In 1937 Walt Disney Productions released their first full-length animated feature film—Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs—based very loosely on an 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
And the first Disney princess was introduced to the world.
Exactly how many Disney princesses there are as well as who does and doesn't qualify is a hotly debated topic.
According to the House of Mouse, there were eight official Disney princesses in the Princess Line launched in 2000: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora of Sleeping Beauty, Ariel of The Little Mermaid, Belle of Beauty And The Beast, Jasmine of Aladdin, Pocahontas and Mulan.
That list increased by four with the additions of Tiana of The Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel of Tangled, Merida of Pixar's Brave and Moana.
Today, there are thirteen princesses in total, twelve from Walt Disney Animation Studios and one from Pixar.
The lucky thirteenth princess is Raya of Raya And The Last Dragon. The newest princess debuted at 2022 World Princess Week at Disneyland in August.
But all rules were cast aside when actor and icon George Takei asked his Twitter followers:
"Who is your favorite Disney princess of all time, friends?"
There were some interesting choices.
Princess Leia proved very popular...
Princess Leia Organa, General of the Rebellion. pic.twitter.com/brmUTRukjp
— J (@N7armorer) October 30, 2022
— Cardsguy71 (@cardsguy71) October 30, 2022
There's only one correct answer. pic.twitter.com/BhD0OlyWcs
— Eric Geeks (@UpBeatEric) October 30, 2022
...as did another member of sci-fi royalty.
The Alien queen.
Does this make the face-huggers or chest-bursters princesses?
The Alien Queen
— 🇨🇦BLVDESFPS🇨🇦 (@tyrnchains) October 30, 2022
Owned by Disney now so it counts pic.twitter.com/Yc9YRSoY09
For me it would have to be... pic.twitter.com/rFYbNqX70C
— Sofa Jockey (@SofaJockeyUK) October 30, 2022
Alien's xenomorph wasn't the only queen chosen.
Rocky Horror Picture Show's Dr. Frank N. Furter had fans.
— Julie Benson (@TheJulieBenson) October 30, 2022
And so did M.A.S.H.'s Corporal Maxwell Klinger.
@zeszut/Twitter
And Captain Jack Harkness of Doctor Who and Torchwood.
Since this week Disney + picked up on Dr. Who it would be pic.twitter.com/eg41LuaPB6
— Suther Cane (@SutherCane) October 30, 2022
And, ummm...
Some fans stuck to Disney's official list though, choosing Merida...
Merida. pic.twitter.com/YdqB6Hg1TV
— Michele Jade (@JadedArsenic) October 30, 2022
...Cinderella...
Cinderella pic.twitter.com/gNbZpRkP0P
— Miss Laura D (@LauraDeFalco65) October 30, 2022
...Rapunzel...
They left out Tangled. pic.twitter.com/gMsFt8pjwV
— Caitlin Evans (@PlaceboPearl) October 30, 2022
...Belle...
Belle! pic.twitter.com/wTMdAfJmvG
— Rachel O'Reilly (she/her) 🇨🇦 💉💉💉 (@HisQueen0428) October 30, 2022
...Tiana...
— Alyssa 🐻 (@alyssabearby) October 30, 2022
...and Moana.
— DisneyMom (@shashonna000) October 30, 2022
Fans of Disney created their own unofficial lists of princesses.
The unofficial and former official princesses include Megara of Hercules, Kida of Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Eilonwy of The Black Cauldron who are all not part of the official line because of poor box-office showings.
Vanellope von Schweetz of Wreck-It Ralph has a fun moment with 12 of the official princesses plus Anna and Elsa of Frozen in Wreck-It Ralph 2, but she isn't considered a princess.
Princess Leia of Star Wars which is now owned by Disney as well as Nancy Tremaine and Giselle of Enchanted are excluded from the official line because they're live action characters which could involve royalty payments to the actors who portrayed them.
Esméralda of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame was briefly part of the Princess Line in 2004 but was dropped due to poor merchandise sales.
Tinkerbell of Peter Pan was also part of the Princess Line until Disney launched the Disney Fairies centered on her character.
Anna and Elsa of Frozen were intended to become part of the Princess Line.
But the success of Frozen led Disney to create their own separate media and merchandise line.
GiphySo, who is your favorite Disney princess?
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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