On December 21, 1937, Walt Disney Studios released the world’s first full-length animated movie, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. The film was an instant success (in fact, it became the highest-grossing sound film until it was dethroned by ‘Gone With The Wind’!), and marked a milestone in animation filmmaking. More significantly, it heralded the birth of the ‘Disney Princess’.
In keeping with the times and societal expectations, Snow White was meek, mild-mannered, and domesticated. She cooked, cleaned, and kept home for seven sloppy little men who would go out to work every day. The evil and jealous stepmother trope was reiterated, pitting women against each other for their looks. When Snow White was in distress, she needed a prince to rescue her, exemplifying the quintessential ‘damsel in distress’. All these elements reinforced gender stereotypes, and the messaging was particularly detrimental because of the age group it spoke to – children who were highly susceptible to ideas.
For a large part of the 20th century, this was the typical representation of women in full-length animated movies. Since Disney held a monopoly over animated studios at the time, the leading ladies came to be known as ‘Disney Princesses’, a moniker that sticks even today, birthing related merchandise and experiences for young children, particularly girls.
In the 1950s, two more princesses made an appearance on celluloid, falling in line with traditional standards and embodying the family-oriented, sacrificial good girl. These were Cinderella and Aurora - the titular character in ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Decades later, when the live-action remakes of these films followed in the 21st century, the makers did very little to reimagine ‘Cinderella’ with a feminist lens but rose beautifully to the challenge in ‘Maleficent’, refreshingly named after the female villain in the original animation and following a more nuanced storyline.
In 1989, with the advent of pop culture, women’s lib, and the feminist movement, there was a slight shift from the docile and saccharine sweet Disney princesses that the audience was used to. Thirty years later, red-haired and hot-headed Ariel made a splash in ‘The Little Mermaid’. She was shown as feisty, confident, and rebellious, someone who wanted to make her own choices. Still, this had disastrous consequences for her, and it took the combined efforts of two men - her father and her paramour Prince Eric - to extricate her from hot water. Despite its flaws, ‘The Little Mermaid’ was a definite improvement from the earlier Disney Princess movies, because it featured a central female character who exercised agency.
In 1991, the spunky and spirited Belle thwarted the town hunk Gaston’s advances, and focussed instead on books, learning, and libraries in ‘Beauty and the Beast’. She dreamt of travelling beyond her provincial village in France and leading a full, rich life. Of course, there is much criticism in hindsight that Belle was a victim of the Stockholm Syndrome, falling in love with her captor. It is also disappointing that she fell in love with a man despite his beastly looks, but then he eventually turned into a handsome prince – because, how can we have a happy ending without that? A decade later in 2001, the animated film ‘Shrek’ would bust this stereotype; When the ogre Shrek falls in love with the beautiful princess Fiona, she turns out to be an ogre as well!
Jasmine was the first non-white Disney princess, featured in the 1992 animation ‘Aladdin’. Even as a woman of colour, Jasmine’s character was voiced by a white artiste, Linda Larkin. Perhaps the most problematic part of the movie though, was its ending. Jasmine was the daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah, but it was Aladdin who eventually became the Sultan-in-waiting because he married Jasmine. Thankfully, this was remedied in the 2019 live-action movie, where Jasmine was a more powerful and integral character, had her own song ‘Speechless’ (finally!), and eventually became the Sultan herself!
Close on the heels of Jasmine, another non-white Disney princess took the spotlight in 1995– ‘Pocahontas’, this time voiced by an actual native American. Based on a true-life story, Pocahontas stood up to patriarchy, refusing to marry the man her father picked for her. Even though she falls in love, she is clear that she can look after herself and doesn’t need a man to complete her – which is a drastic shift from the previous female characters. Yet another unconventional coloured woman followed in 1998 with ‘Mulan’, who proved that she could battle the Huns as effectively – if not better – than any male Chinese warrior.
And so, at the turn of the millennium, one thing was clear. The narrative of the ideal Disney princess was changing. In 2009, Tiana (the fourth coloured Disney princess in a row!) was a role model for career women everywhere in Disney’s adaptation of ‘Princess and the Frog’. Her focus was on owning and running a restaurant, rather than getting married. However, she faced resistance based on her gender, proving that women – especially coloured women – needed to work much harder and multi-task than their male counterparts.
The following year, ‘Tangled’ was released – and people everywhere had mixed feelings about its gender representation. On one hand, Rapunzel sparkles with curiosity and adventure; on the other, ‘Tangled’ falls prey to reinforcing masculine-feminine stereotypes. What eventually may have cinched it for feminists everywhere though, was the climax of the film. Rapunzel cuts off her beautiful long, blonde hair, shedding her magic and much of her golden beauty in the process.
It wasn’t until 2012 that we had the first truly feminist Disney princess – someone who didn’t need a prince or male counterpart to complete her story. Merida in ‘Brave’ personified the title. This was a story not based on a fairy tale or real-life character. Instead of finding true love and a prince, Merida proves she’s more than worthy of herself, and mends her relationship with her mother in the bargain. Elsa from ‘Frozen’ is perhaps Disney’s most iconic 21st-century princess. The 2013 film focussed on the relationship between two sisters, Elsa’s powers, and her commitment to serve and safeguard her people. The song ‘Let It Go’ became an anthem, and was symbolic of breaking barriers with lines like ‘That perfect girl is gone’ and ‘No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free…’
‘Moana’ continued the tradition of strong and single Disney princesses. Set in ancient Polynesia, Moana takes off on an island adventure, and her story is full of lessons on courage, facing your fears head-on, and being true to yourself.
Cut to 2021, and Disney’s most recent princess isn’t really a princess. Latin American Mirabel Madrigal in ‘Mirabel’ is the girl-next-door, who doesn’t have a castle or magical powers, and yet always strives and manages to do the right thing. This is what makes her special. She’s real, relatable, and modern and the villains in her story are everyday problems.
Next year, life comes a full circle as the live-action remake of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’ is set to hit big screens worldwide. The makers have promised us a do-over of everything that was anti-feminist and problematic in the original animation. Will they succeed? Only time will tell. But one thing is clear; movie princesses have finally found their foothold into the realm of strong, sassy, and independent women – and they aren’t stepping out anytime soon.
The glass slipper could be a sneaker… or a boardroom stiletto… or even a pair of hiking boots!