Disney: The 10 Most Underrated Princesses | ScreenRant
Though Disney Princesses are popular, not every one of them is treated the same.
While princesses like Cinderella, Belle, and Mulan know how to steal the spotlight, certain Disney ladies are shoved into the background despite being wonderful role models, era icons, and overall entertaining human beings. Because of this, we thought we'd look at some of Disney's princesses that definitely deserve more attention.
Before we begin, it's worth noting that we're using a very loose definition of the term "Disney Princess." In fact, only 12 characters are considered official Disney Princesses, and Frozen's Anna and Elsa aren't even on the list. We'll be considering any leading lady in an animated Disney film, despite whether or not they are an official princess of true royalty.
With that said, it's time to take a look at some animated characters who deserve more attention. Here are Disney's 10 most underrated princesses.
10 Rapunzel
The star of Disney’s 50th animated film might not look underrated at first glance, but boy is she ever.
2010’s Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel, who has been locked in a tower under Mother Gothel’s strict supervision for years. However, after a charming thief stumbles into her residence right before her 18th birthday, she enlists him to take her to see the floating lights.
Though Tangled was popular, it was overshadowed by the success of 2013’s Frozen and its leading pair of sisters. While Rapunzel is still beloved by many, her time in the spotlight was cut short. One visit to Disney World will have you noticing that while Anna and Elsa have shows, rides, and lands based on their film, Rapunzel simply has a single restroom area based on hers.
9 Princess Aurora
Princess Aurora faces a problem similar to Rapunzel’s, being that she is often overshadowed by other classic princesses like Cinderella and Belle. Unlike Rapunzel, however, she really isn’t in her film very much, appearing in 1959’s Sleeping Beauty for only 18 minutes.
Aurora is overshadowed by the strength of other characters (like the villainous Maleficent who even received her own live-action films). That being said, she deserves a little more love than she’s gotten.
8 Kida
Atlantis: The Lost Empire hit theaters in 2001, and while Disney’s expectations were high, the film's reviews came in mixed. Additionally, the movie's box office score was modest.
Possibly because of this (or maybe because she’s 8,000 years old) Kida never became an official Disney Princess, and she was quickly put on the back burner.
Fans weren’t happy about this because Kida broke the princess mold in both looks and personality. While there's nothing wrong with the stereotypical princess, diversity is pretty cool.
7 Tiana
The Princess and the Frog’s leading lady has also been overshadowed by Disney’s other animated characters.
When Disney released The Princess and the Frog in 2009, the studio returned to a more traditional animation style for the first time since 2004’s Home on the Range. The movie also featured Broadway-style songs that mirrored hits from the past. Though this could have been a recipe for success, the film just didn’t perform how Disney had hoped.
Tiana became the first-ever African-American official Disney Princess, though her charming personality and beautiful legacy have unfortunately been pushed onto the back burner.
6 Merida
Brave told the story of a Scottish princess who hopes to defy the arranged marriage customs of the kingdom. She enlists a witch to help her with this, however, she must soon deal with the beastly consequences of magic.
Sure, the fantasy didn’t receive the same kind of attention that other Pixar films did. However, is Merida worth forgetting about? Nope. She’s daring, courageous, and fiercely feminist. What’s not to love about her?
5 Megara
Megara sure knows how to flip the damsel-in-distress narrative, and for that alone, she deserves a round of applause. Though Hercules is iconic, she has unfortunately faded into the background.
For one thing, Meg is super snarky. While she has a load of personality, she's not some perfectly boxed-up-package. She was cruelly betrayed by an ex-boyfriend, and this has led her to resent love.
With multiple layers and a quick-witted sense of humor, Meg needs a little more affection from the Disney brand.
4 Esmerelda
Esmerelda is one of the most amazing gals out there, as one of the only Disney characters to actively pursue social justice. As part of the marginalized group of gypsies in Paris, she knows that life isn't easy for her people. This is why she engages in outspoken acts of mercy when she sees someone being mistreated.
Despite being a true humanitarian, Esmerelda isn't talked about nearly enough. This is likely because the Hunchback of Notre Dame is underrated, largely because of its dark themes that venture away from the usually cheery stories of other Disney animations.
3 Princess Eilonwy
The Black Cauldron also leans on the dark side, though watching it has only recently become a possibility with the release of Disney+.
This 1985 fantasy adventure tells of a pig herder named Taran who ends up teaming up with a fluffy creature named Gurgui and Princess Eilonwy to track down a magical black cauldron before the Horned King can send an army of undead warriors into the world.
Being that The Black Cauldron flopped at the box office, Eilonwy never received widespread popularity. Due to her bravery, however, she should not be overlooked.
2 Snow White
While Snow White is likely the most commercially popular of all the princesses on the list (after all, she has various attractions based on her at Disney Parks) she has lost a lot of the cultural popularity she once held as Disney's original princess. There are a couple of reasons for this.
First off, younger generations are getting less exposure to Snow White as newer computer-animated characters like Moana, for example, are stealing the spotlight. There's just not much new content involving her.
Secondly, Snow White's main goal is true love and she cooks and cleans for a bunch of men. Though this has some people preferring princess who are stronger on-the-surface than her, let's be real. This chick was manipulated by her stepmother and nearly murdered by a huntsman, yet she still knew how to put on a smile and keep her composure. Go, Snow White!
1 Jane
Though Jane is not British royalty, she is jungle royalty being that she's the wife of Tarzan, who rules over the apes. Because of this, she deserves a spot on this list, and more importantly, she deserves a spot on yours as one of the best-ever female Disney characters.
She's sassy, adventurous, smart, funny, has the most amazing accent, and rocks the color yellow. She also happens to be in a film that was produced during the Disney Renaissance, with music from the one and only Phil Collins, so what's not to love?
Though she's faded to the background over time, we still think she's one of the best Disney gals around.