5. Ariel. Now when I was 6, she was my all time favorite because let us be real here, WHO didn't imagine they were a mermaid in the pool at least once in their lives? Me too. Now I'm older, and the rebelling little half-fish just seems like she could have gone about the whole "I want legs to marry a human prince" thing a different way. She may be adventurous and has a killer voice, but I don't know many guys ready to marry the first girl who sings a sweet tune. She may have made some mistakes, but she was still fun to watch and sing along with all under the sea.
4. Rapunzel. Beautiful hair. Bubbly out look on life. Can wield a frying pan like no tomorrow. Her classic tale was finally remade for Disney, and it was full of laughs and some good music. She has spunk and after 18 years locked away, she wasn't entirely crazy and pulled off a tower escape. Props.
3. Jasmine. I love her character and Aladdin itself as a movie. It wasn't just the nitty gritty pretty princess like her predecessors. Now, while Ariel was also a renaissance princess for more adventure, and a mind of her own, Jasmine took it to a whole other level. She wanted more. She knew she meant more than some arranged marriage. She also knew her kingdom was worth more than being a slave to some power hungry, magic happy and horrible common sense villain.
2. Belle. I related the most to Belle in both younger and older years. She was a reader, kind, smart and had a true heart of gold. She had sacrificed her freedom for her family. She did something that other princesses usually didn't in her time, they took the step to fix things and not wait for things to get better on their own. Even though she wasn't trained in frying pan attacks or had any fighting skills, she still ended up saving HER man. Not being the damsel in distress is a good step in those days.
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1. Moana. Welcome to the new princess. While she isn't even a year into the Disney line-up, I fell in love with her movie, and the values, and the fun adventure she has in her own movie. No love interest, she was worthy of saving her island as well as the others dying around her, and she held her own on many occasions even with a Demigod by her side. She held family close to her heart. She not only has more of a family background than other royals in Disney, but she kept them as the most important aspect of her journey and self-discovery. Plus, the soundtrack makes me want to throw a luau, and start eating pineapple and coconut on a daily basis.
*Disclaimer: I chose princesses specifically in Disney's line of royalty. While other Disney movies are great and there are way more than 5 princesses, these are just the ones I personally chose through the years.