Belle

One of my favorite princesses: Princess Belle!

Belle's story begins as a traditional French fairy tale. There was a rich merchant with three daughters, the youngest being Beauty (Belle) who was lovely and kind while her sisters were selfish and wicked. The merchant then lost all of his money and had to move himself and his daughters to a small town. While on a business trip the merchant asked his daughters if they wanted anything.  The two older sisters were selfish and wanted jewels and fancy dresses while Belle only wanted a single rose.

The merchant, on his way back, became lost and stumbled upon a castle where he was allowed to stay. He was given some riches yet when he went to pick the most beautiful rose for Belle, the mysterious Prince (who was actually a Beast) appeared and demanded either his life or one of his daughters to come of their own accord.  The merchant reluctantly agreed and returned home where Belle was the one to volunteer to go.

Upon arrival Belle was given anything she wanted, she was no prisoner yet he asked her every night to marry him.  After a few months, Belle grew homesick and wished to return home. The beast agreed only if she took a magic mirror and ring and if she returned in one week. When Belle returned home, she was dressed in such fine clothes, her sisters became jealous and forced Belle to stay home by crying, wishing that Belle would stay with them in hopes that the beast would become angry and eat her. Because of Belle's kind heart, she stayed. The beast became heartbroken and when Belle looked into her mirror to check on the beast, she found that he was dying and returned to him, crying over him stating she loved him. The beast then turned into a handsome prince and they got married and lived happily ever after.

Fun Facts:

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to win Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.

The dance between Belle and the prince in the final scene is actually reused animation from Sleeping Beauty's  last dance between Aurora and the Prince because the animators were running out of time.

According to the Official Encyclopedia of Disney the Beast's real name is Adam, but it is never mentioned in the film.

Ariel

Under the sea. Under the sea! It's Ariel!

Another princess from the early '90's.. well 1989 but still! Oh childhood! And much like other Disney Princesses, she has a dark original story by Hans Christian Andersen.

There was once a young mermaid who lived with her father King Triton, her grandmother and her five sisters. When a mermaid was able to turn 15 they were able to swim to the surface to observe humans. The humans were fascinating creatures with life spans shorter than a merperson's but had an eternal soul. The little mermaid (Ariel) was fascinated by the human world and on her trip to the surface witness a storm and saved a young prince's life. She saved the young prince's life by bringing him to a temple but the prince never saw her face.

Part of Your World

The little mermaid, now in love with the prince goes to the sea witch in exchange for legs and a human life which the sea witch gladly gives her a potion, in exchange for her tongue and that she can never come home. The little mermaid makes the deal and drinks the potion which makes her feel like she is being cut in half.  She then lives on land and the prince is attracted to her beauty.  His father however, orders him to marry a princess in a neighboring country. The prince refuses to marry the other princess claiming he will only love the woman who saved him. It is then revealed that the princess was staying in the temple that the little mermaid brought him to and the prince, believing it was her who saved him, marries her.

The little mermaid, now heartbroken, wishes to return to the sea so her sisters give their hair to the sea witch in exchange for a knife. The little mermaid is instructed to kill the prince and let his blood drip on her feet thus returning her to mermaid form. The little mermaid cannot complete the task however and throws herself into the ocean where she dies and becomes a spirit and must wait 300 years before entering heaven.

No one lives happily ever after except for the delusional prince and foreign princess. The end.

Needless to say, I am glad Disney changed the ending to be a happy one.

Fun Facts before you get too depressed:
There are many adaptations of The Little Mermaid including the Disney version, a musical, a ballet, and many, many books and spinoffs (many with happy endings).

There is a Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.


There is slight controversy with the original cover of the VSH, with statements that a part of the castle looked like a male's member. There is also a scene later in the movie that shows a small bulge (like an erection) on a clergy member and a woman filed a lawsuit against the corporation, only to drop it two months later.

Jodi Benson also did the voice for Vanessa (Ursula's human voice) and 'Tour Guide Barbie' in Toy Story 2.

Happy Ending.

Julie Andrews and The Colbert Report

Julie Andrews on The Colbert Report to talk about Princess Week and her new books.

Julie Andrews also sings with Stephen Colbert.



This is fantastic. Thank you Meghan Lima.