disney princesas Article: My ranking of disney Princess

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posted by anukriti2409

After being here on fanpop since few months, my opinions and way of seeing each princess have changed a lot, though not for all princesses. Some have gone from favorito to least favorito while some have been on an opposite ride, altogether. A lot has changed as I have grown up and inclusion of other princesses as well in recent times (Frozen and Brave).

So here's my new ranking list of disney Princess along with the mention of their original ranking prior joining to Fanpop

1. Belle:
When I think of Belle, one word strikes me "whole-hearted" person. She inspires me so much to find balance between ideal and real. She know how to care for others while not neglecting herself. She appreciates kindness and reciprocates the same. She's never mean to anyone, even if she doesn't like them, she'll politely make her stance clear with class and sophistication. She's mature yet she grows to find amor in "no prince charming". She's also independent and a free-thinker who is happy with her life, her family and her início yet loves to explore and experience mais than what her life is about. She is true to other people and most importantly, she's true to herself as well. She is, in my opinion, the most balanced person I can think of.
She's always been my no. 1 ever since I have seen the movie and none of the princesses had been able to shake her from this position

2. Merida:
As I have mentioned in my recent article, she's a strong, passionate and independent woman who wants to explore, even though she may not have a soft demure. She has sharp mind and can keep her head in most situations. She will fight for her heart's desire, if no one will listen but learns to be mais mature and selfless, when time calls for it. She learns from her own mistakes and that makes her relatable as no one is perfect. Almost everyone gets angry and sorrowful but the best part is she doesn't ever give up - neither on her dreams nor would she abandon her parents for her wish. She's like a real-life teenage image of me, and that's why I simply adore her. She even has hair like me, curly and wild ( I don't have red hair, though, sob sob). I know that in real life, if you don't make yourself heard, even the people who amor you the most will just glide over you and chart your life out. She reminds me why it is so important to speak up for yourself in life, despite people thinking of you as rude and selfish, while you were never so and was just fighting for your heart-felt and truly cherished dream, which wouldn't have hurt anyone if they were to be realized. And I know exactly how it felt to not be understood por the most loved person in your life.
When i first saw Brave, it was like peeping into a mirror from past. I instantly connected with Merida and her connection with her mom and it has made its way in my topo, início 3 ever since. She has replaced Pocahontas in my original list.

3. Cinderella:
Despite not standing up against her abusive family, I so admire the fact that she didn't let it touch her coração and her soul. She has this unwavering faith in good and believed that the dreams do come true, if you have faith in them. I find her unshakable faith so admirable. She's the strongest person I could imagine. And she's so elegant and graceful, I wish I can even get 10% of her elegance. She's the only princess that has often put me to shame from being Merida to Belle to wanting to be like Cinderella. I keep going back to her when i wanted to be mais polite, mais kind, mais graceful, mais sober in life. Maybe I'll never understand "suffering in silence" but she's the only one also who makes me see that how much courage and control is needed to say things you want to say with elegance and yet firmness of steel, which wasn't there in Merida and me at all in younger age. Having said that, somewhere i feel bad that real world will eat me up alive if I were to become like her, they'll just roll all over me, so she remains a fonte of a constant inspiration but doesn't become a real person for me.
She was actually one of my least favorito princess when I was younger, below Aurora. I just couldn't see beyond why she never speaks up against her family and it made me so annoyed all the time. As a personal choice, i'd still speak up mais than her but i very much admire that she never lose her cool while doing so. As I have matured, I have begun to respect and admire her highly. especially after watching cinderela III. She does know how to fight back for her rights. She has replaced Ariel in my original list.

4. Mulan:
The "brains with the beauty" princess. She redefines feminism for me. A female must not necessarily be confined or restricted to work or behavior as the world has outlined over the years. She is strong, self-reliant, resourceful, astute and courageous yet soft-spoken, humble and modest. And she shows exactly this, while men thinks of themselves better, she thinks of everyone equal, while men defines the role of women in society, she'd work to prove very accurately that they are capable of much mais and when would honor her with medals and rewards, she'd choose to be acknowledged with words. And she's beautiful in most unconventional ways - most simplistic and barely-there. I amor her naked look, adorned with nothing. She's who she is, inside out.
She was at no. 3, but has just slipped only one place coz of my personal affinity with Merida.

5. Rapunzel:
I amor how she's sweet and funny and clumsy and caring altogether. She's the sweetest princesses of all and i can never get enough of her warm and fun-loving nature. She's still like a child in many ways and i find that very endearing. I amor her determination to follow her coração and how naturally she accepts and grows into a situation, handling every sad/frightening situation so effortlessly, making me believe that if you put your mind to it, nothing is impossible.
Same as Mulan, she has just come down one place coz of Merida. She was no. 4 originally.

6. Pocahontas:
Apart from her spirituality and her ability to accept others the way they are, without perguntas or doubts, i don't much relate to her personally. I admire her a lot for her wisdom and for never once losing her cool. She just doesn't score the highest on any quality for me, so she's right in the middle. I like her a lot but i don't amor her. She used to be quite high on my list (originally 2) but after watching Mulan, Valente and Tangled, she has come down a lot. And I had begun liking cinderela much mais than her.

7. Anna:
Well, she's nice....fun-loving, upbeat, optimistic and caring but I don't find her extraordinarily great. She's a good human being with her qualities and her flaws but she fails to impress me as a character and as a person. The best thing about her is her selflessness and her utter faith in her family, despite how crazy her family may seem to others. She's cute too, but i find Rapunzel to be far mais endearing than her somehow. She sometimes can be really stupid to me. (Anna apaixonados hitting me with virtual punches :D). She has managed to push Tiana, Aurora and Snow down.

8. Tiana:
I like her practical, down-to-earth nature but i don't understand why people assume that such people have to be so uptight and arrogant as well. And that straight-out-tone only works with people you are absolutely close with, people outside your círculo do not understand this way of talking, with no courtesy, no pleasing smile to go with, not even a nice word or gesture to show you don't intend any wrong - just blurt out the truth. People who know you will also understand the intentions, people who doesn't will take you for being mean and rude. I was like this too, too blunt, so to say, and I have realized that everyone will not appreciate my unnecessary crisp tone. Mostly I like her some parts of her personality and I dislike her other parts of personality.

9. Aurora:
I cannot imagine living life in isolation, seeing a thriving kingdom from far off distance and never questioning my isolation. On knowing the truth I'll be overwhelmed with anger and hurt and betrayal rather than tears and an eventual obedience. I guess I don't have that kind of submissive obedient bone in my body. I don't mind people like Aurora at all but that's just not the personality I admire the most. So I'm actually quite neutral to her.

10. Snow
I don't think i can get along with someone like Snow, she's too sweet that even if I utter the F word in front of her she'll probably lecture me till i drop asleep or she'll break into tears for being mean to her. I can't handle people who break into tears one moment and becomes too-happy the next. It makes me think of them as robotic. I can never switch my emotions like this. I also don't enjoy people who excessively lectures someone else. I believe in improving at my own pace, at my own standards. And she reminds me of all the class monitors and exam investigators I've had in my life. And also of those uninvited relatives who just welcome themselves in my início without showing any courtesy and then tell me what's right and what's wrong in my existing lifestyle. Nope, not a big fã of Snow, never from the beginning.

11. Ariel:
Once upon a time, she used to be one of my favorito princess, daring and carefree and who just goes out there to do what she wants to do. But as I've grown up i see less and less of qualities in her that I could admire. She became that child to me who gets bored with her life and her situation way too soon and jumps off to experience seguinte thing. She rarely learns anything long term from her mistakes and hardly sees anything beyond her own dreams. I amor her hair, yes, that I do.
(Ariel apaixonados are shooting arrows at me! Oh, I'm so dead with this. But hey, that's me.) She was at no. 3 originally, Cindy just took her place as I have grown up and honestly the sequels have just ruined all the admiration i had for Ariel earlier, i like her far better from TV series.

12. Jasmine:
Too arrogant, too opinionated, too prejudiced, too sarcastic. I don't like people who are cranky and lazy and does nothing themselves but have an opinion on everything and everyone else. Unappreciative of others while she thinks entirely too much of herself. One of the worst kind of personalities I wanna come across in life. She was always last in my list and only Elsa has been able to make her seem a tad bit better to me. And for jasmim too, she has much nicer, mais meaningful personality in TV series than the movie but at least it's not her movie but mais of Aladdin's.

13. Elsa:
Becoming coward, reclusive and cold towards others is not my way of resolving problems in life. If one advice/solution doesn't work, find other and another till my problem is resolved. Running away is so not my style and i absolutely do not like such people who are too afraid to look at their problems in face and deal with it, especially those who have best of resources in life to solve their issues. I detested that when she ran away, the first thing she thought was to build a shiny new castelo and a shiny new dress for herself! That's like super-vain! Can;t she better channel her energies? Okay i should not make this artigo about Elsa, i do not like her at all, period.

All those who amor the princesses as listed in my bottom 5, please don't get offended as you know, I may not agree with your bottom 5 as well. It's very much a personal choice and not altogether rational only. It has a lot to do with my personal life experiences, my emotions and how I perceive things in life. Having said that, I'd still want to hear from you all, as always!

asteriamalfoy, Elinafairy and 5 others like this

DIAMELA great article and very well written!! agree at some points but i not agree on jasmine and Elsa! I dont think that Jasmine is arrogant, too opinionated or prejudiced!! if she were so than she would have given aladdin any chance because of his social status.But for her it was more important the person and their values, something that arrogant and prejudiced people didn't care. If you treated her with respect and kindness she responds the same way but she know how to put limits if anyone is treating her unfair, thats not being arrogant imo. In that case i think Belle is more the prejudiced one when she states that in her town is no one she can really talk to, maybe she could also put her interest in a second place and open to others peoples interest. There is always someone you can connect with if you want so, but you have to open to others people wishes and interest too. Than later she had the luck to find Beast who has much free time in his hands and no other obligations and also no personal interests and nothing, so of course he had the chance to being completely there for her and assuming all her interest, hobbys and wishes , something the people in her town couldn't do at that extent because they were to busy with working and everyday obligations, but its like she didnt take notice of this. I also dont see why Elsa is a coward...i mean facing her role as queen with the big problem she was carrying her whole life is not what a coward would do. Than as things runs out of control she decides to leave because the security of everyone was for her more important than herself, she didnt know at the time how to control her powers and also no one around her, so what kind of resources she did had a that time to solve her problems? Than during Let it go she was experiecing for the first time in her life that her powers wasnt that bad...she just needed some time to figure out how to control her powers. People sometimes need some space to find solutions for their problems. sorry for my english again great article, it was interesting to read!!!

laylastepford I'm glad you have shared your complete ranking! This was very insightful and I enjoyed reading your perceptions and opinions. As I have gotten older, matured and experienced new things, my list has also changed and I have grown in or out of different princesses so I completely understand where you are coming from. You have a very interesting set of values, a bit mixed in my opinion though I can see where it comes from with your personal experiences. (By mixed I mean valuing more sensible and rebellious traits at the same time.) Although our placements are different, we have a lot in common when it comes to the individual perceptions of each princess. The only thing I disagree with completely is part of what you said about Mulan. "And she shows exactly this, while men thinks of themselves better, she thinks of everyone equal, while men defines the role of women in society, she'd work to prove very accurately that they are capable of much more and when would honor her with medals and rewards, she'd choose to be acknowledged with words." I don't believe men thought of themselves as better but rather different. The role of both men and women were defined in society, not just the women. Men were expected to go to war and give their lives for their country while women were expected to get married and have kids. While you do not agree with those roles, that doesn't mean the roles were enforced on women but not men. Both genders had their own set of expectations that came with their gender role. Just some friendly information. :)

anukriti2409 Thanks Diamela for appreciating the article! I understand how you may feel about Jasmine and Elsa, a lot of people don't find them as bad as I do. Its not that I don't appreciate them as characters, Jasmine more than Elsa but if they were real life person, I'd not be too happy having them in my life at least. Its not that jasmine hasn't done anything credit-worthy, its just that her attitude make me cringe every single time. I find her decision of being with Aladdin, especially in the beginning, to be a result of her over-protected environment and a forceful marriage alliance that was expected out of her. It seems less of her own evaluation rather more of a circumstantial thing, exactly like how you feel for Belle meeting Beast. While i agree that Beast was free to indulge her but he was rather spoiled and vain more than enough to care about someone else, he wanted Belle to indulge him, imo. I do not find Belle to be prejudiced or judgemental, she never states her opinion to someone else until pushed beyond limit - lecturing Beast to control temper and calling Gaston a monster in the end. She could have made many remarks about Gaston with his unfriendly advances over Belle. She views town in certain way and she try to tell people about her interests and greet them but people are hardly interested. I agree that she could have tried it other way, trying to know their interests as well. I doubt she didn't plain want to know, it's just that she was simply more inclined to other interests in life. She does go out to market, like a routine where she'd meet people often, even though not to exchange as much conversation. But also, she questions herself more about being odd than finding them that way, so i don't think she's prejudiced. She was open to Beast, open to townspeople but rather they kept judging and forming opinions about her without knowing her. Elsa, just had to assume the responsibility of Queen coz of being elder not coz she wanted to or cared to do. She couldn't even handle it for one single evening properly and there are other ways to just run out after one incident in the public - you can apologize, you can explain to your sister, so that makes me think of her as coward. But I can understand her anxiety as she was conditioned to believe in her gifts as curse from childhood, its difficult to break a thought being fit into your mind time and again. I just feel, she could handle it more maturely, which she didn't even try. I appreciate your view points and I know how individual see the same character in different light. If you have a list, i'd love to read your views on each princess

anukriti2409 Thanks laylastepford! Oh i thought, you'll have a completely different list, as mine favors towards Moderns and you seem to like Classics way more. Thanks for understanding the view point. I do like mixed values, so to say, as I strive to find balance than perfection, you may remember our conversation from previous polls. In a way, you can say balance is also about perfection as sight change and it tips the scales but it makes me less mad and more focused to work on both fronts to find the balance than to go uni-directional. I;m really glad that you noticed that as usually people call me confused when I support both ends simultaneously. I'd like to your list too as well, that will give me an insight as well into how you see each princess. I agree with you on Mulan, i think it just makes me sad to see that men in her life didn't appreciate her efforts despite her being so honestly good. She makes me see that you can prove yourself against whole world, no matter how many people do not trust you or simply don't find you worthy enough.

wavesurf Interesting analysis for why you placed each princess in her slot. We have a lot of differences and some similarities. Mulan tops my list of all of the princesses, though. I do have Merida somewhat high ( at number 4), which might change to a lower number if Moana has better characterization. Merida presents a conundrum for me. Brave played out like my own relationship with my mother: terribly nerve-wracking and highly strained. Brave hit a nerve, because of my personal history. I like only half of Merida's personality: the part where she apologizes to her mother and stops thinking she needs to change her mother's mind. I love Ariel more, and only like Merida, because Ariel explained to her father why she felt the way she did, but Ariel never adamantly worked "to change Triton's opinion." Ariel changed herself, instead, and went somewhere else where her own opinion could be heard and appreciated. By contrast, Merida decided "that a spell was needed to change her mother's thought-pattern," fed her mother said cake, and basically tried ( through means of magic) to manipulate someone into having a totally different opinion than they had had originally. That's why Merida is lower on my list than Ariel is. In my view, Merida might have ranked higher, had she told her mother that she was not ready to marry, simply left the castle despite her mother's haranguing, and started living in the woods. Merida should have "waited out" her own mother's obstinacy, just like Ariel "waited out" Triton's obstinacy by being "on land." People should be allowed to change their own minds, over time, without intervention. The best you can do, is try to share your own viewpoint and reason with them-- barring that, you should just wait. You should not manipulate them into believing something different until they decide that for themselves. (Every time my mother and I butt heads, I have had to "wait out" my mother's anger. Like Ariel, I cannot change my mother's mind. So this is why I relate to Ariel a great deal more. I'm waiting for my own chance to leave, change myself, and reach a place where my own thoughts can be fully appreciated, instead of being belittled and ridiculed. Manipulating my own mother's thoughts, though, is a non-starter). I have Cinderella kind of high ( at number 7), because of her kindness and endurance, although I tend to like Pocahontas a bit more for her curiosity ( Poca is number 5 for me). Belle is below both Cindy and Pocahontas, because I find her to be the polar opposite of Ariel and Pocahontas, and not very curious at all. I've always felt kind of tepid with Belle, after first seeing her in B and the B on the big screen in 1991. I was eight years old back then. (Wow, time flies! I'm 32 now). I admire Belle for reading books, but I've always found her kind of "a snob" and I just thought Belle "never jumped" at the dreams she claimed she had for herself. Belle always held herself back, and simply "pined for something else" while out on the hills/meadows behind her own house. Belle did not go seek adventure--- the adventure found her by happenstance. Belle was passive, and she waited for "adventure" to "fall in her lap." Because it's a Disney movie, it did-- but that "plotline development" has always made Belle's characterization "flat" for me, and Belle is more like Harry Potter. Stuff happens to Harry Potter and to Belle, but they don't seem to "take action" and "decide for themselves." And when they do make a decision, it's kind of weak. This has always kept me from loving Belle, though I like her. ( I also don't like Harry at all for this reason). Jasmine has drawn a lot of ire in this club recently, and I guess it's because people don't like her for her audacity. This is something that is also found in Megara and in Esmeralda, and I seem to like Megara and Esme for this, and Jasmine, also. Jasmine has a tongue, but she's mainly curt about the negative/unwanted attention she gets for being considered beautiful and "a royal." Almost all of Jasmine's comments are tirades about how "she wishes people saw past her pretty exterior." Contrast this with Tiana's blunt opinions, which are all judgements on other people; they consist of "'I've got good morals and goals, and all you other people are lazy and impractical!" So, you can see why I would like Jasmine more.... Jasmine simply wants people to look at her more objectively, and see her for her real, truest self. But, Jas's tongue does keep me from "loving her"; she's only been on "the like" list. Elsa...? Just no. We share Elsa in last place, for all the reasons you listed, and some others. Elsa is EVEN MORE PASSIVE than Belle is, in my opinion. I understand that you are somewhere in the middle with your opinions about each princess. And I can understand that this is mostly a product of "how you personally relate to them." This is distinct, and good, and that's why your list should be unique. I'm sorry for a long comment. Good article!!! :D

DIAMELA anukriti 2409 Thanks for your response!!!!! I should try but i have a really hard time ranking them. The only thing i now is that Ariel is my fav. mostly because she is a big part of my and my cousins childhood (so many memories around her caracter)!!! There are some i feel more sympathy towards than others but i really love them all so its hard for me to define some least favorites...and there are also some princess movies like sleeping beauty or snow white that i have to watch again before giving an opinion because there are parts of their movies that i dont remember. My bad english is also a reason why i didn't write an article about the princess yet!!! It’s interesting how everyone perceived the Disney princess and their personalities, I still think that Belle is prejudiced…her song at the beginning with the lines “full of little people or poor provincial town” kind of reveals that imo. I think she is kind of generalizing everyone and in real life people are not stereotypes, people despite where there are born or grown up or what profession they have are all unique and complex, and if you open up to other peoples life and interest you may learn something new that you never expected you would enjoy too. I agree that people in her town were judgmental about her because they didn’t know her, but she also didn’t gave them much of a chance. I don’t know, maybe I don’t relate to that…I always find people to get along with and a I have very diverse friends with diverse interest that doesn’t match this of mines, but I am really open to it and find it interesting to learn new things. I also still don’t think that Elsa is a coward, she could have decide to run away before the coronation but she still faces her responsibility even with the big fear that her powers could get out of control and hurt someone. I dont know if books counts as a canon or not, but there is that book illustrated by Brittney Lee ( she is one of Elsas character designer) taht shows how Elsa enjoy things that prepared her for her role as queen, so stating that she didnt want it or care for it is a very subjective opinion becuase its also not showing in the movie. I still believe that running away was foremost to prevent that nobody gets hurt because of her in that moment, everyone around except Anna were very scared of her also. But I think that she is very stubborn at the idea of not being in control of her powers, so much that she didn’t give Anna and herself a chance to find a solution.

anukriti2409 @ wavesurf: Thanks for the appreciation and much detailed perspective of your own on some of the princesses you love and while others you differ with mine. I understand your point regarding Ariel's way of resolving her issues with her parents than Merida's way. I guess i'm more of a person where I wouldn't want to leave my family just because they didn't agree with me for few things. I would rather work on making my parents understand why some things are more important to me than they think and would want them to see it my way. I agree Merida can seem aggressive by lot of people, but I disagree that she only wanted to change her mother's opinion in any which way. She tried to tell her too, in her own ways, first emotionally showing her anger and disagreement, then logically by win of archery and then by witch's way (which she didn't know would harm her mother). In certain situations, time is a very critical factor. Triton wasn't forcing Ariel into making a life-changing decision while Elinor was. Its easy to wait out while Triton only wanted her to be away from land and humanly experiences, she had a lot of time on her hand to change his opinion. It wasn't that land or humans were going anywhere. Elinor had already invited the clans, leaving no choice for Merida at all. She had to make a decision, one way or the other. Running away would be embarrassing, cowardly and harmful to her kingdom. And when there was nothing for her to do, she did accept the betrothal (her family's choice) above her own. I don't see it as a manipulation at all that she wanted to change her mother's perspective. I see it as trying her best to fight for her dreams while not wanting to be away from her parents and home. She indeed loved them very much and it was unfair choice she was forced into. I find it rather irresponsible on part of Triton as a parent to not worry where his daughter has disappeared for 3 days, without informing, especially after a fight. Like Elinor was, when Merida ran off in fit of hurt and betrayal when her bow was burned. But I understand your viewpoint about "waiting it out". In fact, i do it too always but I have seen the major consequences of "waiting out" rather than speaking up for yourself, almost to the point of compromising on my dreams and living in regret for a long long time that I didn't make my mother understand at the right time. I find it a little strange that you appreciate the "waiting it out" trait in Ariel but find Belle "passive" for "waiting for adventure to happen". i think she more maturely waited for her chance for seeking adventure than being impulsive about it. Like i mentioned, i find it highly appreciative that she was a balanced person - as much as she wanted to seek out an adventure, she knew the significance of her life with her father and didn't shun it completely for her own desires. She read stories and books for her own sense of adventure. I agree completely with you on Jasmine's vs Tiana argument. I don't condemn Jasmine altogether but i don't like her majorly as well. I know she wanted others to see her beyond her royal status and her beauty, but she failed to show her inner beauty equally for anyone to actually admire that about her. I also do not enjoy's opinionated nature but i do strongly appreciate her hard working, practical approach to life. And I appreciate that you understand my view point of the ranking coming from the personal experience. Please don't feel sorry for long comments, I sincerely appreciate knowing different people and their different perspectives and your comments lets me understand the same.

anukriti2409 @Diamela: Hmm. I see how you are seeing Belle in "not giving a chance" to villagers. I agree with you there, that she didn't try enough for them to know her better or to connect with them. I think she's isnt as outgoing or open about herself as Anna, perhaps. Or maybe she doubted if they'd understand her as they made her feel as an odd-one-out. I think she was more of one-to-one person. Like she was talking to Wardrobe rather more comfortably. For Elsa, i see the same thing differently. I feel that at no point should one abandon the family without informing, without consulting, without trying for other options. That does look cowardly to me somehow. I want to say that you've been able to tell me very effectively about your view points despite not knowing English as much, so it shouldn't stop you from writing any articles, if it does for any other topic as well. Please don't mind, i mean it in good way for you, and that a language is meant only for communication. No one will check you for syntax or grammar.

wavesurf @Anukriti: Ariel was patient, but her patience was "spent" after Triton forced her hand. Triton "totally lost his patience and civility" with her. There is a point, after which...an argument can no longer be had. And the parties really do have to part ways. Ariel endured Triton's rules, strictness, abuse, and his put-downs for as long as she could...but Triton's destruction of everything that was actually dear to her made her realize that "this was the end." The argument was over, and Ariel knew that it was time for her to go, so she took her exit. You're right. Belle is just kind of passive to me. She asks her father, "Do you think I'm odd?" And when his response is, "My daughter? Odd? Where would you get an idea like that?" Then Belle backtracks and is TOO QUICK to downplay her own misgivings about her own dreams, because she can see that her father "feels" just fine where he is. Belle seems too WORRIED about what others expect of her. She downplays it all by saying, "Oh. It's just that I'm not sure that I fit in here. There's no one I can really talk to." And when her father brings up Gaston, Belle has a good roll-your-eyes laugh, and tells him that "Oh, Papa he's not for me." Maurice promises Belle that his invention will bring about a new life for them both. And Belle seems content, like I said, to "just wait for something to happen, and her dad to bring her a new life." Why doesn't Belle bring about a new life for herself? I mean, if she thinks so highly of books talking about "far off places, daring sword-fights, and a prince in disguise"---then why does she not look for that adventure, herself? I feel like the whole point of Maurice losing his way, and then becoming the Beast's prisoner, just forced Belle out of her "comfort zone" to take his place. Belle was content to "merely dream about adventure" while not necessarily taking/ or making any active choices to find it. Belle could turn down Gaston's advances, but she wasn't "choosing" to make any headway on the "dreams she claimed to be nursing." The plotline eventually just forced her TO BE somewhere else, and she didn't at all like living with the Beast in the enchanted castle, initially. So, Belle claims that she wants adventure ( Belle Reprise), and then turns around and DOESN'T want said adventure, after all. She wiffle-waffles, just like Pocahontas. I mean, even in the 1990s, TLM got some hatred for Ariel's character. When B and the B first came out, Belle was Disney's answer to the FLACK Disney had received for not making Ariel "a submissive girl"--- a girl whom audiences expected to "wait for life to happen for her." Instead, because of Howard Ashman's input, Ariel "was shown" making decisions in her life, and actively participating in her own future, be it for good or ill. But audiences simply saw Ariel as being "impulsive." So they loved Belle way more, because it "restored" the "norm" that a woman should demurely "wait for her dreams without being too assertive." But WAIT!!!! About eight years later--- here is Jane Porter being what Belle was "pining for" all along... and NOBODY, I mean NOBODY gives Jane flack for being an "impulsive" adventurer, marching right out there into the jungle unescorted ( until Tarzan spots her)--- which is something they ALWAYS give Ariel FLACK for to this day.... ahahaha It's really paradoxically funny once you see the hypocrisy in it all. And Disney keeps falling over themselves trying to "get it right." So...my reasons for liking Belle are mainly for her being self-sacrificial and polite, and for the book-reading aspect. Because there's not much else to Belle... as Belle is "the passive antidote" to the same audience who thought that "seeing an assertive woman" was a bad thing in Ariel... But thereafter, the audience proceeded to appreciate the "same assertiveness" in Jane, and in Tiana, and in Merida. We sure have come a long way... but they sure do CONTINUE to drag down and beat Ariel's personality to a pulp about "being a bad woman." *Sighs*

Sparklefairy375 Nice article! I also have Cinderella, Mulan, and Rapunzel in my top 5! P.S: The images of Aurora and Snow White are in wrong place. You took the picture of Snow White in the text about Aurora and Aurora's picture in Snow White's text.

anukriti2409 @wavesurf: I don't think Ariel is as unappreciated as you mention and seriously don't know what happened when TLM was first launched coz I was merely 2 years old, so i can't really comment on it. I watched it much later, in fact after BATB. So the fact "Belle is an anti-dote to the audience who thought being an assertive woman is bad" doesn't work for me at least. I didn't see it from that perspective. I have no idea who got flacked because of Belle and Jane, coz honestly, I haven't cared for rumors at all. I think Ariel is far more appreciated, at least here and I have no problem with that at all. I have never seen one fan who would not like Ariel, apart from me. As for Belle, yes, i find being balanced as more appreciative and beneficial quality than being impulsive. For Belle, romance and adventure was part of her wishlist but wasn't running high in her adrenaline to act on it. She had priorities in her life, as a responsible person, she acted on them before she sought adventure for herself. I also want to travel a lot in my life, and I dream about visiting all these lovely places in the world but i simply do not quit my job and leave my family and my home in the name of "actively participating in my future endeavors". It's one part of my life. If like Ariel, traveling and experiencing a new world was my whole life and the only dream, I'd have gone after it too, and in her age, I'd have been impulsive too. So I understand her but I don't like that in her. Being assertive is great, I appreciate it well enough in Mulan and Rapunzel and Merida and Ariel. Being assertive and being impulsive are not same, at all. And I don't think any of the DP are "bad woman".

THKO82 @wavesurf What are you even talking about? Ariel is still to this day the second most adored Disney women there is. She's not under appreciated in the slightest just because 1 out of every 1000 people dislike her. It's also not hypocritical in the slightest for people to like Jane more than Ariel. They are totally different characters, and while Jane was an adventurous girl her rebellious attitude is never pushed in your face like Ariel's was. I was around when TLM came out, and I can confirm that everything you are saying about Ariel's supposed hate just is way off. Ariel was praised endlessly, and still is to this day. I don't want to have an argument about how amazing Ariel is or is not, but you don't have to push the idea that she's an under appreciated gem just because you are a fan of the character.

laylastepford So sorry for such a late response! I will be doing my list soon but there are still a few girls I am torn between (I have like 3 different sets of 2 girls who are tied and keep switching with each other) and I wanted to re-watch some of the newer films because I'm not as familiar with the modern characters as I am with all of the others. (That's just because growing up I watched the Classic & Renaissance films over and over but by the time the Moderns came out I was older, working and too busy to really watch them even once.) I wouldn't say our lists are completely different, I'd say they are pretty close with a few complete differences if that makes sense. Yes, I strive for balance as well and I actually absolutely believe that balance is perfection. I think, with no disrespect, that people who say you or anyone is "confused" for supporting both sides is confused themselves in that field. I strongly believe balance is about looking at all sides and choosing what is most appropriate, accurate and efficient without being limited to just one side. (That's my problem with politics in America. There is a misconception that one has to be full-ticket Republican or Democratic even though realistically most people are somewhere in the middle.) I think making things about "sides" is where balance gets lost because then things escalate in tension to battles etc. In my opinion and experience, a woman like Mulan who is above average is unfortunately most likely not going to be appreciated by average men around her because she makes them feel insecure. The flip side though is that greater men like Shang and the Emperor are going to notice it that much more because they do appreciate it and it stands out to them. To me, that found a balance. That's why I love "goodness" so much. I believe heavily in karma as well as balance so I like to believe that goodness will always find it's balance, whether sooner or later.

anukriti2409 ^thank you taking time and commenting on all of my articles! I missed seeing your comments :) It makes absolute sense when you "pretty close list with few complete differences"Like i can imagine you having Merida and Ariel switched :D Looking forward to your list too!

laylastepford ^ Thank you for taking the time to write your articles! I enjoy reading them and I love how well-detailed you are with your explanations. As a lover of books and reading, I greatly appreciate the time and effort you take into each and every one of your articles (and it honestly shows to me). I wanted to go back and read all of your articles that I missed because they are delightful reads! :D Our "complete differences" are actually more like Mulan & Rapunzel switched with Aurora & Snow, funny enough. The ones constantly changing places on my list and often tied with each other are Ariel, Rapunzel, Mulan, Tiana, Merida & Elsa because they are the most complicatedly written characters and I don't mean that in a good way, I mean it in a confusing way. They are the ones that are the most confusing to me because they seem to portray one image but when you watch the films are actually not that in line with the images they portray (or Disney & others portray them as). Except Rapunzel isn't confusing to me at all, I just have a hard time placing her amongst the other 5. The other 5 seem to somewhat flip flop in their films, have changing personalities and conflicting views making them harder to place for me. I know my Top 6 & my #13 but 7-12 is so confusing for me! That's why I love reading others' opinions on those 6 as I have a hard time placing them.

11Catlover11 You have a very nice list.

anukriti2409 Thanks 11Catlover11