If you’re a diehard Disney fan, you’ve probably enjoyed many of the studios’ fairy tale adaptations over many decades. What started out as just bringing classic fairy tales to life through the use of animation turned out to become the Disney Princess franchise, which currently encompasses 12 beloved characters from different movies.
It’s safe to say that the bar is very high for Disney Princess films, as there is always a lot of anticipation surrounding new characters that will join the ranks. Since 1937, Disney has been giving us princesses to cheer for and be inspired by, but some movies have worked better than others. Read below to find out how the treasured Disney Princess movies rank on IMDb.
POCAHONTAS – 6.7
Pocahontas was released in 1995, which is the period known as the Disney Renaissance. While there is no doubt that the music and animation in Pocahontas is perfection, the film was met with concerns regarding its adaptation of the story of an important Native-American figure.
When it comes to Disney Princesses, Pocahontas is the lowest-rated film of the franchise. On IMDb, the movie has a 6.7 score, being the only Disney Princess film with a score below 7.
BRAVE – 7.1
In 2012, Pixar took a shot at creating its own Disney Princess. With Brave, Disney and Pixar tried to break the mold and show how Disney Princesses could stand up for themselves and needed no saving.
While the intention behind Brave was certainly admirable, the film did not resonate with audiences the same way that other Disney Princess movies did. On IMDb, Brave has a score of 7.1, which is lower than most of the films in the Disney Princess franchise.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG – 7.1
There were many objectives at play during the release of 2009’s The Princess and the Frog. First and foremost, Disney wanted to finally introduce an African-American princess to its royal lineup, owning up to certain criticisms regarding its almost all-white Disney Princess franchise. Moreover, Disney marketed The Princess and the Frog as a return to its classic hand-drawn animation style, despite the growing trend of computer-generated animation.
On IMDb, The Princess and the Frog has a 7.1 score, tying the film with Brave. It is not necessarily a bad score in the grand scheme of things, but it is still quite low in comparison to other Disney Princess movies.
SLEEPING BEAUTY – 7.2
Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959, which makes Aurora the third Disney Princess in history. On IMDb, Sleeping Beauty has a 7.2 score, making it a middle-of-the-pack movie within this franchise.
In 2014, the Sleeping Beauty story was revived with Maleficent, a live-action reboot starring Angelina Jolie. However, with a 7.0 score, Maleficent fell short of meeting the critical acclaim behind the original Disney Princess film.
CINDERELLA – 7.3
Nothing was the same for Disney after the release of 1950’s Cinderella. All in all, this movie singlehandedly revived the studio, which had been struggling in the 1940s. After Cinderella, Disney not only able to keep the lights on, but also be taken seriously as a film studio in Hollywood. On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.3.
In 2015, Disney released the live-action adaptation of Cinderella. While it is lauded as one of the best live-action adaptations from the studio, 2015’s Cinderella has a score of 6.9 on IMDb, which is lower than the original Disney Princess film.
MOANA – 7.6
There are quite a few Disney Princess movies that have a 7.6 score on IMDb, and Moana is one of them.
While there is some debate among Disney fans regarding whether or not Moana should be considered a princess, make no mistake: she is officially part of the Disney Princess franchise. As far as release dates go, Moana is also the newest addition to the royal Disney lineup, as her movie came out in 2016.
MULAN – 7.6
In 1998, Disney adapted the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and turned the character into a Disney Princess. While this is a beloved film with a fantastic soundtrack and great characters, it faced certain criticism for its Westernized adaptation of such a story. Still, the movie has a 7.6 score on IMDb, which means that audiences and critics responded well to the film.
In an attempt to correct the mistakes that it made with the 1998 original, Disney is releasing a live-action Mulan in 2020, promising that the story will more closely resemble the actual Chinese legend.
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS – 7.6
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the original Disney animated movie, and features the first-ever official Disney Princess in the studios’ history. Released in 1937, Snow White quickly won the hearts of audiences and the praise of critics, prompting an important revolution in the animation genre.
More than 80 years later, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is far from a perfect movie for contemporary audiences. However, it is impossible to deny its importance to animation as a whole and its place in the history of filmmaking. On IMDb, Snow White has a score of 7.6.
THE LITTLE MERMAID – 7.6
The movie that kicked off the Disney Renaissance was 1989’s The Little Mermaid, breathing in new life for the studio. With a jaw-dropping animation of characters who lived under the sea, an undeniably catchy soundtrack full of memorable songs, and a classic fairy tale story about hope, magic, and love, The Little Mermaid quickly captured the hearts and minds of Disney fans.
On IMDb, The Little Mermaid has a score of 7.6, which is the same score earned by Moana, Mulan, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Currently, Disney is working on a live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid that will feature singer Halle Bailey as Ariel.
TANGLED – 7.7
It may seem shocking to some, but Tangled is the third highest-rated Disney Princess movie of all time on IMDb. With a 7.7 score, 2010’s Tangled beats out almost every other film in the franchise.
The classic story of Rapunzel certainly resonated with audiences and proved that Disney was ready for a comeback in the 2010s. In the subsequent years, the studio would also release huge hits such as Frozen, Zootopia, and Moana.
ALADDIN – 8.0
1992’s Aladdin is the only Disney Princess movie that simply references a male character in the title, but that doesn’t mean that Jasmine isn’t all over that film and as important to the story as her love interest. With an 8.0 score on IMDb, Aladdin is tied with another movie as the highest-rated Disney Princess film of all time.
In 2019, Disney released a live-action adaptation of Aladdin, which has a 7.0 score on IMDb. In it, Princess Jasmine has an even larger role than she already had in the original animated feature.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – 8.0
Tied with Aladdin for an 8.0 score, 1991’s Beauty and the Beast has the highest IMDb score of any Disney Princess movie. The appeal of Belle’s story has certainly evolved over the years, but that does not change the wonderful and magical experience of watching Beauty and the Beast.
Disney released a live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast in 2017, which has a score of 7.1 on IMDb. In many ways, it was the astounding commercial success of the live-action Beauty and the Beast — which crossed $1 billion at the box office — that convinced Disney to make more of these reboots.
