How Disney princesses have changed over the years and what the animation giant’s plans are for the future

As much as many people don’t realize it, the fact is that animations and movies often reflect the characteristics and social norms of a certain period. If you look closely at princesses, for example, you can understand what women’s ambitions were at a given time and their place in the society in which the story is set. And Disney movies are a great way to understand that. In over 80 years of stories about princesses, there has been a huge evolution in the image of women, always reflecting the “spirit” of the period in which the animations were produced.

O awesome.club decided to watch all the movies with Disney princesses and understand why they have changed so much over time. Check out!

In 1937, Disney presented the world with its first complete animated work. One of the outstanding characteristics of Snow White is that she is well versed in domestic activities. Notice that the princess leaves the dwarfs’ house in perfect condition, even though she doesn’t know them well. Furthermore, she is naive and exudes confidence, so that even the animals of the forest bow before her. Furthermore, Disney’s first princess does everything to not get involved in a fight: she runs away from the Queen and ends up in the forest, not bothering to fight back. And in the end, she ends up being saved from death by a prince she has only seen once in her life.

Cinderella suffers oppression at home, is exploited, but does not struggle to change her reality. She just secretly sneaks out to the prom, but is afraid her stepmother and sisters will find out. As in the story of Snow White, her deliverance comes through a prince she has, until then, never seen.

The third princess, Aurora, is saved from death by the kiss of an unknown man, who, of course, is a prince. At the same time, it’s important to understand that Aurora’s destiny is always controlled by someone else: her parents, the fairies, Maleficent, the prince, never by herself.

Aurora, Cinderella and Snow White are beautiful in their naivety, kindness and passivity. But these classic images for some viewers have become, in a way, a bit anachronistic, considering the way many women today live: marrying the first person they meet, sleeping with the rats in the attic, having the opportunity running away from people who hurt you and not doing it or living in a house with strangers you barely know.

Disney’s first princesses are, in a way, the stereotype of the ideal woman of their times: obedient, discreet, without initiative, whose main goal in life is to have a successful marriage. All three stories are based on the same plot formula: an incredibly beautiful girl suffers from life’s circumstances and hopes to be rescued. In fact, the heroine’s problem is only solved thanks to her appearance and sweetness, not her initiatives and actions. Beautiful stories, but, as we mentioned, quite anachronistic for today.

Disney began to change, and in 1966 its founder, Walt Disney, passed away, precisely at a time when society was experiencing drastic changes. The image of the heroines was also undergoing transformations, so that Ariel was a great success on the big screen. The little mermaid is rebellious, stubborn, confident, loves an adventure and acts against the will of her father, who is also the king of the underwater world. But, like her predecessors, she falls madly in love with the first man she meets, who predictably turns out to be a prince. However, the princess is the one who saves her beloved and takes the risks of her own desires.

Two years after the release of The Little Mermaid, the world met Bela, a young woman who refuses to marry the most popular man among women in her village and is obsessed with books. Just taking care of the home is not the girl’s life goal. Belle bravely goes in search of her father, decides to stay in the castle with the Beast, and in the end, defends the Beast in front of an angry mob. By the way, the Beast is traditionally a prince, although he is bewitched. But for the first time, a Disney heroine falls in love with her lover’s personality, not her outward appearance.

Between the 1960s and 1980s, women were fighting for social equality and ideas about the role of women in society were already changing. Princesses now had their own aspirations and the right to choose. And they became more proactive, having desires and aspirations beyond marriage, although “happily ever after” still played a significant role in their lives. However, independence and determination are visible in the films of that time.

Against the backdrop of the struggle for female empowerment, the focus was now on race and cultural identity. Before Jasmine, all princesses had a more or less similar profile. With origins that go back to the Middle East, it laid the groundwork for cartoons with characters from different backgrounds to appear on the big screen. Also, she was the first princess who didn’t fall in love with a prince.

Pocahontas is the young daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Indian tribe. She is headstrong and brave, just like the rest of the princesses of that era. And even the meaning of her name means “spoiled child”, because of her fun and rebellious way.

Mulan is a Chinese girl who disguises herself as a boy to prove that a woman warrior can be as good as a man.

At the beginning of the film, Tiana works as a waitress in two jobs in order to save money to fulfill a dream – to open her own restaurant (she only becomes a princess at the end, when she marries a prince). The young woman is extremely determined and works hard to make her dream come true. And in the end, the viewer perceives an interesting lesson: all the events of the animation push the heroine to realize that her life goals are just as important as family and love.

Unlike the first princesses, Rapunzel doesn’t fall in love with the first man she sees. In fact, she hits him in the face with a frying pan and has one goal: to see up close what the mysterious flying lanterns are that shine in the sky. As in The princess and the Frogthe main character follows a dream and love is not the main priority in her life.

In this film, the main focus is not on young Merida’s arrogance, but on her attitude towards men. She would do anything not to get married, even participate in a tournament with her suitors and beat them all, shooting arrows at targets with precision. The film’s great lesson concerns love and understanding, not between a man and a woman, but between a mother and her daughter. From this true milestone, in Disney films, princesses begin to follow their dreams. And the relationship with men occupies a secondary place in the plot.

In animations of the first princesses of the 21st century, this tendency for princesses to fight for their own destiny remains strong.

Not all Disney heroines are considered princesses. There is a limited list of characters who have earned this “title” — all listed above — but that relationship is changing, excluding and adding new protagonists.

Moana and sisters Anna and Elsa are not considered official princesses by Disney. There is no definitive explanation for this, but there are several assumptions. One is that viewers have become more critical of the “princess” concept, and the new heroines aren’t on this list for exactly that reason. However, this is just an assumption. Perhaps they will be added later, but they are very much worth talking about now.

Between Anna and Elsa a true love story takes place. Anna could only be saved by the true love that exists precisely between the sisters, and not by the feelings of the reindeer herder Kristoff or the lying prince.

Disney heroines are no longer perfect and nice. Elsa becomes dangerous to herself and others, including her own sister. However, she struggles with her fears and anxieties. In the end, goodness will win, but only if the heroines know themselves and overcome their fears.

Elsa’s story is a great example for girls today. After all, the princess of Arendelle is looking for an answer that almost all of us (women and men) are looking for: “who am I?”

Moana’s only goal, the daughter of a tribe leader, is to save her people. Interestingly, she ends up lost in the open ocean alone on a boat with a muscular and tattooed demigod, Maui, and no passion arises between them. The curiosity here is that the plot places the girl at the center of the narrative, but does not establish a love story, not even in the background.

It is also worth noting that the Moana figure does not have the tall, slender silhouette that is classic for Disney princesses. This is a change in the perception of beauty within our society reflected in the plot.🇧🇷 Moana gives the impression of being a young, cheerful and strong girl, who is imperfect but struggles with her fears and insecurities. And in the end, she takes a brave step into the ocean.

For next year, the release of yet another Disney animation is scheduled, whose main character is a lonely oriental warrior called Raya. And she’s going on an adventure to save her kingdom and look for dragons.

Kelly Marie Tran, the voice actress who will voice Raya, pointed out that the eastern warrior is technically a princess. But she herself questions “what is it like to be a princess these days?”

🇧🇷Disney princesses inspire generations of kids to dream big and believe in themselves.” said Marianthi O’Dwyer, Vice President of Franchise at Disney. Maybe that’s the answer to Kelly’s question. And what exactly does it mean to “dream big” and which of its facets to believe in, only time will tell.

After all, as we have seen with the evolution of Disney princesses over almost a century, society changes and aspirations are different depending on the era.

Who is your favorite Disney princess? How should the princess of the future be for you? Tell us in the comments section.