We’re Running Out of Disney Princess and We Should Be Talking About It -

With Snow White‘s release, there are officially seven live-action Disney princesses, and at least one more on the way. For just over a decade, Disney has been remaking its greatest hits, and the princesses have been a staple, to the point that they nearly have a full live-action lineup. Starting with Elle Fanning‘s Aurora in 2014’s Maleficent, the company has been reimagining its classic heroines and now is most of the way through. While some of the princess remakes have been received better than others, Disney has shown no signs of stopping and recently has been ramping up. But with most of the older princess films checked off the list, only a few remain to adapt.

While it will be a relief for the live-action adaptations to run out of material, it speaks to a larger issue—the Disney Princess franchise is not growing as it should. Disney has been making princesses since its first full-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, and still, there is a limited number. When it comes to Disney’s franchises, the Princesses is a profitable one, and some of the company’s best films are represented in this lineup. Yet it is an exclusive club, including only 13 heroines from all of Disney’s films. Disney is making a wider variety of female leads these days, but they are still unwilling to add seemingly perfect candidates. The fact that the live-action films can move through the franchise so rapidly proves that Disney Princesses is due for an expansion.

Disney Is Running Out of Princesses To Make Live-Action Remakes

Rachel Zegler as Snow White with the seven dwarfs — Image Via Disney

With Snow White out, only a handful of animated princess movies have not been remade into live-action films. Aurora, Cinderella (Lily James), Belle (Emma Watson), Jasmine (Naomi Scott), Mulan (Liu Yifei), Ariel (Halle Bailey), and now, Snow White (Rachel Zegler) have been adapted, and Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) is next, with a live-action version of her film coming to theaters next year. That leaves five Princess films to go: Pocahontas, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Brave, and Raya and the Last Dragon. Some of these are unlikely to be revisited. For example, Pocahontas would be difficult to adapt due to problematic elements and historical inaccuracies. Even Disney’s legendary composer, Alan Menken, has cast doubt on redoing that story, and as beloved as the animated film is, he has a point.

If Disney continues to adapt the Princess films, Tangled and The Princess and the Frog will likely be next. While neither is very old, they have been around longer than Moana. In fact, Tangled seems to be in the works, though Disney has paused development in reaction to Snow White‘s box office performance. Brave is unique in being the only Princess movie that is also a Pixar film. So far, no Pixar film has been remade in live-action, but that is not to say Brave will can’t be the first. Raya and the Last Dragon seems like an unlikely option due to how recent it is. The film was released in 2021, so it certainly doesn’t need to be brought back yet. Basically, only Tangled and The Princess and the Frog are natural additions to this trend, and that should be concerning, whether or not fans want the live-action remakes to stop.

The Disney Princess Franchise Is Too Exclusive

While the prevalence of live-action remakes is one issue (about which fans have a lot to say), the less-discussed reason the live-action films are catching up on Disney Princess movies is the fact that the franchise is so exclusive. Though Disney has been making princess films for many, many years, the company established the Disney Princess franchise in 2000, which then included Peter Pan‘s Tinker Bell and The Hunchback of Notre Dame‘s Esmeralda (Demi Moore). These characters were featured in the merchandise for years, but Tinker Bell was removed and soon received her own franchise with Disney Fairies. Esmeralda, on the other hand, was largely ignored after her removal from the franchise. While The Hunchback of Notre Dame is not Disney’s most popular film, Esmeralda didn’t deserve that treatment.

Blended image showing the animated and live-action versions of Snow White.

Yes, Disney’s Original ‘Snow White’ Needed an Update — And the New Version Definitely Delivered on That

The movie needed updating, but there are a huge number of changes.

Not only did Disney retroactively change the rules for these two, but others who should also be Disney Princesses were rejected. Disney has not specified rules for inclusion in the franchise, but fans have pulled together the common traits, which include being a human female lead in a Disney animated film (excluding sequels) and being born royal, marrying into royalty, or performing an act of heroism. A character’s inclusion is also dependent on their film’s success. Five characters have joined the Disney Princess lineup since 2000—Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), Merida (Kelly Macdonald), Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho), and Raya (Kelly Marie Tran)—but others have been rejected. Tarzan‘s Jane (Minnie Driver) appeared in some Disney Princess products early on but was never an official member. Additionally, Enchanted‘s Giselle (Amy Adams) and Frozen‘s Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) were considered for membership but eventually rejected. Enchanted is only partially animated, which was likely Giselle’s issue, especially considering her appearance was intended to look like a real person. Meanwhile, Anna and Elsa were left off the list for being too profitable. Frozen became its own franchise, disqualifying the sisters from the official Disney Princess lineup.

Even not including the characters who were removed and rejected, countless characters are considered “unofficial” Disney princesses because, while they capture the spirit of the concept, they do not fit Disney’s strict requirements. While certainly some standards have to be upheld, characters like Meg (Susan Egan) from Hercules or Kida (Natalie Strom) from Atlantis deserve the title. If the Disney Princess franchise were not so exclusive, the animated films would still outnumber the live-action.

Disney Just Simply Isn’t Making New Princess Films

Mirabel in Disney's Encanto — Image via Disney

Times have changed in the years since Disney started making films, and so have the Princesses, becoming more independent and tenacious; yet, more recently, Disney’s animated films have been moving away from the Princess concept. However, the Disney Princess franchise is not dependent on royal status, accepting women who are heroic and not technically princesses like Mulan (Ming-Na Wen). Several of Disney’s modern heroines still fit into the Disney Princess franchise, like Moana or, despite their rejection, Anna and Elsa. Telling non-traditional stories doesn’t mean they cannot be part of the Disney Princess franchise. In fact, adding such characters creates a wider range of characters for children to admire.

While it’s one thing for Disney to move away from the early conventions, it’s a strange choice to step back from adding to the franchise altogether, considering how popular the Disney Princesses are. Raya is the most recent addition with her 2021 movie, but since then, two Disney heroines have gotten films and never made Disney Princess status. Encanto‘s Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) could arguably fit all the requirements, and the film was a success, yet she is not a Disney Princess. 2023’s Wish may not have been as popular, but Asha (Ariana DeBose) still fits the basic criteria, yet she has not seemed to be considered at all. With Disney’s expansive catalog of films, there are many heroines who deserve to be among the official Disney Princesses, and, with the live-action films proving that there are simply not enough characters in the franchise, it may be their time. Whether it is accomplished by making new characters or acknowledging old and forgotten ones, the Disney Princess franchise is due for an expansion, and Disney doesn’t have to look hard to find good candidates.