Welcome back! I’m sure many of you are taking advantage of the massive content on Disney+. Royalty always had a big presence in Disney films and some of them appeal more to me than others. Here’s my list of favorite royal characters in Disney movies. For the record, I’m including characters from Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars as well.
Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast They’re probably my favorite royal couple under the Disney brand. I find these characters endearing in both the animated and live action versions. Belle is a well read young lady who has a mind of her own. If I recall correctly, she was the first Disney princess who had a big emphasis on intelligence, sensibility, and education. The Beast might seem gruff on the outside, but he’s ultimately virtuous and beautiful on the inside. That’s an important message for young women. Many men are handsome and superficially charming on the outside like Gaston, but they’re usually terrible partners. Whereas men who are a little prickly on the outside are typically better partners in the long run. Call me weird, but I prefer the prince in his beast form rather than human in both adaptations. Jasmine from Aladdin Again, I think Jasmine is great in both the animated and live action movies. In this case, a young man married a princess and became a prince. It’s a backwards version of the typical fairytale, which is refreshing. Jasmine can be quite a brat sometimes and that’s probably why I can identify with her. She wants the best for her kingdom and is searching for someone who cares about her instead of the riches and glamor. Additionally, the live action remake shows that some traditions are outdated and should be changed. Plus, Jasmine’s animal companion is a tiger. That automatically makes her cool. Mufasa and Scar from The Lion King Animals count too. I gravitate somewhat more to the original version than the remake. Mufasa is a role model king. He’s courageous, selfless, powerful, and an excellent father. I thought he was a beautiful lion as well. Then he died and our hearts were shattered. You might not realize it, but Scar is royalty too. His brother is the king and that makes him a prince by blood. Scar is one of the most effective Disney villains. He’s sneaky, wicked, corrupt, narcissistic, and utterly evil. Being devoured by the hyenas was a fitting end. Some of you might like Simba a lot and he’s fine, but I’m mostly a fan of Mufasa and Scar. Tiana from The Princess and the Frog I appreciate a modern spin on Disney fairytales. Tiana is a really smart girl who achieves her dreams through hard work and cleverness. Much like Beauty and the Beast, I find the overall message very positive. Tiana is witty, sassy, resourceful, and charming. She keeps Prince Naveen in line pretty well and shows him a newfound appreciation for independence. This film illustrates that you can have a relationship, but still retain a sense of autonomy and identity. Also, a little bit of teamwork can go a long way. Rapunzel from Tangled It seems like Rapunzel struggles with her identity through part of the film, but I believe that’s a common issue for most young ladies. She’s very relatable and brings out the best qualities in her love interest, Eugene. In fact, Rapunzel brings a ray of sunshine to most characters she meets. Despite being somewhat of an ingenue, she has a lot of gumption and determination. I’m not usually a fan of reptiles, but her lizard named Pascal is pretty cute. Merida from Brave This young lady shows that it’s better to wait for the right person than settle for bad choices. She’s one of the few Disney princesses who doesn’t marry or get engaged to someone. Brave places a huge emphasis on the relationship between Merida and her mother. They have a tumultuous relationship that needs to be repaired. It’s another relatable story because many teenage girls have rocky relationships with their mothers. Merida is fierce, independent, spirited, and an expert archer. The film’s title makes sense because bravery is one of her strongest attributes. By the way, she’s actually from the Pixar studio instead of Disney proper. Thor and Hela from Thor: Ragnarok Now I’m venturing into Marvel territory. Both of these characters are Asgardian royalty. In fact, their brief although violent rivalry for the throne is pretty awesome in the third Thor movie. I really appreciate Thor’s depiction in this film, which is masculine, noble, and a little bit goofy. No offense ladies, but I was thrilled to see him with short hair for once. He’s also a prince who kicks butt and that’s a plus. Thor’s wicked older sister named Hela makes her only cinematic appearance in this film. She’s one of the more powerful and entertaining villains in the MCU. We also don’t see many women in middle age who have a chance to play supervillains. I’m sorry we didn’t see Hela in other movies, but a reprisal is always possible because she’s the Goddess of Death. Yeah, I’m not including Loki. I’m just not a huge Loki fan. T’Challa and Shuri from Black Panther King T’Challa is one of my favorite Marvel characters in general. He’s brave, majestic, and true blue to his people. It’s refreshing to see a leading man who’s a legitimate good guy instead of the popular bad boy. Black Panther is one of the most well made films in the MCU and it’s also cool to see a guy with cat-like powers. Shuri is T’Challa’s younger sister and a technological genius. She’s a spunky and fashionable young lady who plays the bratty little sister role perfectly. Shuri also brings a lot of humor to the film. Luckily, we’ll be seeing them again in Black Panther 2. Princess Leia Organa from the Star Wars franchise She’s one of the best princesses in cinematic history. Leia isn’t a typical damsel in distress. In fact, she’s the one saving the guys half of the time. She’s the total package: opinionated, beautiful, intelligent, an action heroine, and a great leader. I’m sure some of you thought she was objectified in Jabba the Hutt’s palace with the belly dancer costume, but that backfires when she strangles him to death. It was awesome. She also had an epic romance with Han Solo that’s still fondly remembered by fans today. Unfortunately, Carrie Fisher passed in 2o16, but Leia will always be a significant part of her legacy. Who are your favorite Disney royals? Tell me in the comment section. I hope all of you are safe at home. At the moment, I’m brainstorming some ideas for next week. I might talk about games again. There are a zillion unplaced games on my shelf and the new generations of consoles will be coming later this year. So, my game reviews will probably be shorter with more entries on each post. Think of them like mini reviews. I’ll probably drop a second list of favorite post-apocalyptic films at some point. Other topics will be fair play as well, such as most anticipated streaming shows I haven’t watched yet or game franchises I never played before. The possibilities are endless! Take care and I’ll see you guys next week. Enjoy the rest of your Memorial Day weekend!
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May 2019
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