Every Disney Princess Movie In Chronological Order

All Disney Princess movies are set in different eras and places, and most are a bit tricky to place. Here’s every movie in chronological order.

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Disney Princess movies take inspiration from different folktales, meaning they’re set in different places and times – and here’s every Disney Princess movie in chronological order. Although Walt Disney Pictures has produced a variety of films in over eight decades, it’s best known and remembered for its princesses, whose stories have given the studio a certain type of magic that many have tried to replicate without the same success.

The studio’s first animated movie was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937. It was the first full-length cel animated movie and gave Disney its first Academy Award (an honorary one consisting of one normal statue and seven miniature statuettes). Since then, Disney has taken viewers to different times and places, such as Germany, Jordania, Scotland, and even the bottom of the sea to meet all types of princesses with their unique sidekicks and some of them with powers of their own.

Unlike many other movies that are either set around the year they are released or explicitly say in which year the story is set, Disney Princess movies are a bit tricky to place. However, looking at elements like the source material, the architecture, and the clothes of the characters, the movies can be placed in certain eras, thought not with complete accuracy – especially as Disney tends to blend different styles, perhaps in an effort to make the stories as timeless as possible. Still, it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to make a timeline of Disney Princess movies, and here’s every one of them in chronological order.

Aladdin – c. 300s

Aladdin was released in 1992 and is part of what’s known as the Disney Renaissance, which is when Walt Disney Feature Animation went back to producing successful animated movies based on popular stories. Aladdin is based on the Arabic folktale of the same name from the One Thousand and One Nights collection, setting it around the 300s.

Brave – c. 900s

It’s clear that Brave (2012) takes place in Medieval Scotland, but exactly when was a bit hard to figure out. Brave takes many elements from Scottish folktales, such as the will-o’-the-wisp, and Merida defies age-old customs, which can be difficult to place. However, at D23 Expo in 2011, it was confirmed that it takes place in the 10th century, fitting with the elements shown in the movie.

Moana – ~900s

Moana is the most recent Disney Princess to be introduced, and her story is set in a Polynesian island. Again, a specific date isn’t given, though it has been said that it takes place 3000 years in the past. Now, Moana was released in 2016, so taking that as starting point, the movie would be set in the 900s. As for where it is set, there’s a lot of debate over the exact location.

Sleeping Beauty – c. 1300s

Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959 and it’s based on the fairy tale of the same name by Charles Perrault (with a lot of changes to make it kid-friendly). Prince Philip actually gives a pretty clear clue at when the story is set, when he tells his father he’s “living in the past! this is the 14th century!”, all because he didn’t want Philip to marry a “nobody”.

Mulan – ~1400s

Mulan was released in 1998 and is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, which goes all the way back to around the 300s. However, there are many versions on the legend’s origins, and the movie took elements from different eras, making it difficult to place in just one. Taking the addition of landmarks like the Forbidden City as reference, then Mulan is set around the 1400s, or maybe earlier.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – c. 1500s

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and was released in 1937. Details like the storybook’s style and the fact that the dwarfs yodel (as yodeling was first recorded in Europe in 1545) place Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in mid-to-late 1500s Germany.

Pocahontas – 1607

Pocahontas is among the easiest ones to place thanks to its historical context (even though the story is not accurate, which has infuriated fans for years). Pocahontas is based on the life of the Native American woman of the same name who met Englishman John Smith when he and company arrived in Virginia in 1607. As for the movie’s inaccuracy and racial overtones, they are a completely different story.

Beauty and the Beast – c. 1700s

Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991 and it’s based on the 1756 French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Looking at the style of the clothes, how Cogsworth describes the castle’s style (“unusual Rococo design” and “another example of the late Neoclassic Baroque period”), and the fact that the Beast is a prince, Beauty and the Beast would then be set before the French Revolution in 1789.

The Little Mermaid – ~1700s

The Little Mermaid is, perhaps, the trickiest one to place as Disney blended styles from different centuries. The Little Mermaid was released in 1989 and was the one that kickstarted the Disney Renaissance. The story is based on the 1837 Danish tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen (again, with various changes to make it appropriate for a young audience), but it takes elements from the 1600s and early 1900s. Many fans and experts on the matter choose to place it in the 18th century due to the relation between pirates and mermaids, so there’s that.

Cinderella – c. 1800s

Cinderella was released in 1950 and is based on the fairy tale of the same name by Charles Perrault. Cinderella is set in France, and based on the style of the clothes, many have concluded that it takes place in the mid-to-late 1800s, as the characters don’t offer any clear clues as to when the story is set.

Tangled – c. 1700s-1800s

Tangled is loosely based on the German fairy tale Rapunzel, from the collection of folktales by the Brothers Grimm. Many have taken Mother Gothel’s style as starting point to place the story in time, but that only makes it more difficult as the character was designed to look way older than the rest of the sets and costumes. Tangled is quite possibly set in the late 1700s, though given its connection with Frozen, it could be set in early-to-mid 1800s.

Frozen & Frozen II – 1839 and 1842

Although Anna and Elsa are not official Disney Princesses (even though they fit the profile), it’s feels only right to add them to the timeline. Frozen was released in 2013 and is inspired by the 1844 fairy tale The Snow Queen. Frozen’s creators have shared they based the look of the movie in 1840s Norway, and a map shown in Frozen Fever helps place the story in July 1839. As Frozen II is set three years after the first movie, that means it’s set in 1842.

The Princess and the Frog – 1926

The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009, and it’s loosely based on the novel The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker. From the beginning, it’s clear the story is set in 1920s New Orleans, and there’s one detail that shows the exact year: a newspaper seen when Prince Naveen gets off the boat reads “April 1926”. The clothes, buildings, music, and more pay homage to jazz culture and life in New Orleans in the 1920s, so it’s very easy to place in the timeline of Disney Princess movies.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/disney-princess-movies-chronological-order/