Disney princesses, including Frozen‘s Elsa and Anna, get involved in all types of dangerous situations despite how old many of them actually are. 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. This is why it comes as a surprise to know that most of them are actually rather young.
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 at least one musical number and an animal sidekick.
Characters like Mulan and Moana count as Disney princesses, 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 Disney princesses. So, how old are Elsa and Anna in Frozen, and how old are each of the Disney Princesses?
How Old Are Elsa & Anna In Frozen?
How old are Elsa and Anna? 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 Frozen movies seem to be one of the only animated Disney franchises to consider 21 an ideal age to rule. Perhaps part of the reasoning behind keeping the Frozen franchise separate from that of the Disney princesses is because of this age difference since Elsa and Anna are considerably older than the average princess.
How Old Are The Disney Princesses? Ages Explained
Snow White’s age in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Snow White was only 14 years old when she had to face off against the Evil Queen. 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 at the time. Both of these 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 2023. Its star, Rachel Zegler, will be over 21 by the time it comes out.
Cinderella’s age in Cinderella: Cinderella was 19 years old in her original movie, in between the ages of her two cruel stepsisters, both of whom were fixated on finding a husband. 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.
Aurora’s age in Sleeping Beauty: 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 so when considering her age. 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.
Ariel’s age in The Little Mermaid: The princess Ariel was 16 years old when she left her father’s kingdom to meet her true love in the human world. The upcoming 2023 The Little Mermaid remake stars Halle Bailey, who will be 23 years old at the movie’s release.
Belle’s age in Beauty and the Beast: Belle was 17 years old in Beauty of the Beast. 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 only 15 years old when royal suitors fought for her hand in Aladdin. 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.
Pocahontas’ age in Pocahontas: Pocahontas was 18 years old for her movie, which is actually most likely older than the real historical figure was when she met John Smith. Pocahontas is one of the few classic Disney princess films to not yet have announced 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: 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.
Giselle’s age in Enchanted: 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 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.
Tiana’s age in The Princess and the Frog: Tiana is one of the other oldest Disney princesses at 19. Although her story ends in romance, like with most other Disney princesses, her main prize throughout the movie is furthering her career by opening a restaurant. Tiana is also one of the few princesses who marries into royalty, having no royal lineage herself.
Rapunzel’s age in Tangled: Rapunzel is 18 years old in Tangled, one of the few Disney princess movies in which the love interest, however briefly, dies. (Rapunzel and Eugene also have the biggest romance age gap, at 8 years). The Tangled movie’s Rapunzel sometimes acted more youthful than her actual age as a result of spending her whole life locked away in a tower.
Merida’s age in Brave: Merida was only 16 years old in Brave, so it made sense why she had no real interest in getting married anytime soon. Yet, her courage was far greater than many of the adults in her movie.
Moana’s age in Moana: 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.
Raya’s age in Raya and The Last Dragon: 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 has a love interest. For most of the film, the heroine is 18 years old, with the first few scenes showing her at a younger age, most likely 10-12.
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 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.
