#40. Sequence 8
There's a scene in Sleeping Beauty that is famous for one particular reason. The scene features Aurora meeting Prince Phillip in the forest and the two sing a beautiful song together. While fans find this scene adorable, those involved in the production actually hated it.
This scene is known by them as "Sequence 8", and it became famous because Walt Disney himself was not satisfied with it at all. He made animators modify it over five times because he didn't like how it looked, and this almost blew the whole budget of the movie.
#39. Not A Princess Anymore
Many people are surprised when they hear that Tinkerbell is not a Disney princess. The truth is that while she was part of the original Disney princesses from the start, her status as princess was revoked a few years later.
She wasn't removed for being a fairy or anything like that. The reason behind this move was that Tinkerbell got her own franchise in 2005 and is now part of the Disney fairies group in which she is the star.
#38. One In Thirty Years
As you may know, Disney started out strong, but as the years went by, the company faced many difficulties, so much so that it went through what many call a Dark Age. In the late '60s, things started to go south for the studio, and it only got worse during the '70s and '80s.
The last Disney princess to be created before everything went wrong was Sleeping Beauty. It took the company 30 long years to bring back princesses into their studios, and the first one was Ariel with The Little Mermaid. She definitely brought Disney back from the grave.
#37. We Love Blue
Most of us were taught that the color pink is for girls and the color blue is for boys. However, the truth is that everyone loves these colors regardless of their gender, and Disney especially knows that.
In fact, the most prominent color among Disney princesses is blue. It is believed that Disney uses it to emphasize the strength of the characters and to let little girls know that it's OK for them to like blue. Those who favor it the most are Cinderella, Snow White, Elsa, Mulan, and Ariel.
#36. Anastasia
Anastasia is often mistaken by non-Disney fans for an actual Disney princess, but she was created by 20th Century Fox. The movie was very successful but was criticized but holding many similarities to Disney classics. However, she might actually become a Disney princess after all.
Disney recently purchased Fox, meaning that it now owns all the rights to Anastasia. It was recently announced that there were plans to make a Disney remake of the beloved movie, which would make this incredible character an official Disney princess after all.
#35. They Are A Franchise
As we all know, each Disney princess comes from a separate movie, and none of these characters ever cross paths in their storylines. However, because they are all such popular characters, Disney had the brilliant idea to turn them into a franchise. But what does this mean?
This means that all the princesses act as a brand together. This allows Disney to produce merchandise such as toys and clothes with all of the princesses' images on them. The idea wasn't very popular at the beginning but has now become a multi-billion dollar brand.
#34. Princess Sequels
One thing that all Disney princesses have in common is that all their movies were successful. And what happens when a movie is extremely successful? The studio wants to make a sequel to cash in on the success. This has led to many Disney princess sequels.
Not all of them have sequels, thgouh. Cinderella, Mulan, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid have straight-to-video sequels, while Snow White almost got one but it was eventually scrapped. The only princess sequel that actually made it to the big screen was Frozen II.
#33. A Human Princess?
Disney is one of the most powerful companies in the entire world. Over the years, the company grew big enough to even purchase other companies, such as Fox and Marvel Studios. One of its biggest purchases was Lucas Films, which owns the rights to the Star Wars movies.
This means that all Star Wars characters are now Disney characters, so... is Princess Leia a Disney princess? She hasn't been officially accepted as one by Disney, but fans have made several requests for it to happen. She might become the first human Disney princess ever!
#32. Not The Main Character
A very interesting fact about Disney princesses is that all of them are the stars of their own movies, many of them even being named after them, such as Snow White, and Pocahontas. However, there is only one princess who is not the main character of the movie she is in: Jasmine.
As much as we love Jasmine, we have to admit that she is not the main character of Aladdin. She is Aladdin's love interest and is an important part of the plot, but that's about it. When you think about it, she doesn't even appear in many of the scenes. We still love her, though.
#31. Tiana's Name
Disney movies are famous for their attention to detail. Every single thing you see in them is there for a reason, and if you look close enough, you may notice a lot of things you never noticed before. Ever wondered why they chose the name Tiana for this particular princess?
The main character of The Princess and the Frog is called Tiana because the word means "princess" in Greek. Also, the movie is loosely based on an old fairytale called The Frog Princess, which has many versions out there and the princess has no actual name.
#30. Mulan Isn't A Princess
While Mulan is regarded as Disney royalty, she actually isn't a princess. In fact, she's the only "Disney princess" who isn't royalty. She does save all of China from the Huns, so if anyone should be considered a queen, that's Mulan.
Snow White, Jasmine, Merida, and Elsa are actual princesses, while Belle and Cinderella marry into royalty. But Mulan is an independent woman who doesn't need any man, and she doesn't get married. And even if she did, her beau Shang isn't a prince, so that wouldn't make her a queen.
#29. Jasmine Is Played By Two Actresses
One key feature of Disney princesses is that they've got some pipes. Some of the best Disney songs ever come from princess movies, such as A Whole New World and Let It Go. However, producers sort of forgot about this when they cast Linda Larkin to play Jasmine.
Linda Larkin is a fantastic actress, but she cannot sing! Aladdin creators asked her if she could sing after she was cast. As she said in an interview: > "They came to me and asked, "Do you sing?"; And I said, "I do, but not like a princess!" And they said, "No problem, we'll find a singer to match your voice."
#28. Princess Cameos
Disney likes to give characters from other movies cameos in upcoming films. Disney fans love taking the time to find hidden characters in movies, which makes watching all the more fun. Ever noticed the cameos in The Hunchback of Notre Dame ?
Since the film takes place in France, the creators thought it would be clever to include Belle in one of the scenes. True to her character, you can see her reading a book as she's walking. But who else can be spotted here? The Magic Carpet from Aladdin. Why? Because why not!
#27. Rapunzel's Hair
Yes, we understand that the story of Rapunzel is a fairytale, and as such, the laws of physics are bent and broken. In Tangled, this happens as well. Have you ever wondered how in the world can this woman walk around with all that hair hanging from her head?
For Rapunzel to carry around 70-feet-long hair is, at most, unrealistic. 100,000 strands of extremely long hair probably weigh around ten pounds. So what we see in Tangled is basically a tiny young girl carrying around ten pounds of hair on her head. That neck is made of steel!
#26. Cinderella Saved Disney
Sure, nowadays we think of Disney as one of the most successful movie companies ever. They broke records and paved the way for the world of animation we enjoy today. However, this was not always the case. Disney struggled for several years and it experienced its ups and downs.
Movies that are now considered masterpieces, such as Bambi, Pinocchio, and Fantasia, actually flopped at the box office when they came out. Luckily, Cinderella came out and saved Disney from bankruptcy. The movie made $85 million worldwide. Phew!
#25. Tiana's Costume Changes
At some point in your life, you might have asked yourself: why don't cartoon characters ever change their clothes? We often see them wearing the same outfit every single time. This is because animation isn't cheap, or at least, it wasn't back when Disney started making movies.
Disney had its princesses wear the same clothes for as many scenes as possible. Just look at Snow White; she only has two outfits! But as animation techniques evolved, animators were able to give characters more outfit changes, and this peaked with Tiana.
#24. Where Are Cinderella's Ears?
Have you ever noticed that Cinderella seems to be missing her ears? This has opened debates that have been going on for decades. Does she have very tiny ears? Are they hidden behind her tiara and her hair? Was it a mistake?
Honestyl, nobody knows. It might have been on purpose, or it might have been a mistake. The peculiar thing about this is that, once you've seen it, you can't unsee it. Creators of Ralph Breaks the Internet gave Cinderella a couple of huge ears as a joke, and we're loving it.
#23. Princesses With Actual Castles
The most famous part of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando is Cinderella's castle. For decades, she was the only Disney princess who had a castle in real life. Then, when Disneyland was founded in California, Disney decided to build Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Cinderella and Aurora were privileged princesses for decades until Ariel and Belle got their castles too a few years ago. Hopefully, we will live to see a day when each princess has her own castle!
#6. Princesses' Origins
Most Disney princesses are based on classic fairytales, and as such, most of them are European. As we've mentioned before, Beauty and the Beast takes place in France, but what about all the other movies? The nationality of the princesses is not always clear, but we've got the answer.
Snow White and Tangled both take place in Bavaria, Germany, and Ariel is from Denmark. Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are also presumably French, while Anna and Elsa are from Norway.