Is Rapunzel going to have to step down from her high pedestal above Cinderella, Belle, Aurora and Snow White in “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade”?
I know not.
I know nothing of this Merida, except that she is a princess.
But being a princess alone is not enough to be one of the Disney Princesses ™. I’ll refer you to the “Dissed By Disney” rant I wrote back in February if you seek a “for instance”.
Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus and Queen Elinor. An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom.
In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman and is granted an ill-fated wish.
Now you know as much as I do.
So if Merida wishes to enter to Royal Disney Clique, all she really needs is two major things:
1. Box office numbers. Pixar’s track record for telling great stories, kinda makes this a given.
While “Cars 2” is being considered a “not great” sequel, the “not greatness” of it is being pinned on Disney’s record with sequels rather than Pixar’s record with stories. Many of the complaints I’ve heard (none of which came from true-blue Disney fans) were that this was expected when Pixar married itself to Disney.
2. She needs to get herself a man. Unmarried princesses don’t make the cut.
After doing some research, a.k.a. racking my brains, the only Disney Princess that makes the husband factor an open question is Pocahontas. Clearly she does not marry John Smith, in fact, in “Pocahontas II” she dumps that fool in favor of John Rolfe (in a very transparent effort for Disney to be at least a little historically accurate).
At the end of that movie, she’s seen sailing off into the sunset with Rolfe. Historically, Pocahontas does marry John Rolfe, which, to me, makes her as much his wife as original Greek mythology makes Meg (Megara) from “Hercules” a princess, so there you go.
But I digress…
So assuming Merida fits the requirements of the Disney Princess line, the question is, where in the Disneyland Resort will she fit in?
Yes, she’s digital like Rapunzel, but she’s a Pixar character. Rapunzel is pure Disney magic and doesn’t stand under the Pixar banner, so I wonder what the deal is going to be, don’t you?
Seeing as Pixar has dug itself into Disney’s California Adventure Park like P.T. Flea, it begs the question. Will Merida rule DCA alone, single and proud, or will she buckle to social convention, hook up with some dude and join the Princess club in Disneyland?
I mean, Pixar Princesses Atta and Dot are nowhere near the Disney Princesses.
They’re ants though– they’d get Raid in the face or squished.
I’m pretty sure that Mulan can’t take that cricket anywhere near Cinderella, though it’s perfectly okay for Cinderella to hang out with rats. Hypocrite.
Disney/Pixar’s “Brave” won’t hit theaters until summer next year. That’s a whole year for them to figure it out, if they haven’t figured it out already.
All we can do is wonder.
Of course if “Brave” sucks, we’re talking about nothing here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LepcCZi_zk8
If she doesn’t sing, then no. That was the case for Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Unless they can find their way around the loophole, I don’t expect her to be part of the Disney Princess Lineup (Although it would be pretty cool)
I think she should be one of the princesses because in the movie “Brave” her mom says that a lady should join some elegant persuit.
Personally i think she is not as pretty as the other princess, not only that but she wouldn’t fit in the mythology of the line-up due to the fact that we don’t know if she gets with a male love interest not only that but she’s to feminism.
i just changed my mind she is just as pretty not only that but she has amazing hair i just saw brave i thought it was spectacular why not break a few boundaries she’s from pixar people she doesn’t have to sing and get married.
She is beautiful. But, I think she doesn’t fit in disney princess franchise. I like her.
You guys just don’t like her because she’s a ginger, we have an Asian princess, an african princess, an Indian princess, and an Arabic princess. we need a ginger just saying, and no Ariel doesn’t cut it, she is a fire engine red freak, Merida is the real ginger princess.
Ariel is *not* a freak! She’s one of my favorite Disney princesses. However, I do agree that Merida should be cast as a Disney Princess. I’ve seen the movie and I absolutely love it. Even though it lacks in songs or a love interest, it is full of wonderful lessons!
Having just seen the movie, my opinion is that Merida, in spite of her lack of a husband, does fit the Disney Princess bill on box office numbers alone.
Little girls are already in love with her and before the movie was even released (today) she was given a meet and greet in Disneyland. In 2013 the Fantasy Faire will be replaced “Fantasy Faire Village” in a new location, and I fully expect Merida to be a part of it. It may also be possible that she gets her own Meet and Greet like Rapunzel did (only hers would be in Critter Country given her relationship with bears).
With respect to redheads, I don’t think someone in a Disney/Pixar board meeting stood up and said “The Princess line needs a ginger!” when they were trying to decide the next movie to make. Merida is a Scot. Folks from Ireland and Scotland are stereotypically redheaded. End of story. If anyone thought the next Disney Princess needed to have red hair, it’s because redheads are hot.
Yes, Ariel is a redhead and no one is discriminating against redheads. If you “gingers” want to duke it out over whether she’s “really” a redhead, start your own blog and do it there. Next to Rapunzel, Merida has the best hair of any Disney Princess. But that’s just my opinion.
I have not seen the movie yet but i absolutely love her shes so cut and beautiful but i think she does not belong in the disney princess franchise because she just doesn’t look right in there and i think the should have a hispanic princess of a first male princess wouldn’t that be cool or maybe a bald princess or a fat princess!
who thinks merida would survive in the hunger games!write back to this comment
I don’t think she should be in the Disney Princess line up. She doesn’t sing or have a man, and she just doesn’t fit, as much as I like her.
I think the film will be good but she shouldn’t be a princess.. one of you said young girls love her.. they really don’t they love the film but she is nothing compared to the real princesses who have the disney charm. merida I must admit is not the most beautiful princess.. her hair is interesting but to be honest if I was 6 and rapunzel and brave came out then rapunzel would probably have become my new favourite princess over ariel but merida.. I would only watch her film, I wouldn’t have wanted any of her merchandise and at school when playing disney princesses she would have been the ugly one nobody wanted to be:L she doesn’t fit in but if she becomes this popular icon you are all saying she is then she can have her own line like tinkerbell;L I’ve been doing work experience at a primary school and when rapunzel and tiana came out there were so many little girls with their lunchboxes and at this ‘free time’ we have on a friday they would bring in there princess dolls.. haven’t seen any of merida and the only time I have heard of merida is this one little girl in my year 3 class drew a picture of her friends as disney princess’s but as merida she drew a girl she was in a childish argument with which caused an even bigger argument just because this little girl didn’t want to be the ‘ugly’ princess so looking in there eyes merida is labelled the ‘ugly princess’. In my opinion though they only need one cgi princess rapunzel who is very popular and has a traditional fairytale, yes mulan isn’t a princess but she is popular and amusingly isn’t considered an ‘ugly princess’ so it has nothing to do with the whole feminist thing. I’m 20 by the way so most of this was based of me working in a school for my course and I am a pure disney fan:)
totally agree with miranda
I don’t think Merida should be a disney princess. I DID before the film came out… but if many other characters didn’t make the cut, she shouldn’t either. Rapunzel making the cut makes perfect sense as she sang classic sounding songs and simply was a disney princess all around. Brave is a pixar film which in my personal opinion means she shouldn’t be a princess. I know that isn’t enough for others but being made by pixar I don’t think you should be one. REGARDLESS, Pixar or no, she’s gorgeous and fun, etc… but the film is a total fail when it comes to being the best disney can do. This idea was thrown in the trash long ago for a good reason. Pixar decided they’d pick it up and do it. Bad move. My opinion is the film lacks so much character development through and through. Disney movies are family movies. Merida’s seemed like it was just for babies. Merida did not fairly win her place.
Your words ring with truth and sanity. The complaint I hear the most is that it may have been too much for the very young: the whole teenage daughter needing to understand her mother and vice versa angle, big scary bears, and naked butts. Character development is a problem in this movie, and what I think hurts it the most is that there is no clear villain.
But I really think what it boils down to with Disney is the dollars. I saw a LOT of Meridas at Comic Con this year. Also, Pocahontas is a Disney Princess and to me, that’s another film that fell short of the best Disney can do. There is already a lot of Merida merchandise out there and in the end, the numbers will decide if she takes a place at the Princess table. It’s not looking good, though. 😉
I agree that Merida should not be a Disney princess. She does not fit in with the tone of the others because she is quite dark. When people say we have no ‘ginger’ princess, well we have ariel. merida if picked as a disney princess would be the odd one out and can you imagine her dancing on the podium at the Disneyland/world with no prince while everyone else is dancing with theirs. Brave, because of being a pixar film she does not sing and the others all have a song.
Snow White – Someday my prince will come
Cinderella – A dream is a wih your heart makes
Aurora – Once apon a dream
Ariel – Part of your world
Belle – Belle (reprise)
Jasmine – A whole new world
Pocahontas – Colours of the wind
Mulan – Reflection
Tiana – Almost there
Rapunzel – When will my life begin
Merida – NOTHING
She can’t be one
I think Merida should be a princess I mean she made a movie already why not welcome her into the family she is beautiful like the rest and unique because every princess is original and unique if all of them were the same it would be very boring and no one would take an interest. Who agrees?
MEEE!
I am seeing a lot of comments saying that she had no villain and she sang no song and never got married or found love I think the movie was way to short and there should be a second part but I am not sure if that would ruin the possibilitys of her making it in to the Disney princess family? What do u guys think?
HAHA Merida’s going to be added onto the Disney Princess line next summer! You guys have it all wrong! Just because Merida doesn’t have a prince, doesn’t sing, or is a tomboy doesn’t mean shes not fit to be a disney princess! That’s not the message that disney wants to send! There isnt a set standard to who can join!
Did you forget that Mulan and Pocahontas are in the line officially? Mulan technically isnt a princess at all, but disney added her anyway because she’s different and adds ethnic diversity.
Merida will also add diversity to the line, the disney princesses arent just fragile beauty queens, they are girls, and not every girl is the same, so not every princess is the same! Merida will and IS a great addition to the princess line! ^_^
NO, I’m a guy and personally i was reluctant at first to like Merida. As i saw the story develop I began to have much more of an affinity for her character. If she becomes a Disney Princess how am i supposed to lover her then it wil be so GrAY
If you haven’t noticed, Mulan isn’t even a princess. Since then, I believe the Disney Princess Club has lowered its membership standards.
Merida is a very strong and courageous girl and even if ” Brave ” is made by Pixar it has a very good message to all the girls having trouble with their moms it also shows that with courage and love you can fix anything well thats how i see it anyway so what if merida doesnt have a prince or sing she shows just as much courage and beauty as all the other princesses and the girl is completely gorgeous also i think that disney should bring in more cultural princesses so yes i think merida should be part of the disney princesses.
okay so i just read a comment about merida not having a villian well sorry to disappoint you peoples but she does! it is a BEAR the name ………………………….. MORDU!