Who is your favorite Disney Princess? A simple question that upon reading it you most likely could answer immediately. The Disney Princesses have been a part of our world since 1937, starting with Snow White leading up to Raya joining in 2021. August 25 through August 31 is World Princess Week. Which is a week to celebrate these incredible ladies, and their stories that have helped all of us dig a little deeper to find ourselves and take the world by storm.
The princesses have been engrained so deeply into pop culture that it’s hard to imagine a time without them. They inspire the young, and young at heart, to go after their dreams. They tell us to go on adventures in the great wide somewhere, and now to create our own world.
The Disney Princess line-up
The Official Disney Princess lineup was created back in 2000 by the Disney Consumer Products Chairman, Andy Mooney. The lineup features female protagonists that have appeared within the Disney franchises. Through the years, the lineup has gone through some changes. Tinker Bell and Esmeralda were removed in the early 2000’s. The current reigning Princesses in the official lineup are: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Moana and Raya. Even though some of the women on this list are not actually princesses in their film, they earned the title of being an Official Disney Princess due to having inspiring qualities and unique personalities. Each of these Princesses have helped create magic in this world, so it seems incredibly fitting that they have a week to be celebrated.
When the Official Disney Princess lineup was created, the princesses were put into what many called “The Pink Void.” They would be pictured all together, but not interacting or even looking at each other. This was used on merchandise and advertising for many years – until recently. Now, instead of the princesses knowing of each other and coexisting, they are now being shown as friends and each of the princesses’ personalities are brought more to life.
The Ultimate Princess Celebration Instagram has been posting photos of the royals all together having fun, like a group of regular girls in real life would do. It adds an extra layer to each of these characters and shows that even Disney Princesses are just like us. It’s nice to see the princesses being silly, laughing while making funny faces, hugging each other and having fun without being absolutely perfect. For many years all the princesses felt they were almost on an untouchable level. This new approach helps make them feel normal, relatable and real without being above anyone else. They are just girls who want to create their own paths and have fun. Which isn’t that what we all want in life?
Disney Princesses, “Create Your World!”
“Create your world!” is the new slogan for the Official Princess Lineup. It is there to inspire everyone to create the world in which they wish to live. As a lifetime Disney Princess fanatic, I love the idea of the characters that I grew up looking up to (and many currently are growing up admiring) can inspire us to do more. We don’t just dream about being a part of their stories. But we can go out and make our life how we wish it to be.
All of the princesses created a world they wanted, even when others were against them. Cinderella took matters into her own hands, with a little help from her Fairy Godmother. Unexpectedly, but also fortunately for her, it ended with Cinderella marrying Prince Charming. Ariel wanted to explore the human world and learn more about them but was held back by her father and the rules King Triton set in place on all of Atlantica. With determination, she was able to go on land and prove, not only to herself but all mer-people, that humans were not all bad. Although, selling your voice to an evil sea witch was probably not the best course of action, Ariel was able to make it all work out in the end.
Both Belle and Jasmine wanted adventure and more to life than what they currently had, but were brave and confident enough in themselves to go out and find what they had been missing. Tiana broke many barriers, and had all the odds stacked against her when it came to chasing after her dreams of owning her own restaurant. It was a dream that she and her father had created together. With determination, hard work and help from some friends, she was able to get her restaurant by the end of her film.
World Princess Week food and desserts at Walt Disney World
How will you celebrate World Princess Week? If you are going to any of the Disney Parks in Florida they will have special treats and items to help you join this royal celebration:
Magic Kingdom’s Storybook Treats
- Rapunzel Sundae: a shortcake that is served with a wild berry soft serve, along with Dole Whip Lemon, topped with a berry compote and sugar flowers.
- Tiana Cone: a swirled white chocolate and frosted mint soft serve, topped with white chocolate crispy pearls, and a chocolate decoration with a picture of Tiana.
- Princess Tiana Sipper: themed sipper that is available at many quick service restaurants and popcorn carts throughout Magic Kingdom.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Creature Comforts
- Guardian of the Dragon Gem: themed after Raya from “Raya and the Last Dragon”, this treat is a Mango mousse, lychee-dragon fruit gelee, coconut cake with a dragon cream tail, and white chocolate décor.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Dockside Diner
- The Little Mermaid Shake: a shake that consists of vanilla, mango, passion fruit and guava that is topped with whipped cream, featuring a pineapple-guava seashell cake.
- Belle Cup of Enchantment: cranberry and Minute Maid passion fruit orange guava juice that is topped with yellow shimmer, to match Belle’s ballgown, and strawberry boba pearls.
Throughout the Walt Disney World Resort hotels and Disney Springs, guests can expect week-long (and even a bit longer in some areas) celebratory treats and drinks. Head to the Disney Parks Blog site for more – including treats at Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland & more.
Empowering women empower women
The princesses went out and created their own worlds. They didn’t stay put! They didn’t accept no for an answer, and even when things became incredibly hard they didn’t give up. These princesses all have inner strength, and qualities that make them strong, inspiring, encouraging and powerful.
None of the princesses are weak as some people like to say. Snow White and Aurora’s superpower is kindness. Snow White leads with kindness, even with Grumpy, who in the beginning hated the fact she was living in their cottage. But by the end of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” he was sad to see her leave with the Prince – even if he refused to show it.
Aurora, even with only 18 lines in the entire film of Sleeping Beauty, has compassion towards her three fairies. Along with all the animals in the forest. By being kind and having a pure heart, Snow White and Aurora created a world where they both were surrounded by people who truly loved and cared for them. Then, when both princesses needed help in their stories, the friends they made all gathered together to do everything they could to protect and rescue them both.
Disney Princesses – real life royalty making a difference
Personally, my favorite princesses are Belle and Jasmine. I have a love for all the princesses in the Official Disney Princess lineup though. Even as a young adult I still get just as excited as I did when I was young to watch their movies or meet them in the parks. With that being said, Belle and Jasmine were the most influential in helping me to create my own world.
Belle was seen as “odd” by everyone in her village. She stood out from the crowd because she loved to read, but also took an interest in her father’s inventions. Even when everyone called her father crazy. She stood up for those she loved even if they were outcasts in society. Belle never apologized for who she was. She found people, and inanimate objects that magically were alive, that not only loved her for who she was but encouraged her to be herself.
Disney Princesses tell stories we can relate with
I relate to Belle in a lot of ways, my father was an electrical engineer and contractor. He may not have designed wacky inventions like Maurice, but he did build an electric lawnmower, and at one point was trying to create his own electric car. He was always dreaming up creations when he wasn’t working, and I loved being a part of his brainstorming. I was also seen as odd growing up. “The Golden Girls” or “I Love Lucy” were my shows instead of popular options for kids my age. I tried so hard to fit in, but it never was good enough. I was unhappy pretending to be someone I wasn’t. Even when I tried my hardest to be like the other girls in my class, it was never enough.
It wasn’t until I got older, and found the people that I was truly meant to have in my life, that made me realize I am loved and perfectly fine as I am. Now, I refuse to hide myself, or change for anyone. I also go against the crowd to stand up for those who are overlooked and judged. I’m thankful for Belle, because anytime I need a reminder that it’s ok to stand out, she is right there. Along with her film “Beauty and the Beast” to bring me comfort, but also happiness.
Jasmine’s leap of faith
Jasmine has helped me through some very difficult situations in my life. There were times I felt trapped and scared to leave different situations, because I didn’t know what the outcome would be. In “Aladdin,” Jasmine also feels trapped at the beginning of the film and decides to climb over the palace walls to start a new life. She has a hard time trusting Aladdin when she first meets him. When she goes to leap over the rooftops like Aladdin she hesitates for a second before trusting herself to make it over to the next roof.
She then realizes, she doesn’t need Aladdin’s help to jump over to meet him. In that moment, she knew she could trust herself and quite literally take a leap of faith. It made her strong enough to stand up for herself and get the freedom she always sought after. There’s been many times in my life where I felt like Jasmine on that rooftop about to jump. I questioned if who I metaphorically was jumping to could be trusted. But also, while going for freedom, could I trust myself to make it?
Jasmine didn’t back down from going after the freedom that she wanted. If she could do it I knew deep down I could do it too. She never let anyone silence her or keep her locked up after that. She wasn’t a prize to be won! Because of how strong she was, she ended up creating the world she always wanted. I still take the knowledge I learned from Jasmine to help me to create my own world today. I let people in and trust them, but also I am continuing to learn to trust myself to take any “leaps” that may come. I’m thankful for Jasmine, because in many ways she helped set me free.
Disney Princess stories that inspire and teach us
We all can learn something from each of these incredible heroines. Their stories have lessons that, no matter at what age you are, can be extremely helpful in finding ways to create your own world. You can make your life what you always dreamed it could be. You know the famous line, “a dream is a wish our heart makes.” When we listen to our heart and are brave enough, we can make those dreams come true.
Snow White and Aurora show just how powerful kindness truly can be. Mulan and Raya both teach about how sacrifice can be in itself a superpower. Pocahontas’ superpower is her courage to speak up for others, and also wanting to understand those around her. Granted, the film is not historically accurate to Pocahontas’ real life, the character that Disney created in their film shows that her bravery to be the first to speak up, and get others to listen, can lead to a place of unity.
Moana and Merida refused to allow others to create their world for them. Both of these incredible princesses’ sense of self is what helped them create the worlds they wanted, and that is their superpower. Rapunzel technically does have a superpower. She has the healing abilities that were given to her by the Sundrop Flower. Her other superpowers are her curiosity and positivity. It was thanks to her excitement, and wonder of the floating lights, that allowed her to take the leap of faith she needed to escape her tower and find out who she truly was. None of these princesses gave up on themselves, or their dreams. This is why World Princess Week is a great reminder to take a moment to realize how influential each of these princesses truly are.
Celebrate World Princess Week
No matter who your favorite princess is, be sure to take some time this week to have a royal celebration. Whether it’s in a Disney park or at home watching your favorite Disney Princess movie. Take this week to allow yourself to feel like a prince, princess or any kind of royalty. And think of ways that Disney Princess royalty has inspired you create your own world!
Very impressive piece. Many people don’t realize the background @ strength of each princess. This was very enlightening.