Is Leia Now A Disney Princess?

With Star Wars now a Disney property, Princess Leia has officially been brought into the Disney fold. Does that automatically qualify her as a Disney princess? Disney has a long and successful canon with its female protagonists and it has a specific formula for those who qualify as Disney princesses. While Leia fits into the new mold, Disney may have tight requirements.

At baseline, Disney princesses are loosely defined as marketable characters targeted at young girls, who fit traditional Disney marketing methodologies. While there are many important young women in Disney properties, there are currently only currently twelve Disney princesses in their lineup: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana. This Disney princess label is limited to those female protagonists who were in the initial Disney properties, more specifically, animated Disney or Pixar films. The label has not yet been officially extended to other properties, or princesses, acquired by Disney.

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If the term was extended to properties obtained by Disney, the list would be much longer. Disney even holds special Disney princess ceremonies for its new members, but it has not extended this privilege to its new properties. Anastasia is not a Disney princess, neither are Elsa nor Anna from the immensely popular Frozen, which may come as a surprise to fans. There is a greater list of unofficial princesses, numbering about twenty-three. They include the likes of Minnie Mouse to Megara from Hercules to Jessie from Toy Story 2. Of these unofficial princesses listed, Leia is not one of them, but she arguably makes a much better choice than many of them.

Leia should be included as a Disney princess. She arguably has the traits that Disney look for in their princesses than many of those on the current list. The older and initial Disney princesses focus on body image, femininity, and the damsel in distress type. For the most part, each one overcomes the established social values attributed to their gender, but it is not too progressive. The newer Disney princesses and similar female characters overcome the social values attributed to their gender. Long gone are the female tropes of Stockholm Syndrome, the domesticated housewife, overly passive, and the focus on male romance.

The characteristics of the later Disney princesses is demonstrated in Leia. She is very proud and independent. While she finds love with Han Solo, she does not require it, nor does it define her character. She does not need a man in order to lead her people. She leads her people by example despite overwhelming odds, and overcomes the destruction of her planet and loss of her adopted family. Young women and men should strive to be like Princess/General Leia. This characterization is ahead of its time when Star Wars was released in the late 1970s, but not in terms of when Star Wars was bought by Disney in the 2010s. Regardless, Leia exemplifies what a Disney princess should be. She is also beautiful and even has an iconic image with her unique hair styling.

Princess Leia is the epitome of what a Disney princess should be. While Disney may have its history and strict requirements for the Disney princess status, some of which may be outdated for the twenty-first century, Leia is certainly a role model that Disney can stand behind. I am not advocating for all female protagonists of Disney's acquired properties to be added to the Disney princess register. For example, it has been suggested that the queen xenomorph from Alien should be added since the character is female and has been acquired by Disney. Perhaps, the company should expand its requirements to include other non-animated films under the Disney umbrella. Leia, in particular, presents an ideal case for inclusion as a Disney princess with her royal heritage and heroic deeds in the Star Wars saga.

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Written By Dave Sacca

Source(s): Disney Princess Wiki, The Disney Wiki, Elizabeth L. Tran. “Evolution of the Disney Princess: A Generic Analysis of Female Stereotypes in Film”

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