Your movie heroine is a princess? You are in good company. What little or bigger girl doesn’t dream of being a princess at some point in her life? Disney, in particular, has recognized this and serves a wide range of princess movies, including both animated and feature films.
Princess movies are often based on fairy tales about the beautiful poor girl who falls in love with a handsome young prince or vice versa. Modern versions sometimes show a strong princess who knows how to assert herself in modern times, even without a prince.
If you are a fan of this genre, the following list of the best movies about princesses will surely interest you, whether you have already found your personal favorite or not.
1. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
An arrogant young prince turns away an old beggar woman with her request for help. The old woman turns out to be a young sorceress who puts a curse on the prince as punishment. He becomes a beast and can only regain his human appearance if he can survive until he is 21 years old. Birthday succeeds in winning the love of a woman.
The Beast desires the beautiful Belle, whose father he holds captive. She follows him on the condition of releasing her father in return. He agrees. When Belle realizes the true character of the Beast, they both find each other. In the end, she is able to save the Beast from death at the last minute and turns him back into a human through her love.
The plot of the 30. Disney animated feature film based on a popular French fairy tale. Since the film was so successful at the box office, Disney released two more installments. The film was even nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Film. No other animated film had achieved this before or until 2010.
2. The Ice Queen – Completely Unfrozen (2013)
The little princess Elsa can conjure up snow and ice. During an uncontrolled game, her magic accidentally hits her younger sister Anna in the head, who then falls unconscious. Elsa absolutely must learn to keep her magic powers under control. During an argument with Anna, Elsa’s magical powers are unleashed once again, placing eternal winter over her land. After outside intrigue and some turmoil, Elsa and Anna save each other, with Elsa realizing that love is the key to controlling her magic. The eternal winter is finally over.
The computer-animated film is, of course, from Disney Studios. The story’s basic idea is borrowed from the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen. Due to the vivid characterization, the reviews were consistently positive and made the film very successful internationally.
3. Suddenly Princess (2001)
Unassuming teenager Mia is a loner who lives alone with her mother in San Francisco. Suddenly, her unknown paternal grandmother shows up unannounced with a surprising revelation. Mia is a princess and the future heir to the throne of a small kingdom. While her grandmother instructs her in her role as heir to the throne, the revelation of her true identity causes great turmoil and complications for those around her to navigate.
The princess comedy starring Anna Hathaway, in her first feature film role as Mia, is exceptionally not an animated film. The mixture of teen film and romantic comedy was very well received, especially by young audiences.
The mermaid Arielle falls in love with the handsome prince Erik, who is shipwrecked. From then on, she dreams of being able to transform herself into a human being. Ursula, the sea witch, offers her a deal to make Arielle human for three days and win Erik over. As a pledge, Arielle must sacrifice her voice for it. A race against time begins because the sea witch harbors evil intentions.
Once again, Disney has created an animated film from a fairy tale by Andersen that is well worth seeing and which was seen by almost 4 million viewers in Germany alone. The film won several awards for the best music. Due to its great success, a sequel was filmed a few years later.
5. Cinderella (1950)
Cinderella lives in a house with her stepmother and her two daughters, who envy her beauty. Out of envy, the Three humiliate Cinderella and make her do menial tasks all day long. An invitation to the king’s castle, who is looking for a wife for his son, gives Cinderella new hope. Although the stepmother tries to prevent it, Cinderella, thanks to a spell that lasts until midnight, dances at the ball with the king’s son. When she leaves, she loses her shoe. The prince finds it and wants to marry only the one who fits the shoe.
Cinderella is the fairy tale character Cinderella. Disney wrapped the theme in an animated fantasy musical whose catchy score earned an Oscar nomination. Although the fairy tale was filmed several times, this classic, in particular, enjoys great popularity.
6. Enchanted (2007)
Giselle lives in Andalasia, a cartoon land ruled by Queen Narissa, who will do anything to prevent her stepson Edward from marrying and replacing her in the regency. But Edward loves Giselle and wants to take her as his wife. On the way to her wedding, Narissa pushes Giselle into a wishing well, and she ends up in the middle of New York. Lawyer Robert takes on the lost girl, unaware of how much she will soon shake up his life until their unexpected happy ending together.
The clever thing about “Cursed” is the mixture of animated and live-action films. While the beginning is shot as an animated film in the fictional Andalasia, the sequences continue as a live-action film in New York. Thanks to actors like Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, and Patrick Dempsey, the film is a self-deprecating homage to Disney’s Cinderella, which the critics praised.
7. Rapunzel (2010)
Due to an inherited spell, Rapunzel’s hair begins to glow when she sings a special song. To obtain Rapunzel’s magical powers, the old witch, Gothel, kidnaps the girl and locks her in a tower. With the help of the young Flynn, who ends up in the tower, she manages to escape from the evil Gothel. She pursues the two and plays nasty tricks on them. But in the end, their love wins.
The modern animated and expensively produced 3D fairy tale is visually reminiscent of the hand-drawn Disney classics. Thanks to a new technique, a special depth is created in the images. The critics were enthusiastic and recommended the film as a must for every Disney fan. A sequel to the story was produced as a television movie.
8. Aladdin (1992)
Based on the story “Aladdin and the magic lamp”, the story is about the friendly Aladdin, who has to steal to avoid starvation. An oracle shows him the way to a magic oil lamp that can grant wishes. Adversaries want to take her away from him. When he accidentally meets the disguised princess Jasmin, his life changes. After several exciting adventures with the magic lamp, Aladdin wins Jasmine’s love and asks the Sultan for her hand in marriage.
This animated film is not only made for children, but the reviewers also said. This is not a dreamy fairy tale but a fast-paced story told in a lively way.
9. Shrek (2001)
In this story, the hero who sets out to save a princess from a dragon is an ogre. Together with a talking donkey and other mythical creatures, he manages to free Princess Fiona, who is trapped in a tower. Fiona feels repelled at first by the ugly Shrek. He doesn’t know that Fiona mutates into an ogre herself at night due to a curse. When Fiona recognizes Shrek’s good character, she falls in love with him. A kiss makes her finally become an ogre and marry him.
At last, the hero is not a handsome prince charming. A move that was positively received by audiences and critics alike. The lovable characters became so popular that several sequels of the story followed.
10. Pocahontas (1995)
John Smith, an English adventurer, explores the world at the beginning of the 17th century. In the early nineteenth century, the Virginia Company commissioned a film to explore America, still unsettled by whites. While exploring, he meets the beautiful chief’s daughter Pocahontas.
She sees herself as a mediator between cultures and teaches Smith a lot about the country and her people. When Smith throws himself protectively in front of Pocahontas’ father during an attack by the whites, he is seriously wounded and returns to England without Pocahontas with a heavy heart.
With their version of the story of the Native American princess Pocahontas, Disney Studios created an animated film based on a real person for the first time. The film was so successful that a sequel followed. Critics praised the unusual theme for Disney and the lovingly drawn characters.
11. Brave (2012)
Headstrong Princess Merida, a gifted archer, is fiercely determined to make her way independently. Much to the chagrin of her mother, who wants to marry her off to one of the sons of allied clans. Merida resists and thereby arouses the anger of her mother. As a result, the unruly Merida unwittingly transforms her mother into a bear with the help of an enchanted cake, which she must protect from her father’s arrows. She manages to transform her mother back and reconcile with her without having to get married.
Of all the princesses presented, Merida is certainly the most unconventional. Both the audience and the critics rewarded this. The film won an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
During his summer residence in Ischl, the young Emperor Franz Josef meets a young girl while hunting and is instantly smitten by her. When his engagement to Princess Helene of Bavaria is to be announced at the court ball, the emperor recognizes in her younger sister Princess Elisabeth (Sissi) the girl he has fallen in love with.
Generations of girls have melted at the love story of Sissi and Franz Josef, which is why this evergreen cannot be missing in a list of the best films about princesses.
13. The Princess and the Frog – Kiss the Frog (2009)
Tiana, a talented cook, dreams of owning her own restaurant in New Orleans in the twenties. While celebrating Mardi Gras, she meets Prince Naveen, who has been turned into a frog by a voodoo magician. When she kisses him, she makes a wish. Unfortunately, after the kiss, Tiana also becomes a frog. Nevertheless, the newlyweds decide to get married as frogs. When they kiss after the wedding ceremony, they regain their human form. Tiana is now a princess and still opens her restaurant.
The transposition of the Grimm fairy tale “The Frog Prince” to America in the Roaring Twenties has been considered artifice. With Tiana, Disney creates the first colored and emancipated princess. Together with the award-winning film music, this was generally well-received.
14. Roman Holiday (1953)
On a state visit to Rome, Princess Ann secretly steals away and, overtired, falls asleep on a wall. There the journalist Joe finds her and, unaware of her true identity, takes her back to his home. While frantically searching for the missing princess, Joe shows her the town and falls in love with her. When he realizes who she really is, he gets into a quandary. On the one hand, he wants to protect her; on the other hand, he smells the story of his life. He decides to keep the wonderful day with the princess to himself.
As Ann, Audrey Hepburn is arguably the most adorable princess in movie history. The sparkling dialogues with Gregory Peck as Joe contribute to the fact that the film is still considered one of the most beautiful love stories of all time. Hepburn deservedly won the Oscar for her performance.
15. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The envious stepmother can’t stand the fact that Snow White is getting more beautiful by the day. She hires a hunter to kill her, but he can’t bring himself to do it. Snow White wanders in the forest until she meets seven dwarfs who let her stay with them. Through a magic mirror, the stepmother sees that the princess is still alive. In disguise, she gets the girl to eat a poisoned apple. When the dwarfs are about to bury Snow White, a prince comes along and kisses her awake.
The first feature-length animated film by Disney Studios cannot be left off this list, as it is considered the most important animated film and one of the most successful films of all time.
Movies about princesses will not go out of fashion as long as girls dream of being princesses. Which of the movies we present is the best for you, you alone decide.
