Disney Princesses That Are Not Disney Legends

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These are the real faces behind every Disney princess

Updated

2018-03-08T14:42:00Z

Over the years, 17 women have lent their voices to bring Cinderella, Belle, Mulan, and the other Disney princesses to life.

The newest actress to join the roster is 17-year-old Hawaiian native Auli'i Cravalho, who voices Moana — though her character would insist she's the daughter of the chief, "not a princess."

Here's a little background on the leading ladies behind Disney's princesses.

The original Disney princess, Snow White befriends small forest creatures and takes a long, curse-induced nap in Disney's 1937 seminal classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

In real life, Adriana Caselotti was a convent-educated teenager who beat out 150 actresses.

Adriana Caselotti, who as a convent-educated teenager in 1934 won the role as the voice of sweet, innocent Snow White in Walt Disney's first feature-length cartoon, is shown arriving in New York on December 14, 1939.

Source: New York Times

Walt Disney personally hired 18-year-old Caselotti for the role of Snow White in his first feature-length cartoon. She made $20 a day reading lines and singing for a total of $970.

Adriana Caselotti, who was the voice of "Snow White" in the Walt Disney film, sings one of the movie's tunes in her home in Los Angeles in this Thursday, July 1, 1993, file photo. Caselotti, who introduced the song "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to the world, died at her home Sunday, Jan. 19, 1997. She was 80.

Caselotti said her salary was less than what one of the actors who voiced a dwarf was paid.

After "Snow White," Caselotti sang opera, worked briefly in real estate and the stock market, and wrote a book on singing. Disney never used Caselotti as an actress or vocalist again.

In 1950's "Cinderella," the princess made an unforgettable appearance at a ball.

The actress who voiced her, Ilene Woods, had her own local radio show by age 11. When she was 18, two songwriter friends asked her to record a demo for an upcoming Disney feature.

Sources: Los Angeles Times and New York Times

Princess Aurora catches up on some beauty sleep in 1959's "Sleeping Beauty."

Mary Costa made an impromptu performance at a dinner party when, unbeknownst to her, the choral director casting Princess Aurora was in the room — and he was hooked.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Thirty years later, Ariel traded fins for a pair of legs in 1989's "The Little Mermaid."

Jodi Benson took a break from the Broadway stage to record her voice-acting debut. She made such a splash as Ariel that Disney invited her back to the House of Mouse.

Actresses Pat Carroll and Jodi Benson , who voiced the roles of Ursula and Ariel in Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' are reunited at the all-new attraction 'The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure' at Disney's California Adventure park on June 1, 2011 in Anaheim, California. The first-ever attraction based on the classic Disney film opens June 3, 2011.

Source: Huffington Post

Benson went on to voice Thumbelina in 20th Century Fox's movie of the same name, Weebo in Disney's "Flubber," and Ariel in every subsequent video game, TV show, and sequel.

Actor Jodi Benson (Ariel/THE LITTLE MERMAID) of RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 took part today in the Walt Disney Studios animation presentation at Disney's D23 EXPO 2017 in Anaheim, Calif. RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 will be released in U.S. theaters on November 21, 2018.

Benson reprises her role as Ariel in "Wreck-It Ralph 2" and Barbie in "Toy Story 4."

In 1991's "Beauty and the Beast," Belle cracked some book spines and tamed a beast.

Broadway starlet Paige O'Hara auditioned with 500 other actresses for the part of Belle and booked the gig on her birthday. The animators borrowed some of O'Hara's features and mannerisms, like the way she brushes her hair out of her eyes, in bringing Belle to life.

Actress Paige O'Hara attends the 'Beauty and the Beast' Sing-A-Long DVD premiere at the El Capitan theater on October 2, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Source: The Guardian

O'Hara, a self-described Disney fanatic, signed with the studio in 2013 to paint art inspired by "Beauty and the Beast." She also starred in "Menopause the Musical" in Las Vegas.

In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, actress, singer, artist and Disney Legend Paige O'Hara strikes a royal pose with Belle and Beast while vacationing at Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort June 1, 2017 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Source: Las Vegas Sun

Jasmine is a strong-willed, free-spirited princess on the run in 1992's "Aladdin."

For the first time, two women, Linda Larkin and Lea Salonga, voiced a Disney princess.

Larkin auditioned over several months for the role of Jasmine, and she thought she'd lost the gig when she told producers she couldn't sing. But they loved her speaking voice.

Actress Linda Larkin attends the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony during the D23 Expo 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center on August 19, 2011 in Anaheim, California.

Larkin reprised the role in several straight-to-video sequels and returns in "Wreck-It Ralph 2."

Source: My Xfinity

Salonga, on the other hand, is a singing machine. The Filipina actress landed her big break on Broadway at age 18 and graced the stage in "Les Misérables" and "Miss Saigon."

Lea Salonga attends the 'Once On This Island' Broadway Opening Night after party at The Copacabana Times Square on December 3, 2017 in New York City.

Salonga, who sang for Jasmine, is currently back on Broadway in "Once On This Island."

In 1995, Chief Powhatan's daughter fights for her independence in "Pocahontas."

Irene Bedard and Judy Kuhn brought Pocahontas to the big screen together.

Bedard, who grew up in Alaska, gave her speaking voice to Pocahontas. She said, "Of all the Disney female characters, Pocahontas is the strongest. She's not waiting for her prince."

Actor Irene Bedard (POCAHONTAS) of RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 took part today in the Walt Disney Studios animation presentation at Disney's D23 EXPO 2017 in Anaheim, Calif. RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 will be released in U.S. theaters on November 21, 2018.

The Alaska Native actress went on to portray other strong indigenous women in dozens of TV shows and films, including the mother of Pocahontas in the 2005 drama "The New World."

Source: UltimateDisney.com

Kuhn sang with a 90-piece orchestra while recording songs for "Pocahontas." The three-time Tony Award nominee starred in the original Broadway run of "Les Misérables."

Actress Judy Kuhn attends the 'Eclipsed' broadway opening night at The Golden Theatre on March 6, 2016 in New York City.

Source: Disney Adventures Magazine

In 1998's "Mulan," the teen uses her smarts to bring honor to her family.

Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga helped make Mulan so incredibly fierce.

Wen launched her voice-acting career as Mulan, but these days fans are more likely to find her kicking butt in live-action roles. She plays Melinda May on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Actor Ming-Na Wen at The World Premiere of Marvel Studios' 'Thor: Ragnarok' at the El Capitan Theatre on October 10, 2017 in Hollywood, California.

Salonga, who also voiced Jasmine, said in an interview that Mulan was her favorite Disney princess. In 2011, she became the first Filipina woman to receive a Disney Legend award.

Actress Lea Salonga participates in AOL's BUILD Speaker Series to discuss the Broadway musical "Allegiance" at AOL Studios on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in New York.

Source: Wall Street Journal and ABS-CBN News

Tiana dreams of opening her own restaurant in 2009's "The Princess and the Frog."

Anika Noni Rose beat out Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé to play Tiana. Before bringing the first black Disney princess to life, Rose won a Tony Award for "Caroline, Or Change."

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose (left), who provides the voice of Disney's newest princess, Tiana, in the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures animated feature film "The Princess and the Frog," poses with the new Princess Tiana character (right) as she will soon appear at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Thursday night's event marked the very first public appearance of the Princess Tiana theme park character and took place during the 2009 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Annual Convention in Tampa, Fla. In addition, Rose performed a song from the film for convention-goers. "The Princess and the Frog" film will premiere in theaters nationwide Dec. 11, 2009.

Since her fateful kiss with a frog, Rose landed recurring roles on "The Bates Motel," "The Good Wife," and "Power." She currently stars in BET's college drama "The Quad."

Singer Anika Noni Rose attends the tenth annual Women in Film Pre-Oscar Cocktail Party presented by Max Mara and BMW at Nightingale Plaza on February 24, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Rose reprises her role as Tiana in "Wreck-It Ralph 2."

Merida brings chaos to her kingdom in 2012's "Brave."

Kelly Macdonald said landing the lead in "Brave" was a "dream come true." The Glasgow-born actress convinced animators to squeeze a few local slang words into the script.

Actress Kelly Macdonald arrives at Film Independent's 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival Premiere of Disney Pixar's 'Brave' at Dolby Theatre on June 18, 2012 in Hollywood, California.

Macdonald was working as a barmaid when someone handed her a casting call flier for Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting." Macdonald has since led an illustrious acting career on both sides of the Atlantic, appearing in "No Country for Old Men" and "Boardwalk Empire."

Kelly Macdonald attends the 'Goodbye Christopher Robin' World Premiere held at Odeon Leicester Square on September 20, 2017 in London, England.

Source: News.com.au

Rapunzel leaves her tower in search of adventure in 2010's "Tangled."

Mandy Moore gave Rapunzel her pep. The singer-actress belted Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" during her audition and won the part. Today, she voices Rapunzel in a spinoff TV show.

Actor Mandy Moore attends the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 21, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

Source: Huffington Post

Moore has gone from making pop music and starring in teen flicks to playing the mother in the runaway-hit drama, "This Is Us." She received a Golden Globe nod for her performance.

In this handout photo provided by Disney Resorts, actress Mandy Moore poses with Rapunzel during a visit to the Magic Kingdom Park on March 6, 2017 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Moore will continue to voice Rapunzel in the Disney Channels new series 'Tangled: The Series'.

Anna saves her kingdom from an eternal winter in 2013's "Frozen."

Though acting is what she's best known for, Kristen Bell sang opera and studied music. She caught the attention of Disney's casting directors when she auditioned for "Tangled."

Source: Yahoo

Landing the lead role in "Frozen" brought the "Veronica Mars" star back to her roots. Bell will return for the highly anticipated "Frozen 2" sequel, which hits theaters in 2019.

Kristen Bell attends the world premiere of "Frozen", on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, in Los Angeles.

While she isn't a princess, per se, Queen Elsa embodies royalty in "Frozen."

Idina Menzel gave Elsa her powerhouse voice. Before "Frozen," Menzel held reign over Broadway. The Tony-winning actress was in the original runs of "Rent" and "Wicked."

Actress Idina Menzel poses in the press room during the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Menzel said in an interview that during "Frozen" production, she asked to hang around the studio and watch the animators work. "I really took on the whole experience," she said.

In this handout image provided by Disney Parks, Tony Award-winning actress and singer Idina Menzel poses on July 28, 2015 with Elsa, Anna and Olaf from Disney's 'Frozen' during 'Frozen Summer Fun' at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Menzel took a break from her world tour to visit Walt Disney World Resort.

Menzel will also return for "Frozen 2."

Source: We Got This Covered

A chieftess-in-training delivers a demigod across the ocean in 2016's "Moana."

Auli'i Cravalho, 17, never had to officially audition for the part. A Disney casting director came across her tape for a local nonprofit event. "The rest is history," Cravalho said.

Auli'i Cravalho arrives at The Hollywood Reporter's 2017 Academy Awards Nominees Night at Spago on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Source: Business Insider

"Each Disney princess is unique in their own way, but Moana is especially close to my heart because she's Polynesian," Cravalho, who grew up in Hawaii, told Business Insider.

Actress Auli'i Cravalho performs onstage at The World Premiere of Disney's 'MOANA' at the El Capitan Theatre on Monday, November 14, 2016 in Hollywood, CA.