In honor of Beauty and the Beast, I stole this from Screen Junkies. Hey, at least I’m honest about it. I wanted to do this mainly because I didn’t always agree with their list, and they left some princesses off the list for some reason. So, for MY list, I’ve included the 11 “canon” Princesses, and Moana and Elsa (who they also included). I then have added Anna (because she also qualifies if Elsa does), as well as Kida (Atlantis) and Ellonwy (Black Cauldron). You can’t just hide Princesses away because their movies underperformed. I also included Meg, because she’s sometimes even included at Disney Princess events. I also included Lilo, because I can. They also didn’t include non-human princesses, which I decided was unfair to characters like Nala. Each Princess is rated (on a scale of 1-5) for their Royal Lineage, Quality Of Sidekick, Independence, Singing/Theme Song, Intelligence, Relatability, and Talent. If there was a tie, I broke it by picking which princess I personally preferred.
So here’s my ranking of 19 Disney Princesses:
19) Aurora: 11
Royal Lineage: 3, Quality Of Sidekick: 2, Independence: 1, Singing/Theme Song: 2, Intelligence: 1, Relatability: 1, Talent: 1
Aurora. The princess who sleeps. I gave her points in Royal Lineage, because from what I remember about Sleeping Beauty she’s perceived as a threat because she’s destined to rule the land, so she has perceived royal lineage, I suppose. The fairies who follow her around are among the weaker sidekicks. She has no independence, or intelligence, or talent, or relatability. She basically pricks her finger, falls asleep, and waits for a man to come along. There’s no real character development here at all. She’s the lowest on my list for a good reason.
18) Cinderella: 15
Royal Lineage: 1, Quality Of Sidekick: 3, Independence: 1, Singing/Theme Song: 4, Intelligence: 2, Relatability: 3, Talent: 1
She has no Royal Lineage, technically. Her sidekicks, the mice, are OK. She’s not independent at all. She relies on an abusive stepmother, and dreams of getting married so her Prince can take care of her. She does have a great theme song. She’s not shown to be necessarily intelligent. She’s fairly relatable for kids who live with step-parents. Her only talent is cleaning, so I gave that a low score as well.
17) Snow White- 17
Royal Lineage: 4, Quality Of Sidekick: 4, Independence: 2, Singing/Theme Song: 3, Intelligence: 1, Relatability: 2, Talent: 1
Finally, a Princess with good sidekicks. I rated her high there because of the dwarves. She’s also a decent singer. However, she has no discernable talent, and isn’t very smart. Eating an apple from an obvious witch… I should deduct points. Disney’s first three princesses are also my lowest three princesses.
16) Nala- 18
Royal Lineage: 3, Quality Of Sidekick: 1, Independence: 3, Singing/Theme Song: 3, Intelligence: 3, Relatability: 3, Talent: 2
Nala gets points because she ends up with Simba, who is king of the pride lands. She has no sidekick. I can’t even count Zazu, because they have so little interaction. She’s independent enough to go hunting pretty far out from home base. She does sing a little in Can You Feel The Love Tonight and Just Can’t Wait To Be King.
15) Ellonwy (Black Cauldron)- 19
Royal Lineage: 4, Quality Of Sidekick: 3, Independence: 3, Singing/Theme Song: 1, Intelligence: 3, Relatability: 2, Talent: 3
Lets be honest. You haven’t seen Black Cauldron. Ellonwy is, however, an actual princess during this film. There are sidekicks in the film. She does go on a journey, which makes her somewhat independent/iintellgent/talented. She’s probably the most boring princess on the list, but isn’t that because no one saw her movie?
14) Megara- 21
Royal Lineage: 1, Quality Of Sidekick: 2, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 4, Intelligence: 3, Relatability: 3, Talent: 3
Meg has no lineage. Pegasus isn’t really her sidekick, but she works well with the sidekicks in the film, so I gave her a point. She’s pretty independent. Her solo song is pretty good, but not a Disney classic. She might not be an official Disney princess, but she seems to outrank a few already on the list.
13) Lilo- 21
Royal Lineage: 1, Quality Of Sidekick: 5, Independence: 4, Singing/Theme Song: 1, Intelligence: 3, Relatability: 4, Talent: 3
For shits and giggles, I ranked Lilo. She has no lineage, obviously. However, from her perspective, Stitch is her sidekick, which gives her a huge edge. She’s also pretty independent, and relatable. She isn’t last on this list, which says a lot about early Disney princesses.
12) Kida (Atlantis)- 22
Royal Lineage: 5, Quality Of Sidekick: 1, Independence: 4, Singing/Theme Song: 2, Intelligence: 4, Relatability: 2, Talent: 4
Kida is a queen by the end of the film, so her lineage is solid. I don’t remember her having a sidekick, but I kinda remember her singing at some point in Atlantis, so I gave her a point there. I don’t think she’s relatable. She does have skills though, and is kinda badass.
11) Belle- 24
Royal Lineage: 1, Quality Of Sidekick: 3, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 5, Intelligence: 4, Relatability: 4, Talent: 2
She has no lineage, that’s gonna hurt her. There was a solid debate about whether Lumiere and Cogsworth are actually Beast’s sidekicks and not hers. If that’s true, she has no actual sidekick. I couldn’t give her full points since she essentially shares Beasts sidekicks. I did give her a 5 for Independence due to her constant refusal of Gaston’s advances, and she gets a full 5 in Singing too, because her songs are amazing. She doesn’t really have a talent outside of reading books, so her talent score was low. I’m surprised she ranked out of my Top 10.
10) Tiana- 25
Royal Lineage: 1, Quality Of Sidekick: 2, Independence: 4, Singing/Theme Song: 5, Intelligence: 4, Relatability: 5, Talent: 3
Tiana is perhaps the most relatable princess, as she was the first black princess, allowing an entire section of young girls to finally have a princess who looks like them. Her sidekick (the firefly) sucks. Almost There was a great song though. She has no royal lineage. Unfortunately for Tiana, she won’t be at the top of this list.
9) Jasmine- 25
Royal Lineage: 5, Quality Of Sidekick: 3, Independence: 4, Singing/Theme Song: 4, Intelligence: 3, Relatability: 4, Talent: 2
She’s got the lineage, but does she have the other stuff? I gave her a 3 for Sidekick for Raja, because in a film full of sidekicks, Raja is the least interesting. He’s fourth to Abu, Genie, and Carpet, who all side with Aladdin. She’s fairly independent though, somewhat intelligent, and pretty relatable. Even though I love Jasmine’s singing in A Whole New World, she doesn’t have her own song, so I couldn’t give her the full points for that category. I gave Jasmine the edge over Tiana, because I grew up on Aladdin, and Jasmine has a special place in my heart.
8) Anna- 26
Royal Lineage: 4, Quality Of Sidekick: 5, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 4, Intelligence: 2, Relatability: 4, Talent: 2
I docked Anna on Lineage, since Elsa is technically next in line. Olaf, as her sidekick, is pretty great. The whole first part of the movie is about Anna being independent and running around doing stuff on her own, though she’s not very bright. She has two potential theme songs (Do You Want To Build A Snowman or First Time In Forever), but neither are Let It Go.
7) Merida- 26
Royal Lineage: 5, Quality Of Sidekick: 1, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 1, Intelligence: 5, Relatability: 4, Talent: 5
Merida is hit hard by the lack of a sidekick (no, I’m not counting her horse), and a song (she never sings). However, she’s got Royal Lineage, she’s fiercely independent, she’s intelligent, and a talented archer. I gave Merida the edge over Anna because I feel like she’s a stronger character overall.
6) Mulan- 28
Royal Lineage: 1, Quality Of Sidekick: 4, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 5, Intelligence: 5, Relatability: 4, Talent: 4
She’s not actually a princess, nor does she marry a prince. I’m confused as to how she’s “canon”. Mushu is a good sidekick, she’s super independent, Reflection is a great song, she’s talented as a warrior, and I think she’s intelligent and relatable. Is that enough to make up for her lack of lineage?
5) Ariel- 28
Royal Lineage: 5, Quality Of Sidekick: 5, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 5, Intelligence: 2, Relatability: 4, Talent: 2
She’s a daughter of Triton, who rules the entire freaking ocean, so I gave her a 5 for lineage. Sebastian is easily one of the best Disney sidekicks of all time, and she’s also got Flounder and Scuttle. She’s pretty independent, always going off on her own and exploring. She’s got great music. She’s not very bright, as that contract with Ursula proved, and has no discernable talent. I gave Ariel the edge because she’s actually a princess, and I like Little Mermaid a bit more than Mulan.
4) Rapunzel- 29
Royal Lineage: 3, Quality Of Sidekick: 5, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 4, Intelligence: 4, Relatability: 3, Talent: 5
As pointed out, her sidekick (Pascal) actually saves the day in the end, so he’s super useful. And adorable, of course. She’s actually super independent, without leaving her house. She does everything for herself. She also learns to do a thousand different tasks, which makes her intelligent, and talented. I’m not sure she’s that relatable. Also, her song (like Jasmine’s) is technically a duet. So, I didn’t give her a 5 there, even though I like her song.
3) Elsa- 29
Royal Lineage: 5, Quality Of Sidekick: 2, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 5, Intelligence: 4, Relatability: 3, Talent: 5
I gave Elsa full points because she ends up being the queen. Her sidekick (the snow golem) isn’t that spectacular. She’s pretty independent, going off on her own and creating her own snow castle. Her theme song is an instant classic. She seems smart, but not as relatable. As far as Talent, I wanted to give her a six (but I didn’t) because she literally creates an entire castle with her powers, as well as bringing life to both Olaf and the Golem. She can create life. Of course she’s talented. I gave Elsa the edge over Rapunzel because of her abilities, and I also think Let It Go is a better song than I See The Light.
2) Pocahontas- 29
Royal Lineage: 4, Quality Of Sidekick: 4, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 5, Intelligence: 4, Relatability: 4, Talent: 3
One of my higher rated princesses. She checks off all the boxes, at least a little. She has royal lineage, being the daughter of a chief. I deducted her a point because she ends up with a non-prince and therefore actually gives her lineage up. Her sidekicks are solid (Meeko and Flit). She’s super independent, sings her face off, is relatable, and intelligent. She seems to be at least somewhat talented in crafting and diving, so I gave her a few points in talent. I gave Pocahontas the edge over Else because she has TWO great songs. She has Colors Of The Wind, but also Just Around The Riverbend.
1) Moana- 30
Royal Lineage: 5, Quality Of Sidekick: 2, Independence: 5, Singing/Theme Song: 5, Intelligence: 4, Relatability: 4, Talent: 5
Moana is next in line for the throne. Her sidekick is a dumb chicken, which while funny, doesn’t do much. The pig was cuter, but they left him on the island. She’s fiercely independent, her theme song is great and repeated a few times throughout the movie. She seems intelligent, knowing that there’s a food shortage, and she’s talented enough to sail on her own and guide herself by the stars. So Moana ends up on top, even with a weak sidekick. She barely edged out three other Princesses.
So that’s it. Did you get the same scores? Sound off in the comments and let me know if you guys agree with my rankings and justifications.
