If one were to do a quick Google search for a Disney Prince line-up, it might take some time before one arrives at the Disney Princess official page; that is, if one ignores the immediate Disney Fandom Wiki page. A genre (for Disney has almost made itself a genre at this point) which is always criticised for producing passive or traditional female characters appears to not have a clear description of an official (or even an unofficial) Disney Prince line-up, even though the Disney Princess franchise seems to be its most grossing one. The same goes for the analyses of the Disney Princesses in academia. The passivity of the princesses is so striking that it is almost easy to forget the figure of the prince altogether—indeed, why bother about a character that is part of an already privileged group (rich, white male)? However, narratively speaking, none of the princesses in these films go through their development alone. Barring a few (Moana, Merida, Elsa, Raya), almost all of them have romantic interests that they end up marrying, either within the film or later. Why then are these romantic interests given so less importance in comparison? This chapter considers some of these romantic interests who can be constituted as Disney Princes (if a line-up like that is made) and takes note of their representations within their films. Although arguments are often made that the princes play the pivotal role in these films, this chapter argues that the role of the saviour is not handed down to them. While earlier representations like The Prince and Prince Charming seemed to be entitled saviours, the role of the prince has evolved over generations such that even when the focus of the movie was supposed to be a prince (like Aladdin in Aladdin), the princess (Jasmine, in this case) played a significant role in helping him attain the tale’s climax. There seems to be a new “self-awareness” that has arrived with the representation of these Disney Princes, which the chapter attempts to take note of. For this analysis, the princes in question could be of royal birth or everyday men (i.e., commoners), provided they end up remaining or becoming princes at the end of their films as well.

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A Whole New World: Reinventing the Fairy Tale Prince in Disney

  • Ritika Chhabra

摘要

If one were to do a quick Google search for a Disney Prince line-up, it might take some time before one arrives at the Disney Princess official page; that is, if one ignores the immediate Disney Fandom Wiki page. A genre (for Disney has almost made itself a genre at this point) which is always criticised for producing passive or traditional female characters appears to not have a clear description of an official (or even an unofficial) Disney Prince line-up, even though the Disney Princess franchise seems to be its most grossing one. The same goes for the analyses of the Disney Princesses in academia. The passivity of the princesses is so striking that it is almost easy to forget the figure of the prince altogether—indeed, why bother about a character that is part of an already privileged group (rich, white male)? However, narratively speaking, none of the princesses in these films go through their development alone. Barring a few (Moana, Merida, Elsa, Raya), almost all of them have romantic interests that they end up marrying, either within the film or later. Why then are these romantic interests given so less importance in comparison? This chapter considers some of these romantic interests who can be constituted as Disney Princes (if a line-up like that is made) and takes note of their representations within their films. Although arguments are often made that the princes play the pivotal role in these films, this chapter argues that the role of the saviour is not handed down to them. While earlier representations like The Prince and Prince Charming seemed to be entitled saviours, the role of the prince has evolved over generations such that even when the focus of the movie was supposed to be a prince (like Aladdin in Aladdin), the princess (Jasmine, in this case) played a significant role in helping him attain the tale’s climax. There seems to be a new “self-awareness” that has arrived with the representation of these Disney Princes, which the chapter attempts to take note of. For this analysis, the princes in question could be of royal birth or everyday men (i.e., commoners), provided they end up remaining or becoming princes at the end of their films as well.