Disney Princesses are usually accompanied by at least one animal sidekick, but why? Walt Disney Pictures is a powerhouse in the world of animation and entertainment and has explored a variety of styles for decades in both animation and live-action (and sometimes a mix of both). Its stories have a very peculiar narrative as well, often giving a positive message though not without a dose of drama first, but even after hundreds of movies, Disney continues to be best known and remembered for its animated movies led by female characters.
Many of these are part of the Disney Princesses franchise, the first one being Snow White, who made her debut in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the studio’s first animated movie and which gave it its first Academy Award (an honorary one with seven miniature statuettes). After that came many animated movies led by female characters, but not all of them are official Disney Princesses, and while the requirements to be one are only known to those working at Disney, these characters share some characteristics, such as having an animal sidekick.
The official Disney Princesses as of 2021 are Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana, and most of them have at least one animal sidekick – or are at least surrounded by animals, as are the cases of Snow White and Aurora. These animal companions often serve as guides (as Sebastian did with Ariel), giving them advice and showing them their path, while in other cases they join their adventures as their paths are similar or they are simply looking for some fun. Although a specific reason for Disney Princesses to have animal sidekicks hasn’t been revealed, there are some elements in common and others unique to each Princess that can explain why they have animals by their side.
Disney Princesses are compassionate and kind, and given that the studio has aimed to give a positive message through its animated movies, it’s possible the Princesses’ animal companions have been added in order to show kids to love and respect animals. Others have taken a more scientific route to explain this tendency in the Disney Princess franchise, sharing that animals have a sense of morality and thus know the difference between right and wrong (Live Science via One Green Planet), which makes them great companions for these characters. Some have found that Disney Princesses have animal friends because they have been isolated, as happened with Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, and Rapunzel, while others didn’t fit in with society, like Ariel, who didn’t fit with humans nor mermaids either (before her final transformation, of course), and Moana, who didn’t fit in her village.
Not having human friends and instead talking to animals is also part of the drama that Disney loves to give to its princesses, and as they are almost always lonely (no mother or parents, living with abusive parent figures, being kidnapped, etc), having animal friends adds to the tragedy of their stories. The animal sidekicks of the Disney Princesses are mostly funny and earn the hearts of viewers, but the reason behind their inclusion in these movies might not be as funny and heartwarming.
