Characters that could be Disney princesses but aren’t

88 years ago, Walt Disney launched his first princess: Snow White. Since then, the Disney Princess franchise has become one of the studio’s most popular and profitable, grossing millions of dollars annually in different parts of the world.

Currently, the select group has 12 characters: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Mérida and Moana. To be part of it, however, is not as easy as it seems.

To do this, the characters need to follow some rules stipulated by Disney, such as being human or at least half human; be part of an animation; being born a princess, marrying royalty or committing a heroic act; be the protagonist of your own film (that is not a sequel); and provide a good economic return for the studios.

For this reason, many girls who are princesses in their animated stories ended up not joining the franchise. With that in mind, RECREIO put together a list of 5 characters that could be Disney Princesses but aren’t. Check it out!

1. Anastasia (Anastasia)

The plot of the animation “Anastasia” adapts the real story of the last Russian imperial family, the Romanovs, and presents the adventures of the princess and Grand Duchess Anastasia, who fled alongside her grandmother when the palace was invaded by revolutionaries, but ends up crashing his head during the escape and losing all his memory. Despite being a real princess, the character did not join the franchise because, originally, the animation belonged to another studio, FOX, a company that merged with Disney in 2019.

2. Kida (Atlantis: The Lost Kingdom)

Known only as Kida, Kidagakash Nedakh is the daughter of Kashekim Nedakh, the king of Atlantis, and is one of the main characters in the films “Atlantis: The Lost Kingdom” and “Atlantis 2: The Return of Milo”, productions that did not bring a financial return very satisfactory for Disney. However, after the death of her parents, Kida becomes queen of the sunken kingdom, marrying Milo James Thatch, the protagonist.

3. Megara (Hercules)

Hercules’ romantic partner, in Greek mythology, Megara is considered a princess because she is the daughter of Creon, the king of Thebes, however, her title was never confirmed in the animation. Despite this, she still receives the honor after marrying the protagonist in the series “Hercules: The Animated Series”. Fans believe that she was not chosen to be an official Disney princess because she is not the protagonist of the franchise, in addition to having only been married in the series, and not in the film.

4. Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Initially, Esmeralda, one of the protagonists of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, was part of the “Disney Princess” franchise, however, she ended up being removed because she was not considered as marketable as the others. This is because the products of Quasimodo’s story ended up not reaching children as much, as their animation addresses subjects that relate more to adults.

5. Melody (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea)

In “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea”, we meet Melody, daughter of Princess Ariel and Prince Eric, who is legitimately considered a princess both on land and under the sea. However, the girl is only the protagonist of the sequence, so she cannot join her mother in the select group.

Also read: Check out 5 Disney princesses you probably don’t remember