What Country Does Each Disney Princess Come From?
As important as Mickey Mouse is to the overarching company that is Disney, the Disney Princesses are one of the most iconic parts of the studio. Starting all the way back in 1937 with Snow White as the first princess, the long line of royalty hasn’t stopped. The iconic Disney princess formula includes music of some kind, a very kind young girl or woman, and their desire to do good in the world. And it also might involve a dead mother, but that’s another story.
But did you know that every Disney princess also comes from a real place in the world? While exact kingdoms like Arendelle or Agrabah don’t exist, the countries they reside in do. Here’s a list of which country each Disney princess comes from.
Mulan — China
Technically, Mulan is not a princess. However, she is a part of the Disney Princess merchandise line. So, she’s included here; plus, she’s such a cool character. China and the country’s culture are big parts of her story, and it’s the country she’s fighting for in the film. The music also takes on a bit of Chinese style as well. Plus, the movie is based on a Chinese legend of Hua Mulan.
Belle — France
The live-action film makes this a bit more obvious, but yes, Beauty and the Beast takes place in France. But even in the original, there are hints like with what they eat and the fact that Lumiere has a very strong French accent.
Moana — Polynesian Islands
The cast of Moana comes from several places like Hawaii and New Zealand that have indigenous, Polynesian cultures like the Māori. It came under criticism for mixing cultures within that and the way it was marketed, but this is where the movie takes place.
Snow White — Germany
As BuzzFeed points out, Snow White takes place in Germany, which can be deduced thanks to the storybook used in the beginning and the furniture in the dwarfs’ home. Plus, they yodel and which can also come from Germany. Plus it’s based off a Brothers Grimm fairytale, and they were German.
Jasmine — Arabian Peninsula (probably)
Jasmine is a little harder. Aladdin opens up with the song “Arabian Nights” but doesn’t quite say where in the Arabian Peninsula they are. Agrabah isn’t a real place, although it was originally going to be Baghdad. So, out of the countries in that area of the Middle East, it could be Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates.
Cinderella — France
Cinderella also takes place in France. This can also be figured out by the type of house and architecture we see Cinderella live in, plus the fairytale was written by Charles Perrault, who is also French.
Sleeping Beauty/Aurora — France or England? Maybe Germany?
Sleeping Beauty’s location is a tough one, and actually is a bit of a debate. The fairytale was written by Perrault as well, which would suggest France. Plus, the film has the French national anthem and the French symbol fleur-de-lis. But the Brothers Grimm also wrote a version. To add to that, BuzzFeed also thinks it’s set in England because the name Briar Rose is a common flower there (even though the German Brothers Grimm also used that in their writing). So, who knows. But she’s definitely European (unless you don’t consider England European).
Ariel — Denmark
Going off of the author of the story, Hans Christian Andersen is Danish and a statue of The Little Mermaid can be found in Copenhagen. But Travel.com points out that some people think it’s set in the Caribbean because of the type of sea animals they show.
Pocahontas — America, Virginia
Obviously, because a major point of the movie has to do with colonization and settlers coming to America from Britain, Pocahontas takes place in America. And to be more specific, the real-life Pocahontas came from a tribe near Jamestown, Virginia.
Anna and Elsa — Norway
Disney World made this one a little easier to figure out where Anna and Elsa are from when they put their ride in the Norway part of Epcot. That is, if you couldn’t tell by some of the accents and words in Frozen. Especially by Oaken’s “Big summer blowout!” scene.
Tiana — America, Louisiana
The Princess and the Frog probably has the easiest location, because it’s talked about a lot in the film and is a major part of Tiana’s identity. New Orleans, LA plays such a big role in the film, and audiences can see the Mardi Gras parade tradition, along with Voodoo, and the special graves. Not to mention the lovely bayou.
Rapunzel — Germany
Despite many thinking that Rapunzel predicted coronavirus, she didn’t. And where does this long-haired princess hail from? Germany, probably. Her kingdom of Corona is fictional (and, again, not the cause for COVID-19). The original fairytale is set in Germany, but that’s really all we have to go off of. Sounds like the best bet.
Merida — Scotland
Scratch Tiana’s answer: Merida’s home in Brave is the most obvious. What with Merida’s thick accent, the scenery, and castles, Scotland is wildly obvious in her story.
