Just for fun, here are some odd or just little-known trivia about the Disney Princesses.



The official Disney Princesses are: Jasmine, Ariel, Rapunzel, Tiana, Belle, Merida, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Aurora, Mulan, and Snow White. There were plans to add Anna and Elsa of Frozen in 2014, but for some reason that did not happen. But, it undoubtedly will some day, perhaps in 2016, because recently they have been the most popular princesses of all.


Rapunzel (Tangled) and Jasmine (Aladdin) are the only two Princesses who are not referred to in some way in the title of their films. Belle, for instance, is "Beauty" in "Beauty and the Beast," and Tiana is "Princess" in her film "The Princess and the Frog." However, Rapunzel and Jasmine will have more company when the two "Frozen" Princesses join them.



Did you know the ages of the Princesses?

• Snow White: 14 (yes, 14, she is the youngest Princess);
• Jasmine: 15;
• Cinderella: 19;
• Pocahontas: 18 (in real life, she was closer to Snow White's age).

The funny thing about Snow White is that she was voiced by Adriana Caselotti, who was 20 at the time!



Mulan is the only Disney Princess who is not actually a princess. All the others are either royal by birth or marriage.



Only one Princess has any brothers. That's right, none of the others has a single brother. The one who does? Merida.

Alyssa Milano was the template for Ariel.

Some Princesses have been modelled after real celebrities. The most famous examples are:

• Ariel was based in part on actress Alyssa Milano;
• Snow White was based in part on Mary Pickford and comic heroine Betty Boop;
• Belle is modelled after Judy Garland as she appeared in "The Wizard of Oz," and on Julie Andrews from "The Sound of Music," and her character is based upon Katharine Hepburn as Jo in "Little Women" (1933).

Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty" had only 18 minutes of screen time and 18 lines of dialogue in the film. She is the most quiet Disney Princess. Of course, she's also asleep for much of the film.



Rapunzel was based on the daughter of Glen Keane, whose passion was to paint her bedroom walls. By the time Keane was working on the character, his little girl had grown up and become a talented painter who he had design and paint the look of Rapunzel’s room.



Ariel of "The Little Mermaid" is a redhead for two very practical reasons:

1. The movie "Splash" featuring Daryl Hannah as a blonde mermaid was very recent at the time, and Disney wanted to create a unique character without any associations to that;
2. It was easier and more pleasing to make darker shades of red (rather than darker yellows) when Ariel was in dark or shaded places such as the deep sea, and it helped her to stand out.

"Cinderella" was shot entirely in live action for use by the animators to create their characters. That film has never been shown.



Mandy Moore voiced Rapunzel, but she wasn't the first choice. First Kristin Chenoweth was asked to do it, but she couldn't. Then Reese Witherspoon was cast, but she also had to turn it down.


Maleficent has a pet raven who tends to perch on her shoulder. While it is not named in "Sleeping Beauty," it is called "Diablo."



Animators use real actresses to help craft their animations. These girls are completely unknown and ever get any fame out of it. Sherri Stoner, for instance, was used to help them draw Belle and Ariel, but you've probably never heard of her and probably never will again.



Jasmine in "Aladdin" is based on the princess from the classic Arabian tale "One Thousand and One Nights."



Not only did Reese Witherspoon turn down the role of Rapunzel in "Tangled"; she was also originally cast as the voice of Merida in "Brave," but once again.... Kelly Macdonald wound up voicing Merida.



Tiana was originally named Maddy, but some people thought that was too ordinary, so it was switched to Tiana.



Belle wears blue because it makes her look like an outsider. Later, the Beast is seen wearing blue, too.



Walt Disney once said that the transformation scene in Cinderella — where Cinderella’s dress goes from rags to a ball gown — was his favorite pieces of animation.


2015