trailers down below.

4. Merida

Merida is no damsel in distress and is another princess with no need for a romantic love. She is a Scottish princess, the daughter of the head of her tribe. Merida is expected to be ladylike and accept an arranged marriage in order to rule, but she defies those old customs and shows that she is passionate about her family and tribe, and that she can rule on her own without needing to wed. Because of this, the people of the tribes wanted to dethrone her. But when Merida’s family was cursed into bears, the result of a selfish wish granted by a witch, she sought to break the spell on her own. Succeeding in breaking the spell and realizing her own worth, Merida emerged victorious and earned back the respect from the tribes.

The character of Merida has been well received by critics, describing her as "feisty" and as "a modern girl in an ancient world". Merida has been described as "a fairy-tale feminist", and has been praised for not needing to be rescued by a male love interest.

While the movie itself wasn't as well received as its character, "Brave" is 2012 film produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney which you can watch here on Google Play; Brave by paying. You can watch the trailer down below.

3. Moana

Moana’s story is infused with Polynesian culture and myths. She is the daughter of the head of the tribe and is heir to the throne of ruling her people. Everyone in the tribe loves her strength and smarts, cheering her on to be the next chieftess. Moana is an ocean-loving child, and is torn apart between ruling her people and following her dreams of exploring the waters. Her island is suddenly threatened by the death of livestock and plantation and it is up to her to stop it. Moana ended up being chosen by The Ocean to give back The Heart of Te Fiti in order to restore her dying island. Defying her tribe’s rules and customs, Moana set out onto the ocean. With the help of demigod Maui, Moana powered through helplessness and hardships to save her island. Moana shows the importance of risk-taking and trusting others by having faith that she will restore her island.

Critics say that Moana is a "female leader-in-waiting who is independent and progressive, who cares about the environment and who looks beyond the borders of her homeland to face the challenges of the future". She is often described as "one of Disney's most remarkable heroines yet" since she did not await a prince and took control of her own destiny.

"Moana" was released in 2016 by Walt Disney and quickly shot up to be a fan favorite. You can watch the trailer down below.

2. Mulan

Mulan’s original story is set in times of Ancient China, when a woman’s worth was almost nothing. Her story shows her breaking gender norms, law, and tradition and showing the people who doubted her that even she could be as strong and/or stronger than men, by disguising herself as a man and fighting in the military. Mulan fights for her country and for herself. Mulan is smart in her actions and fools the men around her to think she is a man, until she finally reveals that she is actually a woman. Her finding love was merely a subplot in the Disney film, and the original and earlier versions of her story does not mention a prince for her. Though in the old stories it was not clear wether she was the daughter of a king or just a daughter of a man, Mulan definitely belongs on this list.

Reception towards Mulan's personality and characterization have been generally positive, being hailed Mulan as "a feisty young go-getter who rises above the male-dominated world in which she lives.

Walt Disney first produced "Mulan" in 1998 followed by "Mulan 2" in 2004, which you can watch here on Google Play; Mulan 2 by paying. In 2020, Disney released the live action remake under the same name. You can watch the trailers down below.

1. Belle

Belle is well-known for her love of books and her beauty, thus her story’s title. Belle shows us to never judge a book by its cover and to prioritize smarts and kindness over appearance. Different versions of her story mostly say that her father was the first captured by the beast, and Belle traded herself with him in exchange for her father’s freedom. During her imprisonment with the Beast, she kept her head high and started to learn of the castle’s inhabitants’ secret, of how and why the rest of the world had forgotten them. Eventually, she got to know and fell in love with the cursed Beast who was actually a prince. The Beast actually varies in different versions of the story; a dog, a basilisk, a bear, a lion, and so on. At the end, when the Beast was at his final breaths, the curse broke, and the prince came back to life. The inhabitants of the castle were freed as well. In most stories, they married, happily ever after.

Critics call Belle a "strong female character" who "sidesteps most of the clichés surrounding Disney heroines and hailed her as "one of Disney's smartest, most independent, most mature heroines". Everyone adores her "unconventional romance" with the Beast.

Disney released the animated "Beauty and The Beast" in 1991, followed by a midquel in 1997, "Beauty and The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas". You can watch them on Google Play by paying on Google Play; Beauty and The Beast, and Google Play, Beauty and The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. in 2017, Disney also released the live action remake under the same name. You can watch the trailers down below.