Disney is known for its feel-good family films, its characters who get wrapped up in magical situations, and, of course, its princesses. As times have naturally changed and women's roles have shifted, the standard damsel in distress trope who waits for her knight in shining armor has thankfully fizzled off, and in its place, Disney has begun featuring young women who take charge of their own lives and do things their own way. As these women venture out into unknown lands and often come face to face with cruel and wicked individuals that want them dead, fans may be surprised to learn just how old the princesses are as they go about their ways.
Some Disney princesses are based on real people or even legends of great young women who faced horrible events with bravery and courage. Many come from the much darker and more disturbing Brothers Grimm tales, where they experience things that are definitely not suitable for children to know about. Then, there are several live-action movies that have been made that age the princess up for good reasons. Regardless if they are looking for a husband or leading an army, everyone should know just how old all the Disney princesses are.
15 Snow White's Age in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: 14 Years Old
When the Brothers Grimm originally created Snow White, she was just a little seven-year-old girl who was supposed to be killed off by a huntsman. However, since he was unable to commit the horrible act, she grew to be 17 years old before she was poisoned by the evil queen. In the Disney version, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the fairest maiden in all the land is actually aged down to be 14 years old.
Fans have speculated that Snow White's age was changed to create a better connection with children as Disney Productions was still finding its footing with creating full-length feature films. This slight change is understandable but disturbing when you think about how her stepmother was actually envious of a teenager. Two live-action remakes have been created — Mirror, Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman — in which the respective lead actresses were in their 20s during the time of filming.
14 Cinderella's Age in Cinderella: 19 Years Old
Based on Charles Perrault's fairy tale, Cinderella's titular heroine happens to be one of the oldest Disney princesses, and yet, she is still a teenager. At 19 yearsold, Cinderella had already spent several years as her stepmother's maid, while her two step-sisters (who were about Cinderella's age) were allowed to attend events and find eligible men to be their husbands.
Rather than being a rowdy teenager, Cinderella simply accepted her fate as she never believed she would be afforded the luxury of getting out of the house and having a life independent of her family. While numerous Cinderella movies have been made, it seems like just about all of them have stayed true to the character's age.
13 Belle's Age in Beauty and the Beast: 17 Years Old
Though mature for her age, Belle was just 17 years old in Beauty and the Beast. She is right on that line between being a carefree teenager with the whole world ahead of her and being a young woman who ultimately needs to take actions for the betterment of her future.
Luckily, her age and wisdom came in handy when having to deal with the Beast and her feelings of isolation. Because she is kind and humble, the castle staff quickly takes a liking to her. When it comes to the live-action remake, Emma Watson was 25 years old when filming began, and she perfectly nailed the mature and calm demeanor of the iconic Disney princess.
12 Aurora's Age in Sleeping Beauty: 16 Years Old
Aurora's age is a very big deal in Sleeping Beauty, as Maleficent curses the innocent child to die before the sun sets on her 16th birthday. Given that Aurora is sent away to grow up under the influence of three good fairies without any contact from her parents or anyone else, it makes sense that she is a bit naive when it comes to meeting a handsome stranger in the woods.
When the story was reversed in the live-action film Maleficent (starring Angelina Jolie as the iconic villain), Elle Fanning, the actress who played the teenage Aurora, was actually just 14 years old when filming began. This is unusual as most actors tend to play characters younger than them, but with Fanning's innocent appearance, she perfectly played the part of the young princess.
11 Ariel's Age in The Little Mermaid: 16 Years Old
Ariel, from The Little Mermaid, is just like every other 16-year-old: curious, rebellious, and determined. She thinks she knows all about the human world from what she's seen from a distance, so when her father tries to keep her away from life above the water, she acts her age and goes anyway. Unfortunately, she learns the hard way that not everyone is as kind as they may seem.
It is comical to think of a teenager trying to reason with their father that they are in love with someone who eats their friends. King Triton even calls humans "fish eaters," but Ariel is so blinded by love that she cannot think of Prince Eric as a bad person. Like any angry teenager, she then decides to swim away from home in search of someone who will give her what she wants.
10 Jasmine's Age in Aladdin: 15 Years Old
While arranged marriages are common in the Middle East, there are plenty of young women, just like Jasmine, who would much rather marry for love rather than obligation. At 15 years old in Aladdin, Jasmine argues with her father that his expectations as well as the law are wrong when they require her to marry a prince before she turns 16.
She is very mature for her age, especially since she has not been allowed to leave the palace and experience all the wonders life has to offer. However, knowing that she is a young teenager, it is uncomfortable seeing her kiss Jafar, even if it is to distract him from seeing Aladdin. When it comes to the live-action film, Naomi Scott was 25 when she was cast as Jasmine in Guy Ritchie's film remake, and it seems as if the character was aged a few years as well.
9 Tiana's Age in The Princess and the Frog: 19 Years Old
To be in the Roaring Twenties in New Orleans would be a real treat. Though Tiana is the same age as Cinderella in The Princess and the Frog, she is actually made out to be an ambitious young woman who is self-sufficient and determined to make her dreams come true. A 19-year-old who works as a waitress and wants to one day open her own restaurant is absolutely plausible given the times.
Unlike many of the other Disney princesses, Tiana was not born into royalty. She marries into it (as a frog), but she does not go off to live a lavish life in a castle with servants. Instead, in a groundbreaking move, she sticks to her roots and makes her late father's dream come true by opening her own restaurant in New Orleans.
8 Mulan's Age in Mulan: 16 Years Old
In the 1998 film, the titular character of Mulan was just 16 years old when she made the ultimate decision to take her father's place in the army. Like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Mulan had no qualms about risking her life for her family instead of sitting at home and allowing the women in her family to doll her up for potential suitors.
As the legend of Hua Mulan has been passed down over hundreds of years, Mulan's age is not officially determined. In Disney's 2020 live-action film, Yifei Liu, the actress who played Mulan, was 31 at the time of filming. This seems like a far more suitable age for a young woman who manages to save all of China rather than a teenager doing all the fighting among grown men.
7 Pocahontas' Age in Pocahontas: 18 Years Old
Though Pocahontas' age is one of the many historical inaccuracies in Disney's animated film about the real life warrior, fans should appreciate that the writers decided to age her up in the film. Amonute (also known as Pocahontas) was just a young girl in real life, around 10 years old, when she first encountered Englishmen.
For her to have a love story with John Smith (who would have been 16 years older) in Pocahontas would not have played out very well with fans. We can accept an adult falling for a handsome soldier even with a large age gap, but creating a love story with a literal child and a grown man would have been a disaster.
6 Rapunzel's Age in Tangled: 18 Years Old
Though Rapunzel is 18 years old in Tangled, she tends to act younger than she really is due to her lack of socialization and worldly knowledge. When she meets Flynn Rider for the first time, she is initially scared — which is actually smart because he broke into her home. However, she is naive when she decides to trust him and leave with him to see the annual lantern event.
While Rapunzel is childish in some ways, she quickly matures as she discovers who the good people in her life really are. By the end of the film, Flynn (who chooses to go by his real name, Eugene), after giving up his thieving ways, says that after years and years of asking, the two finally got married. It is nice to think that Rapunzel was given time to be with her family, adjust to her new royal lifestyle, and be engaged before having a glorious wedding.
5 Merida's Age in Brave: 16 Years Old
During the Medieval Times, it was common for high-ranking young men and women to have arranged marriages as royals wanted to keep their wealth while strategically connecting houses and lands together. For Merida in Brave, however, she did not care one bit about tradition or the business of marriage as she was only 16 years old.
She went so far as to prove to her parents that she was against the whole ordeal by competing for her own hand. Nowadays, 16-year-olds are trying to figure themselves out, but Merdia already knew herself well enough to know that a wedding was not something in the books for her anytime soon. When you consider Disney's long history of marrying off its princesses by the ends of the their respective movies, Brave is a more serious and modern approach to womanhood.
4 Moana's Age in Moana: 16 Years Old
Moana is one of the most headstrong and stubborn teenagers in all of Disney's history, but she always had a reason to act first and think things through later. At just 16 years old, Moana made the very adult decision to leave her island to complete her destiny in the film, Moana. Guided by her heart and her grandmother's encouraging words, she was willing to risk everything to save her island and people.
Like a typical 16-year-old, and many other Disney princesses, Moana rebels against her parents' wishes and sets sail on her own. She faces an obnoxious demigod with a brave face, but even he points out that she is just a kid on a big mission. Moana is one of the few films to not even hint at a love interest, and fans truly like that change in the typical Disney princess.
3 Elsa and Anna's Ages in Frozen: 21 & 18 Years Old, Respectively
While many Disney princesses earn the title of "Queen" far sooner than they probably should, Elsa was actually crowned when she was 21 years old in Frozen. This is a respectable age as her teenage years are behind her, and she is very mature (granted, she had to watch out for her younger sister and avoid heightened emotions for most of her life).
Anna, on the other hand, is just 18 years old in the first film, which is quite funny when Elsa tells her younger sister that she is too young to get married when Hans spontaneously proposes. The events in Frozen II take place three years later, making Elsa 24 and Anna 21. After Elsa discovers her true calling as the protector of the Enchanted Forest, Anna steps up and becomes Queen of Arendelle.
2 Raya's Age in Raya and the Last Dragon: 18 Years Old
Like many of the more recent Disney princesses, Raya is an older teenager (18 years old, to be exact) in Raya and the Last Dragon, whose story revolves around accomplishing a mission and saving her people rather than falling in love with a male counterpart. She is wise beyond her years; then again, looking at what happened in her past, it makes sense that she grew up rather quickly and recognizes the true evils in the world.
Raya's experience with betrayal and heartache actually helps her when she is trying to save her tribe. Because of her skepticism, she already anticipates things going wrong and is able to get the upper hand on a particular thief.
1 Asha's Age in Wish: 17 Years Old
Though Disney's latest princess, a 17-year-old Asha, is not technically a princess, she still fits the standard princess trope in many different ways. In Wish, she has an animal sidekick, she tries (and succeeds) to take down a corrupt and evil ruler, and she deeply cares for her family. By the end of the film, she helps people realize their true potential, so we will simply call her an honorary Disney princess, just as we do for Moana and Mulan.
As an older teen, Asha is focused on getting a job and making her family proud. However, after she is rejected by the king and not chosen for the apprenticeship, she quickly learns just how corrupt he's been during his ruling. Asha makes it her mission to retrieve her family's wishes that the king refuses to return. She fits the bill for a typical 17-year-old as she has dreams and goals, but she is also not naive when it comes to realizing not everyone is as good as others want them to believe.
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