No little girl’s life is complete without spending enormous amounts of time watching Disney princess movies. The rest of her time should, of course, be spent dressing up and pretending to be one of these Disney princesses. Here’s my list for the top 10 Disney movies with princesses. Some, of these, obviously, did not begin the film as a princess but became one at the end. These may perhaps be the best ones of all since very few of the little girls in my life started out as princesses, either.
1. The Little Mermaid – Ariel is my all-time favorite Disney princess. The movie came out when I was just a little girl – the perfect time to develop an obsession. I watched the movie every single day and owned all sorts of great Ariel gear – dolls, t-shirts, posters, etc. I loved her fantastic red hair and independent, curious spirit. The 1989 movie follows her transformation from a mermaid into a human so that she can pursue her dreams to live as part of a human prince’s world. She fights the sea witch to achieve her goal.
2. Cinderella – One of the classic rags-to-riches stories, no Disney top 10 list would be complete without this 1950 favorite. I am sure everyone is familiar with the plot – a young girl is left to slave for her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. Her fairy godmother saves the day so that Cinderella can attend a ball and meet Prince Charming. Her tiny feet allow her to be identified by the prince, and she lives happily ever after. It is a truly wonderful story full of hope. She is a girl who triumphs under adversity to become a princess.
3. Sleeping Beauty – I love the good fairies in this movie from 1959. They are so adorable and very funny. They are there to help Princess Aurora hide from Maleficent, an evil witch. At Aurora’s birth, Maleficent prophesied that the girl would die on her 16th birthday from pricking her finger on a spinning wheel. Despite her parents trying to keep her safe, she is tricked by the witch. Her prince must fight for her.
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves – Once again, the supporting cast of characters is what makes this movie so great. Who can forget all of the seven dwarves? Their antics and whistling ensure a great viewing experience despite the movie having been made all the way back in 1937. In fact, it was Disney’s first full-length animated film. In it, Snow White must hide from her evil stepmother with the seven dwarves to protect her. However, when her stepmother arrives in disguise and tricks her into eating a poisoned apple, Snow White must wait for her Prince Charming to awaken her with a kiss.
5. Beauty and the Beast – This is a sweet film from 1991 about learning to not judge based solely on physical appearance. Belle is the most beautiful girl in town, although her father is a bit eccentric. The most handsome man in town, Gaston, is after her. When Belle’s father is kidnapped by a beast, she goes after him and offers to take his place. Although she is first put off by his monstrous appearance and bad manners, the two learn to change and to love. Gaston, however, tries to fight for Belle and destroy the beast. Love wins in the end.
6. Enchanted – Princess Giselle is a wonderful play on all of the princesses Disney has ever created. She is sweet and beautiful, and goes from animation to modern, live-action New York. She finds herself falling in love with a divorce lawyer, but the characters from animated Andalasia as well as the couple’s own differences threaten to ruin the romance. Released in 2007, it’s an excellent Disney princess movie because it combines so many elements of other great Disney movies. Plus, I adore all of the musical numbers.
7. Aladdin – Princess Jasmine is so cool because she has this wonderful Arabian mystique about her. She also is the only princess to get away without a big poufy dress. As she fights against the traditions of her culture, she falls in love with a street beggar who then pretends to be a prince with the help of a genie. The evil Jafar, though, wants Jasmine for himself and will stop at nothing to become the most powerful man in the kingdom and wipe out Aladdin. The crazy cast of side characters are fantastic in this 1992 favorite.
8. The Princess Diaries – Anne Hathaway plays Mia, a teenage girl who discovers that she is the princess of a small European country. Her grandmother works to change her from a complete disaster into classy royalty. I like this 2001 movie because it is a very good depiction of what it’s like to be a socially awkward teenage girl who learns to grow into herself and the person she wants to become. Hathaway also does an excellent job in this fairy-tale-come-true story.
9. Pocahontas – Although she wasn’t a princess in the traditional sense, Pocahontas was the daughter of a tribal chief. When an English ship brings sailors and soldiers to the New World and threatens her culture, Pocahontas falls in love with Captain John Smith. They must work to assuage cultural differences. The movie is a bit historically inaccurate, but I like it because it has a slightly different feel to it than other Disney movies. And “Colors of the Wind” is an excellent song from this movie from 1995.
10. The Lion King – Okay, so maybe this one is cheating a little, but I really like it. I think that Nala is somewhat of a princess, so it works. Following a similar plot line to Hamlet, Simba is a young lion cub whose father is killed through the cunning of his uncle. His uncle tells him it is his fault, so Simba runs away and meets up with a meerkat and warthog who become his best friends. Later, after the uncle has ruined the kingdom, Simba is found and must come home to overthrow his uncle in this 1994 movie. This movie is great because it takes some classic themes and weaves them into a fantastic African landscape.
Movie release dates are taken from the Internet Movie Database.
