Like so many girls who grew up in the 80s and 90s, Disney princesses are part of what made me fall in love with the magic of Disney.
Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), and Jasmine (Aladdin), arguably three of Disney’s all time most adored princesses were born in my youth. It’s no wonder that those are my three favorite princesses.
Also, special shout out to Cinderella for being the first princess I ever loved, and a fist bump to Merida, Rapunzel, and Ana for being the ones I fell in love with thanks to my children. Oh, and let me not forget my homegirl Tiana for being the first brown Disney princess.
Okay, clearly I am obsessed.
I really can’t even tell you how many times I went as a princess (Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty) for Halloween as a little girl. It was like my go-to costume. Some kids would just bust out an old sheet and go as a ghost, or try to get creative and make an elaborate costume on their own, but not me.
If I needed to be in charge of my own Halloween getup, it took four little words and I was ready to roll: hand me my crown.
I guess I’m just all about that Disney princess lifestyle –sparkly dresses, fairy godmothers, breaking with tradition, fighting evil in all of it’s various forms, rebelling against The Man, singing my feelings.
Totally me.
I can do without being saved by some out of touch man (Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid –dude didn’t have a clue), but I think that the princesses I loved most were the ones who were doing things that encouraged independence and celebrated difference, while also making time to look like a queen and fall madly in love with some guy who was smoking hot.
Totally. Me.
Disney has a way of giving life to princesses that embody the fairy tale (love at first sight that totally works in spite of all of the baggage princesses and every guy they love seem to come into the relationship with), but who also don’t fit into tradition in the way they’re expected to.
They’re princesses who think outside the box –selling your voice for legs is a pretty unique solution if you ask me.
They fight for those they love –Belle had beast’s furry back when Gaston tried to get the whole town to roll up on him.
And, they aren’t down with following tradition and maintaining the status quo –Jasmine wasn’t trying to marry old, cruddy, rich, and important Jafar when she had young, who-needs-money-or-even-a-mailing-address-when-I-have-these-smoking-hot-parkour-muscles-from-running-through-these-streets Aladdin, and neither Merida nor Belle were down to marry the first guy they met just because that was who they were “supposed to” be with (Rapunzel and Ana basically fell in love with the first male humans they ever encountered, but you know how teenagers are).
But, even the most infatuated Disney princesses lover like myself can see a few issues with their characters that make you give a little…
Like, why don’t any of them have mothers?
And if they do, why are they either of the uninvolved or evil step type.
And, every single one of them has to be suffering some sort of PTSD from being kidnapped, imprisoned, poisoned, cursed, abandoned, enslaved, bullied, and/or shamed. But somehow they still find it within themselves to sing their ways to happy endings.
Inspiring, that’s what they are.
But, know what’s even more inspiring?
Authenticity, truth, relatability, and keeping it real.
Which is exactly what the Disney princesses scene in Ralph Breaks the Internet is going to bring you.
Ralph Breaks the Internet Disney Princesses Scene
This summer when I visited Disney Animation Studios and had the privilege of getting a sneak peek at this scene courtesy of the creators who brought it to life, I remember smiling at the screen so hard my face hurt.
I loved that Disney could take a step into the 21st Century with us and poke a little fun at their traditional princess roles in a way we’ve all been doing for years now, but I also loved that they were here, giving us these princesses in a new, more empowered way so that girls like me can be boss babes, with big brains and loud voices, while still appreciating a touch of class and a lot of sparkle.
The film’s co-writer, Pamela Ribon, came up with the Oh My Disney princesses scene where Vanellope visits the website (which, btw, is real) and encounters the princesses, she knew it was right, but felt all kinds of wrong about it, explaining: “I wrote the scene, and then I read it, and I had a panic attack. And I laid down on the floor and I said, ‘Well, I’m either going to be fired or this might be a big deal.”
Guess what, y’all.
It’s a really big deal!
SELFIE! Disney Princesses Scene ©2018 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
And it’s exactly the kind of deal that is going to make a whole new generation of girls fall head over heels in love with Disney and their princesses. I won’t be sharing them with my daughters (because, duh, I don’t have any), but I will be happily enjoying them myself.
Wreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet will be released, nationwide, tomorrow, November 21, 2018.
