A List Of All-Black Disney Princesses
A colored Disney Princess will be gracing theaters this May. Yes, Halle Bailey will play the role of Ariel in the Little Mermaid remake. But this is not a first.
We have had many colored Disney Princesses, like Jasmine, Pocahontas, Moana, and Mulan, in the past, but how many all-black Disney Princesses do we have? Well, we have 11 all-black Disney Princesses. Want to know more about them? Keep reading.
11 Black Disney Princesses
Here is a list of 11 all-black Disney Princesses.
1. Ororo Munroe (Storm) From X-Men
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Ororo Munroe is the daughter of Kenyan tribal princess N’Dare and African-American photojournalist David Munroe. She has superhuman abilities that classify her as a mutant.
Ororo Munroe aka Storm was not just a mutant; she was also their leader, a wise and trusted one. She could control and manipulate weather patterns. She also used this ability to control the winds around her, which allowed her to fly.
Storm was first introduced in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). Later, she became a part of many Marvel Comics. While she was royalty by birth, she also became the Queen of Wakanda when she married her childhood sweetheart, King T’Challa, aka Black Panther. However, she was stripped of the title when the two divorced.
2. Rodgers And Hammerstein’s Cinderella
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Brandy Norwood played the titular part in the 1997 adaptation of the 1957 film Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, with Whitney Houston as the Godmother.
The movie premiered on ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney on November 2, 1997, and the racially diverse cast was noted and applauded. The film had an estimated 60 million viewers, making it the most-viewed TV musical in decades.
There are some deviations from the original plot in this film. The protagonists meet when the prince wanders to the marketplace because he feels isolated in the castle. Both the prince and Cinderella find each other charming and instantly form a bond.
At the ball, Cinderella is embarrassed by questions about her background and family and flees to the garden in tears. When she returns home from the ball, her stepmother is unusually cruel. This triggers an already emotional Cinderella, who packs her belongings and decides to run away from the cruelty.
On the other hand, the prince is very upset as he has tried the slipper on all the maidens and has not found a match. He overtakes Cinderella, catching her gaze, recognizes her as his dance partner, and places the slipper on her foot.
3. Aida
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Aida is a Broadway musical adapted from the opera of the same name. The musical was produced by Walt Disney theatrical, the lyrics were by Tim Rice, and the music was by Elton John.
The musical premiered on March 23, 2000, and ran till September 5, 2004. It won many awards, including Best Original Score, three more Tony awards, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical show album.
One of the songs, “Written in the stars” made it to the Billboard top 10, securing 2nd position in the US adult contemporary chart. Time named the musical one of the top ten theater productions of the year.
4. Kida From Atlantis The Lost Empire
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Kidagakash Nedakh (aka Kida) is a princess of the lost continent of Atlantis. She is seen in the 2001 Disney movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
The developers wanted Kida to be different from the other fragile Disney Princesses. She is a warrior, not a damsel in distress. She has a strong personality but also has a playful and soft side.
Although there is no mention of Kida being a Black Princess, she is shown to be from the Mediterranean, has fuller lips, a wider nose, and dark skin. The African-American actress Cree Summer is the voice of the character.
5. Queen La From The Legend Of Tarzan
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Queen La of Opar is one of the main characters in the Tarzan novel series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. While she has appeared in novels since 1913, her first Disney appearance was in The Legend of Tarzan TV series, which came out in 2001, the same year we got Kida.
La is an antagonist exiled from her African Waziri tribe as she continues practicing forbidden magic to extend her life. This makes her a vicious sorceress ruling over the abandoned city of Opar.
6. Shuri From Black Panther
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Shuri belongs to the Wakanda family. She is the daughter of the preceding monarch T’Chaka and Ramonda and the sister of the black panther. She is a princess depicted as a technical genius in the movies but a master martial artist in the comics.
Her first appearance was in the 2005 sequel to Black Panther. The character was created by Reginald Hudlin and designed by John Romita Jr.
After her brother’s death, Shuri becomes the new Black Panther. In 2018, Shuri had her own film where she is seen adjusting to life without a brother and leading her people.
7. Tiana From The Princess And The Frog
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The lead character of Disney Picture’s 49th animated movie, Tiana is the protagonist in The Princess and the Frog. Tiana was widely advertised as the first black Disney Princess and will be soon seen again in the Disney+ series by the same title.
Tiana is the 9th Disney Princess depicted as a dedicated waitress who dreams of having her own restaurant one day. However, she faces difficulties when an evil witch transforms her into a frog.
8. Ursula From Once Upon A Time
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In the 2014 TV show Once Upon a Time, Ursula is shown as the daughter of King Poseidon, making her a princess. If you know Greek mythology, Poseidon is also the father of Triton (father of Ariel). So, this makes Ursula Ariel’s aunt.
Ursula loves singing, a skill she learned from her mother. She has a melodic voice that could lure people. Ursula had a good childhood until the day pirates killed her mother. Her father held a grudge against all humans and tried to lure ships with Ursula’s singing, intending to sink them.
A series of events lead to Ursula hating being a mermaid and exchanging her tail for tentacles with her father’s trident.
9. Sadé
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While Tiana was considered the first black princess, she was African-American. This makes Sadé the first pure African Disney princess. As of now, it is unsure whether the movie is still in production or the project has been abandoned.
The movie is about an African Princess whose kingdom is under threat. At this time, the princess discovers her magical powers, which she uses to protect herself and her people.
10. Belle From Beauty And The Beast: A 30th Celebration
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This 2022 Disney movie had Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, an Afro-Filipina singer-songwriter, as its Belle. The movie was released on the 31st anniversary of Beauty and the Beast.
The animation/live-action movie is based on the 1991 musical of the same name. The movie was first aired on ABC and later on Hulu and Disney+.
11. Ariel From The Little Mermaid (2023)
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Set to be premiered on May 26, 2023, the little Mermaid remake will have a black Ariel — Halle Bailey. The youngest daughter of Triton has a thirst for adventure and wants to know about another world.
Ariel visits the surface and falls in love with the gorgeous Prince. Let’s wait and watch how much justice the movie has done to the story.
