There Can Be Only One Queen

Disney Princesses: A Definitive List, Part 3

Finally we’re here for the top ladies, the big four of the Disney PrincessesReleased in 1937, Disney's Snow White was a gamble for the company: the first fully-animated, feature-length film ever created. It's success lead to the eventual creation of the Disney Princess franchise, which has spawned 13 main-line films and multiple spin-off movies and shows. line who have proven themselves to be the most successful women of royalty. These are the top gals, the ones with the fandom as well as the films, the most successful and the most enduring. These ladies have what it takes, and after two parts to our ranking so far (Part 1, Part 2), we’re finally going to crown us a Disney Queen.

As a reminder, we’re only covering official Disney Princesses, so the likes of Tinkerbell, Esmerelda, Jane, Anna, and Elsa need not apply (even though, at various times, they’ve all been included in the official list, one way or another).

Cinderella

Films:

I’ll be honest: I’m as surprised as anyone that Cindy made it as high up on this list as she has. If we were going just off her first film, 1950’s Cinderella, then I’d easily be able to put her in the bottom third and leave it at that. Her original movie is artistically well made, but the story is shallow (even in comparison to the fairy tale it’s based on) and there simply isn’t enough meat to the movie to make it worth watching. Hell, even the animators at the time seemed bored by Cindy, giving her animal companions more to do than they gave to Cindy herself.

But it was in the continuations of the franchise where Cindy’s story really began to shine. Her first sequel, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, isn’t great but it does at least give the princess some agency in her own story. There are fun moments in the film, even if it does feel like a collection of tales that would have made for a mediocre television show at best, but you can see a spark of something great rising. And that comes to fruition in Cinderella III: A Twist of Time, a film with a time travel device that powers a story good enough that you could have seen this film actually coming out in theaters in a different era.

Meanwhile, the live action reboot of the film is actually pretty decent. I wouldn’t call it stellar, but it at least tries to reinvent the story and give Cindy more agency. The flaws in that film are more due to it still trying, to a certain extent, to adapt the original Disney animated film instead of committing to doing its own thing, full stop. One would hope that if any sequels would have been made (which, sadly, seems like that will never happen) they would have gone straight to adapting the third film in the animated series.

So yeah, Cindy actually has a pretty decent run. She’s the focus of her own stories, has a couple of decent films, and ends up doing okay by herself. That won’t make her the biggest princess in the land but, in comparison to many of the other princesses, it does shove her up far higher on this list than I ever would have expected.

Rapunzel

Films:

It’s surprising to me that Rapunzel hasn’t had much of a franchise with Disney. There was her 2010 3D animated film, Tangled, which is fantastic, and then the character was set aside so Disney could focus on other heroines (like Moana, Anna, and Elsa) instead. Which is strange since her film was great and Rapunzel is a fun and spunky character. You had to think Disney could have found some way to extend the princess’s adventures out past a single film.

And they did, just not in a form most people saw. There was an animated series, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventures, which ran for three seasons and sixty episodes. The main leads, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy, came back to voice their characters, and it somehow found a way to bring back Rapunzel’s long, magical hair (which you wouldn’t think would be the main sticking point preventing any sequels), but it was cast onto the Disney Channel as a 2D animated adventure, and then forgotten soon after. Aside from that, all we had was a cameo in Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2, and appearances at theme parks.

Generally, then, I’d cast Rapunzel down in the ranks because she doesn’t have much of a legacy, but in fairness her one film is really, really good (I legitimately would rank it in my top films for this franchise), and nothing that she’s been included in since has ruined her story or reputation at all. Sure, Disney might come along and do a live-action remake of her film, and that could be awful, but until then we have one solid film with no downsides, giving Rapunzel a very solid, clear rank high up on the list.

Moana

Films:

I will, of course, once again set aside the argument that Moana isn’t a princess, she’s a chieftain’s daughter since Disney doesn’t seem to care about that at all. Despite that, what we have are two very solid, animated adventures starring this seafaring Disney princess, and a whole lot of money made for the company as well. Audiences like her, the company likes her, and her legacy is going to live on for some time to come, I’m sure.

Her original film, 2016’s Moana, is a real charmer. It’s full of high-flying (or, really, high-sailing) adventure with a colorful cast of characters, and a whole bunch of catchy songs for fans to sing along to. All of this baked into a gorgeously rendered, 3D animated adventure that really pushes Disney’s production values forward. While the story might have been a little lacking (its twists could be predicted easily) its overall magic couldn’t be denied.

It only made sense for Disney to make a sequel, which they originally were going to do as a streaming-direct television series before (as Disney so often does) getting repurposed into a film instead. The story was a little worse for the wear because of this, with the movie having a very episodic feel, but the production values were still there and there were just enough decent songs in the film to give fans more of everything they wanted. It went on to blow away the Box Office, giving Moana herself two solid wins to her name.

Now, sure, we do have the live-action film coming out, and so far that looks like an abomination (only time will tell there), but even if that film sucks Moana has had two stellar films, with the possibility of another animated adventure at some point (because it’s not as if Disney will leave money on the table). Moana did really well by herself, and her legacy still, generally, looks bright.

Ariel

Films:

This is the real surprise for me. I won’t lie, I wasn’t an Ariel fan before I went back and rewatched all the Disney films. Her movie came out when I was a little kid and I didn’t feel the magic or wonder that so many others did. The Little Mermaid ranked pretty low for me, and I was happier ignoring the film for other (I thought better) Disney films instead. And then I went back and watched it again and, yeah, there’s something magical about the movie. The animating, the songs, the story, it all just works. It’s a solid film that is worth revisiting.

Her sequels, while a mixed bag, generally maintain that legacy, too. The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea isn’t great, effectively being a redo of the first film, just in reverse, but it’s also not unbearable. The prequel, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginnings, meanwhile, it’s legitimately fun and gives Ariel much more to do. It’s lively and enjoyable and, most importantly, it doesn’t just tell the same story all over again (and again). They’re a decent pair of direct-to-video features that, at the very least, do little harm to Ariel’s legacy, which is a plus, all things considered.

There is a low point, of course: The Little Mermaid Live!, a misshapen and poorly executed theatrical-film hybrid that really shouldn’t exist. I have no clue what the production team was even thinking when making this weird show, but we’re all better off pretending it doesn’t exist. However, the franchise is then redeemed by the live-action remake from 2023 that, despite failing to soar at the Box Office, actually is pretty good. No, it doesn’t match the magic of the original, but it’s about as good of a remake as you could get from the House of Mouse at this point.

So overall Ariel did pretty well in her films. One stellar original, two decent sequels and a pretty good remake, with only a single stumble in that live action show (which I wouldn’t even consider essential viewing and you can just pretend it never happened). I think that helps to solidly cement her legacy and, mostly on the power of her original film, makes Ariel the top princess of the Disney line.