Credit: DisneyDisney is one of the most well-known entertainment companies in the world. Everyone has seen a Disney movie and can probably name a handful of Disney characters off the top of their head. The first character to come to mind is probably Mickey Mouse or one of his friends. However, you’re just as likely to hear a Disney princess or Disney prince mentioned as you are Mickey. They’re some of the most popular characters to meet and greet at a Disney Park and have inspired young girls for decades.
The Disney princesses are some of the most popular characters in animation history, as they should be. A Disney princess was featured in the first fully drawn feature-length animated film, created an entire genre of film, and the Disney princesses have saved The Walt Disney Company time and time again.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White was not only the first Disney princess, but her film was also the first full-length animated film. It took Disney from a company primarily creating cartoon shorts and a mix of live-action and cartoon episodes to the entertainment giant it is today. The movie was one of the first to use Techni-color, helping spark the shift between black and white to colored films. In the process of creating Snow White, The Walt Disney Company invented the multi-plane camera, which helped give animated films depth and a sense of realism.
Backdrops were created, painted, and then layered over each other to create stunningly intricate sets. Although this would be Disney’s first princess film, it would also be the last for several years as the company shifted to help the war efforts during World War II. Many animators were drafted and those that didn’t fight helped create shorts and films that were essentially propaganda but helped spread hope and a fighting attitude.
Cinderella (1951)
Cinderella was the next princess film to come from Walt Disney Studios, over a decade after the company released their first. It still used hand-drawn animation and the multiplane camera, but took the company one step further. Prior to releasing the film, Disney released and promoted the soundtrack, a practice that wasn’t that common at the time.
Disney also leaned heavily into promoting merchandise around the film since there was no way to sell the actual movie because home video hadn’t been invented yet. The company pushed marketing and merchandise hard for Cinderella, causing the soundtrack to remain at number one for over a year and the company to see millions of dollars in merchandise sales.
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Sleeping Beauty didn’t technically mark any significant progress or innovation within The Walt Disney Company, but it instead marked the start of a decline. Princess Aurora’s movie was the last princess movie Walt Disney himself worked on, as he would die just a few years after its release.
The company lost its direction after that, as Walt had been primarily responsible for creating concepts for movies, Disneyland, and other areas of Disney. Entering a period of inner turmoil, the company saw massive layoffs, turnovers, and several CEOs over the course of the next few decades. While Disney continued to produce animated films, it wouldn’t see success until Michael Eisner would step in during the 1980s.
The Little Mermaid (1989)
The Little Mermaid was the first Disney princess movie in almost three decades, and would kickstart an entire era of Disney princesses or princess-type characters. The Little Mermaid is credited for starting the “Disney Renaissance,” as she completely changed the formula of Disney movies going forward.
Ariel was a much more active and involved character compared to the princesses before her, officially introducing the concept of an “I Want” song. Composers Howard Ashman and Alan Menken teamed up for the first time and would essentially start a revolution for Disney songs, going on to work together on a few more films before Ashman’s untimely death.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Beauty and the Beast revolutionized animated films, becoming the first animation to be nominated for the Best Picture category of the Oscars. It continued the trend of the princess being more active than in the past. After Beauty and the Beast, The Walt Disney Company continued to create independent and inspiring princesses or princess-equivalents, including Princess Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, and even Esmerelda.
These characters stood up for what they thought was right, didn’t wait for a man to save them (even though they each ended up with their own Prince Charming), and inspired an entire generation of girls. There would be another shift away from Disney princesses for a couple of years as the company incorporated Pixar and started producing more action-based movies that could reach a broader audience.
Princess and the Frog (2009)
Princess and the Frog featuring Princess Tiana would be the last fully 2D animated film that Disney would produce, with Tangled marking the shift to fully 3D rendered movies. Tangled, with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, was another major success for Disney, while the company continued innovative work in the realm of animation technology. Moana (2016) was another successful “princess” film to come from the studio at this time as well. However, they would all be outdone by the next Disney princess film.
Frozen (2016)
Even though it came out almost a decade ago, Frozen is still one of the highest-grossing animated IPs and is just as ever-present now as it was when it first released. Princess Anna and her sister Elsa are some of the most popular and beloved Disney characters of all time. The movie skyrocketed Disney’s revenue but would be the last official princess movie for some time.
Although Disney has released movies like Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and Encanto (2021), none of them have had the same power that Frozen has had and still has to this day. Now, another princess film is set to premiere later this year, Wish (2023), and it could mark the start of another era of Disney success.
When you look back through Disney’s history, the princesses are at the forefront of every bit of progress, from animation inventions, to marketing tactics, to financial success. Although they may be considered “niche,” there’s no doubt that The Walt Disney Company owes everything it is to the girls of animation.
Who’s your favorite Disney princess? Let Inside the Magic know what you think in the comments below!