The Evolution of the Disney Princess

If it's one thing that makes Disney so magical, it's their princesses. There are now 10 princesses, who you could argue are ambassadors for Disney, each with their own personality and look. It all began with Snow White and over the decades we've met more princesses starring in their own roles, but they haven't always been the same.

We've seen the role of princesses' change quite dramatically, which is a reflection of how society sees women as a whole. If we analyse the movies further we can see why this is the case.

Disney Golden Age

In 1937, we saw Disney's first fully animated feature film, Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Serving as the evil queen's maid, she lives a fairly menial existence, until she escapes the kingdom and stumbles across the dwarf's home. However, she is still not safe from the evil queen's plans and it takes a prince to come to the rescue.

Following this we have Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, who both become victims of an evil villain and also require being saved by a prince. There seems to be a trend here. The princesses at this time were seen as helpless victims who needed to be saved. For the time, society saw this as normal. Unfortunately, women were not given the same equal rights as men, as they do today and this was in a way, reflected in the movies.

Each princess was resigned to house-keeping tasks and were perceived as having very little ambition, but this was all about to change following the Disney Renaissance.

Disney's Renaissance

After the turbulent few years after Disney's Golden Age, the movie studio made a comeback in 1989 with the release of The Little Mermaid. Perhaps one of the most popular princesses, Ariel was a character with ambition and dreams. No longer was the Disney princess seen as a victim of an evil captor.

Ariel was indeed ambitious and would seek out her goal through any means necessary, even if it did mean she had to sacrifice her voice along the way. However, she still needed a prince to save her at the end of the day.

This became slightly more ambiguous with the later Disney films that followed during the renaissance. Mulan didn't require a prince to save her and she ended up defeating the bad guys by herself. Pocahontas seemed to be caught up in between a conflict and some could argue that she actually saved John Smith.

The Second Renaissance

The rumours of Disney's Second Renaissance are becoming true. Disney had another turbulent time towards the end of the 90's and start of the 2000's. With this comes a change in how we see the princesses again. This time they are far more ambitious, standing alone against odds to achieve their dreams. Tiana wanted to build her own restaurant and Rapunzel wanted to escape the tower and see the world. Both ultimately achieved want the wanted to do with very little outside help.

Not only this, but we are seeing a complete role-reversal as the princes are now the victims! The cursed frog and the wanted thief from The Princess and the Frog and Tangled now need the help from the princess to save them.

We are now seeing women as strong individuals who are capable of achieving their own goals, a far cry from the Disney films of the 1930's and 40's. This echoes how media echoes what we see in society. But let's not forget what these movies are really about and the true message which has developed with Disney's story telling.

The stories told by Disney have moved away from the fairy-tales and focus more on reaching our dreams. You would be able to notice this whenever you visit the parks such as Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Inspirational messages are plastered everywhere encouraging you to follow your dreams and if you wish it and work hard enough, they will come true.

This is ultimately what Disney has become and the princesses' act as a story telling device for this. We can always expect this from Disney now; with the only thing changing is how we act as a society which will affect how the stories play out.

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Top 5 Disney Sidekicks

The stories created by Disney are those of fairy tales and fantasy. Usually a hero will have to overcome insurmountable odds in order to succeed, but very rarely do they do it alone. As with superheroes in comic books, it's the same with Disney stories. The main character, be it the hero or princess gets by with a little help from their friends, the sidekicks.

Now, in the world of Disney, anything is possible, so sidekicks can take on the form of any creature, willing and loyal to the end, whether they are life-long friends or newly acquainted. So let's take a look at the top 5 Disney sidekicks.

Max, Tangled

The super-cop horse starts his journey hunting down Flynn Ryder in pursuit of the stolen crown. It takes more than brawn to evade this clever horse though as he tracks down is adversary through the forest where Rapunzel is hidden.

However, this cunning quadruped is willing to put aside his differences with Flynn so that Rapunzel can see the floating lights on her birthday. When this happens we find that Max isn't actually a ruthless horse bent on taking down criminals. He is actually quite a good friend and begins to warm to the couple, including Pascal, the little chameleon.

In the end, Max rallies together some ruffians to save Flynn from the dungeons and evade the palace guards just in time to save Rapunzel from her evil captor. What a horse!

Sebastian, The Little Mermaid

I think we can all agree that Ariel's decision to change her fins to legs for the price of her voice was a little hasty. But, hey, that's love I guess. In fact Ariel's actions almost cause Sebastian, the little crab, to have multiple heart failures and as King Neptune's advisor, he's worried about losing more than just his job.

Despite pleading with Ariel not to go through with her deal with the evil sea witch, involving a catchy 'under the sea' tune, he sticks with her until the end. In fact he even helps her win over the prince with another catchy tune and if it wasn't for the sea witch, he would have succeeded.

This is one loyal maestro I would like to have on my team any day of the week.

Mushu, Mulan

Eddie Murphy provides the voice of one of his most memorable animated appearances. I'm talking about Mushu the dragon of course!

Even under the threat of the entire Hun army, Mushu helps Mulan become a fighting warrior for the Chinese dynasty. Although his advice might be a little questionable at times he honours the family descendant's wishes by sticking with Mulan even in the face of an avalanche!

Mushu fulfils his duty by saving the Emperor and fighting off the Huns...with a little help, but still in is plucky style.

Dory, Finding Nemo

Although spending the first moments with Dory might be a little frustrating as she forgets things that happened 5 seconds ago, she manages to stay faithful throughout. Even through the face of danger, she manages to stay positive and her approach to dangerous situations encourages Marlin to plough on in the search for his missing son, Nemo.

What's heart-warming about this friendship is Dory's ability to remember things when she is with Marlin. She even memorises 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney! Her ability to speak whale is doubtful though.

Even at the end when Marlin is about to give up, Dory reunites him with his son as a result of her selective, but brilliant, memory.

Timone and Pumba, The Lion King

Hakuna Matata! If there was ever a tune that defined a childhood, it was this, first introduced by Timone the streetwise meerkat and Pumba the endearing warthog. Forming an unlikely alliance with Simba, this trio lived the carefree style in a rainforest munching on bugs and if it's one thing these guys lived by, it was to have no worries.

These chaps could have easily stayed in their cushy lifestyle and left Simba to challenge Scar on his own, but nope. They stick with it right through to the end, even when chased by a pack of ravenous hyenas. If anyone needed a true friend it would be these guys.

Richard Skidmore - FloridaTix

Since 1996 FloridaTix has been the UK's leading supplier for Disney tickets, Universal Studios tickets and many more Orlando attractions. We are an authorised broker of all attractions, theme parks, shows and sightseeing tours offered on this site so we can guarantee you the best possible holiday experience at the best possible price.

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The Top 5 Disney Villains

Throughout the history of fairy-tale storytelling, every hero and heroine has had an antagonist, nemesis or arch-rival. A strong willed and good natured character that saves the day has to have an opponent which embodies all the negative traits that divide them.

Whether this divide is in the form of pure evil versus good or simply two characters with different goals, Disney know how to bring the epic struggle between good and bad to life. After all, it is the villains which make the heroes and without them the stories just wouldn't be as entertaining.

We'll be taking a look at the Disney villains which stuck in our mind the most, right through our childhood to present day.

5. Mother Gothel

The latest Disney villain to enter the fray, Mother Gothel was a selfish and vain woman who was obsessed with her youthful looks. After finding and hording the power of a magical flower which restored health and living for hundreds of years.

When Mother Gothel discovers that the nearby kingdom had taken the magical plant to save their dying Queen who was about to give birth, she vows to get it back for her own selfish gains.

The flower is used to save the Queen, who subsequently gives birth to a baby with long golden hair, Rapunzel. Little did the King and Queen know that their baby's hair held magical powers, even on the night that Rapunzel was kidnapped by Mother Gothel.

Now, it's bad enough to steal the baby of the King and Queen in order to live forever, but Mother Gothel was so selfish that she raised Rapunzel as her own daughter in a hidden tower so that she could horde the magical power of her hair.

For 18 years Mother Gothel held Rapunzel captive denying her the knowledge that she was the rightful princess to the Kingdom.

4. Cinderella's Stepmother

Cinderella's stepmother, Lady Tremaine, and her stepsisters held Cinderella as their personal servant after her father died when she was still young. Having to wake up early in the morning to toil away all day at the whim of this evil trio all through Cinderella's teens is a strong nomination for the top spot.

Even when Cinderella finishes all her tasks and creates her own ball gown, Lady Tremaine denies her the freedom and destroys the dress.

Even when the glass slipper is being fitted to identify the mysterious girl from the ball, aka Cinderella, Lady Tremaine traps her in the attic and hides away the key. Her pursuit of social advancement and the prospect of having daughters as potential princesses blind her to the fact that she will never achieve her goal. However, she is so determined to follow her delusions that she is even willing to destroy the glass slipper.

3. Cruella De Ville

Cruella de Ville's name says it all; cruel devil. Everyone loves puppies, but Cruella loves them for a very different reason. She is hell bent on kidnapping the cute Dalmatians to use their fur for a new coat, all in the name of fashion. As a spoilt London heiress, Cruella is used to getting her own way and if someone doesn't comply to her wishes, she will calculate and plan their demise.

Of course she won't get her hands dirty, so instead, she has her loyal yet somewhat dim-witted henchmen to carry out her evil wishes.

The imagery of Cruella De Ville is notorious and is the subject of many Halloween fancy dress parties. Her stick thin figure sports a black dress and a huge fur coat displaying all the characteristics of a slave to fashion. Never seen without her cigarette holder and her signature monochrome hair-cut, the Dalmatian puppies were her last obsession before being bested.

2. Maleficent

Another villains name which sounds as evil as the person it embodies, Maleficent was portrayed as pure evil with no room for remorse or mercy.

When the King and Queen hold a party in the castle to celebrate Aurora, the baby princesses christening, Maleficent materialises and curses the family for not being invited. This curse would see to it that Princess Aurora would prick her finger on a spindle before her sixteenth birthday and requires the three fairy god mothers to help thwart Maleficent's evil plan.

With powerful magic at her disposal, Maleficent is a force not to be reckoned with, shapeshifting at a whim and even turning into a huge dragon when things really start to get serious. Maleficent is so evil that she was ranked number 1 in the official top 30 Disney Villains countdown.

1. Scar

Anyone who has seen the Lion King will never forget that tragic scene in the canyon after the wildebeest stampede. This scenario was masterminded by one of the most ruthless and evil Disney characters of all time.

Scar was so determined to become king that he was even willing to kill his own brother and heir to the throne and side with the resented hyenas to get his own way. When he finally gets his wish, pride rock, the home of the lions, turns into a desolate wasteland, forcing the lions to fight back in order to restore 'the circle of life'.

Scar kept his secret quiet up until his last moments when challenged by the returning Simba, but so convincing was his lie, he even had Simba believe that it was his fault for his father's death.

Jeremy Irons provides the voice talent and really puts venom behind the words, bringing the character to life. Scar was so well realised that so many people love to hate him or just plain love him!

Richard Skidmore
FloridaTix - Online Marketing Manager

Since 1996 FloridaTix has been the UK's leading supplier for Disney tickets, Universal tickets and many more Orlando attractions. We are an authorised broker of all attractions, theme parks, shows and sightseeing tours offered on this site so we can guarantee you the best possible holiday experience at the best possible price.

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