Disney Princesses Got a Makeover

[blackcauldron85]

I went through all 14 pages of Disney Store Japan's Princess category, and the only merch featuring Meg/Esmeralda is a notebook w/ the picture that JeanGreyForever posted (https://store.disney.co.jp/g/g4936313602135/); hopefully they'll add more soon!

[Disney's Divinity]

I went through all 14 pages of Disney Store Japan's Princess category, and the only merch featuring Meg/Esmeralda is a notebook w/ the picture that JeanGreyForever posted (https://store.disney.co.jp/g/g4936313602135/); hopefully they'll add more soon!

Oh, yes, that picture of Megara is very pretty.

[unprincess]

Have any of you ever bought on Japan's Disney Store website? They have disclaimers in English (https://store.disney.co.jp/special/foreign.aspx); you can just pay a lot to have it shipped directly to your home in whichever country you live in, right?? And how do you know how much to pay, since prices are in Yen (?)?

I didn't even know that the site could be accessed if you weren't in Japan(thanks for the link!) Its weird b/c they encourage you to use a translator instead of doing what other Japanese sites do(like the one where I buy Obitsu/Parabox dolls from) where they have an all English version for the site that converts the currency for you, including shipping. The only other option is to see if the merch you want is being sold by a seller on eBay but usually your going to be paying more for it, though maybe the shipping wont be so bad.

[JeanGreyForever]

I love that illustration of Meg. If it were up to me I'd include Megara, Esmeralda, Kida, and Jane into the princess line-up.

Definitely, especially since they don't break the lineup anymore than characters like Merida already do. That Meg art is based off of this concept art which is probably why it look so good. It's one of my favorite drawings of her.

If they had done a Disney Heroines line as suppose to Princess they could’ve included more characters like Meg and Esmeralda. They look beautiful in the picture with Aurora too, very nice

I don't even think they need a separate line for them. Mulan and Moana aren't princesses at all (some would say the same about Pocahontas) so that shouldn't stop Esmeralda and Megara from being excluded, especially when the former was actually an official princess for several years after the franchise's conception. In fact, Esmeralda and Megara suit the franchise better than characters like Mulan, Merida, and Moana imo.

I went through all 14 pages of Disney Store Japan's Princess category, and the only merch featuring Meg/Esmeralda is a notebook w/ the picture that JeanGreyForever posted (https://store.disney.co.jp/g/g4936313602135/); hopefully they'll add more soon!

Yes, hopefully! They've done some Esmeralda stuff in the past so there should be precedent for more.

Have any of you ever bought on Japan's Disney Store website? They have disclaimers in English (https://store.disney.co.jp/special/foreign.aspx); you can just pay a lot to have it shipped directly to your home in whichever country you live in, right?? And how do you know how much to pay, since prices are in Yen (?)?

I didn't even know that the site could be accessed if you weren't in Japan(thanks for the link!) Its weird b/c they encourage you to use a translator instead of doing what other Japanese sites do(like the one where I buy Obitsu/Parabox dolls from) where they have an all English version for the site that converts the currency for you, including shipping. The only other option is to see if the merch you want is being sold by a seller on eBay but usually your going to be paying more for it, though maybe the shipping wont be so bad.

I've never bought from the main store myself because of the translation issue and it's difficult to convert the currency, so I usually resort to Ebay. However the prices tend to be inflated especially the shipping. It's a shame because Japan has the best Disney products by far.

[unprincess]

^they really do have great stuff, often with a very elegant aesthetic and they like their obscure characters(though the US store has been doing better with that lately thanks to their Oh My Disney line.)

as for the Princess line, if Pokemon can have a trillion different characters(often with different versions of the same character) then the Princess line can be expanded to have up to 20-25 different individuals, with each getting focus during anniversaries or to accompany new projects(like tv shows or live action adaptations.) Gotta catch them all!

[Disney Duster]

For me, not a DAC princess, shouldn't be in.

[Disney's Divinity]

as for the Princess line, if Pokemon can have a trillion different characters(often with different versions of the same character) then the Princess line can be expanded to have up to 20-25 different individuals, with each getting focus during anniversaries or to accompany new projects(like tv shows or live action adaptations.) Gotta catch them all!

Gotta catch ‘em all is a good comparison actually. You know that’s how Disney wants little girls to think of the princess line, too—buy every character in any given set of merchandise. I would love to see more things done with Megara especially.

Too bad the Wrecked Princess film probably isn't going to happen. I've always wished we could get more Disney crossover interactions.

[JeanGreyForever]

I learned so much about Liz Callaway from this video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_r1WEnCoCQ

Did you guys know that she auditioned for the roles of Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine and nearly got them too? She made the final five for Ariel, the final three for Belle, and the final two for Jasmine. Ironically enough, her main rival for Jasmine was Lea Salonga and they were both doing Miss Saigon at the time. This also explains why Disney chose Liz for Jasmine's singing voice in the sequels when Lea Salonga didn't return because she was Disney's other choice for Jasmine.

I didn't realize she did the demo version of Just Around the Riverbend and she says that Disney must not have liked her voice for the part of Pocahontas then either, because they didn't retain her. Unlike in Anastasia where she was originally just brought in to sing demos for a few songs, including Once Upon a December, and they ultimately liked her work enough to keep her on.

She said she was always disappointed that after losing out on the aforementioned roles, she could never become a princess until she got the role of Odette for The Swan Princess. Even then, she admitted that she always wanted to be a Disney Princess and she finally got her wish come true with Jasmine in the sequels and Kiara. Her personal favorite princess that she most loved to play was Anastasia though. Ironically enough, even with her favorite princess she ultimately ended up getting to play a Disney Princess so it's funny how that worked out.

I also had no idea that she was a background singer for so many classic Disney films from the 90s. Every time she lost a role, she would ask or be asked to sing in the chorus. She's responsible for the "Good day" line as well as the Bimbettes' singing parts in the opening song Belle and she also sings some of the chanting in Steady as the Beating Drum in Pocahontas. She also had some work in Aladdin but she didn't share her part in that so it must have been even more minor than what she did in BATB and Pocahontas.

[Sotiris]

Wow, that's so interesting. I always loved Liz so I'm glad she's had such a long history with Disney. I hope she gets to voice another Disney character in the future. And that demo for Just Around the Riverbend needs to be released asap!

[JeanGreyForever]

What shocked me the most (besides her nearly being three of the most iconic Disney Princesses and also singing for the Bimbettes) was how her voice hasn't changed at all. It still sounds as young and crystal clear as it did from her films in the 90s with not a sign of age. If someone heard her speak or sing alone, they would probably think she's in her 20s or even younger. In contrast, you can tell that the voices of Jodi, Paige, and Lea have definitely changed over the years.

Susan Egan btw is another one whose voice still sounds practically the same. I was watching one of her old movies from the early 2000s the other days and then I watched one of her Broadway Princess Party videos from the last year and it's remarkable how minimal of a change there's been to her voice.

[Disney Duster]

That's very cool about Liz Callaway! Just to confirm, she is the singing voice of Anastasia?

[JeanGreyForever]

Yes, she's the singing voice of Anastasia as well as the singing voice for Odette from The Swan Princess films, Jasmine in the Aladdin sequels, and Kiara from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.

What's weird is that Odette's speaking voice, Michelle Nicastro, could actually sing but she didn't in the movie. I can't remember the reason for that but I think Richard Rich answered it once during an interview in The Swan Princess thread. She even had albums where she sings songs from animated films, mostly Disney but a few non-Disney like Thumbelina.

[Disney Duster]

Oh ok. Thank you for all of that information! That is certainly odd about Michelle and Odette!

[disneyprincess11]

First, what did Disney do to the Princess website?! It's awful!!

Second, it looks like Anna and Elsa may join the Princess lineup after all! They may not be on the site (yet?), but look who's on the YouTube banner. Plus, they have begun posting Frozen content. The videos may not be surprising, but Anna and Elsa with Rapunzel and Tiana on the banner might be hinting they're slowly making their way over a la Moana.

[Farerb]

First, what did Disney do to the Princess website?! It's awful!!

Second, it looks like Anna and Elsa may join the Princess lineup after all! They may not be on the site (yet?), but look who's on the YouTube banner. Plus, they have begun posting Frozen content. The videos may not be surprising, but Anna and Elsa with Rapunzel and Tiana on the banner might be hinting they're slowly making their way over a la Moana.

I think that's inevitable. Eventually, every film or franchise goes through a fatigue at some point. It happened to the 90's films and Toy Story and PotC. While the sequel was successful at the box office, it wasn't a cultural phenomenon and got lukewarm reviews from critics. In the end it didn't leave any impact like the first one did and I wouldn't be surprised if Disney noticed it.

[Sotiris]

Second, it looks like Anna and Elsa may join the Princess lineup after all! They may not be on the site (yet?), but look who's on the YouTube banner. Plus, they have begun posting Frozen content. The videos may not be surprising, but Anna and Elsa with Rapunzel and Tiana on the banner might be hinting they're slowly making their way over a la Moana.

I don't think that will ever happen. That ship has sailed. Frozen is still one of Disney's top-selling brands and it's not in their best interest to merge it with the Disney Princess one and potentially lose billions. The official Disney Princess social media accounts frequently include Frozen and Elena of Avalor in their videos and posts. It doesn't mean anything. The same applies to the Disney Princess YouTube channel. It's a way to promote both franchises together since they appeal to the same demographic.

The new banner doesn't include the characters together with the Disney Princess logo on top like the previous one did, but separates them by movie and uses their movie's logo.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKUyqT ... LQbayv3hA/


Even the videos are branded differently. Videos with Anna and Elsa are labeled "Disney Frozen" whereas videos with any other princess are labeled "Disney Princess".






I believe both instances are indicative of Disney having no interest in inducting Anna and Elsa in the Disney Princess line-up. If that were the case, they wouldn't be going through the trouble of keeping them separate and branding them differently even when it came to trivial things like that.

[DC Fan]

Honestly, there´s no actual need to include Anna and Elsa in the Princess line.

-They are basically part of the line anyways. Ralph Breaks the Internet is a proof of that.
-If they did include them they would take over the rest.
-And, as a business strategy makes sense. Why have just one huge money maker when you can have two.

As for Frozen itself...

Personally I would make a set number of movies and let it be done. Disney is going for the Seasons angle, right? Then let it be 4 movies and maybe a fifth if they somehow want to have one that combines everything and that´s that. Precisely, the Princess line has shown that with just a single movie they can make money off of the merchandise forever.

...BUT, Disney won´t do that. We all know that. So then, I would take the original Star Wars concept and wait several years until making a new movie.


On other thoughts, are there quality images/drawings of the whole Princess lineup including Kida, Megara, Eilonwy and Vanellope?

I´d include Megara because if Mulan made the cut because of reasons then Megara is more than included by marrying the son of the King of the Greek Gods. As for Eilonwy I wouldn´t have include her. But if they finally played that aspect with Vanellope then by all means she should now be there.

[Farerb]

^ They already did the four seasons if you include the shorts. Also they can't wait years to make another one cause unlike Star Wars or Toy Story or The Incredibles, Frozen is a musical, which means that it is dependent on the actor's vocals. Do you honestly think that Idina Menzel's voice will be the same 10-20 years from now? Even now her live performances are hit or miss.

[Disney's Divinity]

I personally think it's inevitable they will eventually be combined with the princess line down-the-road in the next five years or so, most likely 3-4 years after the third film has been released.* The credit goes to Frozen as a property that it hasn’t happened already. Moana didn’t last as long on its own legs. I wonder how Raya will fare.

* I'm just assuming there will only be three... If the third one matches 2's intake, Disney might actually force the franchise to extend to five. But what I'm expecting is the third one will make around $100-300,000 less at the box office. Still extraordinarily successful in comparison to most of WDAS' original films these days, but not enough for them to keep going and risk ever-diminishing returns that could tarnish the franchise's "legacy."

[DC Fan]

^ They already did the four seasons if you include the shorts. Also they can't wait years to make another one cause unlike Star Wars or Toy Story or The Incredibles, Frozen is a musical, which means that it is dependent on the actor's vocals. Do you honestly think that Idina Menzel's voice will be the same 10-20 years from now? Even now her live performances are hit or miss.

I can tell you of this amazing Spanish singer that sings the same way if not better that when she started in 1994 when she was 20 and is still going on in her later 40s with an even better voice; Mónica Naranjo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpTOqGZCw10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1334FAH1Hno

Besides, as time goes on other actresses will be voicing the Disney Princesses either in media in general or just for toys. And there are incredible people that can recreate a character´s voice.

Anyways, Disney is Disney and for sure won´t stop making them. Yet, again, the Princess line made the statement that just one movie is enough (the sequels are another thing). So, if I were Disney, I would just plan for a set of movies and let it be done.

As the fact that Disney already did the Season´s story in the shorts...One thing is that and another to have those stories fully played in a movie.