Sleeping Beauty needed a prince to save her, but today's princesses are different. While classic Disney Princesses are often seen as the damsels in distress in their stories, that's not true of the more modern characters. Tiana, Moana, Raya, and more have all had allies on their journeys, but take the steps to become their own heroes.
Disney's modern princesses are making journeys, saving the day, and standing up to the villains — often without the aid of a prince. Many Disney Princesses have proven themselves to be true heroes more than once.
Anna Steps Between Elsa And Hans (Frozen)
Anna isn't just one of the funniest Disney princesses; she's also one of the most heroic. Her journey to find Elsa and bring her back to Arendelle is just the start.
In the first movie, Anna is on the brink of death, the magical ice in her heart slowly freezing her, and trying to make her way to Kristoff when she sees that Hans has his sword raised over Elsa. Rather than save her own life, Anna rushes to help her sister, getting in between Hans and Elsa. It's a moment in which Anna disregards her own safety completely to save Elsa's life. Saving Elsa will also save their people as Elsa is the only one who can end the "endless" winter.
Raya Allows Herself To Turn To Stone (Raya And The Last Dragon)
Raya has quite the journey to becoming a hero in Raya and the Last Dragon. One of Disney's most recent princesses, she lives in an apocalyptic world where mysterious entities turn people to stone and only the power of dragons, long gone, can save humanity.
Raya spends the movie untrusting of everyone she meets, relying on her own skills. Her most heroic moment involves her realizing that she has to trust again. In order for her friends to have trust in other people, she provides the example, giving up her piece of a dragon's gem, allowing herself to turn to stone so that someone else can save the day. It's a huge moment that not only shows Raya's growth but also that heroes can't always work alone.
Jasmine Distracts Jafar For Aladdin (Aladdin)
Jasmine has long been thought of as one of the smartest Disney Princesses. After all, she quickly sees through Aladdin's disguise, knows that Jafar is leading her father in the wrong direction, and wants better for her people. In addition to her intelligence, however, she also helps save the day by buying Aladdin time when he tries to get Genie's lamp away from Jafar.
Jasmine, who can't stand Jafar, flirts with him, pretends to be interested in just what he'll do if he becomes the ruler of their country, making sure she's got him facing away from Aladdin. It's a moment that puts Jasmine in serious danger since she doesn't have any magic or weapons at her disposal, showing how brave she is.
Tiana Destroys Facilier's Talisman
Dr. Facilier, with his shadow self and his deals with metaphorical devils, is one of Disney's most underrated villains. Tiana, for most of her time as a frog, doesn't even realize that he has ghouls after her and Naveen, which is why she almost doesn't even interact with him in the movie.
But as the movie reaches its climax, it's Tiana who comes face to face with Dr. Facilier while Naveen is in trouble. She destroys the talisman that's been allowing him the power to give Naveen's appearance to someone else. It's a tense confrontation in which Facilier offers Tiana to make her dreams come true, and Tiana could have been tempted, but her heart stops her from taking his offer as she stands up to him and witnesses spirits take him away.
Moana Returns Te Fiti's Heart (Moana)
Moana's first step toward becoming a hero in her movie is when she decides to set out across the water because she believes there is a solution to bring her people prosperity across the ocean. She is right, and she takes a huge risk to prove it.
Moana finds Te Fiti's heart on her journey, and she sets out to return it to its rightful owner. To do that, she has to face off against Te Kā, which she thinks is a dangerous villain. Moana does it by literally walking through parted water into danger without knowing if she'll succeed, but she does. It's a risky gamble to reveal that Te Kā and Te Fiti are two sides of the same person, and it's one of the most beautifully animated parts of Moana's movie too.
Belle Saves The Beast From Wolves (Beauty And The Beast)
Like many of the Disney Princess characters that come after her, Belle has quite a few heroic moments in her movie, like taking her father's place or confronting the Beast about his treatment of others. But one of the best is her saving the Beast from a pack of wolves.
It actually happens when Belle attempts to leave and is attacked by wolves herself. The Beast saves her but is overwhelmed by them. Belle, in turn, doesn't leave him to escape, but instead pulls him onto the horse and returns to the castle. She's truly selfless despite her loneliness and her desire to see her father.
Anastasia Defeats Rasputin (Anastasia)
Anastasia isn't an official Disney Princess. In fact, her movie was originally produced by FOX, so she's only recently been acquired by Disney. But her acts of heroism definitely qualify her as a heroine.
Though "Anya" spends most of the movie trying to figure out where she fits in, it's not until the final act that she discovers that the evil Rasputin is trying to destroy her just as he did the rest of her family. She has no magical abilities, but standing on a bridge in Paris, she takes the totem keeping Rasputin in the land of the living and grinds it under her heel while she talks to him. She could have lost everything all over again, but she still faces him and reclaims her life.
Rapunzel Befriends A Tavern Of Criminals (Tangled)
Rapunzel defies her mother and sacrifices her magical healing hair, but those are both things a lot of the best Disney Princesses could have done over the course of their stories if they were in similar spots. Alas, one of the most interesting things Rapunzel does to cement her hero status is befriending an entire cavern of criminals.
The tavern that she and Flynn Rider find is a hideout for criminals in the kingdom. Rapunzel doesn't let their snarky demeanors or scary appearances faze her. Instead, she sings with them and encourages them all to follow their dreams. She befriends some of the most dangerous people around, and in turn, she has allies later in the movie.
Ariel Saves Eric From Drowning (The Little Mermaid)
Ariel might be one of the most naive of the Disney Princesses, but she's also one of the bravest. When a storm causes Prince Eric's ship to wreck early in the movie, Ariel doesn't hesitate to dive in and save him.
That decision could put her family in danger as mermaids don't mix with the people who walk on land. Instead, it helps Ariel find a kind man who wants to help people and learn, just like she does. Eric returns the favor later in the movie, and they both work together to stop Ursula. They're equals, which is a rare thing to find in Disney love interests before The Little Mermaid hit theaters.
Mulan Defies A Nation To Save It (Mulan)
Some fans will argue that Mulan isn't a Disney Princess since she's not royalty. Technically, that might be true, but Disney has included Mulan in their Disney Princess lineup as an honorary member. Mulan's entire movie is a demonstration of one of Disney's leading ladies being a hero.
Not only does she break the law to take her father's place in the Chinese army, but she also continues the ruse of being "Ping" for as long as she can, contributing to the fighting, and being responsible for destroying a whole battalion of an approaching army. Even after she's discovered, Mulan journeys to the emperor's palace and defies orders to save his life. She constantly breaks the rules in order to do the most good.