I'm just a mere newbie here, but having read several articles on here, I really wanted to write one of my own (hope it looks ok, and I haven't made a mess of it!)
Good thing this is sit on my ass day (otherwise known as Sunday), otherwise I wouldn't have had all day to write this up.
I hope I've explained my rankings well enough.
10) Aurora
What is there to say about Aurora? I figure she must be the least fav of a lot of people, but not because she's incredibly unlikable. I feel harsh saying that she's boring, but she is just your stereotypical fairy tale princess. She's pretty, has a pretty voice, dances pretty, talks to animals... and that's it really. I suppose if she had more screentime, she might have developed into something more, but her purpose is really to be the beautiful princess that gets rescued. So, basically, uninteresting, nothing about her stands out to me, and is just not my cup of tea.
9) Rapunzel
I think many people either love or dislike Rapunzel, and I happen to... feel "meh" about her. I think I can remember rather liking her when I first saw her movie, but after seeing it a few more times, and hearing some other fan's opinions of her, I started to like her less. Like some, I'm irked by how perfect she is, and how quickly she gets people to fall in love with her. Even though Flynn didn't care for her at first, it took a day for him to fall in love with her, to the point that he's giving up his life for her. I know it's a fairytale, and folks fall in love in a matter of days, but Rapunzel and Flynn fall in love in just two days, and that's being generous!
When people list Rapunzel's flaws, they usually consist of low confidence, clumsiness, naivety, childishness, and the most insulting one yet, bipolar disorder. All of these are not flaws! A flaw is a quality that has the potential to make someone unlikable, like selfishness or a bad temper. Would you really dislike someone because they had low self-esteem or because they were raised in a certain environment that stunted their maturity? Or hate them for having a condition they have no control over? Rapunzel does not have a flaw, least none that I can see. She's likeable I guess, but I'm always annoyed by how safe a character she is, especially in this day and age. It's as if the creators didn't want to add any spice to her personality, for fear some people wouldn't like her. She's the cutesy, sweet, naive, clumsy, sometimes hyperactive girl character that we see SOOO many times over, but audiences still continue to love her because those qualities are "relatable". Well, yeah, of course, they're very basic qualities that show up in every human being at least once in their lives.
I'm certainly not saying Rapunzel is dislikeable, not at all, I just don't really... feel her as a character.
Ok, long rant over. The only reason Rapunzel beats Aurora is because she actually does something. She doesn't do anything noteworthy that the other princesses haven't done already, but it definitely makes her more interesting than Aurora.
8) Ariel
I apologise to the Ariel fans, but I'm not gonna lie. At some point, Ariel was going to be my least fav. Through most of the film, I actually quite like her, she's kinda adorkable and really adventurous, the first disney princess to be so. But it's towards the end of the movie that I feel she goes downhill. She goes from the adventurous and confident princess, to the damsel in distress that is rescued by her father and boyfriend! If only they had let Ariel be the one to defeat Ursula, and then have at least one scene where she apologizes to her father and promises to make it up to him. Her reckless mistake did get him turned into an immobile plant, and put the world in danger after all. She could have done one nice thing to make up for all that, no?
Talk about being so close yet so far! If only they had changed the ending somewhat, I really believe I would have loved Ariel, and she would be one of my top favourites. But what can you do? And like I said, I like how Ariel starts off, especially since I got the 2 disc DVD of "The Little Mermaid", and after hearing the creators commentary over her character, it really touched me, and made me like her a little more. But she's still one of my least favs.
7) Jasmine
Jasmine is a mixed bag of bad and good. I think she had potential to be more interesting and kick ass, but it's wasted in favour of keeping the focus on Aladdin, the male lead. So, in the end, she's just the love interest that needs rescued. When you think about it, she doesn't really do much. The only thing she does is run away from home, and even then she's almost completely helpless, nearly getting her hand chopped off and everything.
She continually goes on about wanting to be free, but she only attempts to escape the palace once, and then... nothing. It would great if she had realised, once experiencing the outside world, that her life as a pampered princess isn't that bad, compared to some poor starving child. But no, she continues to stamp her foot and whine about not being a prize and how hard her life in a comfy palace is. It would be more understandable if her father was some kind of oppressive tyrant, not caring about her feelings, but he's very loving towards her, and only wants her to be married so that there will be someone to care for her once he's gone. I'm not saying that being forced into marriage isn't horrible and unfair, but you never see her appreciate what she has, and it makes me want to slap her.
It's great that she's strong and confident, but she can be seen as a bossy, spoiled brat at times, and she doesn't have much of a story arc. I know it's Aladdin's movie, but they could have least given her some kind of small lesson to learn from.
6) Snow White
This placement might seem strange considering I've been giving the impression that I prefer more outgoing princesses that actually do something for themselves, but I can't help but love Snow White. When you remember that she's only 13 or 14 years old, I personally can forgive her helplessness. She's a sweet girl that is nearly murdered one day, and told to run away from home or die. And even after that bombshell, she still manages to remain positive and is able to win the hearts of the dwarves. And I think she really earned Grumpy's love, considering how rude and sexist he is towards her. I don't approve of her whole getting married at 13 thing, but I suppose around the time the film was made, and the time period it's set in, it wasn't so strange for a girl that young to get married. And when you think about it, you never actually see a wedding, they just ride off into the sunset together and that's it. We just assume they got married right away.
Snow White may not have the most interesting of personalities, but sometimes I find her rather hilarious, though I don't think it's intentional. Like breaking into someone's home and then cleaning it for them. And I suppose she can be a tad bossy, which could be a flaw I suppose. Telling the dwarves she ain't feeding them until they get washed up. She's kinda like an overbearing mother. Imagine the person who breaks into your home just starts completely taking over and bossing you around. I just find it amusing.
5) Cinderella
Cinderella could be considered similar to Snow White and Aurora. Just a pretty girl who gets abused and needs saving. But I don't think it's as simple as that. People think Cindy just lets her family walk all over her, but if you watch the movie, you can see that she does try to defend herself, and she really carries herself with a quiet grace and dignity, to show people that she's really above her family and their petty insults. And when you think about all the years of neglect she endures, and how she only really breaks down once they destroy her dress, a dress that belonged to her mother, she's actually been very strong and optimistic up until then. I think in a lot of ways, I relate to her best. The way we handle those who were cruel to us. We're perhaps not all that physically strong at most times, but we try our hardest to not let people's insults get to us. I don't think I'm even as strong as Cindy, so I really admire her.
I know people complain about her not doing anything to save herself, like leaving home, but where would she go? In that time period, a woman leaving home all by herself wouldn't have many options, and they would have led to a much harder life than the one she had at home. And I can't imagine Cindy would want to leave her family home, the home that holds all the memories of her father and childhood.
4) Mulan
Mulan is undeniably a badass, and that reason is mainly why I've placed her this high. Her actions are so amazing: going to war to save her father and practically winning the war all by herself. All these things really make her one of the best role models for kids, especially girls, if you ask me. I like that she completely fails at being a proper lady, and feels like a failure to her family, something that I can empathise with. And I appreciate that Disney didn't go down the route of making her a perfect fighter right away, have her showing up all the stupid men the instant she stepped into the training camp (I really hate when a movie thinks they have to make the men seem stupid and useless to make the woman seem superior). They showed her struggle, and she really earned her awesome fighter status.
The only thing that stops Mulan from being my number one, is her plain personality. In the late 90s, the whole typical clutzy, yet strong, good-hearted girl was a really over-used cliche. Her personality isn't horrible, it's just kinda boring, like the writers thought "Oh, well, she's doing all this really cool stuff like swinging a sword, we don't need to really give her a unique personality." I'm no expert when it comes to writing characters, but I do wish they could have given her a little something extra, instead of relying on the whole clumsiness is her main flaw thing. I hate that. Clumsiness is not a flaw!
3) Pocahontas
Many have said that Pocahontas is a boring character. I admit I find the movie boring in some places, but I never thought Pocahontas as boring, she's just a rather quiet and peaceful individual. Like myself. She prefers to be a loner and to be by herself. Again, like myself. In a lot of ways, she's both childlike and quite wise at heart, as she likes chasing the wind and leaves, playing with animals, and having water fights with her friend. But also seems to be the only one who sees that war is pointless and killing is never an answer.
A lot of why I love Pocahontas is probably because I was obsessed with her when I was little. She was one of the few disney dolls that I had when I was little, and I would always love to act as her when the movie was on. And she's unique in the sense that she's the only Disney Princess who finds her responsibilities more important than her romance with John Smith. I like that she challenges all those childish beliefs that love is the be all and end all of life, and sometimes there are more important things. And it's in the end, that you subtly see her change from someone who is a little childish and innocent, to someone more adult and all knowing about the world.
2) Tiana
I can never understand why there isn't more love for Tiana. Why? Because she's all work and no play? Well, whoever thinks that, did you not watch the movie? Her entire character arc is about changing from someone who has no time for fun and relationships, to someone who finds the right balance between responsibility and family. I guess I can understand that maybe people find Tiana too realistic a character, and since the whole point of watching a fantasy/Disney film is to escape reality for an hour or so, and not to be reminded of it. But I like having a very lifelike character in such a movie, it probably makes it easier for some to insert themselves into a fairytale, when the character is very much human.
I think Tiana is a good balance between being strong, but not being too over the top that she almost doesn't feel like a real woman. And she's obviously flawed. She's a little too focused on her goal that she barely notices life going on around her, and I love seeing her loosen up throughout the film. I also appreciate that this time around, it's the woman that is knowledgeable about the world instead of the man, and she teaches Naveen how to take care of himself and earn a living. And anyone who thinks that her personality goes downhill after she becomes a frog, I think the opposite. It's when she becomes a frog that she learns to be more fun and open to a loving relationship, and you get to see more of her sense of humour.
Tiana is such a great female character, one that so many women had been asking for for years, and when they finally get her, they complain that's she's no fun, that's she's almost TOO responsible, TOO hardworking, and all that somehow makes her unappealing. These days, she often seems to get passed over for Rapunzel, who has one hardworking day (escaping the tower etc), and then moves straight into a luxurious castle for the rest of her life. It annoys me SOOOO much. Tiana deserves WAY more respect than she gets, her film included.
1) Belle
And my fav Disney Princess is Belle! Belle was always one of my favs when I was little. And I grew to appreciate her even more when I got older. She's just lovely. She's sometimes known to be a Mary-Sue, but to me, a Mary-Sue is a sweet, clumsy girl that has all the hunky, gorgeous men falling over themselves to protect her, and love her despite how useless she is. And seeing as Belle is neither useless, or always so sweet, and has both a hideous beast and a sexist pig vying for her attention, I don't consider her to be a Mary-Sue.
I admire that she was the first DP to care more about family than love, as up until she declared her love for the Beast, she cared more about her father's well-being. And people tend to say sometimes that she's a damsel in distress, which makes me scratch my head and think "wtf?" Any time she needed help, she at least always put up a decent fight (like against the wolves and being locked in the basement with her father), and then afterward she always returned the favour. You know, she actually saves her father at least 3 times, and the beast once, or twice if you count her breaking the spell and saving everyone!
And I always got annoyed when I heard people saying that she never did anything about her dreams of adventure. Well, how could she? Yes, she had dreams, but she couldn't persue them because her father needed her around. She even said to the Beast that her father needs her, and he clearly does! And I find Belle can be very relatable also. Anyone who has ever lived in a crappy town, or just dreams of getting out, can easily relate to Belle. And I suppose, if you were looking for some kind of flaw in Belle's character, you could argue that she's pretty darn nosey and stubborn. When a giant beast tells you not to go into the West Wing, you'd best do as you're told... unless you're Belle.
And besides, whether you love or hate Belle, you have to admire a human being who completely disregards looks and appreciates someone for who they really are, thus bringing out the best in them. It's harder than a lot of people think.
So, there you have it, Belle is my fav, and will always be one of my top favourites. Hope you enjoyed my list and rants, and hope you managed to make it through without getting too bored or pissed off.
Comments and criticism (non-rude criticism) are extremely welcome =)
Good thing this is sit on my ass day (otherwise known as Sunday), otherwise I wouldn't have had all day to write this up.
I hope I've explained my rankings well enough.
10) Aurora
What is there to say about Aurora? I figure she must be the least fav of a lot of people, but not because she's incredibly unlikable. I feel harsh saying that she's boring, but she is just your stereotypical fairy tale princess. She's pretty, has a pretty voice, dances pretty, talks to animals... and that's it really. I suppose if she had more screentime, she might have developed into something more, but her purpose is really to be the beautiful princess that gets rescued. So, basically, uninteresting, nothing about her stands out to me, and is just not my cup of tea.
9) Rapunzel
I think many people either love or dislike Rapunzel, and I happen to... feel "meh" about her. I think I can remember rather liking her when I first saw her movie, but after seeing it a few more times, and hearing some other fan's opinions of her, I started to like her less. Like some, I'm irked by how perfect she is, and how quickly she gets people to fall in love with her. Even though Flynn didn't care for her at first, it took a day for him to fall in love with her, to the point that he's giving up his life for her. I know it's a fairytale, and folks fall in love in a matter of days, but Rapunzel and Flynn fall in love in just two days, and that's being generous!
When people list Rapunzel's flaws, they usually consist of low confidence, clumsiness, naivety, childishness, and the most insulting one yet, bipolar disorder. All of these are not flaws! A flaw is a quality that has the potential to make someone unlikable, like selfishness or a bad temper. Would you really dislike someone because they had low self-esteem or because they were raised in a certain environment that stunted their maturity? Or hate them for having a condition they have no control over? Rapunzel does not have a flaw, least none that I can see. She's likeable I guess, but I'm always annoyed by how safe a character she is, especially in this day and age. It's as if the creators didn't want to add any spice to her personality, for fear some people wouldn't like her. She's the cutesy, sweet, naive, clumsy, sometimes hyperactive girl character that we see SOOO many times over, but audiences still continue to love her because those qualities are "relatable". Well, yeah, of course, they're very basic qualities that show up in every human being at least once in their lives.
I'm certainly not saying Rapunzel is dislikeable, not at all, I just don't really... feel her as a character.
Ok, long rant over. The only reason Rapunzel beats Aurora is because she actually does something. She doesn't do anything noteworthy that the other princesses haven't done already, but it definitely makes her more interesting than Aurora.
8) Ariel
I apologise to the Ariel fans, but I'm not gonna lie. At some point, Ariel was going to be my least fav. Through most of the film, I actually quite like her, she's kinda adorkable and really adventurous, the first disney princess to be so. But it's towards the end of the movie that I feel she goes downhill. She goes from the adventurous and confident princess, to the damsel in distress that is rescued by her father and boyfriend! If only they had let Ariel be the one to defeat Ursula, and then have at least one scene where she apologizes to her father and promises to make it up to him. Her reckless mistake did get him turned into an immobile plant, and put the world in danger after all. She could have done one nice thing to make up for all that, no?
Talk about being so close yet so far! If only they had changed the ending somewhat, I really believe I would have loved Ariel, and she would be one of my top favourites. But what can you do? And like I said, I like how Ariel starts off, especially since I got the 2 disc DVD of "The Little Mermaid", and after hearing the creators commentary over her character, it really touched me, and made me like her a little more. But she's still one of my least favs.
7) Jasmine
Jasmine is a mixed bag of bad and good. I think she had potential to be more interesting and kick ass, but it's wasted in favour of keeping the focus on Aladdin, the male lead. So, in the end, she's just the love interest that needs rescued. When you think about it, she doesn't really do much. The only thing she does is run away from home, and even then she's almost completely helpless, nearly getting her hand chopped off and everything.
She continually goes on about wanting to be free, but she only attempts to escape the palace once, and then... nothing. It would great if she had realised, once experiencing the outside world, that her life as a pampered princess isn't that bad, compared to some poor starving child. But no, she continues to stamp her foot and whine about not being a prize and how hard her life in a comfy palace is. It would be more understandable if her father was some kind of oppressive tyrant, not caring about her feelings, but he's very loving towards her, and only wants her to be married so that there will be someone to care for her once he's gone. I'm not saying that being forced into marriage isn't horrible and unfair, but you never see her appreciate what she has, and it makes me want to slap her.
It's great that she's strong and confident, but she can be seen as a bossy, spoiled brat at times, and she doesn't have much of a story arc. I know it's Aladdin's movie, but they could have least given her some kind of small lesson to learn from.
6) Snow White
This placement might seem strange considering I've been giving the impression that I prefer more outgoing princesses that actually do something for themselves, but I can't help but love Snow White. When you remember that she's only 13 or 14 years old, I personally can forgive her helplessness. She's a sweet girl that is nearly murdered one day, and told to run away from home or die. And even after that bombshell, she still manages to remain positive and is able to win the hearts of the dwarves. And I think she really earned Grumpy's love, considering how rude and sexist he is towards her. I don't approve of her whole getting married at 13 thing, but I suppose around the time the film was made, and the time period it's set in, it wasn't so strange for a girl that young to get married. And when you think about it, you never actually see a wedding, they just ride off into the sunset together and that's it. We just assume they got married right away.
Snow White may not have the most interesting of personalities, but sometimes I find her rather hilarious, though I don't think it's intentional. Like breaking into someone's home and then cleaning it for them. And I suppose she can be a tad bossy, which could be a flaw I suppose. Telling the dwarves she ain't feeding them until they get washed up. She's kinda like an overbearing mother. Imagine the person who breaks into your home just starts completely taking over and bossing you around. I just find it amusing.
5) Cinderella
Cinderella could be considered similar to Snow White and Aurora. Just a pretty girl who gets abused and needs saving. But I don't think it's as simple as that. People think Cindy just lets her family walk all over her, but if you watch the movie, you can see that she does try to defend herself, and she really carries herself with a quiet grace and dignity, to show people that she's really above her family and their petty insults. And when you think about all the years of neglect she endures, and how she only really breaks down once they destroy her dress, a dress that belonged to her mother, she's actually been very strong and optimistic up until then. I think in a lot of ways, I relate to her best. The way we handle those who were cruel to us. We're perhaps not all that physically strong at most times, but we try our hardest to not let people's insults get to us. I don't think I'm even as strong as Cindy, so I really admire her.
I know people complain about her not doing anything to save herself, like leaving home, but where would she go? In that time period, a woman leaving home all by herself wouldn't have many options, and they would have led to a much harder life than the one she had at home. And I can't imagine Cindy would want to leave her family home, the home that holds all the memories of her father and childhood.
4) Mulan
Mulan is undeniably a badass, and that reason is mainly why I've placed her this high. Her actions are so amazing: going to war to save her father and practically winning the war all by herself. All these things really make her one of the best role models for kids, especially girls, if you ask me. I like that she completely fails at being a proper lady, and feels like a failure to her family, something that I can empathise with. And I appreciate that Disney didn't go down the route of making her a perfect fighter right away, have her showing up all the stupid men the instant she stepped into the training camp (I really hate when a movie thinks they have to make the men seem stupid and useless to make the woman seem superior). They showed her struggle, and she really earned her awesome fighter status.
The only thing that stops Mulan from being my number one, is her plain personality. In the late 90s, the whole typical clutzy, yet strong, good-hearted girl was a really over-used cliche. Her personality isn't horrible, it's just kinda boring, like the writers thought "Oh, well, she's doing all this really cool stuff like swinging a sword, we don't need to really give her a unique personality." I'm no expert when it comes to writing characters, but I do wish they could have given her a little something extra, instead of relying on the whole clumsiness is her main flaw thing. I hate that. Clumsiness is not a flaw!
3) Pocahontas
Many have said that Pocahontas is a boring character. I admit I find the movie boring in some places, but I never thought Pocahontas as boring, she's just a rather quiet and peaceful individual. Like myself. She prefers to be a loner and to be by herself. Again, like myself. In a lot of ways, she's both childlike and quite wise at heart, as she likes chasing the wind and leaves, playing with animals, and having water fights with her friend. But also seems to be the only one who sees that war is pointless and killing is never an answer.
A lot of why I love Pocahontas is probably because I was obsessed with her when I was little. She was one of the few disney dolls that I had when I was little, and I would always love to act as her when the movie was on. And she's unique in the sense that she's the only Disney Princess who finds her responsibilities more important than her romance with John Smith. I like that she challenges all those childish beliefs that love is the be all and end all of life, and sometimes there are more important things. And it's in the end, that you subtly see her change from someone who is a little childish and innocent, to someone more adult and all knowing about the world.
2) Tiana
I can never understand why there isn't more love for Tiana. Why? Because she's all work and no play? Well, whoever thinks that, did you not watch the movie? Her entire character arc is about changing from someone who has no time for fun and relationships, to someone who finds the right balance between responsibility and family. I guess I can understand that maybe people find Tiana too realistic a character, and since the whole point of watching a fantasy/Disney film is to escape reality for an hour or so, and not to be reminded of it. But I like having a very lifelike character in such a movie, it probably makes it easier for some to insert themselves into a fairytale, when the character is very much human.
I think Tiana is a good balance between being strong, but not being too over the top that she almost doesn't feel like a real woman. And she's obviously flawed. She's a little too focused on her goal that she barely notices life going on around her, and I love seeing her loosen up throughout the film. I also appreciate that this time around, it's the woman that is knowledgeable about the world instead of the man, and she teaches Naveen how to take care of himself and earn a living. And anyone who thinks that her personality goes downhill after she becomes a frog, I think the opposite. It's when she becomes a frog that she learns to be more fun and open to a loving relationship, and you get to see more of her sense of humour.
Tiana is such a great female character, one that so many women had been asking for for years, and when they finally get her, they complain that's she's no fun, that's she's almost TOO responsible, TOO hardworking, and all that somehow makes her unappealing. These days, she often seems to get passed over for Rapunzel, who has one hardworking day (escaping the tower etc), and then moves straight into a luxurious castle for the rest of her life. It annoys me SOOOO much. Tiana deserves WAY more respect than she gets, her film included.
1) Belle
And my fav Disney Princess is Belle! Belle was always one of my favs when I was little. And I grew to appreciate her even more when I got older. She's just lovely. She's sometimes known to be a Mary-Sue, but to me, a Mary-Sue is a sweet, clumsy girl that has all the hunky, gorgeous men falling over themselves to protect her, and love her despite how useless she is. And seeing as Belle is neither useless, or always so sweet, and has both a hideous beast and a sexist pig vying for her attention, I don't consider her to be a Mary-Sue.
I admire that she was the first DP to care more about family than love, as up until she declared her love for the Beast, she cared more about her father's well-being. And people tend to say sometimes that she's a damsel in distress, which makes me scratch my head and think "wtf?" Any time she needed help, she at least always put up a decent fight (like against the wolves and being locked in the basement with her father), and then afterward she always returned the favour. You know, she actually saves her father at least 3 times, and the beast once, or twice if you count her breaking the spell and saving everyone!
And I always got annoyed when I heard people saying that she never did anything about her dreams of adventure. Well, how could she? Yes, she had dreams, but she couldn't persue them because her father needed her around. She even said to the Beast that her father needs her, and he clearly does! And I find Belle can be very relatable also. Anyone who has ever lived in a crappy town, or just dreams of getting out, can easily relate to Belle. And I suppose, if you were looking for some kind of flaw in Belle's character, you could argue that she's pretty darn nosey and stubborn. When a giant beast tells you not to go into the West Wing, you'd best do as you're told... unless you're Belle.
And besides, whether you love or hate Belle, you have to admire a human being who completely disregards looks and appreciates someone for who they really are, thus bringing out the best in them. It's harder than a lot of people think.
So, there you have it, Belle is my fav, and will always be one of my top favourites. Hope you enjoyed my list and rants, and hope you managed to make it through without getting too bored or pissed off.
Comments and criticism (non-rude criticism) are extremely welcome =)
