Disney Princesses Through the Years | Sophia Larson

Disney Princesses Through the Years

By Sophia Larson

Throughout the decades, Disney as a whole has become largely popularized and is now a staple in pop culture. However, it has changed drastically over the years and technology has improved, giving us the films so near and dear to our hearts. Here is a rundown of the main Disney princess movies through the years.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:

Premiering on December 21, 1937, Snow White marked the beginning of the Disney Golden Age as the first Disney princess and first Disney animation featured film. Based on the Grimm fairytale, the movie was made using technicolor, and was a huge success, as it is still remembered and cherished today. In this movie, a young girl named Snow White goes to live in a cottage with seven dwarfs after her evil stepmother tries to kill her. With animation and music that fits the era when the movie was released, it is clear when watching how old the movie truly is.

Beauty and the Beast:

Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a selfish prince that was transformed into a beast due to his actions, and a small town girl named Belle who becomes a prisoner in his palace when her dad accidentally comes across the beast’s palace. Released in 1991, the music is much more modern than in Snow White, as well as the animation. In this movie, the main female character, Belle, is much more charismatic than Snow White, and has much more of a voice. This demonstrates a more modern idea than in Snow White, since Belle is not a passive character who just exists to be saved by a prince.

Tangled:

Tangled is the story of a young teenage girl named Rapunzel, who possess very long magical hair who lives in a tower with a woman named Mother Gothel, who stole Rapunzel from her royal parents, and uses her hair to stay young. To keep Rapunzel hidden, Mother Gothel keeps her hidden in a tower, which Rapunzel has never left. One day, a thief named Flynn Rider encounters Rapunzel by hiding out in her tower, and together they set off on an expedition which reveals much about Rapunzel and her true parentage. Similarly to Beauty and the Beast, Raounzel is very charismatic and has much more of a voice and personality than Snow White. Released in 2010, this movie has modern music and animation, which causes the movie to have an impressively realistic look to it.

Frozen and Frozen 2:

In these two movies, the first released in 2013 and the second this year, the story is of two sisters named Anna and Elsa, the latter with ice powers. When Elsa accidentally freezes their kingdom of Arandelle and runs away, Anna sets out on an expedition to get her sister to return and unfreeze their kingdom. These movies represent much more modern ideas than in past Disney princess movies, and focus mainly on a sibling relationship, rather than the typical male-female romantic relationship.