If you think there are a lot of Disney Princess movies, well, you’re kinda correct. But there might be fewer than you think! Technically, there are only 13 official Disney Princesses in the Disney animated movie genre. Animals like Nala are not part of the official Disney Princess club, and neither are live-action princesses like Giselle from Enchanted—yes, even though she gave us one of the best Disney songs of all time. Not even Anna or Elsa from Frozen have made the official Disney Princess cut!
It’s such an exclusive club that you might be wondering what it takes to join. Well, there’s really only one requirement: be the main character in a Disney Princess movie. However, to make sure we’re really celebrating all our fave Disney women, I’ve decided to expand the definition of “Disney Princess” a little bit to include standouts from other Disney movies. I’m sorry, but having a list of awesome female Disney characters and not including Esmerelda or Anna (or Elsa) is simply out of the question here.
So, if you're looking for your next movie marathon, here are all the Disney Princess movies in chronological order, plus a few extras I think are deserving of royalty status.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)
- Best Song: "Someday My Prince Will Come"
- Prequels/Sequels: No
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: Coming soon, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot
The first Disney princess is still one of the most recognizable figures in pop culture. We quiz ourselves on the names of the dwarves. The story might not 100 percent hold up, but most of the songs do. What I really like about this princess movie is how scary it is when you're a little kid, but in a way that entertains rather than scars you for life. The jealous Evil Queen really is evil!
Cinderella (1950)
- Best Song: "So This is Love"
- Prequels/Sequels: Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002), Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007)
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: Cinderella (2015) starring Lily James, Richard Madden, and Cate Blanchett
The classic rags to riches story doesn't get much more lush and romantic than the original Disney animated film. I always really liked Cinderella, mostly because of her mouse and bird friends. They've got her back when her step-family bullies her because they love her! She makes them little clothes! The fairy godmother, handsome prince, and happy ending are just icing on a charming cake.
Peter Pan (1953)
- Best Song: "You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!"
- Prequels/Sequels: Return to Neverland (2002)
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: Not officially, but Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) is underrated IMHO
At one point, Tinker Bell was part of that official Disney princess lineup thing I was talking about, but the powers that be retired her. But since there are soooo many Tinker Bell spin-off movies, including one where Tom Hiddleston is the voice of a young Captain Hook and sings, I think she should count. She may be a fairy, not a princess, but she's fabulous!
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- Best Song: "Once Upon a Dream"
- Prequels/Sequels: No
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: Not unless you count the Maleficent movies starring Angelina Jolie
The last of the OG Disney Princesses shares elements from the women who came before her. She takes a big nap like Snow White. There's an evil woman out to get her, like Snow White and Cinderella. She has fairy friends like Tinker Bell... and Cinderella. What they don't have that Aurora has, though, is a meet-cute with her prince. And a dragon. We can't forget that dragon!
The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Best Song: "Part of Your World"
- Prequels/Sequels: The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)
- Shorts/Series: No, but there is a '90s TV show you can stream
- Live-action remake: The Little Mermaid (2023) starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, and Melissa McCarthy
The Disney renaissance kicked off with a princess who was a little less passive in her story than her predecessors. That's because she's a moody teenager! She makes bad choices and learns from them! This is also the beginning of Alen Menken and Howard Ashman's reign at Disney. The songwriting duo brought musical theatre to animation with funny, heartbreaking, gorgeous songs that stand the test of time.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Best Song: "Gaston"
- Prequels/Sequels: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (1998)
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: Beauty and the Beast (2017) starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens
Technically, those "sequels" are set during the events of the original movie. I've always found that to be kind of funny. Nobody wants to see movies about Belle and Prince Adam, just the Beast! Anyway, whether you think Belle is the thinking girl's Disney princess or a cautionary tale about Stockholm Syndrome, Beauty and the Beast is a quintessential film.
Aladdin (1992)
- Best Song: "A Whole New World"
- Prequels/Sequels: The Return of Jafar (1994), Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996),
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: Aladdin (2019) starring Mena Massoud, Will Smith, and Naomi Scott
Jasmine sometimes feels like she was plucked out of a 1950s screwball comedy. She's a rebellious princess who wants to see the world, sneaks out and runs right into the fast-talking street rat who steals her heart. It's basically Roman Holiday!
Pocahontas (1995)
- Best Song: "Colors of the Wind"
- Prequels/Sequels: Pocahontas II: Journey to the New World (1998)
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: No
For this Disney princess film, the House of Mouse turned to history and the story of a real life princess. I just wouldn't use this movie as a textbook, if I were you. It's entertaining and romantic, but far from historically accurate.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
- Best Song: "God Help the Outcasts"
- Prequels/Sequels: The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002)
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: No
Like Tinker Bell, Esmeralda is a former member of the official Disney Princess line-up. And like Tinker Bell, I think that's a little unfair. She's as much of a co-lead as Jasmine is in Aladdin. Her outfit is as iconic as Belle's. She may not be royal (roooyal) but she's a Disney Princess!!!!
Hercules (1997)
- Best Song: "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)"
- Prequels/Sequels: No
- Shorts/Series: No shorts, but there was an animated series in 1998.
- Live-action remake: No, but fans are actively campaigning for Ariana Grande to play Megara in a live action film
Unlike Tinker Bell and Esmeralda, Megara was never officially included in the Disney lineup, and I think that's nonsense as well. What is she, too iconic? She's also kind of an anti-heroine, which is cool for a Disney cartoon IMO. Let princesses be a little bit bad! (They obviously embraced that more a few years later with Frozen.) And as for Disney princess anthems, "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" is one of the best.
Mulan (1998)
- Best Song: "I'll Make A Man Out of You"
- Prequels/Sequels: Mulan II (2005)
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: Mulan (2020) starring Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Yoson An, and Jason Scott Lee
The last princess of the Disney Renaissance Era had a lot to prove. She knows her strength doesn't lie in traditional gender roles, but it isn't easy to make other people see that. She saves her family and her country! She's not technically a princess, but a job offer from the Emperor is nothing to scoff at.
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
- Best Song: "Almost There"
- Prequels/Sequels: No
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: No
Tiana and her manic pixie dream man Prince Naveen make each other better. Like Aladdin, Hercules, and Mulan before it, the central romance relies heavily on romcom tropes. It's just a shame that they're frogs for the majority of the movie, not their gorgeous selves! But over 10 years after the last Disney Princess, this movie was a throwback in every way–from the songs, to the gowns, and the goofy animal sidekicks. The Princess and the Frog even had a really, really scary villain in Dr. Facilier as well.
Tangled (2010)
- Best Song: "When Will My Life Begin?"
- Prequels/Sequels: Before Ever After (2017)
- Shorts/Series: There are a lot of shorts
- Live-action remake: No, but fans love the idea of Avantika as the live action Rapunzel
How did it take so long for Disney to make a princess movie about Rapunzel? It's actually kind of wild when you think about it. The 2010 film embellished the classic fairy tale quite a bit. In the traditional story, Rapunzel is an ordinary girl locked in a tower who is rescued by a prince. But in Tangled, Rapunzel is the princess and the man who finds her is... well, I wouldn't call Flynn Ryder *ordinary* but you know what I mean. He's a charming thief like Aladdin. She's a missing princess like Sleeping Beauty. Can I make it any more obvious?
Brave (2012)
- Best Song: N/A
- Prequels/Sequels: No
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: No
Pixar's first princess–and first film with a female protagonist, like, period–doesn't really have songs, or a love story, or an adorable sidekick really. But she does have royal responsibilities, a journey of self-discovery, magic, and great hair.
Frozen (2013)
- Best Song: "Let It Go"
- Prequels/Sequels: Frozen II (2019)
- Shorts/Series: There are soooo many shorts, mostly starring Olaf, and a Lego series.
- Live-action remake: No
Two princesses for the price of one! (Spoiler alert, they aren't both princesses for long.) I'm not jealous of the mothers that had to hear "Let It Go" 50x a day back when this movie came out, and probably still now, but sometimes I am jealous of the girls that get to grow up with Elsa and Anna. They're so different! Elsa is powerful, independent, and a little bit bad. Anna has one of the best romantic comedy trope-filled plots I've ever seen in an animated film. Instead of expecting one female character to be everything to everybody, they said why not two sisters who complement each other (and are everything to each other)? Nailed it.
Moana (2016)
- Best Song: "How Far I'll Go"
- Prequels/Sequels: Moana 2 set for release November 27, 2024
- Shorts/Series: One titled Gone Fishing, released in 2017
- Live-action remake: Coming soon, Moana (TBD) starring Dwayne Johnson
Moana is... a perfect Disney Princess. Well, unless your favorite and most essential part of these movies is the Disney Prince. Couldn't be me, but that's valid! And in that case, you're out of luck. Moana's great love is the sea. However, she has the royal responsibilities of Jasmine, Elsa, and Merida. She saves her people like Mulan and Pocahontas. She longs to explore and see the world like Ariel, Belle, and Anna. She feels a little out of place, like so many of the Princesses in this canon. And she has absolute bangers in her movie's soundtrack. Moana is (almost) everything we love about Disney Princess movies rolled into one.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
- Best Song: N/A
- Prequels/Sequels: No
- Shorts/Series: No
- Live-action remake: No
Kelly Marie Tran, you will always be a princess! The Star Wars actress starred in Raya and the Last Dragon, about a girl who goes on a quest to find the last dragon. Raya's journey is not unlike those of Elsa and Anna in Frozen and or Moana in Moana, but the film takes place in a fictional world filled with much more magical lore. Think of it as more of a fantasy adventure than a princess coming-of-age story. (IYKYKK: Raya should have ended up with her rival Namaari, but Disney's still in its LGBT+ representation baby steps era.)
Don't see your fave? I get it. I spent years of my life arguing with people and insisting that Anastasia was not a Disney princess. So, in that spirit, below are some other princesses you might bump into while watching the Disney princess movies in order on Disney+. Heck, you could also include Princess Leia and put on Star Wars!
More princess-y movies on Disney+:
- The Black Cauldron (1985)
- The Princess Bride (1987)
- Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997)
- Anastasia (1997)
- Ever After (1998)
- The Princess Diaries (2001)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement (2004)
- Enchanted (2007)
- Princess Protection Program (2009)
- Into the Woods (2014)
- Encanto (2021)
- Disenchanted (2022)
- Wish (2023)
