Once Upon a Time showed its viewers what iconic Disney princesses might have looked like in live action. Ten Disney princesses have made appearances on the beloved fantasy adventure-drama which ran from 2011 to 2018, and stars Jennifer Morrison as protagonist Emma Swan, the only daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas). She and her son, Henry, must break the curse cast on the town of Storybrooke, Maine, by the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla). The seaside town’s residents are frozen in time and have been robbed of their memories, thus they do not know of their identities as fairy tale characters.
Once Upon a Time borrows characters and story lines from Disney, folklore, mythology, fairy tales and popular literature. As well as Snow White and the Evil Queen starring as major characters on the show, several other Disney princesses and characters make an appearance over the seven seasons, from brief single episode cameos to seasons-long arcs. Once Upon a Time often marked the first time that a Disney princess was being portrayed in live-action in mainstream media, from Princess Jasmine to Mulan, Tiana and Rapunzel.
Disney considers twelve of its female protagonists to be a part of their Princess Line, a media franchise and toy line owned by The Walt Disney Company. These include Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana — but not, for instance, Frozen‘s Elsa or Anna. Ten of the twelve princesses have appeared in Once Upon a Time, the exceptions being Pocahontas and, unsurprisingly given that she did not exist before 2016, Moana.
Snow White
Snow White was the first ever Disney princess, the protagonist of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. The Once Upon a Time incarnation of Snow White is played by Ginnifer Goodwin, and is an updated take on the original damsel in distress. Rarely does Snow White, who also goes by Mary Margaret Blanchard, wait for Prince Charming to rescue her. In fact, she saves him more than once.
Cinderella
Once Upon a Time offered up two versions of Cinderella, the first played by Jessy Schram and the second by Dania Ramirez. Jessy Schram’s Cinderella only makes a handful of appearances over the show’s run, whilst Ramirez’s version of Cinderella has a starring role in Once Upon a Time’s softly rebooted seventh season, which sees her marrying and having a daughter with Henry Mills, whom she names Lucy.
Aurora
Sleeping Beauty‘s Aurora is adapted a little differently in Once Upon a Time. Sarah Bolger’s version of Aurora spends 28 years under a sleeping curse before being rescued by Prince Phillip and Mulan, but interestingly her mother, named Briar Rose, had also been a victim of Maleficent’s sleeping curse before it was broken by true love’s kiss.
Ariel
As the titular princess from The Little Mermaid, Ariel falls in love with a human and gives up her voice in exchange for legs. In Once Upon a Time, the show’s main reality version of the red-haired princess is played by JoAnna García Swisher, whose voice does not end up being taken by Ursula but by the Evil Queen. She later finds a necklace which, as long as she wears it, returns her voice and gives her legs.
Belle
Emilie de Ravin has a starring role as Belle of Beauty and the Beast in Once Upon a Time.; however, her character arc is distinct from her animated counterpart. This version of the princess agrees to servitude in exchange for the Dark One/Rumpelstiltskin’s assistance in the war against the ogres. Belle therefore does not fall in love with the same Beast from the original animated movie, but rather with Rumpelstiltskin (also known as Weaver and Mr. Gold) with whom she has a son named Gideon.
Jasmine
Aladdin‘s Princess Jasmine is very similar to her live-action counterpart, played by Karen David in a recurring role in Once Upon a Time’s sixth season. Her origin story bares great resemblance to the Disney princess’s own, in that she seeks Aladdin’s help to defeat her father’s new adviser, Jafar.
Mulan
Mulan is the only character from the 1998 movie Mulan (and from upcoming live-action feature Mulan) to appear on Once Upon a Time. Portrayed by Jamie Chung, this version of the character is given an LGBTQ+ spin —Mulan meets many of the other princesses over the course of the show and eventually falls in love with Aurora. When her feelings are not reciprocated, Mulan instead decides to join Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men.
Tiana
Mekia Cox plays Once Upon a Time‘s Princess Tiana of The Princess and the Frog in its seventh season. Tiana was Disney’s first, and currently only, African-American princess. In the Disney film, Tiana falls in love with Prince Naveen, who was turned into a frog by voodoo witch doctor. In the show however, rather than becoming a royal through marriage to Prince Naveen, she is already a princess by blood, as her father became prince after saving the kingdom.
Rapunzel
Tangled Disney princess Rapunzel makes a single appearance in Once Upon a Time, played by Alexandra Metz; unlike her Disney counterpart, however, this version is much closer to the original fairytale version as she is rescued from her tower by Prince Charming. Another character named Rapunzel Tremaine also appears in season 7, portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar (and Meegan Warner, who plays the young version); the character is based both on the fairy tale version of Rapunzel and on the step-mother in Cinderella.
Merida
The fiercely independent Scottish princess Merida of Brave appears in season 5 of Once Upon a Time, played by Amy Manson. Merida is a recurring character in the season and she encounters many of the show’s other heroes, including Mulan and Belle, the former of which is the one who teaches Merida to fight.
