Are the classic Disney Princesses being forgotten about now?

[DodgerGirl]

Ever since Snow White debuted for Disney as the first ever Disney Princess there was a lot of attention given to her because of her kind personality and sweet nature then Cinderella followed and many people who watched Cinderella liked Cinderella because of her personality and wonderful way of thinking and Sleeping Beauty was praised because of her kind nature and beauty. But ever since the debut of Ariel in The Little Mermaid in 1989 it seemed to be the start of Disney launching a new series of princesses for the 90's and beyond and when Belle and Jasmine came out in 1991 and 1992 the classic princesses were considered old news and when Mulan came out in 1998 she brought a whole new side to the Disney Princesses by being a warrior and tough. And when Pocahontas came out in 1995 she became a positive role model but as soon as Tiana came out in 2009 many people were glad to see a princess who not only was a hard worker but a cook and Tiana became a role model for girls who aspired to be chefs. But ever since the debuts of Merida Anna And Elsa and Moana it seems that Cinderella Snow White Sleeping Beauty Jasmine and Pocahontas Rapunzel and Tiana have been replaced by these top Disney Princesses now. And now anything containing Jasmine or Rapunzel Tiana Pocahontas Cinderella Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are hard to find but Ariel and Anna And Elsa merchandise is super easy to find now. Is this a new trend with the Disney Princesses now?

 

[BrianL]

Well, it's really just a matter of popularity and what sells. Ariel is popular because The Little Mermaid is a masterpeice! The same for Belle. Those movies didn't jsut redefine Disney, but animation in general and have stood the test of time. I don't think the older princesses are forgotten though. They still use them and create merchandise and such. Snow White's ride at Disneyland just got a major new facelift with new scenes and everything! That one will alwasy be remembered as the first one - plus a live-action remake is coming. They're still hanging in there.

 

[Kennywood]

The classic princesses will eventually fade away. They are too prim, proper, and demure, waiting on their Prince Charming to come along and save them.

Nowadays, Disney "princesses" have to be tough, take charge, and kick butts. They can save themselves, without any need for Prince Charming's help.

 

[old lady]

I wish princesses would save a prince once in a while.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Why I think Disney started to focus less on the classic Disney Princesses and started creating the new princesses was because they wanted to attract the new generation of Disney Princess fans and so they started creating princesses with smart personalities and unique hobbies and attitudes. Take for example when Disney Channel created Elena Of Avalor Elena was a princess with a take-charge attitude and was really focused on wanting to become queen of Avalor and I can say if Elena was a real person she could be a secretary in an business office. Then when Anna and Elsa came out with Frozen Anna was also a take-charge person but was more boy-crazy while Elsa was wanting to follow in Anna's footsteps. But when Brave came out Disney wanted to keep the tough warrior image of the new princesses because as we saw with Mulan with Mulan wanting to be tough and show her warrior skills Disney hoped to do the same with Merida by making her a competitive archer who is skilled with a bow and arrow and this brought a sporty side to Disney princesses. And when Tiana came out it was great to see a princess with a passion for cooking as her hobby and she became a role model for girls who loved to cook and Disney was proud of that. But as I mentioned in my opening post it seems that Snow White and Cinderella are the forgotten classic princesses because you never see Snow White merchandise anywhere and the same with Cinderella and the only classic princess that is seen in merchandise is Aurora and it seems that anything Aurora and Sleeping Beauty is easy to find but I do wish someday that they will make a Disney movie where a princess has a crush on a prince but then the prince gets ill and the princess saves him and the prince recovers from his illness and the princess and the prince get married and live happily ever after and it would be a great romantic tale in my eyes

 

[Scootin'By]

I also think that the newer princesses have a lot more depth and character. A friend recommended that I watch Sleeping Beauty, which I had never watched growing up. I loved the movie, but I was left wondering at the end of it, "Who is Princess Aurora?!" I honestly couldn't tell you a lot about her. I knew more about the Fairy Godmothers than I did Aurora. When you compare that to Merida from Brave or Vanellope from Wreck-It Ralph, there is quite the stark contrast.

 

[RangerPooh]

The classic princesses will eventually fade away. They are too prim, proper, and demure, waiting on their Prince Charming to come along and save them.

Nowadays, Disney "princesses" have to be tough, take charge, and kick butts. They can save themselves, without any need for Prince Charming's help.

Growing up I loved Aurora and Ariel, disliked Cinderella and Snow White. As I grew older I gravitated away from liking Aurora and Ariel in favor f the newer princesses who could stand on their own. Belle and Tiana are awesome! Rupunzel and Merida are great too, as is Mulan. I would much prefer a princess who can stand o their own, take change, and be a positive role model, than one who waits for the prince to save her. Also, if the character is too whiny they need to go.

 

[nick.kohll]

I wish princesses would save a prince once in a while.

a nice idea

 

[Evinrude21]

I hope the upcoming movie helps but Snow White gets passed over a lot it seems.

 

[DodgerGirl]

When the new line of Disney Princesses debuted in the 80's and 90s I think Disney had a vision of making these new princesses into proper ladies so they could show girls proper manners and behavior and so starting with Ariel Disney wanted to show girls how princesses act. And that's why in The Little Mermaid Ariel is dressed very marvelous when she has dinner in Prince Eric's castle and she eats her food properly in the movie too. And with Belle when Beauty And The Beast came out in 1991 I think Belle became the most princess-like because not only was she smart but beautiful as her name and I think that's why Belle became the most popular of the 90's Disney Princesses. But if you look at Jasmine from Aladdin she brought a new side to the princesses by having a smart personality but always was proud. But I think when the new Snow White movie debuts Snow White will gain popularity again and Princess Aurora will also be popular again but Cinderella will see a rise due to her movie's anniversary

 

[Kit Jackson]

I wish princesses would save a prince once in a while.

Yes! I love this idea. At the start of the movie, the princess and the prince are already in love with each other (we see the start of their relationship in the classic storybook opening narration). The prince is captured while traveling to the wedding. She has to rescue him. She is not rescuing him alone; she has a team assisting her. You have the tension of "Can she and the team rescue him in time for the wedding?" (Obviously the audience knows the answer is yes, but they don't know how).

Also, I want one of the princess's brothers to be part of the team. He can be an action prince like Eric or Phillip so you have sibling rivalry in terms of which sibling is the better action hero; he could also be kind of useless in combat, but he has other skills (possibly MacGyver-like). He wants to be part of the adventure because he is bored in the palace.

A friend and I recently rewatched all of the Disney Princess movies. Here is a big picture short summary of what we came up with:
In the Classic/Golden Era, things happen to the Princesses. They have very little control over what happens to them.
The Renaissance era Princesses have agency and make decisions (granted, they may not be good/smart decisions, but the young women are definitely making active choices from early on in the movie).
We could not come up with a single thing that really united the Post-Renaissance era Princesses.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Looks like this has been underscored as Disney has now cancelled Tiana. You can not only blame the lack of care, but the terrible influence that today’s society, and the so called “president” Dump’s anti-inclusive influence. You may not see it on the surface, but the influence has been blatant.