Disney Princess

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Disney Princess is a Walt Disney Company franchise, based on fictional characters who have been featured as part of the Disney character line-up. The members of the franchise are Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana Rapunzel, and Elsa. The franchise has released dolls, sing-along videos and a variety of other girls' products, apparel, home decor and a variety of toys featuring the Disney Princesses.

History
In early 1999, when Andy Mooney was hired by Disney's Consumer Products division to help combat dropping sales, the idea for the Disney Princess franchise was born. Soon after joining Disney, Mooney attended his first Disney on Ice show. While waiting in line, he found himself surrounded by young girls dressed as princesses. "They weren’t even Disney products. They were generic princess products", he mused. Soon after realizing the demand, the Disney Princess line was formed.

Despite limited advertising and no focus groups, the various Disney Princess items released became a huge success. Sales at Disney Consumer Products rose from $300 million in 2001 to $3 billion in 2006.

Official princesses

 * Snow White, originally voiced by Adriana Caselotti, is the first Disney Princess and made her debut in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Adapted from Snow White by the Brothers Grimm (1812).
 * Cinderella, originally voiced by Ilene Woods, is the second Disney Princess and made her first appearance in Cinderella (1950). Adapted from Cinderella by Charles Perrault (1697).
 * Aurora, originally voiced by Mary Costa, is the third Disney Princess, and first appeared in Sleeping Beauty (1959). Adapted from The Sleeping Beauty by Perrault (1697) and from The Sleeping Beauty ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1890).
 * Ariel, voiced by Jodi Benson, is the fourth Disney Princess and first appeared in The Little Mermaid (1989). Adapted from The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen (1837).
 * Belle, originally voiced by Paige O'Hara, is the fifth Disney Princess and first appeared in Beauty and the Beast (1991). Adapted from Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont (1756).
 * Jasmine, voiced by Linda Larkin with vocals provided by Lea Salonga and also by Liz Callaway in the sequels, is the sixth Disney Princess and first appeared in Aladdin (1992). Adapted from the tale of Aladdin by Antoine Galland (1710).
 * Pocahontas, voiced by Irene Bedard with vocals provided by Judy Kuhn, is the seventh Disney Princess and first appeared in Pocahontas (1995). Based on the Native American princess, Pocahontas (c. 1595-1617), and the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.
 * Fa Mulan, voiced by Ming-Na with vocals provided by Lea Salonga, is the eighth Disney Princess and first appeared in Mulan (1998). Adapted from the legend of Hua Mulan (386-534).
 * Tiana, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, is the ninth Disney Princess and first appeared in The Princess and the Frog (2009). Adapted from The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker and from The Frog Prince by the Grimms.
 * Rapunzel, voiced by Mandy Moore, is the tenth Disney Princess and first appeared in Tangled (2010). Adapted from Rapunzel by the Grimms (1812).
 * Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel is the eleventh Disney Princess and first appeared in Frozen. Adapted from The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

Live events
All the princesses are available for meet-n-greets in the Disneyland Resort in California. Additionally, Snow White has her own ride at Disneyland Resort known as "Snow White's Scary Adventures", though this ride was removed from Walt Disney World Resort in 2012 as part of the New Fantasyland expansion. In 2006, as part of the "Year of Million Dreams" celebration, the Fantasyland Theater began hosting the Disneyland Princess Fantasy Faire. The show has Lords and Ladies teaching young boys and girls the proper etiquette for a prince or princess and features appearances by the Disney Princesses themselves. Princesses that have appeared include Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, Tiana and Pocahontas. The attraction closed on August 12, 2012 and a new Fantasy Faire village will open in Spring 2013.

At Walt Disney World Resort the princesses are also available for meet-n-greets, but in more specific locations. There is a Cinderella based event where she and her others appear at Cinderella's Royal Table in her Magic Kingdom castle, as well as "Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner, formerly known as the Cinderella's Gala Feast Dinner, at 1900 Park Fare in the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The other princesses are showcased at the Princess Storybook meal. In 2013, the Disney Princesses will have a new meet-and-greet attraction called Princess Fairytale Hall at the Magic Kingdom.

Many shows and parades across the property feature the princesses, including Fantasmic, SpectroMagic, Dream Along with Mickey, the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. A store named "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique" opened April 5, 2006 at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World. On January 22, 2007, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort began its first Pirate and Princess Party. This hard ticketed event features "Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade" and a specially themed fireworks spectacular called "Magic, Music and Mayhem". The parade features the six main Princesses attended by knights and dancers. Each land is themed accordingly to a pirate or princess. Among the themed areas are Jasmine's Court in Adventureland, Ariel's Court in Fantasyland and the Princess Pavilion in Mickey's Toontown Fair. The princesses available for meet-and-greets include Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Snow White, Rapunzel, Merida, and Belle.

Disneyland Paris features the special nighttime show, Disney's Fantillusion, which involves the princesses as the finale. The four princesses that appear are Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine.

The Disney Cruise Line ships feature musical stage shows which feature the Princesses. Ariel, Tiana, Belle, Cinderella, Mulan, Rapunzel, Aurora, Jasmine, and Snow White also appear for children and other fans on the ship. Other popular Disney heroines such as Alice and Wendy also appear for meet and greet sessions.

Disney on Ice has three shows containing the Disney Princesses: 100 Years of Magic, Princess Classics, and Princesses and Heroes. The Ice Company also has had shows based on the story of Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Mulan, The Princess and the Frog, and Cinderella.

Films and television
The Disney Princesses' television appearances were compiled into the Disney Princess Collection, a series of compilation DVDs containing episodes from Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and two Beauty and the Beast specials. A later DVD series was released, entitled Disney Princess Stories featuring content similar to the previous release. Princess Party Palace (formerly known as The Princess Power Hour) was a television series on Toon Disney from 2000 until 2007 where it use to air episodes of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.

Belle had her own live-action television series called Sing Me a Story with Belle. The first eight Disney Princesses also made appearances on the animated TV series, House of Mouse.

In early 2007, Disney announced Disney Princess Enchanted Tales, a new series of direct-to-video features that feature new stories for the Disney Princesses. The first movie in the series, entitled Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, was released on September 4, 2007. It is a musical film featuring new tales about Princess Jasmine, and the first new tale about Princess Aurora since the original Sleeping Beauty.

Originally, Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: A Kingdom of Kindness was announced as the first film in the series, which contained a different Princess Aurora story, and had a Belle story rather than a Princess Jasmine story. Disney made this change without any sort of notice. Currently, the series is cancelled and only "Follow Your Dreams" exists.

Other media
Disney Princesses have appeared in various other media, such as video games, including Disney Princess (2003), Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey (2007) and Disney Princess: Magical Jewels (2007). In addition to those games, they also appear in the Kingdom Hearts game series, where they are labeled as the seven "Princesses of Heart", a term for young ladies with entirely pure hearts who would open the way to Kingdom Hearts if gathered together. Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Jasmine are featured in the game as five of the seven Princesses. The other two Princesses of Heart are Alice from Alice in Wonderland and game series heroine, Kairi. Though featured, aiding Sora while he is in their worlds, Ariel and Mulan are not counted among the Princesses of Heart.

While all seven Princesses of Heart and all six Disney princesses appear in the first game, only Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine reappeared in Kingdom Hearts II with Kairi, though the others are mentioned. Mulan, however, makes her first appearance as the player visits her world. She serves as a tradeable character in the party similarly to how Ariel was in the first Kingdom Hearts.

Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, and Alice appear in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as figments of Sora's memory, but their roles as Princesses of Heart are not brought up; they also appear in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days when they each meet Roxas.

In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora feature along with their homeworlds Dwarf Woodlands, Castle of Dreams, Enchanted Dominion. Digital versions of Alice and Jasmine appear in Kingdom Hearts coded.

Disney Princesses also appear in Kilala Princess, a Japanese fantasy/romance manga produced by Kodansha that debuted in Nakayoshi in April 2005. The plot of the manga revolves around a girl named Kilala and her adventures to find her kidnapped friend with the help of the first six Disney Princesses, who are Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine.

Criticism
On December 24, 2006, Peggy Orenstein published "What's Wrong With Cinderella?" in The New York Times. In her article, Orenstein discussed her concerns about the effects of princess figures on young girls. Orenstein used the Disney Princesses specifically to present many of her points. Orenstein also noted the pervasive nature of Princess merchandise and that every facet of play has its princess equivalent. Tamara Weston of Time magazine criticized the franchise, referring to the princesses as "damsels in distress" and negative role models for young girls.