Some people are REALLY serious about their Disney princesses. There’s a whole Wiki entry listing all of the official ones, all of the debatable ones and a complex explanation of what separates the two. The general rules are that a “true” Disney princess must have the primary role in a Disney animated movie, be human or mostly human, be of royal lineage and not be introduced in a sequel. Those are the basic rules, but then some characters are exempt from consideration for a variety reasons. Kida from Atlantis wasn’t popular enough to merit the official title, Vanellope von Schweetz is too young… the list goes on.
Looking at the princesses left in the running, many of them are more than deserving of their own castles at Disney parks. That might require whole new theme parks or the replacement of princesses at some of the castles to accommodate them, but it’s still worth considering who merits a castle of their own. Here are the “official” Disney princesses who haven’t received their own “park icon” castles yet, but maybe should someday.
1. Jasmine
Image: Disney
There aren’t too many Disney princesses who aren’t caucasion or based on European mythology, and at least those princesses with a different background deserves a castle. Jasmine from Aladdin was the first Disney princess of a foreign background, so maybe the character inspired by Middle Eastern mythology deserves a theme park castle before the others. She’s a strong-willed character who holds her own, and even though she’s the first princess not to be the titular character of her film she is well worth consideration.
2. Pocahontas
Image: Disney
Pocahontas has her Indian Village in Disneyland Paris, but that’s not nearly enough. She’s the first Disney princess to (albeit very loosely) be based on a real person instead of a fairy tale. A “castle” probably wouldn’t be a fit for her, but an expansive set of teepees with regular Native Americans very well could be. Disney theme parks have always been intent on celebrating America (they even tried to build a theme park called Disney’s America in Virginia) and what better way to do it than honor one of the most prominent Native Americans in all stories with a place of her very own?
3. Mulan
Image: Disney
Mulan is unique not just because of her Chinese ancestry but also because she is based on a legend instead of a fairy tale (there’s a difference!). She’s not technically royal, but is no less worthy of a royal treatment. With the success of Hong Kong Disneyland and the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland there really is no excuse to not have a castle for Mulan. Unfortunately, Hong Kong designated its castle for Sleeping Beauty and Shanghai is celebrating all of the Disney princesses instead of committing to one in particular. Hopefully Mulan gets her due someday, somewhere.
4. Tiana
Tina is probably the least likely princess on this list to get her own castle, which is a shame. The movie she’s from, The Princess and the Frog, is a wonderful film and successfully bucked the trend of movies animated in 3-D. The rich culture of New Orleans would make a great addition to the European-inundated Disney theme parks. This castle may never come to fruition, but we can dream.
5. Rapunzel
Rapunzel is the first Disney princess from a CGI animated movie, and she’s quite a good one. She doesn’t have the benefit of diversity like the previous three entries on this list, but Tangled was a splendid film that was able to feel separate but still cohesive with past movies starring Disney princesses. Maybe Rapunzel deserves a shot at a castle one day.
6. Merida
Merida from Brave stands out from the other Disney princesses as a tomboy. She snuck her way into a tournament because she dreamed of being a warrior instead of a servant of the royal crown. That makes her one of the most unique princesses on this list. She’s also the first-ever princess from the PIXAR films. A rough and rugged setting would be a great place for her to call home at a Disney park. If Scotland ever houses its own Disney Theme Park then Merida is the obvious choice for a castle.
7. Ariel
The Little Mermaid is ripe for a castle at a water or ocean-themed park. It’s a shame that the California DisneySea didn’t happen and that she’s not the star of the DisneySea at Tokyo Disneyland Resort. All of the other official princesses, and all the ones with castles, are land-based, so it would be nice to spice things up a little bit.
Prince Eric’s castle does appear in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom, but on a relatively small scale as part of the queue line for Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid.
8. Belle
Beauty and the Beast is a beautiful movie, and the main female character of it is perfectly worthy of her own castle. Maybe the Disney Imagineers could find a way to adapt the talking household items like Lumiere and Cogsworth, akin to the talking paintings in Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing the amazing music from the film played regularly inside a grand castle. What about you?
Like Prince Eric’s castle, The Beast’s castle does appear in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom, but it’s not the central icon of the park and is still overshadowed by Cinderella Castle.
9 and 10. Princess Anna and Queen Elsa
Sure, Frozen may be inundating the parks with its characters and new attractions, but most would admit that they’re so beloved for a reason. Anna and Elsa haven’t officially been crowned Disney princesses yet, but that day is going to be here before we know it. Considering they basically took over Cinderella’s castle with their meet-and-greets, maybe they’re a suitable replacement to a princess who’s been there for over forty years. That’s for Disney to decide. It would certainly make waves to add the newest Disney princesses to Disney World in an even bigger way.
