Disney Princess: Astrid's Personal Ranking
Preferences and opinions change over time. That’s what I’ve learnt as I transition between teenhood to adulthood. Disney Princesses…a controversial concept altogether because of accusations that they are ‘not feminist’ or ‘preach the wrong values to little girls’. Maybe there’s some truth in there. I’m going to ignore those as I make my updated list of my favourite Disney Princesses. In order. :D SPOILERS: My top two…they never change. :D
13. RAPUNZEL
Yes. You heard that right. I used to rank her very highly but now: I ranked her lower than Aurora and Ariel. Three reasons. Firstly, I can’t stand her fandom and the double standards that they gave to Frozen. >.< Secondly, eehh…I LOATHE the ‘Genki Girl’ archetype. I really hate it. It partially aroused from the trauma that I faced in primary school since well…one of the girls that bullied me a lot was a Genki Girl and it’s also because in real life, I found myself being unable to stand them at all. Third reason: She felt like a very underwritten character. Now I’ve heard of people accusing Belle of being a Mary Sue but if anything, Rapunzel is the real deal. I felt that the movie never challenged her once. She had everything fall into place in her favour. She never needed to work for any of the relationships that she had (Er, hello? Even Snow White had to work with Grumpy! Cinderella had to work with Gus at first!) and people just instantly like her with a song! That screams ‘Mary Sue’ to me! ESPECIALLY the lost princess thing. Was that even necessary? She didn’t need to work for that happy ending. All loose ends for her just tied themselves together where the plot dictated it. It’s such a shame because out of the four new Princess movies that came out, Tangled had, by far the most solid plot but it fell flat in the character development department. All the other princesses lost so much but what about Rapunzel? Nope. She got back what she lost. Did Anna and Elsa get their parents back? Nope. Did Ariel get her mother back? Nope. Everything is given to Rapunzel on a silver platter. I don’t know if it’s my personality that is bound to make me dislike her character but come on! Make your character be challenged! While she undeniably had a personality and a well-developed one at that, I didn’t like her because I felt that the movie shoved down how perfect and pure and innocent she was and didn’t allow her to have much platform to be challenged. That aside, while I loathe the Tangled fandom, I cannot deny that I love the songs (though I don’t think that pop songs should be in Disney movies unless the context fits) and that the visuals are stunning. That and Eugene is the best Disney Prince, yo! I just think that Rapunzel was ‘meh’ as a character, was Disney’s attempt to appeal to the teenage audience that worked a little too well and felt more like an ideal vision than a human. So meh.
RATING: 2/10
12. AURORA
As much as I liked Maleficent, I wouldn’t consider that to be canon (Err…mostly because they bastardised my favourite characters: the three good fairies) so I’m going to base my judgement of Aurora off the 1959 movie. She was…bland. But at least she did not have an annoying fandom. Then again, I always saw Aurora to be more of a plot tool than a character so there isn’t much to talk about to begin with anyways. I do give her points for showing some degree of selflessness. She was willing to marry a stranger (turns out…not quite) just to serve her people one day after knowing her true identity. That is IMO, quite courageous. And hey, at least the plot challenged her on some level (what with the arranged marriage and all). Of course, if we’re using Maleficent’s version of Aurora for this list, she’d score much higher but since I’m using the original 1959 version, she lands in my ‘indifferent’ category. Sorry, Aurora.
RATING: 4/10
11. ARIEL
Ok. To sum up my feelings on this character: it’s defined by ambivalence. I have a love-hate relationship with this character. On one hand, she does remind me of myself on so many levels: our curiosity, our passion to learn more and my own nickname given by my friends. Yet, she has all the traits that I can’t stand: impulsiveness, self over duty, her stalker mannerisms. Like Rapunzel, I think that Ariel was a bit of a wasted opportunity herself. She was so compelling for the first half of the movie and then! The very moment she sets eyes on Eric, her character sorta goes downhill. Yes, I saw Eric as a symbol and summation of her desire to see the world above but I think if they tweaked her lines to intertwine both her newfound love at first sight WHILE still retaining her previous passion for all things human, it could have saved her a bit. I mean, when I was a child, I found the scene where she talks to his statue to be absolutely creepy! How did she go from fiery, defiant and wanting to explore the human world to totally giving into temptation when Eric is mentioned rather than her love of the human world? I think if they kept TLM to be a love for another world rather than a love for another person, it would have been better and heck-I would actually root for Ariel! But nope. She had to land her kingdom and her people into deep shit because of her hormonal teenaged lust. Like this, I would have kept the original unhappy ending to show the kids the consequences of following your gut too much. I mean, if they wanted to tone it down, can’t they at least turn her into a polyp and have her try to find her way out of her punishment? I think another reason why Ariel landed so low is-again-the Genki Girl factor. Urgh. I can’t stand that archetype. (But for some reason, I find it really cute on guys). I guess she got higher points than Aurora though for being a complex character. Yup. For Ariel, it’s not her character that is the problem but rather the MAJOR SHIFT in motivations that irked me.
RATING: 5.5/10
10. SNOW WHITE
I actually like Snow White. ;) It’s just that she is ranked relatively lower because she did not leave that much of an impact on me. I think it’s thus safer to discuss why I prefer Snow White over Aurora actually because the two are said to be QUITE similar. For one, Snow White actually had legitimate obstacles in the way. She had to directly come into contact with the villain and live with the awareness that her own stepmother wants her killed. Despite that, she’s still innocent and chirpy, even when she is in hiding. Not only that-she braved the dark forest that scared the crap out of me as a child all alone. Yes, she screamed and fled but again, that takes guts. She had to fight it herself with no one by her side. As far as I know, only she and Belle had been in such a position facing such horrible sights all by themselves. Also, Snow White DID have to work on her relationship with Grumpy and those were without a doubt, some of the most heartwarming scenes that Disney had ever animated which says a lot. Just seeing their relationship evolve on screen makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Snow White is unique because to the dwarves, she was their hope. If it hadn’t been made in 1937, perhaps Disney could have played with her being a symbol of hope against the Evil Queen for a more gritty film but it’s fine as it is. Snow White is memorable but to me, there are others that are more striking to me. Still, she’s an enjoyable character so for that…
RATING: 7/10
9.MERIDA
I tend to leave her out because she’s Pixar and I don’t see her to be that much of a Disney Princess. ^__^; But since she’s in the official line-up anyway, I might as well discuss her. Why is she so low on my list? Like Snow White, I like her but not as much as the others. I personally found her to be too childish but hey, she’s 15 so I guess I have to excuse her. Ok. Truth be told, I’d act in such a way too if I suddenly found out that I was in an arranged marriage. XD but for Merida, her impulsiveness irked me, especially when she ruined that tapestry. Holy crap. When I saw that scene, I was like ‘WHY DID U DO DAT!!!” I liked Brave, I really did, don’t get me wrong but I found the character of Eleanor to be much more endearing than her daughter. I think another reason why she’s ranked so low is because I found it difficult to root for her during the course of the movie which was very strange! I found myself rooting for her mom instead! So yes, whether or not I root for the princess does play a role in this ranking. I think another grouse that I have with her is highlighted in this article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/enough-feisty-princesses-disney-needs-an-introverted-heroine/273821/
I think it sums up how I feel about the latest trends in princesses better than I ever could in my life. ^__^; That aside, I do like Merida and find her to be very complex a character, rivalling Ariel and Elsa but somehow, I just cannot find myself rooting for her. BUT I think the best part of her character really is the fact that she came out of the story, LEARNING SOMETHING NEW and changing with the course of the story unlike Ariel who didn’t really learn her lesson or Rapunzel who stagnated. Out of all the flat-out rebels, I’d say she’s my second favourite.
RATING: 7.5/10
8. JASMINE
My grievances with Jasmine actually lean more towards the way her fanbase sexualises her and likes her on the count of being a ‘badass’. To be honest, I actually HATE the ‘Action Girl’ stereotype, especially if kicking ass is her only defining personality. I think the main problem with women characters nowadays is that writers tend to pander to feminists rather than let women be written as actual people who make active choices. Also because you don’t need to physically kick ass to be badass. Ok. Back to Jasmine anyway. While she was empowering and all that, she felt like a ‘carbon copy’ of Ariel but improved and also because she was more of a secondary character instead of a primary character, maybe that’s why we didn’t get to see more of her which is quite a shame. I haven’t watched the whole animated series yet and the 1992 movie still remains the most memorable version but yeah, I think it’s quite shallow to like a person for being ‘badass’. So I guess the fanbase also influenced my ranking of Jasmine. I mean, I do like her but I find myself not being able to like her more than I do. I do think that out of all the Disney Princesses, she is the most quotable. And boy were those quotes awesome. What I do like about her though is the fact that she actually tries to actively pursue her own ideal life-albeit that too came with its own consequences. Another thing that I liked about her is that she is aware that people are treating her like an object but nope-she lets people know that she hates it and voices it out. I admit, it is hard to stand out more, especially when you come out right after Belle but Jasmine still packs quite a punch as a character. I also liked how her character is expanded in the animated series and she joins Aladdin in his own misadventures as his partner instead of sidekick. For that, Jasmine gets a solid
RATING: 8/10
7. POCAHONTAS
I personally think that she is a very underrated character. 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 where Anastasia Romanov is alive and where the Nazis never rose to power. That aside, Pocahontas is usually criticised by people to be ‘bland’ but I never really found her to be bland. ^__^; Ok, like Rapunzel, she does suffer from the problem of being the ideal vision that we should follow but unlike that blonde Mary Sue, she actually does have her own sets of obstacles too. For instance, the forbidden love. Yes…I know I hate that trope but come on. Then there’s also the whole arranged marriage thing too and being forced to keep her life a secret. Girl has a lot of personal tension with herself which is rarely explored in a Disney female character. THAT and the fact that she’s also the first princess to be portrayed to have a close relationship with another woman (Nakoma anyone? Even more underrated!) so she gets extra points for that. I think another reason why I ranked Pocahontas higher than Jasmine is because she’s badass without needing to kick physical ass. I mean, that speech at the end! Yes, people get bored by speeches but it’s inspirational! It’s awe-inspiring! Plus, Pocahontas is also the only Disney Princess shown aside from Elsa and Aurora that has some degree of responsibility over her people and she fulfils them selflessly, even setting aside her chance for a passionate love for that. Oh and her sidekicks (aside from Rapunzel’s) are my favourite among the Disney Princesses. In fact, if I want to be blunt, I’d say that Pocahontas is what Ariel SHOULD have been (albeit with more life please). I <3 Meeko.
RATING: 8/10
6. ANNA
Yes. Usually I can’t stand Genki Girl characters but I ACTUALLY enjoyed Anna! Yes! I actually enjoyed a Genki Girl for once! I will admit though, a part of it mostly came about because she was sort of a deconstruction of the trope itself. Like for instance, people made use of her best traits to get their way and her flaws too were legit obstacles in her path. Perhaps she was also enjoyable to me because whenever there was an obstacle in her way, I found myself wanting her to win which is very rare for me. And the obstacles that were presented to her weren’t those that forced her to make use of her pluses but rather, were those that forced her to wisen up and change as a person (e.g. that rock wall and all that) and unlike Rapunzel who suddenly learnt kung fu and whatnot, Anna’s badassery felt so much more natural (e.g. throwing a burning mass of whatever at a wolf, struggling to climb a rock wall). Another reason why I found Anna to be such a profound character is because unlike Ariel…she takes responsibility for her actions and bothers to fix them herself. She does have her own set of fears but she overcomes them anyway because she knows that her sister is much more important than that. Sure, her portrayal at first irked me (like the part where she mentioned having all of Hans’ twelve bros stay with him. Just no) but that added fuel to the fire to make the villain dislike her and again, her personality becoming an obstacle itself. And she also shows depth beyond just being energetic and lively. Seeing her being reduced to a weak figure with white hair was freaking heart-wrenching and seeing her so upset made me feel upset too. To see her lose all that life and joy was a total jab in the heart and then there was that ultimate sacrifice…damn. For her complexity of character and development…
RATING: 8.5/10 (she lost points for being a bit…annoying at the start. XD)
5. CINDERELLA
Ok, I know what all of you people are gonna say now. “WHAT? WHY HER? SHE IS SO BACKWARDS!!11!!” Let me talk first. Cinderella is badass for her time. Yes, she didn’t stand up against her stepfamily but what would happen if she did? Personally, I think she’d be worse off. MUCH WORSE. She’s snarky and sarcastic at times, especially towards Lucifer. She’s not the Purity Sue that people make her out to be. She bitches and rants to herself like a regular person and I thought it added a very human element to her. Granted, it would be nice to know where the heck her animal friends came from and I did find them annoying but that aside, I loved Cinderella. Everyone, even the damned cat, was out to make her life hell but she still relents and hopes, something that I always fail to do. She’s also fast on her feet (m……ost of the time) and knows how to utilise her links to maximise her success. And also, she does have flaws! She allowed her disbelief at the notion that she danced with the prince to get the better of her, landing her into trouble but even then, she gets herself out of trouble by making use of her friendship with the animals to get her out of her tower. Cinderella 3 (though some may dismiss it as non-canon) made me love her even more as she becomes handicapped without her Fairy Godmother and has to regain happily ever after with her own hands-by herself. No matter what, you can’t help but want to root for Cinderella because you just want her to live a happy life, free from abuse and free from being a prisoner in her own house. And hey-she’s iconic. (But in all honesty…we do not need a million retellings of the Cinderella story. Adapt another fairy tale please!)
RATING: 8.5/10
4. TIANA
I feel that Tiana is GROSSLY underrated as well. It’s like Rapunzel displaced her after Tangled came out. Yes, yes. Tiana is preachy and she shoves hard-work and its importance in your face. But the reason why I love Tiana is because like Cinderella, you also can’t help but root for her. Like Elsa and Anna, she lost a lot over the course of the story. Tiana though is special to me because she felt so human as well and I share her determination in getting our tangible desires. She also has to face obstacles and actually work on her relationship with BOTH of her sidekicks (the prince and alligator), allowing her to have more growth as a character and allowing the audience to bond with her as well. Like Anna and Cinderella, when she is down and reduced to an emotional mess, you can’t help but feel for her and want to hug her to tell her that everything would be alright. She is the Disney epitome of a fighter (aside from Mulan) and is also the ideal princess for the 21st century. I think another reason for my Tiana love is because I felt that out of ALL the Disney Princesses, she had the best romance by far, starting out as bickering partners, friends, confidantes and then eventually, lovers who learn to accept each other for who they are. Tiana also shows a lot of internal conflict like that time when she overhears her own friend gossiping about how she wouldn’t come for the party and whatnot. And like Pocahontas, Disney also gave us a woman-woman friendship with this girl (seems to be a thing with their PoC characters)- THAT is a huge bonus. While PatF might be the weakest plot-wise among the current four, it had the best romance by far. But I guess the problem with Tiana is that some see her to be more of a mouthpiece? I dunno. I liked her for who she was and I hum Almost There as my studying/writing anthem.
RATING: 9/10
3. ELSA
I’m aware that a lot of people are placing Elsa high up but nope. I’m not deliberately jumping on the bandwagon. The reason I put Elsa so high is because damnit. As a victim of Borderline Personality Disorder (which Elsa is theorised to have as well), I related so much to her that whenever Elsa came up on screen and expressed fear of her own powers or lost her cool demeanour, I found myself sobbing. She is that powerful to me. To never be accepted for who you are…to reject others around you and yourself…really got to me. As a child who had her childhood stolen from bullying and verbal abuse from my own teachers, seeing Elsa all alone, behind that door broke my heart because that…was how I coped. Elsa is so special to me because her inner turmoil overtakes her and we actually see it affect her decisions and actions-and she lets them get the better of her which is so…human. I am so glad that Disney chose to make her an anti-heroine rather than a villain because there is a need to tell the world that heroines too…suffer inside and not out of choice either. Elsa is IMO the most human character Disney has created in a long time. And I really liked that. To see her liberate herself during Let It Go was so powerful and gave me hope. To know that she was saved by love and care rather than brute force made me cry because I wished for someone to save me using love too. People appreciated Frozen for being ‘progressive’ or the focus on the sister relationship but to me, I loved Frozen for Disney taking a bold step towards addressing mental issues and trauma. My one wish is that Elsa be made the main character instead of Anna. XD She’s compelling, relatable to those whose voices have yet to be spoken, complex, grows as a character. My god, I love her so much. That and her snow powers. I want them too! (Another wish is that Maaya Sakamoto really was the Japanese VA for Elsa. Damnit. That could have been awesome.) Oh and she’s badass without needing to physically kick ass. All that sass during her first encounter with Hans…
RATING: 9.5/10
Like I said, I think I’ve explained my love for Belle and Mulan to quite great lengths already. J So if you want the justifications, I think you can refer to my previous list to see why. :D To conclude, quite a lot of things have changed compared to four years ago. I guess changes really come with age and shifting worldviews. XD I just hope that I didn’t offend any Tangled fans...^___^;. If you think that Rapunzel’s a dynamic heroine, that’s fine with me really. If you want to dispute with me over the whole issue of ‘Badass’ female characters, that’s fine by me too. So while Disney movies may not be progressive, we have to take into consideration that they weren’t meant to be feminist at the beginning! So why are we even introducing this foreign concept into a franchise for kids? Oh well. That concludes my long-ass list!
13. RAPUNZEL
Yes. You heard that right. I used to rank her very highly but now: I ranked her lower than Aurora and Ariel. Three reasons. Firstly, I can’t stand her fandom and the double standards that they gave to Frozen. >.< Secondly, eehh…I LOATHE the ‘Genki Girl’ archetype. I really hate it. It partially aroused from the trauma that I faced in primary school since well…one of the girls that bullied me a lot was a Genki Girl and it’s also because in real life, I found myself being unable to stand them at all. Third reason: She felt like a very underwritten character. Now I’ve heard of people accusing Belle of being a Mary Sue but if anything, Rapunzel is the real deal. I felt that the movie never challenged her once. She had everything fall into place in her favour. She never needed to work for any of the relationships that she had (Er, hello? Even Snow White had to work with Grumpy! Cinderella had to work with Gus at first!) and people just instantly like her with a song! That screams ‘Mary Sue’ to me! ESPECIALLY the lost princess thing. Was that even necessary? She didn’t need to work for that happy ending. All loose ends for her just tied themselves together where the plot dictated it. It’s such a shame because out of the four new Princess movies that came out, Tangled had, by far the most solid plot but it fell flat in the character development department. All the other princesses lost so much but what about Rapunzel? Nope. She got back what she lost. Did Anna and Elsa get their parents back? Nope. Did Ariel get her mother back? Nope. Everything is given to Rapunzel on a silver platter. I don’t know if it’s my personality that is bound to make me dislike her character but come on! Make your character be challenged! While she undeniably had a personality and a well-developed one at that, I didn’t like her because I felt that the movie shoved down how perfect and pure and innocent she was and didn’t allow her to have much platform to be challenged. That aside, while I loathe the Tangled fandom, I cannot deny that I love the songs (though I don’t think that pop songs should be in Disney movies unless the context fits) and that the visuals are stunning. That and Eugene is the best Disney Prince, yo! I just think that Rapunzel was ‘meh’ as a character, was Disney’s attempt to appeal to the teenage audience that worked a little too well and felt more like an ideal vision than a human. So meh.
RATING: 2/10
12. AURORA
As much as I liked Maleficent, I wouldn’t consider that to be canon (Err…mostly because they bastardised my favourite characters: the three good fairies) so I’m going to base my judgement of Aurora off the 1959 movie. She was…bland. But at least she did not have an annoying fandom. Then again, I always saw Aurora to be more of a plot tool than a character so there isn’t much to talk about to begin with anyways. I do give her points for showing some degree of selflessness. She was willing to marry a stranger (turns out…not quite) just to serve her people one day after knowing her true identity. That is IMO, quite courageous. And hey, at least the plot challenged her on some level (what with the arranged marriage and all). Of course, if we’re using Maleficent’s version of Aurora for this list, she’d score much higher but since I’m using the original 1959 version, she lands in my ‘indifferent’ category. Sorry, Aurora.
RATING: 4/10
11. ARIEL
Ok. To sum up my feelings on this character: it’s defined by ambivalence. I have a love-hate relationship with this character. On one hand, she does remind me of myself on so many levels: our curiosity, our passion to learn more and my own nickname given by my friends. Yet, she has all the traits that I can’t stand: impulsiveness, self over duty, her stalker mannerisms. Like Rapunzel, I think that Ariel was a bit of a wasted opportunity herself. She was so compelling for the first half of the movie and then! The very moment she sets eyes on Eric, her character sorta goes downhill. Yes, I saw Eric as a symbol and summation of her desire to see the world above but I think if they tweaked her lines to intertwine both her newfound love at first sight WHILE still retaining her previous passion for all things human, it could have saved her a bit. I mean, when I was a child, I found the scene where she talks to his statue to be absolutely creepy! How did she go from fiery, defiant and wanting to explore the human world to totally giving into temptation when Eric is mentioned rather than her love of the human world? I think if they kept TLM to be a love for another world rather than a love for another person, it would have been better and heck-I would actually root for Ariel! But nope. She had to land her kingdom and her people into deep shit because of her hormonal teenaged lust. Like this, I would have kept the original unhappy ending to show the kids the consequences of following your gut too much. I mean, if they wanted to tone it down, can’t they at least turn her into a polyp and have her try to find her way out of her punishment? I think another reason why Ariel landed so low is-again-the Genki Girl factor. Urgh. I can’t stand that archetype. (But for some reason, I find it really cute on guys). I guess she got higher points than Aurora though for being a complex character. Yup. For Ariel, it’s not her character that is the problem but rather the MAJOR SHIFT in motivations that irked me.
RATING: 5.5/10
10. SNOW WHITE
I actually like Snow White. ;) It’s just that she is ranked relatively lower because she did not leave that much of an impact on me. I think it’s thus safer to discuss why I prefer Snow White over Aurora actually because the two are said to be QUITE similar. For one, Snow White actually had legitimate obstacles in the way. She had to directly come into contact with the villain and live with the awareness that her own stepmother wants her killed. Despite that, she’s still innocent and chirpy, even when she is in hiding. Not only that-she braved the dark forest that scared the crap out of me as a child all alone. Yes, she screamed and fled but again, that takes guts. She had to fight it herself with no one by her side. As far as I know, only she and Belle had been in such a position facing such horrible sights all by themselves. Also, Snow White DID have to work on her relationship with Grumpy and those were without a doubt, some of the most heartwarming scenes that Disney had ever animated which says a lot. Just seeing their relationship evolve on screen makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Snow White is unique because to the dwarves, she was their hope. If it hadn’t been made in 1937, perhaps Disney could have played with her being a symbol of hope against the Evil Queen for a more gritty film but it’s fine as it is. Snow White is memorable but to me, there are others that are more striking to me. Still, she’s an enjoyable character so for that…
RATING: 7/10
9.MERIDA
I tend to leave her out because she’s Pixar and I don’t see her to be that much of a Disney Princess. ^__^; But since she’s in the official line-up anyway, I might as well discuss her. Why is she so low on my list? Like Snow White, I like her but not as much as the others. I personally found her to be too childish but hey, she’s 15 so I guess I have to excuse her. Ok. Truth be told, I’d act in such a way too if I suddenly found out that I was in an arranged marriage. XD but for Merida, her impulsiveness irked me, especially when she ruined that tapestry. Holy crap. When I saw that scene, I was like ‘WHY DID U DO DAT!!!” I liked Brave, I really did, don’t get me wrong but I found the character of Eleanor to be much more endearing than her daughter. I think another reason why she’s ranked so low is because I found it difficult to root for her during the course of the movie which was very strange! I found myself rooting for her mom instead! So yes, whether or not I root for the princess does play a role in this ranking. I think another grouse that I have with her is highlighted in this article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/enough-feisty-princesses-disney-needs-an-introverted-heroine/273821/
I think it sums up how I feel about the latest trends in princesses better than I ever could in my life. ^__^; That aside, I do like Merida and find her to be very complex a character, rivalling Ariel and Elsa but somehow, I just cannot find myself rooting for her. BUT I think the best part of her character really is the fact that she came out of the story, LEARNING SOMETHING NEW and changing with the course of the story unlike Ariel who didn’t really learn her lesson or Rapunzel who stagnated. Out of all the flat-out rebels, I’d say she’s my second favourite.
RATING: 7.5/10
8. JASMINE
My grievances with Jasmine actually lean more towards the way her fanbase sexualises her and likes her on the count of being a ‘badass’. To be honest, I actually HATE the ‘Action Girl’ stereotype, especially if kicking ass is her only defining personality. I think the main problem with women characters nowadays is that writers tend to pander to feminists rather than let women be written as actual people who make active choices. Also because you don’t need to physically kick ass to be badass. Ok. Back to Jasmine anyway. While she was empowering and all that, she felt like a ‘carbon copy’ of Ariel but improved and also because she was more of a secondary character instead of a primary character, maybe that’s why we didn’t get to see more of her which is quite a shame. I haven’t watched the whole animated series yet and the 1992 movie still remains the most memorable version but yeah, I think it’s quite shallow to like a person for being ‘badass’. So I guess the fanbase also influenced my ranking of Jasmine. I mean, I do like her but I find myself not being able to like her more than I do. I do think that out of all the Disney Princesses, she is the most quotable. And boy were those quotes awesome. What I do like about her though is the fact that she actually tries to actively pursue her own ideal life-albeit that too came with its own consequences. Another thing that I liked about her is that she is aware that people are treating her like an object but nope-she lets people know that she hates it and voices it out. I admit, it is hard to stand out more, especially when you come out right after Belle but Jasmine still packs quite a punch as a character. I also liked how her character is expanded in the animated series and she joins Aladdin in his own misadventures as his partner instead of sidekick. For that, Jasmine gets a solid
RATING: 8/10
7. POCAHONTAS
I personally think that she is a very underrated character. 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 where Anastasia Romanov is alive and where the Nazis never rose to power. That aside, Pocahontas is usually criticised by people to be ‘bland’ but I never really found her to be bland. ^__^; Ok, like Rapunzel, she does suffer from the problem of being the ideal vision that we should follow but unlike that blonde Mary Sue, she actually does have her own sets of obstacles too. For instance, the forbidden love. Yes…I know I hate that trope but come on. Then there’s also the whole arranged marriage thing too and being forced to keep her life a secret. Girl has a lot of personal tension with herself which is rarely explored in a Disney female character. THAT and the fact that she’s also the first princess to be portrayed to have a close relationship with another woman (Nakoma anyone? Even more underrated!) so she gets extra points for that. I think another reason why I ranked Pocahontas higher than Jasmine is because she’s badass without needing to kick physical ass. I mean, that speech at the end! Yes, people get bored by speeches but it’s inspirational! It’s awe-inspiring! Plus, Pocahontas is also the only Disney Princess shown aside from Elsa and Aurora that has some degree of responsibility over her people and she fulfils them selflessly, even setting aside her chance for a passionate love for that. Oh and her sidekicks (aside from Rapunzel’s) are my favourite among the Disney Princesses. In fact, if I want to be blunt, I’d say that Pocahontas is what Ariel SHOULD have been (albeit with more life please). I <3 Meeko.
RATING: 8/10
6. ANNA
Yes. Usually I can’t stand Genki Girl characters but I ACTUALLY enjoyed Anna! Yes! I actually enjoyed a Genki Girl for once! I will admit though, a part of it mostly came about because she was sort of a deconstruction of the trope itself. Like for instance, people made use of her best traits to get their way and her flaws too were legit obstacles in her path. Perhaps she was also enjoyable to me because whenever there was an obstacle in her way, I found myself wanting her to win which is very rare for me. And the obstacles that were presented to her weren’t those that forced her to make use of her pluses but rather, were those that forced her to wisen up and change as a person (e.g. that rock wall and all that) and unlike Rapunzel who suddenly learnt kung fu and whatnot, Anna’s badassery felt so much more natural (e.g. throwing a burning mass of whatever at a wolf, struggling to climb a rock wall). Another reason why I found Anna to be such a profound character is because unlike Ariel…she takes responsibility for her actions and bothers to fix them herself. She does have her own set of fears but she overcomes them anyway because she knows that her sister is much more important than that. Sure, her portrayal at first irked me (like the part where she mentioned having all of Hans’ twelve bros stay with him. Just no) but that added fuel to the fire to make the villain dislike her and again, her personality becoming an obstacle itself. And she also shows depth beyond just being energetic and lively. Seeing her being reduced to a weak figure with white hair was freaking heart-wrenching and seeing her so upset made me feel upset too. To see her lose all that life and joy was a total jab in the heart and then there was that ultimate sacrifice…damn. For her complexity of character and development…
RATING: 8.5/10 (she lost points for being a bit…annoying at the start. XD)
5. CINDERELLA
Ok, I know what all of you people are gonna say now. “WHAT? WHY HER? SHE IS SO BACKWARDS!!11!!” Let me talk first. Cinderella is badass for her time. Yes, she didn’t stand up against her stepfamily but what would happen if she did? Personally, I think she’d be worse off. MUCH WORSE. She’s snarky and sarcastic at times, especially towards Lucifer. She’s not the Purity Sue that people make her out to be. She bitches and rants to herself like a regular person and I thought it added a very human element to her. Granted, it would be nice to know where the heck her animal friends came from and I did find them annoying but that aside, I loved Cinderella. Everyone, even the damned cat, was out to make her life hell but she still relents and hopes, something that I always fail to do. She’s also fast on her feet (m……ost of the time) and knows how to utilise her links to maximise her success. And also, she does have flaws! She allowed her disbelief at the notion that she danced with the prince to get the better of her, landing her into trouble but even then, she gets herself out of trouble by making use of her friendship with the animals to get her out of her tower. Cinderella 3 (though some may dismiss it as non-canon) made me love her even more as she becomes handicapped without her Fairy Godmother and has to regain happily ever after with her own hands-by herself. No matter what, you can’t help but want to root for Cinderella because you just want her to live a happy life, free from abuse and free from being a prisoner in her own house. And hey-she’s iconic. (But in all honesty…we do not need a million retellings of the Cinderella story. Adapt another fairy tale please!)
RATING: 8.5/10
4. TIANA
I feel that Tiana is GROSSLY underrated as well. It’s like Rapunzel displaced her after Tangled came out. Yes, yes. Tiana is preachy and she shoves hard-work and its importance in your face. But the reason why I love Tiana is because like Cinderella, you also can’t help but root for her. Like Elsa and Anna, she lost a lot over the course of the story. Tiana though is special to me because she felt so human as well and I share her determination in getting our tangible desires. She also has to face obstacles and actually work on her relationship with BOTH of her sidekicks (the prince and alligator), allowing her to have more growth as a character and allowing the audience to bond with her as well. Like Anna and Cinderella, when she is down and reduced to an emotional mess, you can’t help but feel for her and want to hug her to tell her that everything would be alright. She is the Disney epitome of a fighter (aside from Mulan) and is also the ideal princess for the 21st century. I think another reason for my Tiana love is because I felt that out of ALL the Disney Princesses, she had the best romance by far, starting out as bickering partners, friends, confidantes and then eventually, lovers who learn to accept each other for who they are. Tiana also shows a lot of internal conflict like that time when she overhears her own friend gossiping about how she wouldn’t come for the party and whatnot. And like Pocahontas, Disney also gave us a woman-woman friendship with this girl (seems to be a thing with their PoC characters)- THAT is a huge bonus. While PatF might be the weakest plot-wise among the current four, it had the best romance by far. But I guess the problem with Tiana is that some see her to be more of a mouthpiece? I dunno. I liked her for who she was and I hum Almost There as my studying/writing anthem.
RATING: 9/10
3. ELSA
I’m aware that a lot of people are placing Elsa high up but nope. I’m not deliberately jumping on the bandwagon. The reason I put Elsa so high is because damnit. As a victim of Borderline Personality Disorder (which Elsa is theorised to have as well), I related so much to her that whenever Elsa came up on screen and expressed fear of her own powers or lost her cool demeanour, I found myself sobbing. She is that powerful to me. To never be accepted for who you are…to reject others around you and yourself…really got to me. As a child who had her childhood stolen from bullying and verbal abuse from my own teachers, seeing Elsa all alone, behind that door broke my heart because that…was how I coped. Elsa is so special to me because her inner turmoil overtakes her and we actually see it affect her decisions and actions-and she lets them get the better of her which is so…human. I am so glad that Disney chose to make her an anti-heroine rather than a villain because there is a need to tell the world that heroines too…suffer inside and not out of choice either. Elsa is IMO the most human character Disney has created in a long time. And I really liked that. To see her liberate herself during Let It Go was so powerful and gave me hope. To know that she was saved by love and care rather than brute force made me cry because I wished for someone to save me using love too. People appreciated Frozen for being ‘progressive’ or the focus on the sister relationship but to me, I loved Frozen for Disney taking a bold step towards addressing mental issues and trauma. My one wish is that Elsa be made the main character instead of Anna. XD She’s compelling, relatable to those whose voices have yet to be spoken, complex, grows as a character. My god, I love her so much. That and her snow powers. I want them too! (Another wish is that Maaya Sakamoto really was the Japanese VA for Elsa. Damnit. That could have been awesome.) Oh and she’s badass without needing to physically kick ass. All that sass during her first encounter with Hans…
RATING: 9.5/10
Like I said, I think I’ve explained my love for Belle and Mulan to quite great lengths already. J So if you want the justifications, I think you can refer to my previous list to see why. :D To conclude, quite a lot of things have changed compared to four years ago. I guess changes really come with age and shifting worldviews. XD I just hope that I didn’t offend any Tangled fans...^___^;. If you think that Rapunzel’s a dynamic heroine, that’s fine with me really. If you want to dispute with me over the whole issue of ‘Badass’ female characters, that’s fine by me too. So while Disney movies may not be progressive, we have to take into consideration that they weren’t meant to be feminist at the beginning! So why are we even introducing this foreign concept into a franchise for kids? Oh well. That concludes my long-ass list!