Disney Princess, also known as the Princess Line, is a media franchise and toy-line owned by The Walt Disney Company. The idea was conceived by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney in the late 1990s, with the franchise launching in 2000.
The Disney Princess franchise highlights a group of fictional female protagonists who have appeared in Disney animated films. Each is considered either royal by birth, royal by marriage, or considered a princess because of their heroic feats.
Do keep in mind that there are also many “unofficial” Disney Princesses. These are characters who might be actual princesses (or similarly titled) in films, but who are not included in the official Disney Princess line-up. Think Elsa and Anna from Frozen (more on them later).
Today, official Disney Princesses are found in many different forms of media and merchandise, from sing-a-long movies and TV specials, to dolls and bed sheets and costumes. They also feature prominently at most Disney theme parks.
Think you know your Disney films? Click here to test your knowledge!
Official Disney Princess List
Originally, there were eight official Disney princesses included in the line-up: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan. Today, there are twelve princesses in total, eleven from Walt Disney Animation Studios, and one from Pixar. And more Disney princesses are expected to be added in the future, especially as Disney continues to buy up other media franchises. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Princess Leia or even a character like Gamora join the line-up in the future?
1. Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)
2. Cinderella (Cinderella)
3. Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
4. Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
5. Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
6. Jasmine (Aladdin)
7. Pocahontas (Pocahontas)
8. Mulan (Mulan)
9. Tiana (The Princess and the Frog)
10. Rapunzel (Tangled)
11. Merida (Brave)
12. Moana (Moana)
Princess Requirements
Disney is pretty vague when it comes to just who can be a Disney Princess. But there do seem to be some general requirements.
- The character should have a primary role in a Disney or Pixar film.
- The character should be human, or human-like (think Ariel).
- The character should not come from a sequel film.
- The character should be born or married to royalty, or they should have performed an act of heroism (think Mulan).
- The character’s film should be a box office success.
Want more Disney? Click here to find more Disney articles from the Sporcle Blog!
Past Disney Princesses
1. Tinker Bell – she was added to the official Disney Princess line-up early on, only to be replaced by Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. Tinker Bell is now the lead character in the Disney Fairies franchise.
2. Esmeralda – one of the leads from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Esmeralda was made an official Disney Princess in 2004, only to be removed shortly after. It’s suspected that poor sales relative to others in the franchise were to blame for her removal.
3. Jane Porter – this Tarzan character was planned to be one of the original Disney Princesses, but she was ultimately removed from the line-up. Jane’s signature yellow dress is very similar to that of Belle. It’s believed Jane was scrapped to avoid confusion between the two characters.
Anna and Elsa
Alright, we mentioned Anna and Elsa earlier in this post. Both would seem to fit the criteria, so why is neither an official Disney Princess?
Well, Anna and Elsa were planned to be part of the line-up from the start, but then Frozen became a huge success, not only crushing it at the box office, but becoming somewhat of a cultural phenomena. Ultimately, it was believed that the popularity of Anna and Elsa might overshadow the other twelve princesses. So the two of them pretty much got their own toy-line and franchise, separate to, but heavily affiliated with, the Disney Princess franchise.
