Top 10 OFFICIAL Disney Princesses(Updated!)
With the release of Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale(That's what they call it in Singapore), there is a new princess in the line-up. :D Having just watched Rapunzel weeks ago, I had the time to carefully sort out my rankings of the ten official Disney Princesses.
WARNING: Spoilers for Rapunzel(sort of) and some Ariel bashing. Don't worry. Unlike a certain Fanpop user who likes to bash Belle a lot(everbody is entitled to their own opinions though. It's just that I find the biased to be way overboard), I will not use vulgarities in this ranking, especially when I bash my least favourite. Let's go! And I guess you can pretty much tell which one is my number one from the icon I used in this post. :P
10. Ariel(The Little Mermaid 1989)
Ok. Lets face it. I hate Ariel. She's so selfish to just give up her family and friends(who weren't even that bad. I understand where Triton is coming from) all for a guy she hasn't even spoken to for most of the course of the film. I do understand that she kinda communicated with Eric through body language during her time as a human. But still, she already declared that she was in love with him after seeing him for like what? 15 minutes? And her arguement with her father just pretty much sums up her shallowness.
Ariel: You don't even know him!
Err..Ariel. You yourself don't know Prince Eric that much. >.> She really got lucky. What if Prince Eric was a jerk? Plus, she makes a deal with SOMEBODY WHOM SHE KNEW SHE COULD NOT TRUST. Ok. She wanted to be human at first and her father just destroyed her stuff. Still a pretty stupid decision if you asked me. This video pretty much sums up the resentment I have towards Ariel : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrsM127dz0o
Plus, most of the members of her fanbase that I came across love to shove their opinions of how great she is down my throat. I used to like her as a kid because she was a mermaid.(She was the one reason why I even took up swimming lessons) but since I watched Beauty and the Beast and grew older, I find myself liking her less and less. I myself am a teenager like Ariel, but trust me. I have never acted like her throughout my entire teenaged life. Maybe I might soon but make a deal with shady stranger? Definitely not. Despite getting loads of people in trouble, she still gets her way in the end. Which is precisely why this is the only Disney movie where I prefer the original tale over the Disney version. The original mermaid learns from her mistakes and realises that things don't always go your way.
Redeeming qualities(So that I won't get bricked): She has AWESOME songs and her voice is really pretty. Oh. And three awesome sidekicks, especially Sebastian! He was awesome
~I sold my soul for a *censored* and a guy I don't know.(The Nostalgia Chick)
9.Snow White(Snow White and the Seven Dwarves 1937)
Starting from here is where I like the Disney Princesses. Yup. Ariel's the only one I truly hate. I REALLY love Snow White. but not as much as the others. She was the first princess that my parents introduced me to. I love her but not as much as the others. Granted, she is naive like Ariel but she is so sweet. She might be a feminist's nightmare but I really like her. A lot of people hate her voice but I personally find it adorable! XD
She might not have much of a personality but she certainly is a Princess Classic. And it is true that her romance was rushed and she sat around waiting for her man but still, you have to give her credit for being the first Disney Princess and arguably, the one who interacts with the most men in a Disney Princess film(Save for Rapunzel)
~I'm wishing for the one I love to find me today!
8.Aurora(Sleeping Beauty 1959)
Truth be told, I had a hard time picking between Snow and Aurora for I love both of them equally but in the end, Aurora won because of this one thing: She is willing to give up a potentially happy life for the sake of her kingdom. How about that, Ariel? Ha! She has less of a personality than Snow White but that very factor redeems her. The only thing that bugs me about her is that she doesn't really look sixteen years old to me. ^__^; Plus, at least she and Prince Phillip actually TALKED. And thankfully, he somewhat has a personality
~I walked with you once upon a dream
7. Cinderella(Cinderella 1950)
Now this is arguably the part where I start to really love the princesses. In my opinion, CInderella is the strongest of the classic princesses. She was not looking for a man at first. Rather, she was looking for a way out of her sucky life. And she did try. Remember when she asked her stepmother to let her go to the ball? I do know that the third Cinderella movie is a rather contested sequel but I personally liked it for it showed Cinderella's determination to get away from her life. She is determined to get back what is rightfully hers(The Prince). In the original version, the reason why she might be submissive is because if she tried going against them, think of what could have happened to her. And she must have a lot of emotional strength to tolerate all the crap given to her by her step-family.
I also love that Cinderella was an improvement of the two classic CInderella versions. They made her A LOT LESS sue-tiful than her original counterparts. And she's quite spunky. But I do understand why the original Cinderellas are like that considering the time period. Regarding the movie, I think that CInderella has the most underrated soundtrack. :( I really like it, especially So This Is Love and Sing Sweet Nightangale. Really pretty songs IMO. But I find her sidekicks quite annoying.
~That old clock! Killjoy!
6.Jasmine(Aladdin 1993)
I find it a bit weird that she is so low on my list since I have been stamped as her quite a lot. All right. I know what you guys must be thinking: Why do you like Jasmine even though she and Ariel are so similar? Here's my answer. At least Jasmine is SMART. I like Jasmine because she is fiesty, independent and does not want to follow social norms. OK. Actually, maybe it's because I relate to her more. ^__^; We both don't want arranged marriages, feel trapped and want to see the world.
True that she and Ariel both leave aside their duties but Jasmine actually plays a part in defeating the villain and is quite the actress.(i.e. the scene where she acts crazy and the scene where she kisses Jafar) unlike Ariel who pretty much tried to avoid getting killed by Ursula. I also liked the fact that the relationship between her and Aladdin, though rushed IMO, took some time to develop. But I can't say much about her because she isn't the main character like most of the other princesses.
~I am not a prize to be won!
5.Pocahontas(Pocahontas 1995)
A lot of people say that Disney's Pocahontas is an insult to the original Pocahontas' memory but I would like to think that the Disney version takes place in an alternate universe. Pocahontas is free-spirited and curious like Ariel. And it is true that she also gets her people into trouble but at least she tries to fix it with a seriously thought provoking speech. She brought peace to the natives and settlers. Another reason why I love her so much is the fact that she is willing to stay behind for the sake of her people rather than join John Smith in England.(I am going to pretend that the second movie does not exist) unlike a certain mermaid who leaves her responsibilities behind in the name of teenage lust(and a desire to see the human world) She also willingly allows her father to kill her if he were to kill John Smith, something which is also quite amirable
She follows her heart like pretty much all of the princesses. I also love her because she ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING for her kingdom(or tribe for her case) Besides that, she had some really cute animal sidekicks. I love Meeko the raccoon! The only thing I don't like about her is her movie's ending. And it's a huge shame that she is not promoted a lot. :(
~This is where the path of hatred has lead us!
4.Rapunzel(Tangled 2010)
Again, I know what you guys must be thinking. OMG! WHY DO YOU LIKE RAPUNZEL WHEN YOU HATE ARIEL?! Simple. Rapunzel is not selfish. She is pretty smart and crafty(blackmailing Flynn/Eugene anybody?). Plus: Look at all the things she can do! She can paint, bake, do the chores in 15 minutes! And that's not everything! Rapunzel is both dependent and independent! Which is why I like her very much. She can actually take care of herself with a FRYING PAN and actually spoke up with the villain. She also represents a typical teenager but she is so innocent at doing so! (I think he likes me!) And she actually tries to fight the villain when Gothel chains her up. Her willpower in that scene was just awesome.
She is also extremely cute! I mean, she has buck-teeth, freckles and huge feet. Not one's idea of what a princess should look like but I love her for it. She is curious and really charming too. And she also has one of the hottest Disney Princes ever!(*cough*Flynn/Eugene*cough*) I want an Eugene of my own too! Mandy Moore did a surprisingly good job as Rapunzel. Though I kinda envy her. I would like to voice a Disney Princess too! Rapunzel's two sidekicks are also extremely adorable even though they make basic animal sounds. Maximus is probably the most badass Disney horse other than Khan and Pascal is so adorable! DX And I think she is the first princess since Belle to have a female as the villain! Way to go, Punzel!
~I will never let you use my hair again!
3.Tiana(The Princess and the Frog 2009)
OK. I LOVE TIANA. The top five are all my favourites while the top 3 are the type of women I wish to be. She is so determined and hard-working that it's quite admirable. Though quite a lot of people think that she is rather bland for a female lead, I like her a lot. Sure, she's a bit preachy and all but lets face it, sometimes hard-work really is the only way to get what you want. Besides Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, her movie teaches one of the most important messages we sometimes forget in life: Focus on what you need and of course, the importance of working hard. Like the two princesses above, she was not looking for man. Rather, she wanted to pick off from where her deceased father stopped at. She just happened to get a man in the process.
She also proves that it is possible for one to live your dreams while having what you need. AND SHE KILLS THE VILLAIN(so does Mulan). Now that is instant PWNAGE. Her two sidekicks are also likeable.(BUT WHY RAY? WHY?!) and like Rapunzel, has one of the sexiest Disney princes with a personality. Triple win for me.
~Not a stick in the mud?
2.Belle(Beauty and the Beast 1991)
This is the one princess that I relate to the most other than Mulan. We're both outcasts, love to read, agree that true beauty is found only in the inside and we're daddy's girls. Yup. My top three are all daddy's girls for some reason. She REFUSES to put up with the Beast's crap(I don't want to know him. I don't want to have anything to do with him!/refusing to come down to dinner when the Beast bangs on her door/YELLING BACK at the Beast) It was only when the Beast started to change that she fell in love with him. And she was not looking for man at first. She was looking for adventure(her love was the adventure IMO) and a friend, which she did not have in the town. She also does not put up with Gaston's bullshit. Granted, she didn't go out to get her adventure but think about this: She has a pretty dependent father and I don't think she is that heartless to leave him behind. Besides, maybe she and the Beast went on an adventure after their marriage seeing with the fact that the Beast has been trapped inside that castle for quite some time.
She also leaves her love interest like Pocahontas for the sake of her family. That is quite selfish(she also did some selfish things such as revealing the Beast to everybody but what did you expect? She was desperate to prevent her father from going to the asylum!) but really very different for a Disney princess. When people say that Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney's finests, I'll have to agree with them. It has a just right pacing, well-developed characters. Of course I like her sidekicks though I don't like Lumiere as much as Cogsworth. XD And this is the first Disney movie I had seen in cinemas(2001 re-release) so she holds a special place in my heart. And her prince is a truly complex character, which is why this is probably my favourite Disney movie ever. He's not very good-looking but people tend to forget that the message is about inner beauty. The Prince is still the Beast that we grew to love inside so yeah. And nerds are awesome!
Those who say that this film is about abusive relationships/Stockholm Syndrome. Please. I advise that you read this nifty article
http://ladybastet92.livejournal.com/59348.html
~And you should learn to control your temper!
1.Mulan(Mulan 1998)
No. There is no racial bias because I am part Chinese. Don't look at me like that! I love Mulan. I can also relate to her! We're clumsy, awkward sometimes, resourceful, daddy's girls and sometimes, we just have problems figuring out our identities. She is extremely sefless. Like Belle, she willingly gave herself up to protect the one she loves(her father) and is not looking for a man. She wants to bring honour to her family(like me). She is extremely different from your typical Chinese woman during that time. She was outspoken, like Belle, clumsy like Rapunzel and fierce like Jasmine. She has one of the most heartbreaking Disney Princess solos(Reflection still makes me tear up a bit). She also messes up but like Pocahontas, she attempts to fix it.
The one thing I love about Mulan other than her selflessness and bravery was her determination. She was determined to not only keep her father safe but also to find herself. In the process, she makes friends with some of the most unlikely people, probably got her general confused about his sexuality(don't lie. I know you have been wondering that too) and saves an entire nation! Like Pocahontas, she actually does something! And she also IMO gets the most touching words ever said by a Disney father.
"The greatest gift of all is having you as a daughter." Damn it. That line always makes me tear up. If my father ever said that to me, I think I would have cried a lot too. And probably make my father's shirt wet. Mulan kicks ass, is true to herself and puts her family first! How about that, Ariel? Who literally changed herself, waited for Eric to kill Ursula and dumped her LOVING family? I personally dislike Mushu but I love Cricket! He is just so adorable like Pascal! Mute but funny and sincerely cute. I also love that Mulan does not end with a wedding or even a proposal. It was just Mulan inviting Shang over for dinner. And how could I have forgotten to mention her grandmother? She was awesome!
~I have a name. And it's a boy's name too.