Disney Princess Movies Analysis

Disney Princess Movies: New vs. Old Many of us grew up with the whimsical and romantic princess tales brought to life through Disney’s animation. Anyone paying close attention would realize that there are a great number of similarities and differences between the classic Disney princess movies, which include Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, and the more modern Disney princess movies. One of the main ways in which the old Disney princess movies differ from the modern Disney princess movies is in their production. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was not only the first Disney princess movie, but it was also the first full-length animated feature film ever. Because of this, the movie was a pioneer for animated films and was the first

Sam Higgs, a media teacher and screen education author, describes Disney princesses as “allegories of the dominant representations of women at the time of each film’s production.” To illustrate this, the three classic Disney princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, the princess from Sleeping Beauty, display qualities such as hospitality, kindness while being mistreated, and dependence on a man. Each of these princesses perform roles of a housewife, including cooking and cleaning. During the time these movies were made, which was from 1937 to 1959, these characteristics were what was expected of women. The next wave of princesses came in the late 80’s and through the 90’s, and just as the times had changed, so did the messages coming from the movies. The princesses of this era are Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan. Contrasting to the classic princesses before them, these ladies portray more strong and independent qualities. They think and act on their own, yet the society around them sees them as odd or strange because of these traits. Lastly, the most recent princesses, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa, and Moana, take more control of their stories compared to all of the other princesses. Their storylines are not as focused on a love interest. In fact, Merida, Elsa, and Moana don’t even have a love interest. These

Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora were all Caucasian and of European descent. It was not until 1992, with the release of Aladdin, that Disney had its first multicultural princess: Jasmine. After Jasmine, along came Pocahontas, a Native American princess, and Mulan, a Chinese princess, consecutively three years apart. Then, after not releasing a Disney princess film for more than a decade, The Princess and the Frog came out, introducing Tiana, Disney’s first African American princess. Just last fall, Disney debuted its most recent princess movie, which starred Moana, a Polynesian princess. According to Dania Santana, a multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusion expert, “diverse Disney princesses [...] have different family settings and dynamics, strengths and aspirations”, and ultimately, “Disney has evolved to show characters that more children can identify with”. In our rapidly globalizing world where cultural awareness is becoming more and more prevalent, it only makes sense for Disney to include a number of different cultures and ethnicities among its princesses. The films of Disney’s classic and modern princesses are a well-known part of the American animation industry. Put against each other, the movies display clear similarities and differences. It is important to examine these similarities and differences to be aware of what children nowadays, and in the future,