These lovely ladies are smart, strong and leaders, but they don’t seem to get the same recognition that their royal counterparts get.
1. Megara from Hercules
Although in the movie she started out as working for Hades, Megara is easily dismissed because she technically wasn’t ever a princess. She’s witty and smart, eventually outsmarting Hades from her contract and helping Hercules save Thebes. Meg could technically be considered a Disney princess by marriage to Hercules, but he gave up his god-like status to be with her. She’s powerful because she used her brain and her heart when making decisions, and didn’t take any crap from anyone.
2.Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet
A contract Captain with the intergalactic federation of planets, Amelia led a space treasure hunting expedition on Treasure Planet. She holds her own even after injury and a mutiny on her ship, and keeps herself and everyone else together when everything around them is falling apart. Her vast vocabulary may be lost on some of the younger viewers, but she really is a pretty sharp cat.
3. Jane from Tarzan
An educated biologist traveling to uncharted lands with her father, Jane is another intellectual Disney has shown searching for answers. Jane keeps a level head and manages to not only teach Tarzan fluent English but astronomy, poetry and all about the arts. She seems to be out of her comfort zone most of the movie, but took it in stride.
4. Kida from Atlantis the lost Empire
A warrior princess, and obviously loved by her people, Kida was first shown doing patrols of her vast kingdom, even though she was a princess. Throughout the whole movie Kida is looking for answers on how to fix her dying city and save her people. She speaks countless languages and is shown trying to learn about all of the cultures of the ‘surface world’ in the movie.
5. Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Although she herself was a gentle soul and cared for her own people, Esmeralda took care of herself and her goat Djali. Esmeralda also saved many of her gypsy people from their demise. She put herself in danger and was almost burned at the stake for her beliefs, but never held back.
What other non-royals seem to be shielded from the limelight, despite being amazing or inspiring characters?