Who doesn’t like at least one Disney movie? Whether it’s a Marvel movie or one of its more mature movies (fun fact: did you know that Armageddon is actually a Disney film since Disney owned its production company by the 1980s), Disney’s wide scope of subsidiaries means that at least one of your favorite movies is backed by good old Mickey Mouse himself.
While I enjoy movies suited for grown-ups, every now and then, I love going back to my childhood to watch the occasional Disney Princess movie. I grew up watching these movies wishing I could be one of the official Disney Princesses (and even the unofficial Disney Princesses, too) who were beautiful and fair, and wearing the fairest pink princess dress in the land. But as I grew older, so did Disney’s lineup of princesses who showed that a princess was more than just her beauty.
If you want to watch a Disney Princess movie marathon, you don’t have to watch it in order. The Disney Princess franchise features characters that come from their own independent series, so it’s not like Marvel where there’s a specific chronological order to watch the movies or else the timeline won’t make sense.
But if you want to see how Disney’s princesses have developed in the last 80 years or so and how animation has gone from rudimentary animation to some of the best effects, here’s the chronological timeline of Disney Princesses and their movies.
Surprisingly, there are only 13 official Disney Princesses as of 2023, which is why this timeline includes only 13 Disney princess movies (excluding the 14th one; that’s the “Avengers Assembled” version of the princesses). Although some of the princesses have been in Disney since the 1930s, the official list of Disney Princesses has had major changes over the years. Disney has been adding and removing princesses from the list.
So, if you don’t see a Princess who should be on the list, we’ll mention them on our Honorable List below!
If you want to start with the classic, you definitely have to start your movie marathon with Snow White. This is the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first animated feature film and, at the time, the biggest financial risk for the studio.
Prior to Snow White, Walt Disney and his team focused solely on animated shorts because, at the time, nobody had ever heard of an animated feature-length film. Hollywood’s film industry thought no one would be willing to pay a 90-minute animation and believed Snow White would flop. During production, Walt and Roy Disney spent around $1.7 million – this was over ten times the budget they would spend for one short film. Adjusted for inflation, production costs would have been around $30 million today. To continue funding the project, Disney had to bet all his assets on Snow White’s success to get a loan.
Despite the naysayers, however, Snow White proved to be a success, earning $8 million ($142 million today) during its release. Because of its success, it was constantly being re-released in movie theaters and wasn’t available for home video release until the 1990s. It changed the face of filmmaking and opened the floodgates for more animated films to come. In 1989, it was preserved in the National Film Registry after the United States Library of Congress deemed it a significant piece of work worth keeping.
While Snow White can be considered the O.G. princess of the bunch that set the foundation for the rest of Disney’s animated films, including the rest of the animated princesses. The film is based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and is about a beautiful princess who hides in the forest with seven dwarves after her stepmother tries to kill her to remain the fairest woman in the land.
Unfortunately, since Snow White is a product of its time, the plot is considered the most anti-feminist of all the Disney Princess films. The film fails the Bechdel Test and features two kinds of women: the evil one, and the one who needs men (specifically, seven dwarves, a prince, and a repentant huntsman) to save her from peril while her roles are delegated to flower-picking, cooking, and cleaning.
You can’t blame Disney for having source material that dates back to the 19th century, but if you want to see how Disney Princesses go from eating poisoned apples to actively saving lives, this is the movie you want to start with.
Disney released 10 more animated feature films before releasing Cinderella in 1950. Based on two fairy tales: the French Cinderella by Charles Perrault and the German Ashputtel by the Brothers Grimm. In this film, Cinderella is a beautiful young woman forced at a young age to work as a maid for her stepmother and stepsisters after her father dies. When the king’s son refuses to marry, the royal palace holds a ball for all eligible young women and Cinderella sneaks off to the ball with the help of her mice friends and her fairy godmother.
Her character is symbolized by her iconic glass slippers. And while it is implied that her father was a nobleman, Cinderella is the first Disney Princess who has to marry into royalty. Unfortunately, like Snow White, Cinderella is criticized for being anti-feminist as the movie can be interpreted to mean that the only way for a woman to be free is to be beautiful and attract the attention of a wealthy man. However, she’s a step above Snow White in a way that Cinderella has some form of agency and does not give up despite the injustices she has suffered.
Technically speaking, Princess Aurora should have been the fourth Disney Princess on this list after Tinkerbell of the 1953 film, Peter Pan. However, after Tinkerbell was removed from the roster in 2005 (so that she could be the headliner of Disney’s other franchise, Disney Fairies), Aurora technically became the third oldest princess on the list.
The third Disney Princess appearing in Disney’s 16th animated feature film, Princess Aurora is based on French, German, and Russian stories. She is the daughter of a king and queen betrothed to a prince of a neighboring kingdom at birth. However, her parents anger the evil fairy Maleficent and she is cursed to die on her 16th birthday. To protect Aurora, three fairies agree to raise her in secret until the day after her 16th birthday so that they can avoid the prophecy.
While the Disney Princess website says Aurora encourages children to be curious and “always wonder,” but critics point out how Aurora had very little involvement in her own story. She was not aware of her curse nor did she do anything to stop it. In fact, despite it being a movie about Princess Aurora, Philip got much more time featuring himself slaying the dragon. When I try to recall the movie, some of the most memorable parts include the fairies using magic to prepare Aurora’s 16th birthday party and Maleficent taunting Philip.
The Little Mermaid’s princess, Ariel, is the first Disney Princess that isn’t fully human – at least, not until the end of the movie. The film is based on the eponymous Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, except that it has a much more child-friendly ending compared to the original story (read: each step Andersen’s mermaid took felt like she was stepping on knives and when the prince marries a princess instead of her, she cannot bring herself to murder the prince to become human again and accepts her death as she turns into sea foam).
In this Disney-esque less brutal version of the tale, Ariel is the youngest and most rebellious of King Triton’s seven daughters. Despite her father’s warnings about mankind, Ariel is drawn to a young prince and strikes a deal with a sea witch to make her a human in exchange for her voice.
This is Disney’s 28th animated feature film. Despite the progress Cinderella and Aurora had made after Snow White and that she was created during Disney’s “Renaissance” period, critics found Ariel regressing feminist progress as her curiosity to see the world outside of her own is mostly motivated by her infatuation for a prince she has seen but never spoken to.
In mid-2019, Disney announced a live-action remake of the film and casted singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel. This was met with praise and criticism because while Bailey was known to be a talented singer, some people weren’t happy that Bailey, a Black American, does not resemble the white and red-haired Ariel in the animated film. Whether you like or dislike the casting choice, I’m more interested to see how Disney will resolve adapting a film with a supposedly anti-feminist character into a time with more empowered women.
Fifth on your watch list should be Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s 30th animated film based on a French fairy tale. In this film, book-loving Belle sacrifices her own freedom in exchange for her father’s when he is imprisoned by a Beast, whom she teaches how to love. Her love for him breaks the spell keeping him a beast and transforms him into a handsome prince.
After four Disney princesses that miss the mark on modern-day feminism, Belle is the first active princess (she married into royalty) who is independent, intelligent, and will actively argue and resist when she can. Though she requires Beast’s help in some instances such as when she is caught by a pack of wolves, she is the first princess that doesn’t fit the stereotypical role of weak women with no agency of her own. And as we see later on, we see that Belle paves the way for stronger, more independent women.
While Princess Jasmine isn’t the main character or the eponymous character in Disney’s 31st animated film, she is still the leading lady who continues Belle’s streak of empowered Disney Princesses. The film is based on the story “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” from the folk tale of One Thousand and One Nights. While she is the first princess who isn’t the main character or titular character of her story, she is the first non-European princess.
In the movie, a street urchin named Aladdin falls in love with Princess Jasmine while she is disguised as a commoner roaming around the city. After getting his hands on a magic lamp, Aladdin tricks everyone into thinking he is a prince in order to earn a chance to win the princess’ love and marry her.
While Jasmine isn’t the main character and is subject to a very patriarchal setting (as the daughter of the Sultan, she must marry by her 16th birthday and is forbidden from leaving the palace), her personality is far from the demure princess of Disney’s earlier days. Her curiosity to see outside the palace walls is driven solely by her own motivations, not because of a man. She is also fierce and confident, showing her outright refusal to marry suitors she does not like.
The seventh Disney Princess on this list in Disney’s 33rd animated film, the eponymous Pocahontas, is the first Native American Princess. Technically, she’s not a princess because her father is a chief, not a king, and she does not marry a prince. But in European standards of ruling, she is someone born into the Native American equivalent of a royal family. Pocahontas is also the first Disney character based on real historical figure, except for a few important details that would have shown just how cruel the colonizers really were.
In the film, Pocahontas’ tribe come across British colonizers trying to conquer the New World. She falls in love with Captain John Smith and seeks to stop the tension between her people and the English settlers.
Mulan is the eighth official Disney Princess even if, technically, she was neither born nor married into the royal family of China. However, aside from her royal status, Mulan met the criteria for empowering Disney Princesses that Disney wanted to add to their roster and became an honorary princess on the list. Unlike Pocahontas, Mulan was based on a Chinese legend and may or may not have been a real historical figure in ancient China. Her film is Disney’s 36th animated film.
In the film, China defends itself from invading Huns and requires one man from every family to serve in the imperial army. With the Fa family having only one man, Mulan disguises herself as a man and takes her elderly father’s place in the army. She later becomes the savior of China after saving the emperor and the royal household.
The ninth film on your list is Disney’s 49th animated film and presents the first Black American Princess: Princess Tiana. It is based on a novel that was based on the Brothers Grimm tale The Frog Prince.
Tiana is a New Orleans-based young woman working as a waitress to save enough money to start her own restaurant. A visiting prince is turned into a frog and mistakes Tiana for a princess whose kiss can turn him back to a human. However, she is turned to a frog herself and they have to find a way to undo the spell.
The Princess and the Frog signals the beginning of a new wave of Disney Princesses. While some of these princesses have romantic relationships with men, this is no longer the focus of each movie. These princesses are now more independent and headstrong.
The 10th Disney princess featured in Disney’s 50th animated film, Rapunzel is the first princess used in a CGI film. Tangled is based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, though with some changes to the original story. In the original fairy tale, Rapunzel’s parents aren’t royalty and lost their daughter because of Rapunzel’s mother has pregnancy cravings that drive her father to steal Rapunzel vegetables from a witch’s garden. In exchange for getting Rapunzel for his wife, the couple must give the witch their child.
In the Disney film, however, the pregnant queen consumes a magic flower that heals her and gives her a golden-haired child whose hair has the flower’s healing abilities. Unknown to the king and queen, a witch had been using that flower to keep herself young, so she kidnaps the princess and keeps her hidden in a tower so she can use the girl’s hair to remain young.
The princess in this film, Merida, is the 11th Disney Princess (and the first Pixar princess) and the first princess who does not fit the stereotypical beauty of the other princesses, does not sing, and does not have a romantic interest as she turns down all three of the suitors in her film. In fact, her whole character arc is based on the fact that she shuns all the typical princess and lady-like activities in favor of more free-spirited activities.
In Brave, Merida’s parents expect her to by a proper princess and marry the son of one of three allied clans, but Merida wants to be free and do what she wants. After attempting to challenge her suitors for her own hand, Merida wishes for a way to change her fate.
The twelfth princess of the Disney Princess roster, Moana is the first Polynesian Princess and the first story not to be based on stories or legends. She is the second princess without a romantic interest and focuses more on her own adventure.
As Moana is ready to take her place as the next village chief of Motunui, strange circumstances drive Moana to believe they have to leave the island, but her father refuses to let her go out of fear of the ocean. However, she discovers that she was chosen to leave the island and restore the heart of Te Fiti before the darkness consumes Motunui and all other islands in the ocean.
Raya, the titular protagonist of the 2021 animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, has been officially named the 13th Disney Princess. Raya is a proud warrior princess from the fictional land of Kumandra, who must unite the world’s tribes to defeat an evil force known as the Druun. She is a strong, independent, and resourceful young woman who is not afraid to fight for what she believes in.
Raya’s inclusion in the Disney Princess lineup is a significant moment for the company, as it marks the first time that a Southeast Asian princess has been featured in the franchise. Raya is also the first Disney Princess to not have a love interest, and her story focuses on themes of friendship, trust, and redemption.
Raya’s addition to the Disney Princess lineup is a welcome change for the company, and it is sure to inspire young girls around the world. She is a strong, independent, and relatable role model who shows that anything is possible if you believe in yourself.
While there are only 13 Disney Princesses with their own movie, why not cap off your Disney Princess marathon with a movie that features all 13 princesses! The sequel of Wreck-It Ralph, titled Ralph Breaks the Internet, features all the official Disney Princesses as well as Princess Anna and Queen Elsa from Frozen. Though Vanellope Von Schweetz isn’t an official Disney Princess, it is refreshing to see her and all the other princesses get together.
And they’re not just there for the novelty: these princesses have an important role in the movie. If you haven’t watched the movie yet and want to avoid spoilers, don’t watch the video!
So you want to watch the Disney Princess movies in order but realize some of your favorite characters didn’t make the cut! Disney had their reasons for the removal of these princesses from the official list: toy line problems, concerns about the character’s history and more. But even though they aren’t on the list, we’d love to insert them in the Disney Princess movies timeline.
Here are your honorable Disney Princesses, as well as the years they were made so you can insert them in your marathon.
Granted, bellringer Quasimodo is the protagonist of the 1996 animated film, but Esmeralda stole the scene with her courage and passion for freedom. We love how our favorite gypsy stood up for herself and defended Quasimodo from the jeering crowd. Plus, Esmeralda from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” tops our list of The Most Eye-Catching Disney Princess, with her hypnotizing dance and beautiful eyes.
Here’s the tea about Esmeralda: she was a former official Disney Princess but they removed her in 2005. Disney didn’t give an official reason for her removal but an article from Polygon theorizes that the darkness of her film (plus the fact that Esmeralda was the eye of Frollo’s lust, which was subtly implied in the movie) meant she didn’t fit the canon Disney Princess category.
“Atlantis: The Lost Empire” has got to be one of the most underrated Disney movies out there and Kida is officially an underrated princess. Unfortunately, she is a forgotten member of royalty in the world of Disney, which is a shame.
The Atlantian princess started off as just a regular yet very curious princess; always eager to learn what is above their land. Throughout the film, she helps Milo learn more about Atlantis and saves her people from unwelcome visitors who try to steal the crystal source. At the end of the film, Kida becomes queen.
Despite the good storyline, Atlantis was a box office disappointment, which resulted in Disney never considering Kida as an official Princess.
The lovely and quirky Giselle from “Enchanted” is known for her beautiful singing voice and how she ended up in the real world to make googly eyes with Patrick Dempsey. She was set to be part of the official Disney Princess list until Amy Adams, the actress behind Giselle, refused.
If Giselle were to become an official Disney Princess, Disney must pay royalties for the likeness of Giselle to Amy Adams. Plus, they could only use her images if they have permission from Adams. Disney didn’t have time for that so Giselle never became an official princess. At least we have the “Enchanted” sequel “Disenchanted” to look forward to!
Many Disney fans may be surprised to learn that Anna and Elsa, despite being one of Disney’s most successful princesses, are not part of the official Disney Princess lineup.
There are many speculations behind Anna and Elsa not joining the ranks of official Disney Princesses. Some fans say that Elsa’s status as a Queen stopped her from being a Princess (the same applies to Anna now since she was hailed queen in Frozen 2). Others insist that their lack of animal companion automatically disqualified them from the list (I guess Olaf was not enough).
But one of the best reasons behind their disqualification from the list is because they are their own franchise. Simply put, Anna and Elsa are so profitable, they don’t have to be grouped with the other princesses.
Entering the Disney fairies franchise, Tinkerbell is one of the Disney characters who first made an appearance in Disney’s 1953 hit Peter Pan. Even though Tinkerbell is actually a fairy, she’s won the hearts of audiences across the world, dubbing the little beaute as a princess of her own kind.
Plus, Tinkerbell’s popularity got her her own Disney fairies franchise, including many fairy movies that little girls love to watch.
As a rule of thumb for Disney, a princess’s lineup consists of princesses by royalty, birth, or marriage. In some cultures, that extends to being the daughter of a chief, like Pocahontas. The only exception to this rule is Mulan—she gained the status by doing a heroic deed.
To be a Disney princess, one should be gentle and kind to everyone, humans and non-humans. Furthermore, Disney princesses have to meet certain criteria, such as being a focal point of the story and being human or human-looking (think Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”).
All Disney princesses possess inner and outer beauty traits and are considered loving, caring, giving, merciful, and graceful. In addition, Disney princesses are kind to animals and have the ability to communicate with them, which is why they’re almost always portrayed accompanied by a loveable animal sidekick.
For many generations, probably the first association with a Disney princess movie is the song. Who can forget “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from Cinderella or “Beauty and the Beast” by the identically named movie?
All Disney princess characters sing a tune that’s so catchy and whimsical, so they’re naturally a big part of the Disney experience with animated movies. As Tiana told Vanellope, “That’s what happens when a princess sings about her dreams.”
Think you know them all? Check our Disney princess list of songs and movies, and see for yourself:
Of course—although Anna and her sister Elsa aren’t original Disney princesses—how can we make a list without adding Frozen’s anthem, the well-known “Let It Go”?
Fun Fact: Did you know that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the only animated film in the Disney Princess franchise that has won an honorary Oscar for its music?
To the satisfaction of many Disney princess buffs, the fact that Disney turned our all-time favorite princesses into live-action heroes adds the cherry on top. To date, these are the Disney princesses-turned-live-action heroines:
But these will be joined by three more soon:
From as young as 14 years old to as mature as 21, Disney princesses are almost always in that scope in all Disney princess stories. Here are the ages of our most loved and popular Disney princesses:
As we said, Disney princess characters are represented in a unique way, with distinct features and recognizable visuals.
As we mentioned, the Disney princess movie list is about to get some new additions—and very soon! According to Disney officials, here are the newest Disney live actions we can all look forward to.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to see the new Snow White live-action Disney film, but we’ll have to wait for almost a year for it. Company officials have announced the making of the newest Disney princess live-action movie, “Snow White,” starring Rachel Zegler as Snow White, and modern-day Wonderwoman, Gal Gadot as the evil Queen.
Not much is shared about the upcoming movie, though, so we can only wait and see what masterpiece Disney cooks up for the world to gobble up next. Will the original Disney princess bite the poisoned apple? Will the happy ending come? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Currently, there are 13 Disney princesses considered the original Disney princesses. However, Walt Disney Studios announced that soon a new princess will join—Asha from the upcoming film “Wish.”
If we’re looking at the Disney princess franchise, then the oldest princesses are Cinderella and Tiana. But aside from the original Disney princess list and diving into the Disney princess/queen world, Elsa is the oldest (21 years old).
If we were to ask the late Walt Disney who his favorite Disney princess was, he’d say Cinderella. Ilene Woods, the actress who gave Cinderella her screen voice, remembers Walt Disney saying that Cinderella was his favorite heroine. But would that have changed today?
If you look at any Disney princess poster featuring all the Disney princesses, you’ll notice Cinderella front and center. Many think that’s because she’s the unofficial leader of all the princesses.
That has to be Snow White—she is a Disney princess in the official princesses lineup that is the embodiment of innocence, beauty, kindness, and grace.
That list includes Prince Florian, Prince Charming, aka Prince Henry, Prince Phillip, Prince Eric, Prince Adam, and Aladdin. Interestingly, Flynn Rider is also a prince; however, John Smith isn’t technically a Disney prince.
In the “Return to the Sea” sequel, we see Ariel as an adult and giving birth to a daughter, Melody. That makes her the only Disney princess to be portrayed as a mother.
Technically, Disney doesn’t have a disabled princess. Elsa—although not an original Disney princess—is portrayed to have a disability, as seen by her wild magic. Another similar character, one closer to an actual disability, is Vanellope’s pixlexia.
Remember, you’re free to watch the Disney Princess movies in any order (though I recommend watching Ralph Break the Internet last. But if you want to see the evolution of how Disney creates their princesses for millions of young girls (and boys!) to emulate, try watching it based on the year of their release. You’ll see how Disney’s ideal princess starts with a young woman with no decisions of her own and ends with independent women who don’t need any man to save them.
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