That’s right, we’ll soon have a new official member of our Disney Princess court and that calls for a royal celebration. We’re thrilled to announce this morning that we’ll be welcoming Rapunzel as our tenth Disney Princess with a star-studded ceremony at Kensington Palace in London, UK.
And what better place than Kensington Palace, right? It’s been the home of many real-life princesses over the centuries and on October 2, 2011, it’ll be the place for a world-first ceremony honoring Rapunzel. All ten Disney Princess characters will be there, joined by VIPs, celebrities and little princesses from around the globe. The festivities will include a procession through Hyde Park, party activities and an amazing welcoming ceremony.
As most Disney Parks Blog readers know, each of our princesses has a unique story and Rapunzel is no exception. She’s an inquisitive princess who fills her days with art, books and imagination and can’t help but feel her true destiny lies outside of those lonely tower walls.
We’ll have more details on Rapunzel’s royal celebration in upcoming months but for now, mark October 2, 2011, on your calendar as the day Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Snow White, Tiana and the world gathers to officially welcome Disney’s newest princess to the family.
Comments
I really do agree, I think Mulan is a princess… her Hubby’s Grandfather was the Emperor… which is a king (Basically) and a kings grandson would be a Prince…. so if Mulan married Shang who was a prince then Mulan would be a Princess through marriage…
Poccahontas was a native Indian princess, Kida definitly got ripped off… she SOOOO deserved the Princess title… I wonder abotu Gisele… she was a Disney princess.. BUT she was real life for a huge portion of the film… although Rapunzel is CGI which was unlike the other princesses… so I think Gisele should totally count!
also people always leave out Nala and Kiara!!! Well I guess Nala is a Queen… but Kiara soo deserves the Princess Title!
So I sit here and read all this nonsense about who is a Princess and who is not. I didnt want to say anything about it until I saw a post talking about Giselle. Now I MUST leave a comment. Giselle is my FAVORITE Princess! She had a very short life in Disney and im not sure why?! Can anyone explain this? I would love to have Disney have something Enchanted in the parks!!
Oh and Congrats on Rapunzel being coming a Princess! She does have the best Crown!
Also when Rapunzel goes over to the new princess meet and greet when its opened does that mean Flynn is going to leave just like all the other Princes?
I really hope Disney World would let the Princes come out and play for a meet and great of there own! please!!
Diffently watching this space for more details. My 3 year old daughter would love to be there too. Brightened up this dark rainey day perfectly. Thanks Disney, we love Rapunzel & would love to see her again 🙂
And Tiana wouldn’t let herself be counted among princesses, or wave at people in that posh, practiced way. She’d wave like regular folks and shake your hand! 🙂
I think it’s great fun that they’re doing this kind of event with the characters, but I find the content a little unsettling. There are so many Disney characters worth celebrating that could capture the imaginations of boys and girls of all ages, but instead it always seems to be the Princesses being aimed at girls and the pirates at boys. Just once I’d like to see an event celebrating someone like the Robinson family from “Meet the Robinsons” or Pinnochio.
When they made “The Princess and the Frog,” Disney once again demonstrated that they have a genuine moral and social conscience, and created a beautiful film that really meant something. They’re clearly aware that today’s popular “princess culture”‘ is damaging to the development of young girls and boys alike, so they created a wonderful character in Tiana, someone whose self-esteem comes from who she is on the inside rather than from being told she’s special and pretty all the time. I continue to be amazed by how amazing that movie is. But it feels like then some callous marketing folks got hold of the character and added her to the ongoing Princess brand in a somewhat thoughtless attempt to pander to what they think little girls must want. Just like all the other “princesses,” really… none of them were passive figures, they’re all strong, imaginative characters. And characters like Kida, Eilonwy, and even Nala and Esmerelda seem to get left out because they might not fit the mold. I’d be willing to bet that even the princess-branded books and stories try to teach valuable lessons, because the folks at Disney are good people. But the merchandise and events…
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the Disney princesses, I think they’re great, and princes and princesses are an integral part of fairy tales. I just think it’s sad and strangely divisive to market them like this. Why separate them from the other characters? It feels like cynically jumping on a trendy bandwagon, when Disney should be leading the way by giving people something to really bring them together and look up to. That’s what Disney’s always been about.
Mulan never married into a royel family and she isn’t born of royal so she cannot be a princess no matter if she deserves it or not.
Giselle is not a princess. She even says she’s not in the movie, but that she will be once she marries Prince Edward. She did not marry him, so she’s not a princess. On the other hand, Nancy Tremaine did marry Prince Edward, so she’s the only princess in “Enchanted.”
Does this mean that when the new Princess Meet and Greet opens in Fantasyland, Rapunzel and Flynn will be included there instead of their own queue? The wait at Disney World is too long and in the sun!
BELLE IS NOT A PRINCESS EITHER! When in the end of the film did the marriage between her and the prince happen? A marriage did not even happen in the Christimas movie that was made, in fact everyone hadn’t transformed yet. I remember in the end of the movie, there was a party but she wasn’t in a wedding dress. So, how is she a princess??
Katrina R. says she likes that Rapunzel is joining the greatest group of princessess ever!!! 🙂
It’s my little Princess’s birthday that day she will be 9 and would love to take part in this. Can’t wait to hear more details.
I think we would even be willing to travel from Scotland to take part.
Why isn’t Giselle on the list? She is one of my favorite princesses and she seems to have had a very short Disney life!!
Mulan and Pocahontas are better then Princesses! They are heros with Princess status!
I have the same question as a few others, my daughter’s 5th Birthday is October 2nd and we are going to Disney World to celebrate it. Please tell me there will be something special happening there as well? She loves Rapunzel and that would be such a unique birthday event. Please let us know.
Is there a way to go to this event?
Found this on how Disney chose who would be included as a “Disney Princess”:
The princesses to be featured in the line were chosen from classic Disney films. The characters were not chosen specifically for their royal titles, but rather for how well they fit into what Disney executives deemed “the Princess mythology”. Mulan is an example of this concept; she has no familial ties to royalty, but is still included in the character list. Tinker Bell was once included under the same principle before it was decided she was not suited for the “mythology”. [1] Recently, Tinker Bell has starred in her own Disney franchise, Disney Fairies. Other fairies were created specifically for the franchise. The line began with a book series by Gail Carson Levine, and has since spawned toys, direct-to-video movies and other products based on the characters.
What wonderful news for my little one! Rapunzel is her absolute favorite. We were at WDW last week and the wait time to see Rapunzel and Eugene was over 3 hours. Needless to say she admired them from afar. We will be visiting again in October, hopefully there will be a Fastpass to see the royal couple then…hint,hint Disney!
does it really matter. the point is that little girls love to see a “princess” no matter how she got her tiara 🙂
As a mother who few up as mann y of us did on Disney movies I welcome the likes of Pocahontas and Mulan as Disney Princesses. I love Ariel, and Belle, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty but they all are the same story of falling in love and never giving up hope in the face of adversity. Important lesson?Yes. But as a mom I am thankful to see more developed female characters. Mulan and Pocahontas didn’t wait to be rescued in my mind they are just as deserving of the Disney Princess title as any of the other girls 🙂
Please, promise me there will be a similar event taking place in Magic Kingdom at the same time?! We’ve killed ourselves to get the money together to be at WDW for the 40th anniversary, meanwhile, right on our doorstep in London, you’re having a huge celebration to welcome the princess we’re spending 9 hours on a plane with two 2-year-olds to go see!! It’s great that there’s a big Disney event in London, but please do it at MK too!!
Also, established by Disney, they are only 9 princesses (Rapunzel makes 10).
The other 9?
Snow White, Pocahontas, Aurora, Ariel, Tiana, Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, Mulan.
It’s very possible Mulan could be considered an honorary princess based on the fact that she, you know, saved an entire country and was then held in great respect by the Emperor. Pocahontas was a Native American princess. Meg, however, was not the star of Hercules nor did she really accomplish anything, so it’s safe to say she hasn’t really earned any honorary princess stature.
What about the girl in The Black Cauldron – she said she was princess whatever her name is.
How can we get a royal invite?
Yes, “technically” Mulan, Belle, & Tiana were not born royalty. They are commoners who married up. HA!
Yea, “technically” Mulan, Belle, & Tianna were not born as royalty. They are commoners that married up – LOL!
Your kidding me right. All this nonsense over who is a princess. Good lord I just like to get my child’s picture with them.
At #13, I totally agree! Giselle from Enchanted is one of our favorite princesses. How could they have overlooked her???
Let’s not forget Princess Tigerlily (Peter Pan) or Princess Eilonwy (The Black Cauldron). And, if you want to get technical, Princess Calla from The Gummi Bears.
@14 Giselle didn’t marry Prince Edward (Nancy did at the end)so she sin’t a princess.
To add to the discussion on the validity of Mulan’s princess-ship, I had asked Mulan herself a while back concerning this issue and she had explained to me that as a member of the Emperor’s Council and a wife to a high-ranking military officer, she is considered nobility to her people and therefore loosely considered a “princess.” Like some one had previously mentioned, the term of “princess” is used as more of an adjective and reserving that title for European princesses would not be inclusive of other cultures and their perspective of what a princess should be. This is also the case for Pocahontas who serves her people the same way that any European princess would, especially since she is born into the equivalent of the royal family to her people. If you wanted to be strict about everything, Belle would not be a princess to her people as she is not married to the Beast and is not a member of the nobility, but they do look to her as the girl that broke the spell and saved the prince. Just sayin’ ;D
@ Eric and Francis: I totally forgot about Kida, but that means that there are in fact eleven Disney princesses now. Another oft forgotten Disney princess is Eilonwy from the “Black Cauldron”.
Back on topic though, Rapunzel is currently my favorite, and I’m glad to see her welcomed in to the Royal Court. Congratulations, Rapunzel!
I plan to be in the Magic Kingdom on that day. I hope they do something special there as well although I hear the line to see Rapunzel now is outragous.
And wasn’t there also a princess in the Black Cauldron?
Why are you all freaking out about Mulan being a princess? Disney can call her what ever they want she is there character! I promise it will be okay if she doesn’t really have “royal blood”. They are fictional characters guys! If you tell a a young kid whos favorite character is Mulan that Mulan isn’t a princess they would be crushed.
I forgot about kida!!
@12 good job i forgot about her and yes she does make ten!!!! now my mind is at ease
How exciting! My sister’s family is visiting WDW this Fall and it will be my niece and nephew’s first visit. My niece is a HUGE fan of Rapunzel. Is there a place where she will be able to meet her for photos?
Well, Pocoahontas IS an indian princess, and isn’t the leader of the Royal army in Mulan (the guy she ends up with) the emperor’s grandson, or son? Anyway… close enough for me!! Love them all, royal blood or not!
What about Giselle from Enchanted?!
THIS IS FOR ERIC, HER NAME IS Kida’s she is frrm disneys Atlantis: the lost empire.
“Princess” isn’t an adjective, it’s a status: I’m not an “emperor” just because I might feel like one.
Pocahontas was a “princess” if her dad was the Chief–Mulan’s dad was a common citizen, and Shang was a general, so she is not.
Hercules was still a regular-guy when they were married, so Megara is not a princess.
Alice, and Mary Poppins are not princesses (where the heck did THAT come from?), and Tinkerbell is, by both the Hollow and Peter’s opinion, “rather common”.
Even without Mulan, however, there ARE still ten Disney Princesses. Trivia points for whoever can name the eighth Disney Princess, also in the last ten years.
(Think “White hair” and “Blue glow”. 🙂 )
I don’t understand why Mulan gets to be a princess when Megara (who married, basically, a god) does not. Little girls love Meg and Disney does not show her off enough. She is such a fantastic character and they’ve basically just hidden her away.
I don’t understand why Mulan gets to be a princess, but Megara (who married, basically, a god) is not. Little girls love Meg and Disney doesn’t show her off enough.
LOL! Really? I think it’s up to DISNEY to decide who is a DISNEY princess…and clearly Mulan and Pocahontas have been included when neither are what would classically consider a “princess”.
Not a huge fan of Rapunzel, she just doesn’t seem to fit like the other Princesses. Probably because shes the first CGI one.
Though I do wish Tiana had a better ceremony. Just felt like Disney didn’t really care, considering it looks like she’s the last animated Disney Princess.
MULAN IS NOT!!!!! A PRINCESS???? WHEN DID SHE MARRY A PRINCE AND I NEVER KNEW HER TO BE OF ROYAL BLOOD…WHO MADE HER A PRINCESS????? DISNEY NEEDS TO COUNT THERE ROYALTY CORRECTLY CAUSE LAST TIME I CHECKED MULAN WASNT A PRINCESS…WHAT A SCAM…. DNT GET ME WRONG I LOVE MULAN BUT SHE ISNT A PRINCESS.
@4 – Yeah, and thought Mulan HATED wearing that pink/purple dress! 😉
But Rapunzel is more than welcome to the classic club:
Tiana seemed like she was brought in too quickly, as more of a “sympathy” vote to prove a point–But this new one earned her status the old fashioned way.
Mulan is a princess?
I have 4 special princesses (AKA granddaughters) and we are happy to welcome Rapunzel to the Disney Princess family.
It sounds like a wonderful time will be had by all! Congratulations Rapunzel on your upcoming day in the sun, with a smile like yours I am sure you will be beaming.
My daughter Amelia is standing right here very excited about this, saying her favorite princesses are Ariel and Rapunzel. 🙂
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