Everyone makes fun of the Disney Princesses and their respective movies. How could we not? They’re easy targets (even their princes would have to agree with that one) and Disney is always using pretty, young girls to get some message or another across to the public.

We have all seen the movies or at least have a general idea of how each tale goes. They all have the same general premise where a princess falls in love with a guy she hardly knows. What sets these movies apart is the final message of each film.

I love Disney movies; I’ve actually seen every recent Disney movie in theaters without the excuse of a young child by my side and while some of them continue to amaze me every time I re-watch them, some of them are just flat-out ridiculous. As much as we joke about the princesses, they still are a popular part of American culture. Some of them carry great messages while others are just fun to watch.

Here are my top three:

Frozen – I had thought Disney Princess movies were going downhill, but Frozen changed it all.

You get to watch two unique heroines (one with the gift of magical winter powers and the other with the gift of wit), a hero, a realistic villain (I’ve slapped a few Hans in my time) and two adorable sidekicks.

This flick teaches that love conquers all and moreover, love isn’t just when a man meets a pretty girl. Love can be found in all of our relationships and is the best way to overcome hard times. The songs featured in Frozen are clever and cute and there’s also a reference to the ongoing about whether or not size matters. i.e. Proof that you can’t beat a good penis joke.

Beauty and The Beast – Don’t judge a book by its cover. Beauty on the outside is nothing compared to what’s beautiful on the inside which is relevant now more than ever in today's society.

This movie is set apart by it's characters:

Belle – Beautiful and loving like all the other princesses, but she actually likes to read and wants more than just a quaint little life. What makes her really beautiful is her kindness and drive for adventure.
Beast – Far from beautiful on the outside, the beast is able to overcome his temper and shows the beauty that can be found other a rougher exterior that comes from having a gentle, considerate nature. And then he's rewarded with a hot bod and flowing ginger locks!
Gaston – Definitely hot as hell (if cartoons can be sexy?), but that’s also probably where he ended up after falling off the castle. He shows that no matter how beautiful the exterior, his mean heart made him the ugliest man in the whole town.

Aladdin – Lying may have short-term benefits, but in the long-term, telling the truth is always the best option. Money is also just an object that pales in comparison to things of actual substance like laughter and love.

By pretending to be a prince with the help of Genie, he was able to get Jasmine to fall for him. In the end though, he must deal with the consequences of his lie and learns that although lying may seem like the best option in a tough situation, the truth is always the best way to go.

Jasmine also proves that money and power are not everything. Rags could be preferable to riches when there is love and kindness involved in the equation. She also is not a defenseless little damsel in distress. Every time she gets into trouble, she works with Aladdin instead of waiting around for him to fix it all by himself. ..

Bottom Three:

Now, obviously, these movies are still popular and well-liked, but if you really dig deep into the movie (which proves that I may have too much spare time), the messages that can be gathered from these movies are just plain stupid.

Sleeping Beauty – She literally does nothing in this movie.

Aurora is just a pretty bystander in the world around her that happens to get thrown into a vendetta that she was not even old enough to recognize at the start of movie. The curse was placed on her for a reason beyond her control and knowledge; what kept her safe up until the day of her sixteenth birthday was a group of faeries; and while she’s asleep up in some dragon-guarded tower, Prince Phillip is making sh*t happen so that he can save her. Aside from singing, Aurora does not do anything interesting for the plot.

Snow White – Every turn in this movie just screams "stranger danger."

Young girl happens upon a quaint little cottage and decides to wander on it and make it her home? Bad idea. She was not deterred when seven, strange male dwarfs claim they live there and eventually offer her refuge? Even given her circumstance, this is still a bad idea. Takes and consumes an apple from a women she does not know that at first glance makes her uneasy? In all circumstances, bad idea. Letting the seven strangers she has been living with determine that a kiss from the prince she does not know is going to be the thing to save her? Nine times out of ten, yet again another bad idea.. In the end it obviously works for Snow White, since she’s an innocently gorgeous Disney Princess, but the blatant ignoring of all ‘Stranger Danger’ circumstances in this movie alarms me and sends a bad message.

Cinderella – Can you believe I put this in the bottom three? (I know, you must think I'm crazy) It's only one of the oldest and best Disney movies ever! But c'mon: In retrospect, this movie is a huge disappointment to me. As a matter of fact, it almost went in my top three until I realized it’s one hamartia.

Cinderella keeps an optimistic, positive outlook on life despite how poorly she is treated and how hopelessly provincial the course of her life seems to be taking. She is a hard-worker that gets her responsibilities done in a timely manner while still making sure they are done correctly, with little complaint. In her position, this would be exceedingly hard for most people since the responsibilities forced on her are numerous and unfair to put on her. Sounds good, right? Almost!

The fatal flaw that doomed this movie to the bottom three for me was that her hard work and positivity carries her until it actually counts. Hard work didn’t pay off; luck and a handful of clever mice are what ultimately lead her to a better lifestyle in the form of Prince Charming and the wealth and palace he brings with him. Lame. Not a message we want to be perpetuating because guess what? 'Some day' doesn't always come and even if it doesn't, your 'prince' is going to want a lot more from you than just a dainty foot as he should, in a normal, healthy relationship.

Whether you like the Disney Princesses or not, there are some traits that set each movie apart (and now you haters have ammunition against three of these movies). Bad or good, I'll still watch these movies a hundred times over and probably force them on my children. I'm a sucker for fun songs, pretty dresses, and the idea of guys actually falling in love with me that easily (I'll keep dreaming, Cinderella).