There are now 13 original Disney Princess films from 1937s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” to 2021s “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Elsa and Anna from 2013s “Frozen” are many times included with the Official Princesses so that makes 14. They each have villains of sometype, but only four really need them in the sense there would be no story if it wasn’t for the villains. If it wasn’t for their evil stepmothers Snow White and Cinderella would have lived happy lives. Also, if it wasn’t for Maleficent Aurora would have lived a happy carefree life as would have Rapunzel if it wasn’t for Mother Gothel. However, in the ten other stories there are engaging plot lines even without the villains thus these ten don’t need villains. Plus Disney has been changing the importance nature of the villain since before 2012s “Brave”
From just about the very beginning of the 1989 “Little Mermaid” Ariel wanted to go to the surface “Up where they walk, up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun.” This is even before she knows Prince Eric even existed. The dramatic tension is between her desire for the surface, land world and her father’s forbidding her to leave the sea. Not only is the villain Ursla not needed for that, but neither is the prince.
Belle in the 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” sings “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, I want it more than I can tell.” The dramatic tension in this case is not between Belle and her father and not even between Belle and Gaston. Gaston, the real villain, is just an addition “To this poor provincial town” that she wants to leave. The beast is not the villain.
Like Ariel and Belle, Jasmine, in the film Aladdin. wants adventure, but in her case her father refuses to let her leave the palace. The three protagonists want freedom - Aladdin from poverty, the Genie from the lamp and Jasmine from the Palace and being a Princess. That provided dramatic tension in the film without Jafar.
The dramatic tension in the 1995 film Pocahontas is the meeting of two cultures and two races and the question as to would they get along or not. Judy Kuhn singing “Colors of the Wind” as Pocahontas to John Smith shows that very well. “You think the only people who are people Are the people who look and think like you?” Governor Ratcliffe as the villain is not needed for this to be shown.
Even without the Huns invading China there would be dramatic tension in the 1998 film Mulan, with the title character’s attempt to be herself and still not disappoint her family or society. As Mulan, Lea Salonga sings “Now I see,
That if I were truly to be myself, I would break my family's heart.” The resolution to this tension is for her to be herself.
After her father has died fighting in the First World War, Tiana works hard to preserve his memory by opening the restaurant that was his dream. This is the dramatic tension in the story and would be there even if Tiana had not turned into a frog. It is the case that the title The Princess and the Frog (2009) would not fit if she and the prince did not become frogs, but the story could have explained that without a villain.
The 2012 film “Brave” is primarily about the relationship between the two female protagonists, Merida and her mother Elinor. This is the main source of dramatic tension in the story. In addition there is Merida’s not wanting to marry and her interest in activities such as riding and archery. The villain Mor’du almost seems like an afterthought.
In a way 2016s Moana is the reverse of 1989s “Little Mermaid.” In the latter King Titian demands that his daughter Ariel not go out of the Ocean and in the former Chief Tui demands that his daughter Moana not go out to the Ocean. This is the dramatic tension, Moana’s desire to sail over the ocean against her father's refusal to allow her to do that. There is some question as to who is the villain in this film. Possible candidates are Tamatoa and the Kakamora, but they are dealt with early in the film. Also, there is Maui, who acts at times as a villain, but becomes a good guy by the end. The lava monster Te Ka, appears as a villain, causing destruction and trying to kill Moana, but she is one aspect of Te Fiti, the kind, life-giving being. Te Ka transforms back into Te Fiti, when Moana talks calmly and with concern to her. This resolves the story. Te Fiti/Te Ka, is reformed.
The dramatic tension in the 2021 film “Raya and the Last Dragon” is the distrust among the various nations. They are able to end the scourge of the Druun only when they begin to trust each other. This Raya does over her journey. Even Namaari, at the end, realizes this and joins them. The Druun simply emphases the importance of their cooperation. The Druun are not the traditional type of villain in that they “are a mindless plague” without thought and without awareness. Also, they don’t kill anyone. Everyone who the Druun turns to stone comes back to life at the end.
With the 2013 Frozen the dramatic tension is the break between the two sisters Elsa and Anna. This happens early in the film before Hans of the Southern Isles, the villain in this story, even appears and would have existed even without him. It was the love and concern Elsa felt for Anna that formed the tension in the first place and the love and concern Anna felt for Elsa that resolved this tension at the end.
By writing “Most Disney Princess films don’t need villains” doesn’t mean that Disney Princess films would be better without villains. Better is a subjective term. One person might feel that films with villains are better while others might feel the opposite. What it does mean is that many of these films have complex messages behind them and not just a simple good vs evil plot. They delve into issues that are more uncertain - issues like relationships between parents and children, where a parent feels they know what is best and a child having their own desires or people who are unsatisfied with what society expects of them or the distrust between cultures and races or conflicts between siblings or challenges a person may face in obtaining their goals in the world.
Tom,
From just about the very beginning of the 1989 “Little Mermaid” Ariel wanted to go to the surface “Up where they walk, up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun.” This is even before she knows Prince Eric even existed. The dramatic tension is between her desire for the surface, land world and her father’s forbidding her to leave the sea. Not only is the villain Ursla not needed for that, but neither is the prince.
Belle in the 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” sings “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, I want it more than I can tell.” The dramatic tension in this case is not between Belle and her father and not even between Belle and Gaston. Gaston, the real villain, is just an addition “To this poor provincial town” that she wants to leave. The beast is not the villain.
Like Ariel and Belle, Jasmine, in the film Aladdin. wants adventure, but in her case her father refuses to let her leave the palace. The three protagonists want freedom - Aladdin from poverty, the Genie from the lamp and Jasmine from the Palace and being a Princess. That provided dramatic tension in the film without Jafar.
The dramatic tension in the 1995 film Pocahontas is the meeting of two cultures and two races and the question as to would they get along or not. Judy Kuhn singing “Colors of the Wind” as Pocahontas to John Smith shows that very well. “You think the only people who are people Are the people who look and think like you?” Governor Ratcliffe as the villain is not needed for this to be shown.
Even without the Huns invading China there would be dramatic tension in the 1998 film Mulan, with the title character’s attempt to be herself and still not disappoint her family or society. As Mulan, Lea Salonga sings “Now I see,
That if I were truly to be myself, I would break my family's heart.” The resolution to this tension is for her to be herself.
After her father has died fighting in the First World War, Tiana works hard to preserve his memory by opening the restaurant that was his dream. This is the dramatic tension in the story and would be there even if Tiana had not turned into a frog. It is the case that the title The Princess and the Frog (2009) would not fit if she and the prince did not become frogs, but the story could have explained that without a villain.
The 2012 film “Brave” is primarily about the relationship between the two female protagonists, Merida and her mother Elinor. This is the main source of dramatic tension in the story. In addition there is Merida’s not wanting to marry and her interest in activities such as riding and archery. The villain Mor’du almost seems like an afterthought.
In a way 2016s Moana is the reverse of 1989s “Little Mermaid.” In the latter King Titian demands that his daughter Ariel not go out of the Ocean and in the former Chief Tui demands that his daughter Moana not go out to the Ocean. This is the dramatic tension, Moana’s desire to sail over the ocean against her father's refusal to allow her to do that. There is some question as to who is the villain in this film. Possible candidates are Tamatoa and the Kakamora, but they are dealt with early in the film. Also, there is Maui, who acts at times as a villain, but becomes a good guy by the end. The lava monster Te Ka, appears as a villain, causing destruction and trying to kill Moana, but she is one aspect of Te Fiti, the kind, life-giving being. Te Ka transforms back into Te Fiti, when Moana talks calmly and with concern to her. This resolves the story. Te Fiti/Te Ka, is reformed.
The dramatic tension in the 2021 film “Raya and the Last Dragon” is the distrust among the various nations. They are able to end the scourge of the Druun only when they begin to trust each other. This Raya does over her journey. Even Namaari, at the end, realizes this and joins them. The Druun simply emphases the importance of their cooperation. The Druun are not the traditional type of villain in that they “are a mindless plague” without thought and without awareness. Also, they don’t kill anyone. Everyone who the Druun turns to stone comes back to life at the end.
With the 2013 Frozen the dramatic tension is the break between the two sisters Elsa and Anna. This happens early in the film before Hans of the Southern Isles, the villain in this story, even appears and would have existed even without him. It was the love and concern Elsa felt for Anna that formed the tension in the first place and the love and concern Anna felt for Elsa that resolved this tension at the end.
By writing “Most Disney Princess films don’t need villains” doesn’t mean that Disney Princess films would be better without villains. Better is a subjective term. One person might feel that films with villains are better while others might feel the opposite. What it does mean is that many of these films have complex messages behind them and not just a simple good vs evil plot. They delve into issues that are more uncertain - issues like relationships between parents and children, where a parent feels they know what is best and a child having their own desires or people who are unsatisfied with what society expects of them or the distrust between cultures and races or conflicts between siblings or challenges a person may face in obtaining their goals in the world.
Tom,
