MOVIES

Princess Power

Your daughter has a royal crush. So do Barbie and Dora. If Disney has its way, women will become the next subjects kneeling before its $4 billion throne.

By Ramin Setoodeh and Jennie Yabroff | NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Nov 26, 2007

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  • Posted By: news4now @ 12/28/2007 4:00:46 PM

    I love the Disney Princess tradition; it is a big part of childhood for most American girls. The Princess tradition encourages young girls to be feminine and places an emphasis on traditional values. I don't think this is a bad thing but it is definately ,a money making industry.

  • Posted By: Little Sable @ 12/09/2007 7:35:49 PM

    Every time I come across an article about the Disney princess line, there's a mention of how there must be something vaguely sinister in the way Mulan and Pocahontas are left out. It hardly seems like racism (as Arabic Jasmine is fully included). Nor do I think it's because these two characters are "stronger" women than the others who don???t wear girly dresses. After all, Pocahontas has the most exaggerated female form for a Disney animated woman other than Jessica Rabbit. Could it be *gasp* that the line is ???Disney Princesses,??? not ???Disney Female Main Characters???? Mulan is not a princess- not by birth, and not by marriage. Pocahontas arguably is, seeing as she???s the daughter of a chief, but Native American society didn???t work that way, and Pocahontas is more of a historical figure??? whereas the marketing seems to be focused only on the classic fairy tale/fantasy princesses.
    I???m not a huge fan of the Disney Princesses??? but I???m not going to ascribe suspect motives to what seems perfectly logical to me. And the Disney Princess popularity is feeding into a huge princess trend with includes some truly fantastic children???s literature about Princesses who take names and kick butt.

  • Posted By: Little Sable @ 12/09/2007 7:34:09 PM

    Every time I come across an article about the Disney princess line, there's a mention of how there must be something vaguely sinister in the way Mulan and Pocahontas are left out. It hardly seems like racism (as Arabic Jasmine is fully included). Nor do I think it's because these two characters are "stronger" women than the others who don???t wear girly dresses. After all, Pocahontas has the most exaggerated female form for a Disney animated woman other than Jessica Rabbit. Could it be *gasp* that the line is ???Disney Princesses,??? not ???Disney Female Main Characters???? Mulan is not a princess- not by birth, and not by marriage. Pocahontas arguably is, seeing as she???s the daughter of a chief, but Native American society didn???t work that way, and Pocahontas is more of a historical figure??? whereas the marketing seems to be focused only on the classic fairy tale/fantasy princesses.
    I???m not a huge fan of the Disney Princesses??? but I???m not going to ascribe suspect motives to what seems perfectly logical to me. And the Disney Princess popularity is feeding into a huge princess trend with includes some truly fantastic children???s literature about Princesses who take names and kick butt.

  • Posted By: disneylover @ 11/25/2007 5:22:52 PM

    I read this article because it related to Disney. I love Disney because I grew up watching all the classic Disney movies. Although this article was excellent and gave me good information about recent Disney doings, I was very upset and disappointed with Newsweek that it gave away the ending for the movie "Enchanted." When you want to point out that Disney is spreading its Princess Brand to women who still watch Disney, realize that the same women read Newsweek and don't want our fairy tale endings spoiled.

  • Posted By: disneylover @ 11/25/2007 5:13:16 PM

    I read this article because it related to Disney, loving all things Disney because I grew up watching the classic Disney movies. Although it was an excellent article and I enjoyed it very much, it gave away the ending for the movie "Enchanted." When you would like to show that Disney is spreading it's Princess Brand to women, realize that the same women who still watch Disney movies read Newsweek too and don't want our fairy tale endings spoiled.

  • Posted By: PeachesandPears @ 11/18/2007 8:49:15 PM

    I am so please that you offer this area for discussion. I am a grandmother of color. My five year old grandaughter has everything you can imagine that is princess themed including her room. The princesses do not look like her and that really disturbs me. I see other little girls of color wanting and getting all of the princess items. Why are there not more princesses of color made popular like Cinderella, Belle, etc. so that little hispanic and African-american children can see their image too? I know there is Jasmine and Mulan but they are not prinesses!

    • Posted By: mollydtt @ 11/19/2007 1:50:34 PM

      It isn't just the people of color that deplore the lack of variety in princesses. In this day and age, a lot of kids wonder where Jasmine, Mulan, Pocohontas and African princesses are. The real world isn't just Belle and Snow White, etc. and they know it.

      • Posted By: keely333 @ 11/19/2007 1:57:24 PM

        The first black Disney princess, Tiana, is coming in 2009 in the animated film "The Princess and the Frog."

        Molly, Jasmine is part of the standard Disney princess set, both in the merchandise and in the parks. Mulan and Pocahontas are added sometimes, but are not standard. Their costumes are widely available. In fact, I wish the Pocahontas dress came in my size.

        Like Megara and Kida, Mulan and Pocahontas aren't really "princess-y." And they come from historical settings more than fantasy.

        • Posted By: nfojb @ 11/21/2007 7:42:19 AM

          It took long enough. I hope that they put a team of 100 specialists on this, because if they screw this up....stand by.

    • Posted By: keely333 @ 11/19/2007 1:53:03 PM

      Stay tuned. The Princess and the Frog, Disney's 2009 feature, has the first black princess. Tiana is not only beautiful, she's a great role model.

  • Posted By: nfojb @ 11/21/2007 7:34:43 AM

    I love this idea for Disney. Enchanted kind of brings to the silver screen, what I think Walt Disney tried to make available at Disney World. But, I still see a lingering problem. If Disney defines what a "princess" is [literally having the year of the princess, etc], why is there STILL no African American princess. What message are we sending to the children of the world, both African American and non-African American? This is getting kind of old and we still have not done anything about it. We just keep buying their stuff and saying that it is OK.

  • Posted By: Stargurl785 @ 11/20/2007 1:35:24 PM

    I actually think that Disney is finally implementing ideas which they should have from the start. We shouldn't depend on men for happiness, becuase it is only when we find strength in ourselves, that we learn what it is to be truly happy. Disney is advocating independence, and in my eyes, there is nothing wrong with that. Granted, fairytales can't come true, but true love does exist, and we won't find it waiting around for our princes to come.

  • Posted By: alexandraleigh @ 11/20/2007 11:15:23 AM

    Did your graphics person check the caption before posting this online? "Ella Enchanted" is an entirely different book/movie than "Enchanted," which will be released this week.

  • Posted By: our country is full of idiots @ 11/19/2007 11:43:15 AM

    holly crap....more commercialization. No wonder this country is in such sad shape, women are now acting like children. You have to admit, grown adults, playing dress up in such serious matters as marriage. What's next, you'll dress your kids up as elves to fit into your imagenary world? This whole generation is a waste. Such idiotic people refusing to grow up. ahhhhh

    • Posted By: bellydance98 @ 11/20/2007 5:56:56 AM

      I believe you're the idiot here. If women want to feel like a princess on *their* wedding day, then they should be allowed to do that. The princess *inspired* gowns are not based on the dresses from the movie. Maybe you should do a little research before sticking your foot in your mouth.

  • Posted By: jesidangerously @ 11/19/2007 10:04:59 AM

    Jasmine was a princess...and Mulan was a hero, a much better role model for little girls than some spoiled princess.

    • Posted By: bellydance98 @ 11/20/2007 5:49:55 AM

      Do you really think that Cinderella was spoiled? I think you're confusing her with her Anastasia and Drizilla.

  • Posted By: pezel1 @ 11/20/2007 12:21:25 AM

    Just out of curiousity, why aren't there any "black" princesses? As a "white" person, I have always pondered Disney's reasoning on this matter.

  • Posted By: bonesjg @ 11/19/2007 11:20:59 AM

    On a recent Disney cruise, Ariel, the Little Mermaid, was not available for autographs or pictures with the children. My 6 year old daughter, who has idolized Ariel for over 2 years now, was sobbing uncontrollably once she found out she could not meet the one princess, and the only Disney character, she wished to meet. My wife and I cannot believe that on a cruise ship at sea, Disney would not include the one princess who's story involves the sea. I'd like to personnally thank Brent Davis, cruise director of the Disney Magic, for this amazing lack of judgement on the part of the Disney corporation, and for disappointing my daughter on what was supposed to be a "magical adventure".

    • Posted By: bookwoman @ 11/19/2007 1:56:18 PM

      Oh please, entitlemoo, spare us. Instead of whining about reparations because you couldn't give Bratleigh everything she was shrieking for (and how's that going, raising the next generation of entitled brats, anyway?), try actually using your imagination for once. But of course, that's free, and it'd take some halfway-intelligent thought for you to pull that off, eh?

      • Posted By: bonesjg @ 11/19/2007 2:37:53 PM

        I'm going to guess that you have no children. And you might want to get to know my family before you call my daughter "Bratleigh", or accuse me and my wife of raising the next generation of entitled brats. Sounds like you are bitter about something in your own life. I also don't recall asking for reparations, did I?? I simply shared a story related to the Disney princess phenomenon. I'm not going to apologize for trying to make my daughter happy by trying to get one measly photo with a Disney princess, after Disney sent us brochure after brochure showing Ariel on the ship, and I'm not going to apologize for being angry that my daughter was very upset. If you had children, or had a heart and soul, you would understand.

        • Posted By: pataz5442 @ 11/19/2007 4:55:38 PM

          to bonesjg: I had a similar experience while taking my daughter to Disneyland. Let me start by saying that when Disney advertises Princesses or sells Princess-themed items, the ones you always see are Snow White, Belle, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. No offense to their movies, but Mulan and Pocahontas are not really considered "Princesses". So after making this 8-hour trip to Anaheim from our home in Arizona, and waiting in line for our tickets to the park, the first thing my daughter wanted to see was the Princess Fantasy Faire. It is billed as THE place to see Princesses. There is even a Royal Walk where three Princesses spend time and take photos with the kids. After waiting in line for over two hours with a 4 year-old and a 10-month old, (who incidently fell asleep, and was quite heavy since you're not allowed to have strollers in line, Hello?!) we met Snow White, who was quite charming, Mulan and Pocahontas, who was clearly new on the job and didn't even make eye contact with my little girl. While it sounds fairly simple and unavoidable to have such disappointments, our claws come out as parents when we see our children's hearts breaking. All she wanted was to meet THE Princess, to her, Cinderella. We saw her twice, while she was running from one show to another, with no time to throw a little love to my daughter. We followed up with cast members who tried to help, but ultimately we had no luck. Now, we're trying to turn it into a game that we laugh about now: Next time we go we're going to hunt for Cinderella and see who can get her autograph first! Best of luck on harpooning Ariel next time!

    • Posted By: keely333 @ 11/19/2007 2:28:40 PM

      You're kidding me, right? If visiting with Ariel was the sole point of interest for your daughter, you should have confirmed ahead of time that the character would be appearing. Or else just taken her to Ariel's Grotto in the park. Disney can't get every character out on every occasion, nor can they cater to every single guest on a ship.

      So it's a nautical setting. I wouldn't take it for granted that Captain Hook, Nemo, Milo would all be there. You're being way too literal.

      I see parents like you griping on every Disney forum I've ever read; it's only the character that changes. Too bad a fantasy vacation on a multimillion-dollar cruise ship couldn't console your little girl. I know plenty of kids who would give anything to trade places with her.

      • Posted By: bonesjg @ 11/19/2007 2:43:18 PM

        I agree with you that Disney cannot provide every character in every situation. However, for the 18 months after we booked the cruise until we actually went on the cruise, we received in the mail brochure after brochure about our cruise, and each brochure contained Ariel stickers. Not Mickey Mouse stickers, not Donald Duck stickers, but only Ariel stickers. If you received this in the mail several times before you took the cruise, what would you think?? And seeing Ariel was not the sole purpose of the cruise, I think you are the one being too literal, I mentioned one experience out of a 7 day cruise, and you turned that experience into seeing Ariel was the only reason we took the cruise.

  • Posted By: Ransom_Stoddard @ 11/19/2007 3:42:21 PM

    My wife and I were Disney fans long before we ever met. We ended up dating because we saw that we each have a Disney themed tattoo (She has Mickey and I have Tramp). At our wedding, the men all wore standard tuxedos but the vests had subtle Mickey Mouse head patterns on them. Naturally we honeymooned in Disney and bought a timeshare there. I mention this because I have read a few comments from several people who are bothered by people actually having the audacity to enjoy their wedding. They feel that by having fun and wearing what you want and setting the theme you want and listening to the music that you want, that it is somehow an indication that you are not taking your marriage seriously. The one has nothing to do with the other. My wife and I have been happily married for 12 years now and have 2 wonderful children. I think one of the reasons our marriage has been such a success is because we captured a little magic that day and have kept it with us ever since. Maybe the Grumpy's of the world could take a lesson.

  • Posted By: deananash @ 11/19/2007 1:01:59 PM

    kbear43084, is there really only one "Ariel"? How does Mickey ever get to take a vacation. Your explanation is pathetic. Certainly Disney has a plan in place to allow its "actors" to take vacations without necessitating that its characters do likewise. Without knowing more details, its difficult to place blame. However, the responsibility is easy to assign and that goes to the person in charge of the cruise, and that would be Brent Davis. He should have found a way to satisfy this guest - PERIOD. The guest's expectations, as stated here, were completely reasonable.

    • Posted By: kbear43084 @ 11/19/2007 3:04:49 PM

      Of course, we as adults know there is more than one Ariel, and I did by no means try to imply that the person playing Ariel was actually on vacation. It is your job as a cast memeber to offer explinations that preserve the magic of Disney. Thus, the explination of visiting King Trition. And yes there are things that could have been done to placate this family, and Brent could have done more than he did, but in a business there is only so much you can do. I'm very sorry that was ruined for whoever's daughter. But I'm extremely proud of having worked for the cruise line, and know how hard that all of the cast memeber work to do both their job as well as to keeping the magic alive. I wil always defend that line and everyone who works on it. All you have to do is ask, and politely complain and you will get almost anything you want, and recieve the most magical experience you could imagine. Had you complained to me, you would have gotten a letter in your room with a signed explination from Ariel. Sorry you complained to the wrong person, or the busiest person on the ship.
      And from a behind the scenes, and very un-magical perspective, there was probably no costume for Ariel to wear to sign autographs. Honestly. They cost thousands of dollars, and you will never see a Disney princess in anything less than a beautiful gown. It wasn't until late fall that Ariel began walking around the ship on the Wonder.
      I never ment to discount anyones exeperiences or say that what was done was right. I just wanted to offer an explination for why what happened, may have happened. I know from personal experience that the magic is fully alive on those ships, and we always worked hard to keep it that way

  • Posted By: bonesjg @ 11/19/2007 12:27:35 PM

    We sailed on the Disney Magic ship, not the Wonder. And as I mentioned, Ariel WAS on the ship, she performed in 2 shows. So how could I tell me daughter she was NOT on the ship, visiting her family as you put it, when my daughter saw her singing on the stage of the Disney theatre?? If she was not in the show, the using the line that she was visiting her family would have worked. The rest of the cruise was great, however, when you see your daughter in tears because she can't understand why that person on stage won't come out and meet her like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and every other character did, it casts a huge cloud over the whole trip.
    Please read my comments again before defending the Disney cruise line. Thanks.

    • Posted By: klejarde @ 11/19/2007 1:50:59 PM

      To bonsjg: Not to defend DIsney (not a big fan of them at all, but must admit to being impressed by their customer service), but did you write a note to the captain requesting an audience from Ariel from the show? When my family and I were dining at Animator's Palate one night, I got wind of the fact that the head chef is Filipino. He came out, promised me a Filipino dinner the night after, and then told me in confidence, from one fellow "kababayan" (countrymen) to another, that you have but to ask the staff for anything, and if it's in their power to grant the wish, they would do so. I want to believe that your daughter's crying face would have moved someone in the ship to get Ariel from backstage and out onto the deck for five measly minutes. Not blaming you at all, but maybe something to think about next time.

      • Posted By: bonesjg @ 11/19/2007 2:30:24 PM

        My wife spoke to the cruise director, Brent Davis, personally, we ran into him the last night on the ship. He was the one who used the "show Ariel"/"autograph Ariel" explanation. All he said was that he was "very sorry". So, if the cruise director wasn't willing to make any "magic" happen, then what other recourse did we really have?? Believe me, we tried everything we could to get 5 seconds of "Ariel's time".

  • Posted By: prt1231 @ 11/19/2007 11:06:44 AM

    What a crock of crap! Disney doesn't give a damn about anything but $$$. We visited DisneyWorld on our honeymoon and got trapped in one park while the parade was going on and at another one of the parks found it IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND A SIT DOWN EATING ESTABLISHMENT, because they all had pre-booked reservations. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DISNEY to anyone. It's become ripoff city. Walt must be spinning in his grave...it's not the place he envisioned.

    • Posted By: keely333 @ 11/19/2007 2:18:27 PM

      It's not the way it used to be. During most of the year now, you have to plan ahead and use a reference (book or web site) to have a satisfying Disney vacation. Book EVERYTHING before you get there and have a schedule to get the most out of it. I feel bad that no one tipped you off. you must have felt the same way I did the first time I took a cruise.

      Their customer service is still second to none, though.

  • Posted By: NakedSpirit @ 11/19/2007 2:17:02 PM

    It seems like there are some bitter old people on here who think those who are excited by young female fantasy characters should grow up and enter the real adult world. The angry, intolerant and self-righteous adult world does not look like a place one would naturally desire. The pen is mightier than the sword because it is in the world of the imagination where one can be inspired to help make a better world. Ronald Reagan and many other great leaders knew that you had to communicate and lead with vision not a gun. These young fantasy princesses inspire the lives of many females and males of all ages, who have not killed off the dreamer inside themselves.

  • Posted By: mollydtt @ 11/19/2007 1:53:55 PM

    It isn't just people of color that deplore the lack of variety in the Disney princesses. Kids know that the real world isn't just Belle and Snow White and wonder where the others, including the not-yet-debuted African princess are.

  • Posted By: iheartofffridays @ 11/19/2007 11:47:42 AM

    www.disneybridal.com

    The gowns are REALLY pretty! I would definitely wear one...

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