Every girl wants to be a Princess!

I just got back from Disney World (seriously, yesterday!). It was a great trip. I mean, Florida in winter, Mickey Mouse, no e-mail access (well, okay, that bothered me a little but it did force me to just let go of work)… how could it not be great? Besides the fact that it was fifty degrees warmer there than where I live, and I got to spend seven uninterrupted days with my kids and parents, Discover card now loves me even more than they did before (which was really, really a lot anyway!).

But I thought about you all while I was gone! *G* I brought back some gifts! But to get them, you have to keep reading!

I want to talk about Disney movies. I love them. The animated ones in particular (though National Treasure and Pirates of the Carribean (I-III, though I is the best in my opinion) are definitely favorites). Pretty much all of them. I’m not crazy about Dumbo (I won’t go into why) and did not really enjoy Ratatouille (even animated rats in the kitchen kind of creep me out). But otherwise, I absolutely can not pick a favorite.

At Disney World, specifically the Magic Kingdom, you can’t walk more than fifty feet without seeing a Disney princess. Most of them are little girls (age 8 and under) dressed up, but of course you run into “cast members” depicting the heroines of these great movies from time to time. Which got me to thinking about heroines and why I like the ones I do. I have three favorite princesses. And, as un-American as it may seem, Cinderella is not one of them.

I love her castle. I love the Fairy Godmother. The mice are cute. But the girl herself kind-of bugs me. She just cleans and slaves for her step-mother, never tells her step-sisters to go to hell, rushes home so as not to miss curfew even when there’s a hot guy wanting to make out with her and then waits around for Prince Charming to come to her rescue.

Same with Sleeping Beauty. Now, okay, she’s cursed at birth. Not really her fault. But still, she needs rescuing. She isn’t even awake for it. And then there’s Snow White. Yeah, she finally runs away, but then becomes the housekeeper for seven men. At least Cinderella is cleaning her own house. And can you imagine the mess seven men could make? Yikes. Then she eats the poison apple, from an obviously disturbed old woman, falls asleep and again has to wait around to be rescued. Please.

The gals I like are, in order: Jasmine (the princess in Aladdin), Mulan (in, appropriately, Mulan) and Belle (in Beauty and the Beast). And I’ll tell you why. *G*

Jasmine is a strong woman. She stands up to her father, refusing to marry a man she doesn’t love. She also stands up to the evil Jafar, even at the end when he becomes a powerful sorcerer and could snuff her out with a flick of his wrist, she stands up and does what needs to be done, risking her own life to save her friends and her love. Plus, she gets to fly around on a magic carpet and she looks great in that blue whatchamacallit that she wears. Wish I could pull that off.

Mulan, similarly, stands up for what she believes. She even rides into battle, disguised as a man so that she will be accepted and allowed to fight. She’s tough, smart and sassy.

Finally, Belle. She’s a little softer than the other two. She doesn’t wield a sword. She’s the daughter of an inventor, preferring to spend time with books rather than people. But she’s tough in her own right. She puts herself in danger to save her father, she agrees to spend her life in a dungeon in exchange for her father’s release, and she faces the Beast in spite of her fear. Hard not to admire that. Besides, she comes to love the Beast for who he is, not how he looks. Good role model, eh?

So, are you a Disney movie fan? How about the Princesses? Who are your favorites and why?

Everyone who comments will get entered to win a Disney prize! I have two pins: one of Mulan and one of Belle (I couldn’t find one of Jasmine, dammit) and chocolate! I’ll give you a few days. I’ll draw the winners on Tuesday (the 26th), so be sure to include your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you!

Kind-of tan, definitely relaxed and already hating the ice and snow again,
Erin