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First, let’s look at the living environment of these girls. This will give context and incentive for their specific wants and needs.

PART 1: LIVING ENVIRONMENT

Snow, Cindy, and Aurora grow up isolated and have no (human) friend - they only have animals for company.

In addition to growing up isolated, both Snow and Cindy grew up orphaned young girls and directly suffer due to a jealous older woman: the Queen dresses Snow in rags and forces her to be a scullery maid; Lady Tremaine abuses, humiliates, and forces Cindy to become a servant.

PART 2a: SNOW - I’M WISHING
Summary: wants someone to love her.

The context for Snow is that the Queen is the kind of person who would kill her out of vanity, twice (=huntsman, apple). The Queen is so evil that her name/reputation alone is enough to fear (=Snow’s reaction of “the Queen” to the Huntsman; the Dwarfs’ reaction of “the Queen” to Snow).

So “I’m Wishing” is a song where a princess-turned-maid, who is murderously hated, wants to be loved.

PART 2b: CINDY - A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES
Summary: have faith in dreams and keep believing

Although this song isn’t specific dreams, it does tell us that - despite domestic abuse - Cinderella’s spirit isn’t broken. (She’s even slightly rebellious because she dreams in spite of her step-family: “Well, there’s one thing. They can’t order me to stop dreaming.”)

Later in the movie, her dream becomes specific. What are the mice doing they sing their working song? What does Cindy describe as “completely wonderful”? What does her Fairy Godmother give her during the song’s sad background reprise (=listen when Cindy’s crying at the bench)? The answer: the ability to go to the ball.

At the ball, she sings “So this is Love” duet song and Cindy sings this line: “So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of”. Now, in addition to going to the ball, Cindy also wants to be loved.

So “A Dream is a Wish your Heart makes” is a song where a gentleman’s daughter-turned-servant wants a night out and to be loved.

PART 2c: AURORA - I WONDER
Summary: wants to know if she will be loved

Apart from her aunts, Aurora has known literally no one. Thus, she has had no opportunities to develop a platonic or romantic relationship. Not only does she sing about how the birds have love, but around her are pairs of rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. (Maybe all couples?)

A bit later, Aurora laments being “treat[ed] like a child” and how her guardians, “never want [her] to meet anyone.” However, she’s slightly rebellious because she playfully dreams in disobeying her aunt’s life-limiting rules by meeting a stranger - a romantic prince with whom she can walk and talk; similar to how the birds fly and sing with each other.

Yes, she says “prince” but does that actually mean “prince and nothing but a prince” or it is just the romantic fantasy of a teenage girl who just wants to meet someone - anyone? (Part 5 will address this)

So “I Wonder” is a song where someone, who feels the the need for friendship and/or romance - but has never had the opportunity - wants it.

PART 3 - SITUATIONS WHEN WANTS COME TRUE

For both Snow and Aurora, their wants start coming true while they are singing. Snow, to the best of her knowledge, is singing to herself and is dressed in rags. Similarly, Aurora is singing and dancing to herself and her animal friends, and wearing her peasant outfit… however, their solitary singing is surprised by an impromptu duet.

For Cindy, her wants become true when her Fairy Godmother gives her the ability to go to the ball. (Nothing about meeting a prince and nothing about making him fall in love with her)

PART 4- SITUATIONS AFTER WANTS COME TRUE

For Snow, after she flees from the prince, much later in the movie, she sings “Someday my Prince will Come”. In a way, the song is almost a continuation of “I’m Wishing” because she’s still wishing for “the one I love / to find [her]”.

Now she sings about a prince because that’s who her love actually is. And it’s not love because he’s a prince, it’s love because she wants “to be happy forever” and “find love anew” with him. Again, like originally, she just wants to be loved.

For Cindy, after she flees the ball, she apologizes for getting carried away at ball which was “so wonderful”. After that, then she talks about meeting a handsome guy who had approached her and asked her to dance (while she was looking lost).

Note that she doesn’t lament the fact that she didn’t meet the prince or that she didn’t make some guy fall in love her - she would only do that if that was her want. Because her want was just to go to the ball, she was happy - prince or not; man or not.

For Aurora, after she is told that she can’t meet the stranger, she is pretty much told that everything she has ever known is, in essence, a lie.

She cries due to many things but one of those things is the fact that she still can’t pursue the opportunity to create friendships and chose romantic relationships of her choosing. Unlike before when she was treated like a child, now she can’t do things due to being a princess.

PART 5 - PRINCE

Snow White
--Wearing scullery maid rags (=low social status)
--Sings “I’m Wishing” for her true love. Doesn’t know who that is.
--Sings “Someday my Prince will Come” after she finds out her love is a prince.
--Her second song isn’t only about marrying a prince, it’s also about being happy and being loved.

Snow wanted love and it only so happened her love was a prince.

Cinderella
--Uses “I haven’t met the Prince” as an excuse to leave
--Imagines that “even the Prince himself couldn’t have been more…”
--Is clearly surprised when she hears the Prince is in love with some mysterious glass-slipper girl.
--Is just an “eligible maiden” who was wearing a dress - like everyone else. The proclamation supports this: “every single maiden in our beloved kingdom, without prearranged exception”

Cindy just wanted to go to the ball and had no idea with whom she was interacting.

Aurora
--She’s a peasant and so “that’s impossible! How could [she] marry a prince”
--When she could marry a prince, “But, but I can’t! He’s coming here tonight, I promised to meet him.”

Aurora - even when given the opportunity to marry a prince - just meet the stranger again.

SUMMARY
1) Snow, Cindy, and Aurora are all isolated and friendless. Only Aurora isn’t abused.
2) All these girls want a basic human need: companionship and/or being loved.
3) Their needs for friendship and romantic start becoming fulfilled while they were being themselves; not trying to attract a man.
4) None of them specifically lament over the fact they didn’t get a man.
5) None of them intended to marry a prince nor give the impression they were princesses.

CONCLUSION

Snow, Cindy, and Aurora are all isolated and friendless. Thus, they lack a basic human need: the need for companionship and/or being loved.

To cease being being alone and lonely, these girls would most likely need to be with someone. Logistical fact. However, this is not necessarily to say “I need a man”.

It’s to say these girls are experiencing and acknowledging their romantic feelings and imagination. It’s to say they want to pursue these feelings of attraction and may want to experiment in this natural biological and/or psychological process.

It’s to say the Classic Disney Princesses want to love and want to be loved.

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by Alan
to link for the inspiration for the article