Tuesday, August 2, 2011

My Top 5 Disney Heroines

I grew up watching a lot of Disney movies. Even though I very rarely played with Barbie dolls and didn't really consider myself a girly girl, there was something about Disney heroines that captured my imagination.

And, yes, I realize that most of them are princesses. Blame the Mouse House for that one!

Here are my top 5 favorite Disney heroines of all time.

1. Belle, Beauty and the Beast
A princess who was brunette (huzzah), able to see inner beauty (double huzzah) and--wait for it--LOVED TO READ! So the fact that Belle spent most of her time ignoring those around her in favor of having her nose in a book...you could say I related to that. Also, I think this is one of the most beautiful movies Disney ever made, both story-wise and visually.

2. Ariel, The Little Mermaid
Two words: headstrong teenager. Ariel wasn't going to let anyone or anything keep her down: not her strict merking father, a terrifying sea witch, or the fact that the love of her life happened to live on land while she was supposed to be under the sea. It doesn't hurt that this film has my favorite all-time Disney soundtrack. Every song is a winner. And who hasn't picked up a brush from their vanity table and thought..."Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat?"

3. Dory, Finding Nemo
I thought long and hard about whether to include Pixar on this list and then, finally, decided I couldn't not have Dory on here. Besides being hilarious, Dory is also extremely loyal and the fish you'd want by your side in the most dire of circumstances. Her advice to "just keep swimming" has popped up in my head on many occasion. Besides, she can speak whale!

3. Duchess, The Aristocats
Admittedly, I'm not much of a cat person and Duchess is a cat. But she's also beautiful, sweet and a fierce protector of her brood. I also loved the romance between her and "wrong side of the tracks" alley cat, Thomas O'Malley. In fact, I think I loved her so much because he did. I Can Haz Kitty Romance?

5. Jasmine, Aladdin
Okay, I admit. This one is here by default only because she's the first mainstream character I ever saw who shared my Middle Eastern heritage. As a character in her own right, I don't think she was particularly special. But it was really great as a kid to see my culture depicted in such a positive light (and I really do love this movie).

What about you? Who's your favorite Disney or Pixar heroine?

11 comments:

  1. Belle was always my absolute favorite! (Beauty and the Beast is my favorite animated Disney movie.) I will also always have a soft spot in my heart for Alice (Alice in Wonderland) and Cinderella.

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  2. Alice! Always Alice. Way down the list after her, since you're counting Pixar, come the little girl from Monsters, Inc., then Eve from Wall-E.

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  3. I'll have to think about it... was Capt. Jack sparrow in a Disney film?

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  4. He is, Jeff. Though I was technically listing my favorite animated female characters. :-)

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  5. I loved, loved, loved Aristocats when I was little. It's a pretty trippy film, though. There's even a 1970s psychadelic underground jazzy song where Duchess randomly plays a harp.

    I also loved Jasmine and Belle (brunettes!) and that got me wondering, has there ever been a Disney heroine with short hair? (Definitely not in Tangled ;)

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  6. Yes! I totally realized how trippy 'The Aristocats' was much later in life.

    SPOILER ALERT: Well, she does actually have short hair in 'Tangled' at the end. And Snow White's hair was shortish? But, in general, yes, they all have long luxurious cartoon hair.

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  7. I love Rapunzel in Tangled. Also, Belle, Ariel, and Pocahontas was pretty strong and independent. Loved that.

    New follower :)

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  8. Hello and welcome, Mrs. Kee! Excellent choices. I also thought Tiana from 'The Princess and the Frog' was a very strong & independent lady.

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  9. I'd have to say Rapunzel, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, ... and Nala (Lion King). I loved the fact that she always beat Simba when they were play-fighting.

    Oh and can I choose Kevin from UP?

    Don't get me started on Tiana from 'The Princess and the Frog' - I've never been more disappointed in a Disney film.

    Also, I just discovered your blog today! :D

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  10. Welcome Katie! :-)

    Kevin is technically a girl so I don't see why not! Nice choice.

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