Disney Princesses and Star Wars. That about sums up a good percentage of our childhoods. However, since Disney purchased Lucasfilms, and therefore the Star Wars franchise, some fans have begun wondering… is Princess Leia now a Disney Princess? Let’s look at the facts.
What does it take to be a Disney Princess?:
According to the official Disney Princess Wikia page, a Disney Princess must meet three requirements. They must be the primary character in a Disney animated feature, they must be human or human-like, and must not have been introduced in a sequel. Now, for the most part, Leia meets all of these requirements, except for “animated.” That’s a strike against her, it seems.
Why Do We Have “Official Disney Princesses?”:
As it turns out, the official “Disney Princess” line is all about marketing, according to this Deadline article. The official line apparently didn’t exist until after Andy Mooney—the Chairmen of the Walt Disney Company’s Disney Consumer Products division during the late 1990’s—realized children were dressing up in knock-off princess gear because there weren’t any official products yet. So the “official Disney Princess” line was to increase marketing on their successful princesses. Now, you may have noticed the inescapable Elsa and Ana, despite meeting all of the previous requirements, have not been inducted as “official Disney Princesses.” This is because they are so successful, that they have their own line and don’t need the assistance of the Disney Princess franchise. This is where Leia comes in. Leia is iconic and brings in a staggering amount of money. According to the same Deadline article, Star Wars merch made $3 billion dollars in just the first quarter of 2016. So, does Leia really need the Disney Princess logo?
Carrie Fisher:
We can’t talk about Leia without talking about Carrie Fisher, the real icon. The thing is, Fisher was always very open about the impact Leia had on her life. Before she died, she even released an entire book about it. If you want a little idea of what I mean, though, here’s an excerpt from an NPR interview that begins with her discussing the book and how uncomfortable the sexualization of her character occasionally made her. Her discussing this isn’t bad. In fact, it’s amazing that she’s so open, but there is a level of honesty there about the character that Disney probably wouldn’t love if Leia was given the official Princess title and added attention.
Verdict?:
It looks like Leia isn’t a Disney Princess guys. At least, not an official one. But I don’t think you guys are too heartbroken over it. In our poll on our official Twitter (@HCHamline), 40% of you said she’s not a Disney Princess, and the other 60% of you decided “She’s a general, bish.”
If you don’t agree, don’t be too disheartened. This doesn’t mean Leia isn’t one of the most badass Princesses out there.