Disney has been a big part of people’s childhood all over the world for decades, producing their first ever film series in 1923. Who is the first Disney princess that comes to your mind when you think of Disney movies? Have you ever wondered who the best one was? I will critique four of the “best” princesses to see who is really the fairest of them all.
The first princess on my list coming in at number four, is none other than Princess Tiana. Princess Tiana made her first appearance in the Disney film, ‘The Princess and the Frog’. This was released on December 11, 2009. Tiana’s character was inspired by a famous New Orleans chef, Leah Chase. I chose Tiana as my fourth princess because she is a hard worker that had to overcome many hardships, one was being turned into a frog after meeting a prince she kissed who was cursed by an evil voodoo witch named Dr. Facilier. Though this difficult situation was obviously very overwhelming, she stayed determined and got through it. Another hardship she faced through all of this was that she mourned the loss of her father who she had made a promise with to achieve her dreams. Later in the movie she was able to obtain her own restaurant and amaze people with her cooking skills all with the help of her determination and grit.
I’ve decided on Princess Belle as the second princess on my list with her placement as number three. Princess Belle came from the film “Beauty and the Beast”, which was released on November 22, 1991. Originally, this fairy tale comes from Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, an old French writer. This was included in a 1740 story collection called “The Young American” or “Tales of the Sea.” According to 10 Things You Never Knew: The Beauty and the Beast, It is said that it was a chambermaid who told it to a young lady, while on board a ship going to America. I chose princess Belle because I looked at her as a courageous character because of her bravery from venturing to the Beast’s castle after her father had been entrapped. The Beast had mistakenly assumed that he was up near the castle to stare at him. Belle had attempted to rescue her father from the Beast, but after failing she made an agreement with him to stay there at the castle and be held prisoner in return for her fathers release and safety. Princess Belle prioritized her father’s safety over her own to free him. Whilst most people would put their lives before others, she instead put hers in danger.
The third princess coming in at second place is Moana of Motunui. Moana is a well known princess from the Disney movie, ‘Moana’ named after the character herself. This film’s release date was November 23, 2016. The heritage in Moana comes from the Polynesian culture which was represented quite a bit throughout the movie; For example, their traditional dances that they performed. You can see Moana teaching these dances to a group of kids near the beginning of the film. Moana had always been under a great deal of pressure since she was little because she is the Chief’s daughter. While trying to live up to her family’s expectations for her, she also just wanted to be free and explore. It was her dream to sail the ocean. Later in the movie is when minor difficulties started up. The fishermen started catching less fish in their nets, the coconuts had all gone bad, crops were rotting, and the life from surrounding islands were drastically being drained. Tragedy struck when Moana’s grandma had passed away. Right before she did she was talking to Moana and told her about the heart of Te Fiti being in her possession and that Moana had to restore it to save everyone by lifting the curse. Moana then packed and set out on her boat through the rough waters and storms to venture to the island of Te Fiti. But first she had to find Maui to accompany her. This made her adventure even tougher because when she did find him he attempted to steal her boat and abandon her by trapping her on a deserted island. She found a way out and got her boat back then made an alliance with him that was if he went with her then they would recover his magical fish hook together. Overall Moana’s journey was extremely difficult and at one point she even had an extremely close encounter with death when she was almost eaten by a ginormous hermit crab named Tamatoa. Moana’s valiant willingness to save her entire village and practically the entire surrounding ocean makes her utterly heroic. Putting her life on the line for the sake of her people.
Last but not least, though it was a close vote between her and Moana. The princess taking first place is Mulan. The movie Mulan is from is in fact named after her just like Moana, a princess that was previously mentioned. The movie Mulan release date was on June 5, 1998. Mulan has been a popular and well-liked movie since it came out. Per Nielsen ratings, Mulan was one of ten most-watched streams in the U.S. between August 31 and September 6, 2020. Mulan cast 525 million streaming minutes throughout its opening weekend between September 4-6 in the U.S. Mulan has been through so many obstacles, always appearing as weird to her village because she didn’t act as ladylike as the rest of her peers. There is a scene in the movie where Mulan’s father had been conscripted into war because he had no sons to go. Mulan’s father was not in the best condition and was on crutches due to a leg injury. Mulan refused to let her father go out into the war to suffer and die in such a state. The night before he was supposed to go, Mulan took action and packed her father’s armour and sword. Mulan disguised herself as a man to take her dad’s place. She trained continuously while at the army camp and fought in several wars. Overall, Mulan is the best Disney princess because of her bravery to take something so significant into her own hands and practically sacrificing herself for her father and in the name of her family.
All of these four princesses earned their way onto my list by intriguing me because of their background, stories, and characteristics. Many of these princesses are considered to be great role models for young girls all over the world. Over the years there have been so many iconic Disney characters, but it feels as though the princesses are the ones that just hit close to home. I am so glad that I was able to have these movies a part of my childhood and now I get to see Disney come out with new additions like part twos and extras.