Tiana

Oh my word... it's Princess Tiana!

Tiana is the first African-American Disney Princess and is the second official Disney Princess that is American (her story is set in New Orleans, Louisiana).

Tiana getting ready to kiss frog prince Naveen

The Princess and the Frog is based off of The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker published in 2002.  In The Frog Princess there is a clumsy princess who has magical powers and is being forced to marry a stuck up prince. She runs away to a swamp where she meets another prince whom she loves but he is a frog. To change him back, she kisses him but turns into a frog herself.  The two then go on a quest to find the witch who originally put the spell on the prince.  They reverse the spell and live happily ever after.

Original Story

As you may or may not have guessed The Frog Princess is based off of a fairy tale story The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm. In this story, a spoiled princess makes friends with a frog who magically transforms into a prince (it's the other way around in The Princess and the Frog). Modern versions say the prince transforms when the princess kisses him but the Brothers Grimm love to make everything gruesome.  The frog actually transforms when the princess throws it against the wall in disgust (a common folkloric trait of undoing shapeshifting magic), other versions say the frog stayed on her pillow for a night.

Fun Fact:
Many high profile celebrities were considered for the voice part of Tiana such as Jennifer Hudson, Tyra Banks and Alicia Keys.  Anika Noni Rose finally won the part in 2007.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen 

Jasmine

Next up for Princess Week is... Princess Jasmine!

Princess Jasmine first appeared in Aladdin in 1992  about a young man who was extremely poor living in the fictional city of Agrabah and comes upon a Genie that turns him into a prince in order to be with Princess Jasmine. However, the evil Jafar has other plans and attempts to thwart Aladdin.  In the end, good triumphs over evil and Aladdin and Jasmine live happily ever after!

Unlike the other princesses that will be featured this week, Jasmine is the only princess to be a secondary character, coming after Aladdin. She is also the only official Disney Princess to be a secondary character as well.

Princess Jasmine is based off of the character Princess Badroulbadour from the tale of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp from One Thousand and One Nights which is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories.


In the original tale, Aladdin is persuaded by a sorcerer to obtain an oil lamp that is trapped. When the sorcerer attempts to double cross him, Aladdin retains a magical ring that contains a lesser powerful Genie.  The Genie helps Aladdin to become rich and powerful and will eventually marry the Emperor's daughter, Princess Badroulbadour. The sorcerer then battles with Aladdin with the more powerful Genie of the Lamp but Aladdin and Princess Badroulbadour win in the end and live happily ever after.

Fun Facts:

Scott Weinger, the actor who voiced Aladdin, also played DJ Tanner's boyfriend on Full House.

Jasmine was the first Disney Princess to be voice by two actresses, Linda Larkin provided her speaking voice and Lea Salonga provided her singing voice.

Lea Salonga also provided the singing voice for Mulan and was Fantine in Les Meserables: The 25th Anniversary (my mind has been blown).

Snow White

What a better way to start Princess Week than with the original Disney Princess herself: Snow White?

As with any of the original fairy tales (Especially the Grimm's Fairy Tales), Snow White's story has taken many alterations since it's original debut in 1812 with the Brothers Grimm in Germany. Although there are many alterations, the very basic plot remains the same.

Snow White is an extremely beautiful princess with a very jealous stepmother. The stepmother demands a huntsman to take her into the woods and kill Snow White after the queen's magic mirror tells her that Snow White is the fairest in all the land (so she can eat her lungs and liver for dinner, GROSS). The huntsman takes pity on her and let's her go.  Snow White then find seven dwarfs living together to help her.  When the queen discovers that Snow White is alive and well, she creates a poisoned apple that Snow White eats and falls into a coma. The dwarfs place in a glass coffin until Snow White's prince arrives (and takes her back to his kingdom where the ride jostles the apple out of her throat) and kisses her awake (in the Disney version). The queen then dies by being burned alive (not in the Disney version). They then live Happily Ever After.

Grimm's Fairy tale

Snow White has multiple movies made about her such as the popular Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released in 1937 but also has a  play, special appearances, spin off's (Sydney White), is known worldwide, and even video games!

The most recent adaptations of Snow White include Once Upon a Time, an ABC original series that puts fairy tale characters into reality due to a curse cast by the evil queen (I HIGHLY recommend you watch this), Mirror, Mirror (this one has Julia Roberts), and Snow White and the Huntsman (this one has Kristen Stewart, I may avoid this as long as possible).

SUCH A GOOD SHOW

Kristen Stewart looking bored 

Looks Promising

Like most fairy tales, Snow White is very gruesome (the dying of the queen, wanting to eat the liver and lungs, etc.) but was transformed by Walt Disney for a children's film and also preserved the original fairy tale (to some degree).

Fun Facts:

The total cost of Snow White was 1.5 million dollars and Walt Disney had to mortgage his home in order to pay for the extra costs. The film then pulled it 8 million dollars at the box office.

Adriana Caselotti voiced Snow White for Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  and was blacklisted by Disney so that the voice of Snow White could not be ruined by being hear too much. She had one voice over, uncredited in The Wizard of Oz with the line "Where for out thou, Romeo?' in the Tin Man's song (source).

Happily Ever After <3