Summary

• Disney princesses, including Elsa and Anna from Frozen, face mature problems despite being rather young in age.
• Anna was 18 and Elsa was 21 in the first Frozen movie, both older than most Disney princesses.
• Snow White was only 14 in the original movie, showing how Disney has evolved the ages of princesses over time.

Disney princesses, including Frozen's Elsa and Anna, get involved in all types of dangerous situations despite how old many of them are, and the ages of Disney princesses might surprise many audience members. Many of the problems these princesses face are also very mature, relating to powerful magic and vengeful villains, and they often end up marrying a prince or ruling a country by the movie's end. Most of the princesses in Disney's most famous stories are actually rather young, still teenagers when their adventures take place.

Walt Disney Pictures made history in 1937 when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs debuted. Since then, the studio has produced over 100 animated films, but it continues to be best known for its stories starring female characters who are either born as, or later become, princesses. The criteria for becoming an official Disney princess have changed over time, but what they all have in common (besides being either born or married into royalty) is an animal sidekick and a coming-of-age story.

How Old Are Elsa & Anna In Frozen?

Elsa Was 21 During The First Movie's Coronation

Characters like Mulan and Moana are part of the official Disney princess lineup, despite technically not being princesses, but Frozen's Elsa and Anna are not. Although they were born royal, have songs of their own, and were both queens at one point, Elsa and Anna aren't considered part of the Disney princess franchise as Frozen is its own Disney franchise instead.

In the first Frozen movie, Elsa's age was 21, while Anna was 18. Considering Frozen revolved around Elsa's coronation, it's refreshing to see that Arendelle waited until she was a more appropriate age to receive the queen title. Frozen II occurred after a 3-year time jump, with Elsa now 24 and Anna 21. The financially successful Frozen movies seem to be one of the few animated Disney franchises to consider 21 an ideal age to rule. Elsa and Anna's ages are considerably older than the average princess.

Snow White's Age In Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

She Was Only 14 Years Old In The Original Movie

The first Disney princess, Snow White was only 14 years old when she had to face off against the Evil Queen. She wasn't even old enough to be put in the position of ruling a country, but the Wicked Queen was determined to end her life because she was jealous of Snow White's beauty. Snow White lived in the woods, hiding from her stepmother, and then married the person who helped save her. It's a very turbulent time for a young teenager, and certainly a darker story for a child than the audience might have expected.

There have been many live-action adaptations of this story, two of which came out in 2012. Mirror Mirror, a family-friendly musical interpretation, starred Lily Collins, who was 23 years old at the movie's release. The much more mature movie adaptation, Snow White and the Huntsman starred Kristen Stewart, who was 22 years old. Both actresses were aged up quite a bit to tell the rather dark story, a trend which will be continuing with Disney's latest Snow White remake, set to come out in 2024. Its star, Rachel Zegler, will be over 21 by the time it comes out.

Where to Watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Cinderella's Age In Cinderella

She Was 19 Years Old In The Original Movie

The second Disney princess in Disney's animated movies, Cinderella was a few years older than Snow White. She's technically an adult, but living as an employee of her stepmother more than as a member of the family. Cinderella was 19 years old in her original movie, between the ages of her two cruel stepsisters, both of whom were fixated on finding a husband. Because Cinderella's movie was set in the 1800s, it does make sense that her stepsisters would be obsessed with finding a husband at their ages.

They were at the age to start their own household, despite it being Cinderella who did most of the work to maintain their lifestyle. The story of Cinderella has had quite possibly the most remakes out of any princess, but Disney's 2015 adaptation followed the original story the closest. The movie starred Lily James in the title role, who was 26 years old when the film first came out. In that live-action remake, however, Cinderella's age wasn't made a major part of the story, just as it isn't in the animated version.

Aurora's Age In Sleeping Beauty

She Was 16 Years Old In The Movie, But The Original Story Was Much Darker

Aurora was 16 years old in Sleeping Beauty, and far too young to be cursed to sleep forever. Like many of Grimm's original fairy tales, which inspired the Disney versions, Aurora's story was originally much darker, especially when considering her age. Aurora spent most of her life as a Disney princess sheltered from anyone and anything that could harm her. Her family even sent her to live with fairies in the woods to prevent her from pricking her finger on a spinning wheel.

She was still relatively young when Maleficent's curse came to fruition and her family's entire kingdom was put under the influence of a sleeping curse. Maleficent, which retold her story from the villain's point of view, actually cast an actress of the same age to play Aurora: Elle Fanning was 16 the year Maleficent premiered. Though the live-action movie took a different route for the story of Sleeping Beauty, it did capture the innocence of Aurora in a way that was comparable to the animated movie.

Where to Watch Sleeping Beauty

Ariel's Age In The Little Mermaid

She Was 16 Years Old When She Left The Sea For The Human World

When The Little Mermaid debuted in 1989, Ariel was the Disney princess meant to embody curiosity. Ariel's age isn't the first thing people remember about the character; instead, they remember how her naive view of the world and her desire to follow her dreams were nearly shattered by Ursula the Sea Witch. The Disney princess Ariel was 16 years old when she left her father's kingdom to meet her true love in the human world. That was a huge step for a teenager and one that would have her viewed as a teenage runaway in modern society.

The 2023 The Little Mermaid remake stars Halle Bailey, who was 23 years old at the movie's release and makes Ariel 18 instead. While the live-action movie gave Ariel more agency and her desire to get to the surface was fueled by her curiosity about the human world, much of the story remained the same of a young woman tricked into giving up her voice to fuel someone else's revenge plot. Ariel, in both stories, was a dreamer who just wanted to be free to explore her dreams, and that's something any 16-year-old can identify with.

Where to Watch The Little Mermaid

Belle's Age In Beauty And The Beast

She Was 17 Years Old In The Original Disney Movie

Disney princess Belle had elements of both Ariel and Cinderella's personality, and coincidentally, her age fell in between the two as well. She was a dreamer and just as curious as Ariel, and willing to give people the benefit of the doubt that others didn't trust. Like Cinderella, she felt the pressure of caring for the rest of her family, though in her case, it was her absent-minded father.

Belle was 17 years old in Beauty of the Beast. Her age is mostly fitting for her character since she had a balance of teen aspiration and adult responsibility, hinting at her coming-of-age story. Belle being 17, however, might get the audience wondering about how big of an age gap there was between her and her prince since he was cursed years before they met, The lead actress in Disney's live-action remake, Emma Watson, was 10 years older at the time, at 27.

Jasmine's Age In Aladdin

Jasmine Was 15 Years Old, But She Was Significantly Aged Up For The Live-Action Remake

Jasmine was only 15 years old when royal suitors fought for her hand in Aladdin. Knowing Jasmine's age puts a decidedly unsavory spin on her storyline in the original animated movie. At least the Disney princesses that came before her were falling in love on their own, not being pushed into relationships by her father. It also makes the scene in which Jasmine flirts with Jafar in order to distract him from Aladdin all the more distasteful. Jafar was the advisor to her father, and comparable in age, making his interest in Jasmine decidedly creepy.

Disney's 2019 live-action remake rightly decided that Jasmine's actress should not remain that young and cast Naomi Scott, who was 26 years old at the time of release. Of course, the live-action remake also gave Jasmine even more say in her future, allowing her to become the leader of her people instead of her future husband, changing her story for the better in more ways than one.

Pocahontas' Age In Pocahontas

She Was 18 Years Old In The Movie, Older Than The Real Pocahontas

Pocahontas was 18 years old for her movie, which is actually most likely older than the real historical figure when she met John Smith. There are a lot of liberties taken with the narrative in the Disney movie compared to the actual history of Pocahontas' life, but aging her up is probably one of the better decisions for the story the movie wanted to tell. A woman falling in love with a charming soldier isn't a hard story to swallow, but a child doing the same wouldn't have worked as well.

Pocahontas is a classic Disney princess film without a live-action remake. The original composer, Alan Menken, has said (via Digital Spy) that it's the one movie likely not to get remade due to the controversial content and legacy of the original.

Mulan's Age In Mulan

She Was 16 Years Old In The Animation But Double That Age In The Live-Action Remake

Mulan was 16 years old when she left to join the army in her father's place. Disney's 2020 remake cast Yifei Liu, who was 33 years old when the movie premiered. This is one of the largest age gaps between the original character and their live-action Disney remake counterpart, but it makes sense considering how the story deals with the harsh realities of war.

It also makes sense given that both the animated movie and the live-action remake are inspired by a folk tale that could have already taken liberties with the story of Mulan. Mulan's family has been trying to find her a husband for some time, so aging her up instead of leaving her mother trying to create a child-bride out of Mulan is the better choice. It's also more believable to have a full-grown woman who has more strength and skill than a teenager embed herself in the army.

Where to Watch Mulan

Giselle's Age In Enchanted

Her Age Is Never Revealed, But Actor Amy Adams Was 33 Years Old At The Time

By far the oldest Disney princess, Enchanted (and Disenchanted's) Giselle meets all the same criteria but is noteworthy for appearing in both live-action and animated form in her own movie. Her age is never officially specified, but it's assumed to be around 30, and Amy Adams was 33 when the movie premiered in 2007.

It's interesting that Giselle was one of the oldest Disney princesses because she was also one of the most naive in her original appearance. While other princesses, like Ariel and Belle, were more trusting than they should have been, Giselle took the cake in that regard. She didn't see the possibility of evil, or even something as simple as jealousy or selfishness, in someone until she'd already been hurt by it. She did whatever she wanted without thinking about how it affected others. At least Belle worried about her father and Jasmine looked for ulterior motives.

Tiana's Age In The Princess and the Frog

She's 19 Years Old, One Of The Oldest Disney Princesses

Tiana is another one of the oldest Disney princesses, though that's the case at only 19 years old. Although her story ended in romance like most other Disney princesses, her main prize throughout the movie was furthering her career by opening a restaurant. Tiana was also one of the few princesses who married into royalty, having no royal lineage herself.

Unlike many other Disney princesses, Tiana's age was on par with her storyline in the movie. In the Jazz Age, times were tough, and she was a young adult trying to support herself while still following her dreams. Her dreams were grounded in her reality, and she wasn't as naive to the world as other Disney princesses were. Tiana marked the point at which the ages of Disney princesses began to more accurately reflect their characters.

Rapunzel's Age In Tangled

She's 18 & Her Relationship With Flynn Is One Of The Biggest Age Gaps

Rapunzel was 18 years old in Tangled, one of the few Disney princess movies in which the love interest, however briefly, dies. (Rapunzel and Flynn/Eugene also have the biggest known romance age gap, at 8 years). Rapunzel had the unique blend of youthful exuberance and wisdom that a lot of Disney princesses shared, but she also seemingly went backward in terms of being naive. Rapunzel being naive to the ways of the world, however, had an in-universe explanation that most of the other Disney princesses didn't have.

The Tangled movie's Rapunzel sometimes acts more youthful than her actual age as a result of spending her whole life locked away in a tower. She led an extremely sheltered life and still managed to teach herself a lot of useful skills and keep an open mind. Her falling in love with the first man she met might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's one of the first paths in life she's allowed to choose for herself, so it's hard to fault her for that.

Merida's Age In Brave

She Is 16 In The Pixar Animation

One of the Disney Pixar princesses, Merida's story moved away from having a love interest when she decided she wanted to challenge her suitors for the honor of her own hand. She wanted her freedom and her independence, not to be married off to a nobleman. Merida was only 16 years old in Brave, so it made sense why she had no real interest in getting married anytime soon.

Merida's parents wanting to find her a husband, however, actually also made sense. It wasn't uncommon even up through the 1800s for royalty to arrange marriages for princes and princesses in their infancy. Merida had something of a late start since her parents waited until she was a teenager to attempt to arrange her marriage for her.

Moana's Age In Moana

Moana Was 16, Like Many Other Princesses, During The Film

Moana was also 16 years old when she, like many of the other princesses, disobeyed her parents to do what she thought was right. Her journey was in many ways one of the most frightening of all the princesses, as she had to face a powerful deity with the help of an uncooperative demigod.

Moana's journey at 16 might seem like one of the most adult since she jumped into a boat and began sailing across the ocean, but it's also reflective of her mindset as a rebellious teenager since she does that without actually knowing how to sail at first. Maui had to teach her, and it's a sign of her growing maturity that she asked him for help, and that she was willing to take the journey at all. It isn't clear if Moana will still be 16 years old in the Moana live-action remake.

Raya's Age In Raya And The Last Dragon

She Is 18 Years Old (& Between 10-12 In The Flashbacks)

Raya and the Last Dragon challenges Disney tropes right and left, one of which is the fact that Raya, like her most recent predecessors, never had a love interest. For most of the film, the heroine was 18 years old. That is on par with many of the other recent Disney princess additions, but when thinking about what happened in between the movie's present-day and its flashbacks, it makes Raya's story a little darker.

The first few scenes of the movie were flashbacks showing her at a younger age, most likely 10-12. The world then essentially encounters its version of an apocalypse, leaving Raya without her parent and having to utilize whatever skills she has to survive. That's pretty heavy for a 12-year-old, so it's no wonder that Raya trusted no one and was willing to fight for a way to help her world heal.

Why The Disney Princess Ages Make Their Romances Problematic

Because most animated Disney movies are meant to be family-friendly, none of the princesses or romances are overtly sexualized, but it's still alarming that most of Disney's female leads get married and have to rule kingdoms while they're still minors. It can be scandalous to learn that these characters were getting married as young as 14 years old, especially when looking back at Disney princess classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

It is worth noting that the Disney princess ages are from the source material, and the princesses' character designs are intentionally not childlike, but the studio shouldn't have to draw 14-year-old characters that look like they're in their twenties just to avoid the appearance of inappropriate underaged relationships. Fortunately, the Disney princess formula has changed in most recent movies, and the new tradition is to age the characters into adulthood or remove the romance plot altogether in favor of other types of love, as with Brave, Frozen, Moana, and Raya.