What Was the Third Disney Princess Ever Made

Disney princesses, including Frozen's Elsa and Anna, get involved in all types of dangerous situations despite how old many of them actually are. Many of the problems these princesses faced were very mature, relating to powerful magic and vengeful villains, and they often ended up marrying a prince or ruling a country by the movie's end, which is why it comes as a surprise to know that most of them were rather young.

Walt Disney Pictures made history in 1937 when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs debuted. Since then, the studio has produced over 100 animated films, but it continues to be best known for its stories starring female characters who are either born as, or later become, princesses. The criteria for becoming an official Disney princess changes, but what they all have in common (besides being either born or married into royalty) is at least one musical number and an animal sidekick.

Characters like Mulan and Moana are counted as Disney princesses, despite technically not being a princess, but Frozen's Elsa and Anna are not. Although they were born royal, have songs of their own, and were both queens at one point, Elsa and Anna aren't considered Disney princesses. So, how are Elsa and Anna inFrozen, and how old are each of the Disney Princesses?

How Old Are Elsa & Anna In Frozen?

Just how old is Elsa and Anna? In the first Frozen movie, Elsa's age was 21-years-old, while Anna was 18. Considering Frozen revolved around Elsa's coronation, it's refreshing to see that Arendelle waited until she was a more appropriate age to receive the queen title. Frozen II occurred after a 3-year time jump, with Elsa as 24-years-old and Anna as 21. The Frozen movies seem to be one of the only animated Disney films to consider 21 an ideal age to rule. Perhaps part of the reasoning behind keeping the Frozen franchise separate from that of the Disney princesses is because of this age difference, since Elsa and Anna are considerably older than the average princess.

How Old Are The Disney Princesses? Ages Explained

Snow White's age inSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs:  Snow White was only 14-years-old when she had to face off against the Evil Queen. There have been many live-action adaptations of this story, 2 of which came out in 2012. Mirror Mirror, a family-friendly musical interpretation, starred Lily Collins, who was 23-years-old at the movie's release. The much more mature adaptation, Snow White and the Huntsman, starred Kristen Stewart, who was 22-years-old at the time. Both of these actresses were aged up quite a bit to tell the rather dark story, a trend which will be continuing with Disney's latest Snow White remake, set to come out in 2023. Its star, Rachel Zegler, will have reached the legal drinking age in the United States by the time it comes out.

Cinderella's age inCinderella: Cinderella was 19-years-old in her original movie, in between the ages of her 2 cruel stepsisters, both of whom were fixated on finding a husband. The story of Cinderella has had quite possibly the most remakes out of any princess, but Disney's 2015 adaptation followed the original story the closest. The movie starred Lily James in the title role, who was 26-years-old when the film first came out.

Aurora's age inSleeping Beauty: Aurora was 16-years-old in Sleeping Beauty, and far too young to be cursed to sleep forever. Like many of Grimm's original fairy tales, which inspired the Disney versions, Aurora's story was originally much darker, especially so when considering her age. Maleficent, which retold her story from the villain's point of view, actually cast an age-appropriate actress to play Aurora. Elle Fanning was 16 the year Maleficent premiered.

Ariel's age inThe Little Mermaid: The princess Ariel was 16-years-old when she left her father's kingdom to meet true love in the human world. The upcoming 2023The Little Mermaid remake stars Halle Bailey, who will be 23-years-old at the movie's release.

Belle's age inBeauty and the Beast: Belle was 17-years-old in Beauty of the Beast. Its lead actress in Disney's remake, Emma Watson, was 10 years older at the time.

Jasmine's age inAladdin: Jasmine was only 15-years-old when royal suitors fought for her hand in Aladdin. Disney's 2019 live-action remake rightly decided that Jasmine's actress should not remain that young and cast Naomi Scott, who was 26-years-old at the time of release.

Pocahontas' age inPocahontas: Pocahontas was 18-years-old for her movie, which is one of the only classic Disney princess films to not yet have announced a live-action remake. The original composer, Alan Menken, has said (via Digital Spy) that it's one movie likely not to get remade due to the controversial content and legacy of the original.

Mulan's age inMulan: Mulan was 16-years-old when she left to join the army in her father's place. Disney's 2020 remake cast Yifei Liu, who was 33-years-old when the movie premiered, as its lead. This is one of the largest age gaps between the original character and their live-action Disney remake counterpart, but it makes sense considering how the story deals with the harsh realities of war.

Tiana's age inThe Princess and the Frog:  Tiana is one of the oldest Disney princesses at 19. Although her story ended in romance, like with most other Disney princesses, her main prize throughout the movie was furthering her career by opening a restaurant. Tiana was one of the only princesses who married into royalty, having no royal lineage herself.

Rapunzel's age inTangled: Rapunzel was 18-years-old in Tangled, one of the only Disney princess movies in which the love interest, however briefly, died. TheTangled movie's Rapunzel sometimes acted more youthful than her actual age suggested as a result of spending her whole life locked away in a tower.

Merida's age inBrave: Merida was only 16-years-old in Brave, so it made sense why she had no real interest in getting married anytime soon. Yet, her courage was far greater than many of the adults in her movie.

Moana's age inMoana: Moana was also 16-years old when she, like many of the other princesses, disobeyed her parents to do what she thought was right. Her journey was in many ways one of the most frightening of all the princesses, as she had to face a powerful deity with the help of an uncooperative demigod.

Looking back at Disney princess classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, it can be scandalous to learn that these characters were getting married as young as 14-years-old, but it's important to take into account that the ages are from the source material, and the character designs in the animated movies are intentionally not childlike. The Disney princess formula has changed in most recent movies, and the new tradition is to age up the characters into adulthood (or remove the romance plot altogether).

Next: Why Disney Princesses Have Animal Companions

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About The Author

Adrienne Tyler (2948 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided's BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she's not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said "hi" to her once. It was great.

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What Was the Third Disney Princess Ever Made

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