Merida's New Look for Royal Coronation at WDW on May 11th

[jrtoastyman]

I guess I don't get where showing your shoulder is "skanky". I guess technically Jasmine's original outfit would be considered that, while the one pictured has a much higher waist than she used to have.

For the most part all the Princesses pictured are covered from their neckline to their feet.

This, exactly. Disney princesses have (largely) always been very chaste in their attire, with very little skin showing, and I don't think that the addition of a bare shoulder (gasp!) really changes that. Even Jasmine and Ariel, who wear less clothing just by the nature of their characters, aren't sexed up at all. All of these new looks still leave most of the princesses dressed far more conservatively than most of the populace -- you'd see more skin just about anywhere. You can't even see their ankles for Pete's sake.

The new look just doesn't suit Merida. From the impression I got from the movie, it seemed like she didn't want to dress up in fancy clothes. The new pics show a more princessey Merida when she is a kinda more of a tomboy.

Now this, I agree with. That Merida was not a fan of the glam was one of the central components of her character. I don't think it's a coincidence that she began to rip through her formal gown as she started showing the guys what was what with the bow and arrow in the movie -- to the contrary, it was highly symbolic of her wanting to shed the formality of the whole process. With that in mind, a "traditional" princess gown doesn't really befit her. Certainly doesn't look skanky, though.

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

I think she looked better before. More natural and free. Those are the traits I really responded to in her character.

To be fair, I haven't liked any of the other makeovers either. But, I feel like that's more to do with the fact that I don't enjoy the drawing style of the new images. I'm not opposed to redrawing the characters; I just think it could be done with more finesse and style. (And, less glitter.)

 

[monorailrabbit]

Pocahontas' earrings appear to be feathers. While I know practically nothing about the American Indian culture, I think that feathers are frequently used. As to Mulan's 'sparkles', it seems to me that her dress merely has the shimmer that a silk dress would typically have.

While I admit that I haven't sat through that movie a thousand times with my daughter, so I am not an 'expert' on the character, isn't her dress basically the same as in the movie except for the scandalous shoulders? Also, it seems that the wild hair, bow, and quiver still send the 'tomboy' message.

I meant that I have never seen Pocahontas wear earrings before and they threw me off in that picture. Reagardless of American Indian culture or not, she never wore them in either of her movies and I was not expecting to see them. Simple as that. And as to Mulan it looks like sparkles to me, not "shimmer" but to each his own. I am happy Merida is officially becoming a princess, but I agree with the others that she was more of a tomboy and that's why I love her so much!

Edited to add: I never said anything about the scandalous shoulders. Thanks

 

[Colleen27]

I hate the new look. They basically took away everything that was cool about the character - she was a tomboy, not curvy or Barbie-perfect, and now she looks just like the Irish Princess Barbie I had as a kid. I don't think the pic upthread does the changes justice - you don't really see, from that angle, how they slimmed down her waist and plumped up her chest in addition to de-frizzing her hair, slapping some makeup on her, and coating her dress in "bling". None of the other makeovers have bothered me, but the others just changed details - looser hair on Belle, different bow on Snow White, earrings on Pocahontas. In fact, as a mom who sews for her girls I like some of the new textures and sparkle that the makeovers have added. But this is the first one that has really changed the character's look in a significant way, and it seems to roll back all the good things Disney did by creating a self-sufficient princess who had a realistic body type and didn't need a prince to live happily ever after in the end.

 

[dadddio]

I guess that I'm not seeing what you are seeing. To my eye, she looks exactly the same except that her shoulders show, she has a big fat belt, and there's some embellishment around the bottom of her dress.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I guess that I'm not seeing what you are seeing. To my eye, she looks exactly the same except that her shoulders show, she has a big fat belt, and there's some embellishment around the bottom of her dress.

I agree 100%!

 

[RellaSprinkles]

Wow.. why would they do that?
She looks so different.. I definitely preferred the original Merida.

 

[WickedDreamer]

Um, what is Disney's problem??

Who is seriously thinking this is a great idea to go and change the original costumes of the Princesses, and now even their actually facial features, most of them look like they have been sucked and tucked.

Now Merida has even been changed and made to look like a Barbie Doll, um im sorry Disney but I don't remember Merida wanting to dress up in a sparkly dress, wake up every morning and de frizz her hair and then go riding in the woods shooting bows? Maybe I missed that part of the movie, or it's going to be in the sequel? Why change a character already when her movie just came out last year, and was clearly loved by everyone for being DIFFERENT, a Tomboy who didn't need a man, and who didn't NEED to wear a sparkly dress.

Just because she is now an OFFICIAL princess, doesn't mean she needs to sparkle and be made to look thinner, what kind of message does this send to girls now? She was suppose to be a role model for being a confident young girl who was care free, not a thin Barbie doll look a like wannabe.

 

[dadddio]

You guys realize that all they have done is draw her in the same style as the other princesses and canonize the in-park dress, right?

 

[phoebusII]

The new Merida looks 10 years older. While I like the celtic knotwork around the hem of her dress, that is the dress she hated and tore when she competed for her own hand in the archery competition. Disney sacrificed strength and self-sufficiency when they stuffed Merida into a princess gown.

 

[Oswald lover]

They kinda look like teens! Next thing ya know Disney will make a Teen Princess show and Cinderella will be cheating, Tiana will be ghetto, Rapunzle will be crazy, Snow White will be a chef, Belle will be a nerd, Ariel will be a rebel, Pocohontis will be sporty, and Merida will be the exange student. It could happen...

 

[Sugar Jones]

Um, what is Disney's problem??

Who is seriously thinking this is a great idea to go and change the original costumes of the Princesses, and now even their actually facial features, most of them look like they have been sucked and tucked.

Now Merida has even been changed and made to look like a Barbie Doll, um im sorry Disney but I don't remember Merida wanting to dress up in a sparkly dress, wake up every morning and de frizz her hair and then go riding in the woods shooting bows? Maybe I missed that part of the movie, or it's going to be in the sequel? Why change a character already when her movie just came out last year, and was clearly loved by everyone for being DIFFERENT, a Tomboy who didn't need a man, and who didn't NEED to wear a sparkly dress.

Just because she is now an OFFICIAL princess, doesn't mean she needs to sparkle and be made to look thinner, what kind of message does this send to girls now? She was suppose to be a role model for being a confident young girl who was care free, not a thin Barbie doll look a like wannabe.

I agree with you 100%

Where is her frizzy hair and freckles? That is the princess Merida I love!

 

[ChoppityChops]

They kinda look like teens! Next thing ya know Disney will make a Teen Princess show and Cinderella will be cheating, Tiana will be ghetto, Rapunzle will be crazy, Snow White will be a chef, Belle will be a nerd, Ariel will be a rebel, Pocohontis will be sporty, and Merida will be the exange student. It could happen...

This is probably a great idea from a $$ perspective. It would make tons of money. I know you were saying it tongue and cheek like its a negative, but I bet tons of people would watch and love that show if it was done well...

 

[snowy76]

The new Merida looks 10 years older. While I like the celtic knotwork around the hem of her dress, that is the dress she hated and tore when she competed for her own hand in the archery competition. Disney sacrificed strength and self-sufficiency when they stuffed Merida into a princess gown.

I don't like the change to her silhouette, too curvy, but Merida's dress in the parks has that scrollwork, too. I just looked at the pics of my DS with Merida in Disneyland last summer. It's actually the same dress (on the same CM) from the movie premiere:

 

[Esclavamente]

I agree with you 100%

Where is her frizzy hair and freckles? That is the princess Merida I love!

ohmigosh, I can't believe it didn't hit me sooner that the freckles are gone! I can't remember if the article on Jezebel that my husband sent me mentioned the freckle removal...and that article mentioned EVERY change, it seemed! (A la any Jezebel article nitpicking something that happened in media)

as a severely freckled person, this revelation is really bumming me out.


Secondly, I read that all of these princess makeovers were due to Cinderella's revamp last year. Her dress got to be super sparkly, so everyone's dress gets to be super sparkly.
I'll say it, I'll be honest, I really love the beautiful dress Merida is in now, although of course I can see that is it NOT the dress from the movie...but what is interesting is, the pictures I've seen of Merida in the flesh on people's posts here don't seem to show a lot of shoulder, eh? Just me? Disney worship is happy to have her show a lil more skin in print, but not in front of the kiddies??


Re all the other newly sparkly princesses...tuck your hair back up. It's all over the place, all o ya'll. Except Merida, I guess, somehow... Well, really it was just my main impression of the updated Cindy - looks alllmost the same, except with a sultry lock out of place.