Disney Princess facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Disney Princess |
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Logo used since 2024
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| Creator | Andy Mooney |
| Original work | Animated films by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Print publications | |
| Books | Disney Princess Chapter Books A Jewel Story |
| Comics |
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| Magazines | Disney Princess |
| Films and television | |
| Films | Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams Disney Princess: The Castle Quest |
| Animated series | |
| Games | |
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| Audio | |
| Original music | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Toys |
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| Extension | Palace Pets |
| Clothing | Disney Fairy Tale Weddings collection |
| Official website | |
| https://princess.disney.com/ | |
Disney Princess, also known as the Princess Line, is a popular collection of characters and products from The Walt Disney Company. It was created by Andy Mooney, who was in charge of Disney Consumer Products. This collection features special female heroes from various Disney animated movies.
The Disney Princess group does not include every princess character from Disney films. Instead, it focuses on specific main characters from animated movies made by Walt Disney Pictures. Most of these characters are from Walt Disney Animation Studios films, and one is from a Pixar film. The word "Princess" in this collection is used to describe heroines who show inspiring qualities, not just those with a royal title.
There are thirteen characters in the official Disney Princess lineup: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Moana, and Raya.
The franchise offers many products like dolls, sing-along videos, clothes, beauty items, and home decorations. Companies like Glidden (paints), Stride Rite (shoes), Funko (vinyl figures), Fisher-Price (plastic toys), Lego (Lego sets), Hasbro, Jakks Pacific, and Mattel make these products.
The Story of Disney Princess
How the Idea Started
In December 1999, Andy Mooney, who used to work for Nike, Inc., became the head of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Consumer Products division. At his first Disney on Ice show, Mooney noticed many young girls dressed as princesses. However, their costumes were not official Disney products.
Mooney realized that Disney was missing a big chance to sell merchandise related to these characters. He wanted to bring these popular heroines together under one official brand. In January 2000, he encouraged the company to start the Disney Princess franchise. Some people, like Walt Disney's nephew Roy E. Disney, were worried. They thought mixing characters from different fairy tales might make their individual stories less special.
The first Disney Princess lineup included Snow White, Cinderella, Tinker Bell, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Esmeralda, and Mulan. Esmeralda and Tinker Bell were later removed. Tinker Bell then became the star of her own series, Disney Fairies.
This was the first time these characters were grouped together as a single media franchise, separate from their original movies. Mooney decided that when the princesses appeared together in ads, they should never look at each other. This was to keep their individual stories unique. Each princess "stares off in a slightly different direction," as if they are not aware of the others.
Mooney and his team launched the Disney Princess line without much testing or marketing. By 2001, Disney Consumer Products made about $300 million. By 2012, this grew to $3 billion, making it the top seller of entertainment products worldwide.
Adding New Princesses
New Princesses Join the Group
Tiana was the first new character to officially join the Disney Princess franchise. This happened on March 14, 2010. She became the ninth member, taking Tinker Bell's earlier spot. Her special "coronation" event took place in New York City.
Rapunzel became the tenth member on October 2, 2011. Her "coronation" was a special event in London. Other princesses, the Fairy Godmother, and Flynn Rider also attended. The event included a parade through Hyde Park. It ended with a ceremony at Kensington Palace, a historic home of the Royal Family.
On May 11, 2013, Merida became the first Pixar character and the eleventh member. Her coronation ceremony was held in front of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World in Florida.
In May 2019, Moana was added as the twelfth member. She joined without a special coronation ceremony. Instead, she started appearing on new Disney Princess products.
In August 2022, it was announced that Raya from Raya and the Last Dragon would become the thirteenth member. This happened during World Princess Week at Disneyland Paris. By August 2023, she was fully included on the official Disney Princess website and products.
Characters like Jane Porter from Tarzan, Giselle from Enchanted, and Anna and Elsa from Frozen were considered for the lineup. However, they did not officially join the main group.
Changes and Products
In January 2008, a line of Disney Fairy Tale Wedding gowns was released. These dresses were inspired by the Princesses.
In 2012, the Princesses received updated looks. Some, like Tiana and Rapunzel, had glitter added to their outfits. Others, like Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine, got new hairstyles or slightly changed clothes. Cinderella's redesign was the most different, with new bangs and sheer sleeves on her dress.
Disney held the first National Princess Week on April 23, 2012, with Target Corporation as a partner. During this week, The Princess Diaries was released on Blu-ray.
Mattel created a Barbie princess line in late 2010. They also launched Ever After High in 2013, which featured fairy tale characters. Because of these competing lines and an expiring license, Disney gave Hasbro the chance to make Disney Princess dolls. This happened in September 2014, and Hasbro officially took over on January 1, 2016. Disney also wanted to show the princesses more as heroines rather than just damsels in distress.
In August 2018, Disney launched the Princess Comics line. This included graphic novels by Joe Books and figures from Hasbro. This line featured Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, Rapunzel, and Pocahontas.
On April 27, 2021, Disney started the Ultimate Princess Celebration. This year-long event brought back the princesses' classic designs. It included special events, new products, and performances. Pop singer Brandy released a new song, "Starting Now," as the celebration's official anthem. Even though they are not official Disney Princesses, Anna and Elsa from the Frozen movies were sometimes included in this celebration. They were removed from this temporary inclusion in August 2022. In South Africa, Sofia from Sofia the First and Elena from Elena of Avalor were also included in the celebration in a smaller way. On August 23, 2021, Disney announced World Princess Week as part of the Ultimate Princess Celebration.
In January 2022, Mattel got the license back to make toys and dolls for the Disney Princess brand.
How a Character Becomes a Disney Princess
To be part of the Disney Princess group, a character must meet certain rules:
- She must be a main character from an animated movie made by The Walt Disney Company.
- The movie must be the first in its series. This means characters from sequels or TV shows are not included.
- She must be human in her usual form.
- Generally, she should be a princess by marrying a prince or being born into a royal family or tribal chief's family.
- Very heroic characters who do not have a royal title can also be included.
How popular a character is also plays a big part. Characters from movies that were not very successful are usually not considered. Elsa and Anna from Frozen fit the Disney Princess rules. However, they are usually not part of the main lineup because the Frozen movies are so successful on their own. They do not need to be grouped with the other princesses to be popular.
Official Disney Princesses List
The official Disney Princess lineup includes female main characters from thirteen chosen Disney films. Most of them have royal connections in their stories. They are given a number in the lineup based on when their movies were released. Snow White is the first, Cinderella is the second, and so on.
| No. | Name | Film | Year |
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| 1 | Snow White | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1937 |
| 2 | Cinderella | Cinderella | 1950 |
| 3 | Aurora | Sleeping Beauty | 1959 |
| 4 | Ariel | The Little Mermaid | 1989 |
| 5 | Belle | Beauty and the Beast | 1991 |
| 6 | Jasmine | Aladdin | 1992 |
| 7 | Pocahontas | Pocahontas | 1995 |
| 8 | Mulan | Mulan | 1998 |
| 9 | Tiana | The Princess and the Frog | 2009 |
| 10 | Rapunzel | Tangled | 2010 |
| 11 | Merida | Brave | 2012 |
| 12 | Moana | Moana | 2016 |
| 13 | Raya | Raya and the Last Dragon | 2021 |
| Name | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Tinker Bell | Peter Pan | 1953 |
| Esmeralda | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1996 |
Disney Parks and Live Shows
Disney Princesses can be found at various Disney Parks and Resorts around the world. Guests can meet them, dine with them, or see them in shows.
Disneyland Park Experiences
All the princesses are available for meet-and-greets at Disneyland Resort in California. In 2013, a new area called Fantasy Faire opened.
Fantasy Faire
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| Attraction type | Meet-and-greet location | ||||||||||
| Theme | Gothic-inspired village & fair | ||||||||||
The Fantasy Faire area at Disneyland opened on March 12, 2013. It is the permanent home for the Disney Princesses. It includes a Royal Hall for meet-and-greets and a Royal Theatre with shows. Three princesses are usually scheduled to appear at a time.
Princess Dining
At Disneyland, you can have a "Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure" at Napa Rose. This is located at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
Walt Disney World Experiences
At Walt Disney World in Florida, princesses can be met at specific locations. You can dine with several princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table inside Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom. Another dining spot is Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at the Norway Pavilion in Epcot. Snow White can also be met at "Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White."
Several princesses are also found in their themed areas around the Epcot World Showcase. For example, Snow White is in Germany, Mulan in China, and Belle and Aurora in France. A meet-and-greet attraction called Princess Fairytale Hall opened in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom on September 18, 2013.
Disneyland Paris Experiences
In Disneyland Paris, you can meet a Disney Princess at the Princess Pavilion. There is also a Disney Princess restaurant called L'Auberge de Cendrillon (Cinderella's Inn). Since 2023, princesses and their princes have greeted guests at La Table de Lumière in the Disneyland Hotel.
Shanghai Disneyland Experiences
At Shanghai Disneyland, there is a Disney Princess meet-and-greet spot called Storybook Court. It is located at the Enchanted Storybook Castle.
Hong Kong Disneyland Experiences
Hong Kong Disneyland has a meet-and-greet location for the Disney Princesses called The Royal Reception Hall. It is located at the Castle of Magical Dreams.
Aulani Resort Experiences
The Aulani Disney Vacation Club resort in Hawaii offers "Kakamora Chaos with Moana." This experience includes traditional Hawaiian children's games and a Kakamora Relay.
Disney Princess in Media
Movies and TV Shows
Princess Party Palace was a TV block on Toon Disney from 2000 to 2007. It showed episodes of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.
Disney also released Disney Princess Collection VHS tapes and Disney Princess Stories DVDs. These featured episodes from Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.
Belle had her own live-action TV series called Sing Me a Story with Belle. The first eight Disney Princesses also appeared in the animated TV series House of Mouse. Cinderella, Belle, and Snow White made short appearances in the Mickey Mouse TV series.
In 2007, Disney announced Disney Princess Enchanted Tales, a series of direct-to-video movies. The first film, Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, was released on September 4, 2007. It featured new stories about Princess Jasmine and Princess Aurora. The series was later cancelled, so only Follow Your Dreams was released.
The TV series Once Upon a Time featured live-action versions of many Disney Princesses. These included Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Mulan, Ariel, Rapunzel, Merida, Jasmine, and Tiana.
The TV series Sofia the First premiered on January 11, 2013. Cinderella appeared in the first movie, Once Upon A Princess. Other princesses like Jasmine, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, Mulan, Tiana, and Merida also appeared on the show.
In the movies Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019), Elle Fanning played Aurora. Lily James played Cinderella in the 2015 film Cinderella. Emma Watson was Belle in the 2017 film Beauty and the Beast. Naomi Scott starred as Jasmine in the 2019 film Aladdin. Liu Yifei appeared as Mulan in the 2020 film Mulan. Halle Bailey played Ariel in the 2023 film The Little Mermaid. Rachel Zegler is the title character in the 2025 film Snow White. Catherine Laga'aia has been announced to play Moana in the upcoming 2026 film of the same name.
The Princesses, along with Anna and Elsa, made guest appearances in the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet. This was the first time these characters directly interacted in an animated Disney movie.
In 2021, Disney Channel began airing Chibi Tiny Tales shorts based on the Disney Princess franchise. The first episode, "Moana As Told By Chibi," was released on August 27, 2021.
An animated Lego special, Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest, was released on Disney+ on August 18, 2023. It stars Snow White, Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Moana. They go on an adventure to stop Gaston.
Most of the Princesses appeared in the short film Once Upon a Studio (2023). This film celebrated Disney's 100th anniversary.
Books and Comics
Disney Princess Chapter Books
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A Jewel Story
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In 2005, a Japanese manga called Kilala Princess debuted. It follows a girl named Kilala who searches for her kidnapped friend with the help of the first six Disney Princesses.
On February 24, 2016, a Disney Princesses comic book series began. It is published by Joe Books.
Video Games
Disney Princesses have appeared in many video games. These include Disney Princess for Game Boy Advance, Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey, Disney Princess: Magical Jewels, and Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure.
Rapunzel is a playable character in the 2013 game Disney Infinity. Disney Infinity 2.0 added Jasmine and Merida. Disney Infinity 3.0 added Mulan.
All Disney Princesses are also playable characters in the mobile game Disney Magic Kingdoms.
Most Disney Princesses, except Pocahontas, are playable characters in the role-playing game Disney Mirrorverse.
Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Aurora, and Moana appear as villagers in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Cinderella is planned for a future update.
Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, Rapunzel, and Moana are all playable characters in the kart racing game Disney Speedstorm.
Kingdom Hearts Series
In the Kingdom Hearts game series, there are seven "Princesses of Heart". These are young ladies with pure hearts who can open the way to Kingdom Hearts. Five of these are Disney Princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, and Jasmine. The other two are Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Kairi, a character created for the game series. These princesses first appeared in Kingdom Hearts (2002) and have appeared in later games.
Kingdom Hearts III (2019) introduced a new group called the "New Seven Hearts." Kairi, Rapunzel, Anna, and Elsa are known to be part of this new group.
Awards and Special Recognition
As of 2025, five Disney Princess films have been chosen for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. This means they are considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937; added in 1989)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991; added in 2002)
- Cinderella (1950; added in 2018)
- Sleeping Beauty (1959; added in 2019)
- The Little Mermaid (1989; added in 2022)
See also
In Spanish: Princesas Disney para niños
