The Disney Princesses circle is a very exclusive one, as the characters have to follow certain criteria that only the Mouse House knows, and at one point, two characters were part of this franchise but were later removed: Tinker Bell and Esmeralda, and here’s why. Walt Disney Pictures has explored a variety of genres and styles in its movies for decades, and while it has a long list of hits and very popular movies, the studio continues to be best-remembered for its animated stories, mostly those led by female characters.
These characters have made way for a franchise appropriately titled Disney Princesses, though not all characters qualify to be part of it. The first Disney Princess was Snow White, the star of the studio’s first animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which gave it its first Academy Award – an honorary one with seven miniature statuettes. Since then, Snow White has been accompanied by many other female characters in the Disney Princess franchise, but there’s still a lot of confusion as to what makes a character a Disney Princess, as some of them aren’t exactly royalty, and many others who are, aren’t part of the franchise – and there are two who were part of this group but ended up being removed.
The official rules for becoming a Disney Princess are only known by those working at Disney, who at the end of the day have the final word on which characters will be part of the franchise and which won’t, but these characters have a couple of things in common: they have to be either born or married royal, be the lead character in their movies, have at least one musical number and an animal sidekick. These rules can be bent as needed, as seen with Mulan, who is a Disney Princess even though she isn’t royal, but she performed an act of heroism, and some members can also be removed, as happened to Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell and The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s Esmeralda.
The reasons for removing Tinker Bell and Esmeralda from the Disney Princesses franchise might seem obvious as they weren’t born nor married royal and they weren’t the leads of their movies, but they actually go beyond that. Everything is a business, and the Disney Princesses world is one. Esmeralda was removed as she wasn’t marketable enough for the franchise’s standards, as the sales of The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s products weren't good, and because the movie dealt with themes that were not entirely suitable for children. Tinker Bell’s case, on the other hand, played out differently. While Esmeralda’s status as a Disney Princess could have been justified by considering her actions heroic, as happened with Mulan, Tinker Bell didn’t have much in her favor, as she didn’t communicate verbally, didn’t have a sidekick (because she was Peter Pan's sidekick), and isn’t human even if she looks like one. However, Tinker Bell was removed so she could lead her own franchise as a Disney fairy, and through that, she got to star in a couple of movies.
Other characters were considered to be part of the Disney Princesses franchise but didn’t make it, as were Enchanted’s Giselle, Tarzan’s Jane, and Frozen’s Anna and Elsa. The first two might have had the same luck as Esmeralda, but in Anna and Elsa’s case, it’s most likely because Frozen is a much more profitable franchise on its own. The requirements to be an official Disney Princess can change at any moment and as the studio pleases, so in a way, none of them is completely safe and could lose their spot at some point.