On Disney Princesses, Love at First Sight, and Happily Ever After

Snow White, awakened from an enchanted sleep by true love's kiss, goes off to marry Prince Charming and lives happily ever after.

Cinderella goes to the ball and meets the prince, who she falls in love with and marries after he finds her by use of the glass slipper.

Ariel rescued Eric from drowning, and gave up her life under the sea to marry him for her happily ever after.

Anna bumps into Hans when she runs through Arendale, and it's love at first sight, happily ever after . . . or not.

I like Disney princess movies, a lot. My favorites are Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Frozen. For some reason, though I grew up on Snow White and Cinderella, I didn't really care very much for princess movies until I saw Beauty and the Beast. After seeing Frozen, I realized that my favorite Disney Princess movies are the ones where the girl doesn't fall in love with the prince until she gets to know him. I also articulated a thought I had, and had heard some of.

When Snow White first meets Prince Charming, he has climbed over the wall of her house and scared her half to death by being a stalker. Then later, still not having ever spoken to him, she is perfectly willing to go off and marry him.

Cinderella doesn't know her prince. They met at the ball, and, after spending a few hours together, he will do all he can to find the girl who the glass slipper fits, so he can marry her. And she's going around the castle in a trance singing "So This Is Love."

Ariel is the worst. She wasn't even supposed to be at the surface, but after seeing Eric, she will trade her soul to be with him. And after defeating Ursula, her father even gives her a happily ever after for her disobedience.

None of them really knew their prince. This is where I have to quote Elsa, "You can't marry a man you just met."

Belle doesn't. She doesn't like the Beast until he stops being a beast and starts being a hero. She was only in his castle because she sacrificed herself so her father could go free. Rapunzel doesn't fall in love with Flynn until he realizes thievery isn't worth it and decides to be a hero instead. She even says she likes Eugene Fitzherbert better than Flynn Ryder.

And then we come to Anna and Hans. "Love is an open door." "You and I were just meant to be." And within a day of knowing each other, they are engaged. Only Anna's sister Elsa won't bless the marriage.

FROZEN SPOILER You'd think in the Disney tradition true love would pull through and Anna and Hans would be happily ever after, but they're not. Hans turns out to be the bad guy, after his own kingdom, and he's willing to kill both Anna and Elsa to get it. Kristoff, who is against marrying someone you just met and someone Anna actually gets to know, is her real happily ever after. END FROZEN SPOILER

Frozen turns the stereotype on its head and I like that.

So, while I like Snow White, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid, I prefer Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Frozen. They're funnier anyway, and the songs are more fun to sing.