I was shopping for a birthday present for a 5 year old and realized what an absolute bazooka buffet of Disney princess merchandise there is. It is princesstacular out there. And this made me start thinking about Disney heroes – and which princes and heroes were my favorite. I asked the question on Twitter and Facebook, and had such a response I wanted to ask here as well.
On Twitter, the majority liked the Beast – in beast form – from Beauty and the Beast. I figure this is a clear case of loving the bad boy who learns to grow up, take responsibility, and reveal that moral core of goodness hidden … underneath all that hair. The folks at Pocket After Dark figure it’s because he gave Belle a library – also a good reason.
My faves: Beast, Tramp, and above all, Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. I don’t know what it is about him, but of the Disney princes, Phillip is my favorite.
So which is your favorite of the Disney animated heroes or princes? Please, tell me why you picked your fave in the comments – I’m so curious which you like, and why, especially since early male heroes in the Disney movies had little to no personality, or even names. (And dude, if I forgot one, give a holler.) Does your princely preference match your romance hero preference?
Dmitri is my ALL time favorite, but he is not on the list :(, he has all the bad boy, nonchalant thing going on. So I went with my # 2 Aladin, the thief with the heart of gold, I think that was the first time ever that I soown “Do you trust me?”, I was 6.
Of course I must mention THE library in B&B, I can’t have it, but I hope that my heaven looks something like that, sigh!
Ohmyohmyohmy!!! Walt’s probably spinning in his grave… or his cryogenic chamber.
As for me – Philip and Roger and Pongo. I’m going to really date myself here, and say that I saw 101 Dalmatians in the theater when it was first released and have loved it ever since.
I voted Beast b/c the beauty and the beast stories are my favorite romance trope.
LOLing about the no personality princes. It kills me that Snow Whites prince doesn’t even get a name – he is just Prince Charming!
I went with Robin Hood because I was in love with him as a child. But all of these Beast comments are making me want to re-watch that movie!
Flynn was hot. He has a bit of smart ass to him and I like that. But I am also a fan of Eric (boyish charm), Tramp (he could hold his own) and Li Shang (another somewhat cocky and manly one). I think I don’t like the ones that do lots of singing.
As I started reading this I wanted so badly to have you mention Prince Philip, so hooray. The movie was in re-release when I was a teenager, so I wasn’t in my most easily-pleased stage of life when I saw it, but there was still something about him that made me want to dance barefooted in the woods. Maybe it was the face he made at her when she was a baby combined with the dragon slaying, thorn-bush-from-hell hacking, sweet-kiss giving adult version of him.
There are so many other wonderful Disney princes, but Raymond from The Princess and the Frog is the only other one that could steal my heart from Prince Philip. Look at what the power of his love accomplished. **can’t believe he didn’t even make the list**
Beast. Like @jayhjay, beauty & the beast stories are my faves. I love tortured & scarred heroes. Guess I have a savior complex.
The Beast is my favorite because he starts out so selfish, but in the end is willing to give up everythign to help her. *dreamy sigh*
My second favorite is Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. I love the way he dukes it out with Ursula at the end. I thought he was pretty heroic…
Flynn from Tangled grew on me too… Very flirty!
Lisa K
I’m going with Philip. I like that he knows his own mind, is willing to throw everything over for her when he thinks she’s a commoner, has a sense of humor, and when it gets down to brass tacks, kicks some serious ass. What more could you ask for?
Loved Flynn, too. He’s fun.
I picked Philip (Beast was a close second). Sleeping Beauty was my favorite movie as a little girl (Beauty and the Beast was a close second), and I’ve bought it in DVD format at least twice.
I love the scene in the beginning when little boy Philip looks at baby Aurora and wrinkles his nose in disgust. So cute! And then then as an adult, it’s love at first sight! He sings wonderfully! And he’s kind to animals!
I picked Beast, because I’ve always had a special spot in my heart for Beauty and the Beast. Robin was a close second (that movie is the reason why foxes are my favorite animal). I like Beast largely because I identify closely with Belle. I am obsessed with all things french, read while walking (and doing just about everything else), every guy I’ve ever liked has been a jerk, and I have a habit of talking to inanimate objets. Plus, Beast is just adorable. (see: entire “Something There” song). Also, he wears (and looks good in) a cravat.
May I add Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove and Kronk’s New Groove? He’s awesome, he cleans, he cooks and is a friend to all the animals.
Definitely the Beast. I haven’t seen this movie in years and have just downloaded it on Apple TV to watch tonight. Thanks for the reminder.
Second runner up – the Tramp.
**sniff***
@ Inez Kelley & Sandra: You can find more at the original artist’s DA page (which I’m surprised the article didn’t link to) http://davidkawena.deviantart.com He ha.sn’t done Flynn yet, but we’re waiting with bated breath.
You’re making me choose Sarah? That is cruel and unusual punishment if I’ve ever seen it. I did vote for Flynn, but I feel a bit bad about it since he’s tied with Naveen as #1. They’re both so charming and eventually become total sweethearts, and I love how their SOs are so not into them at the beginning.
I like Philip from Sleeping Beauty, because he actually DID something and kicked ass. He fought a dragon, he went through that big field of thorns, he was imprisoned, etc. Eric from Little Mermaid kicked ass too, but I don’t like that movie too much (even though the songs are awesome).
And just for fun—my favorite princess would have to be Belle! Smart bookworms FTW!
I think maybe it has a lot to do with the fact that we don’t spend a lot of time with most Disney Princes. We know more about the dwarfs than we do about Whatshisname, more about the mice than we do Prince Charming, more about Beast as the Beast than Beast as a human. In the end, it came down to Robin, Jack, and Beast, and my vote went for Beast only by accident – I hit Enter before I could click on Jack’s button.
What about Herc from Disney’s Hercules?
I am trying to pin down just why I fell for him, and I think it was his goofy vulnerability. He wasn’t the aggressive, confident, alpha hero, or even as much of a lovable rascal as Aladdin (ALSO a favorite =D )—- instead, here he was, unbelievably strong, so much so that he believed he was a freak and that no one would, or could, care for him.
And he was naive and THAT was new to me. I’d read many romance books and watched many a movie by the time I was in my preteens and NONE, NOT ONE I’d read had a hero who had such a trait. Just about all the heroines, but never the hero. Innocent, artless, and guileless? To my young mind, it was something women SHOULD be and only a woman COULD be.
Therefore, when Meg walked on screen she blew my preconcieved notions away. What a couple! =)
So that’s my Disney Prince; Hercules. Unless… can I pick Genie from Aladdin? He was SO FUNNY! “A girl loves a man who can make her laugh!” Ha!
But if we can pick animals it’d be Scar from Lion King (What a bad boy with a gorgeous voice *GRIN* and ALL the horses in all the Disneys—- from the mice turned into white steeds in Cindarella to that cowardly clydesdale Phillipe in Beauty & the Beast to Kahn in Mulan and then that hilarious, courageous, loyal Pegasus—- it really all does go back to Hercules….
Captcha: Moved39
Did I just change my mind 39 times or what? Hard to pick a favorite when they are all so darn GOOD!
P.S.—- Tramp! I forgot Tramp; yes I’m with you Sarah. Terriers are adorable scoundrals!
Thomas O’Mally! The Alley cat!!!!!
He is my kinda guy! A bit sly, smart but sweet as can be!
I’d go for Robin Hood, he’s witty, he’s a great fighter and he’s definitely foxy.
I can’t go for Prince Philip because, well there’s another Prince Philip who’s been around in real life for my whole life so it just doesn’t have a heroic ring for me. LOL
One more for Robin, though much of that is for old time’s sake. I spent my childhood simultaneously in love with him and wanting to be him. His sweetness with the little rabbit children, his witty repartee, the way he would turn to a helpless ball of mush when contemplating his lady love…
For all the reasons above, the Beast might be my current favorite. I love heroes who are reluctant to be lovers. That gruffness does me right in.
I swear I’m not into beastiality. The animal heroes just got the best roles.
On the follow-up question, I do prefer me some rogues, but my favorite romance heroes are, like the beast, totally baffled by falling in love.
BEAST!
But Disney could TOTALLY have transformed him into an awesome human version. Keep a little facial hair, broad chest, and for crying out loud—Robby Benson’s voice!!!!
Oh, you shall GET a holler, Miss Sarah.
OHHHHHHH-AH-OH-AH-OHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Ahem, that was a rough approximation of Tarzan’s yell. Yes, I love me some Disney Tarzan. He was honorable, vulnerable, but still as brave and badass as they come. The aura they gave his character really makes him a man amongst all the boy heroes.
Oh and Beast totally reminds me of Jervaulx from Flowers from the storm. I totally love that mis-understood, scarred, heart-of-gold hero thing. *Sigh*
Of course its Beast for me. In beasty form. He was scarily beautiful as a man, and it kinda disturbed me. But im sad you didnt mention anyone the Lion King. Simba and Nala have such a cute relationship. Also, I second TerriorQueen concerning Scar. When I was 6, I thought Scar was so sexy hahah ” Be prepared was my favorite song”. I also had a HUGE crush on Genie. HUGE i tell you
Yeah. I’m saying *totally* waaaaay too much this evening.
That’s what happens when you have both the stomach AND the respiratory thing going around right now.
So now I’ll be the “totally TMI” girl now. That’s okay. Wait, what? this thread ISN’T about me. Oh. Carry on then.
I chose Philip. He was always my favorite with Beast (Adam) a very close second. Philip falls for Briar Rose/Aurora without even knowing who she was (sings to her, too!). He goes through a lot to get her..going against his father’s wishes, getting kidnapped and battling the evil Maleficent in dragon form…now that is romance!
Umm… hello? Beast!! Where do you think I got the whole trope from 🙂 He is soooo beautiful when he transforms! My daughter always laughs at me because I make sure I get to watch it (or did, she’s 13 now and won’t watch it anymore). That Robby Benson voice-over 😉
PHILLIP. don’t even have to think about it. He romances her a bit with the singing in the woods and then fights it out to save her from her sleep. it was just so *sigh* to my little girl heart when I first watched.
Maybe so many vote Beast in Beast form because Beast in human form is one ugly sonuvagun?
Beast – because underneath all the hair and bad temper he was smart enough to realise Belle was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
I was torn between Shang and Aladdin, but Aladdin’s playfulness won out in the end.
Beast, mostly because I sympathized with him a lot. Everyone has an unloved beast within and all that.
HOWEVER
I want to write Beauty and the Beast: Gaston’s Tale.
Gaston falls from the ledge and is rescued by the enchantress because everyone deserves a second chance. Gaston is turned into an animal and is hunted by the townspeople he treated badly before. La Fou has become mayor….
He is rescued, injured, by a local peasant girl…
If you think I may have put WAY too much thought into this, let me just say I saw the movie 23 times when it came out. It was 90 minutes of peace in (at the time) a very dark world.
Li Shang. He’s vulnerable in the beginning, but puts up a brave front and proves he’s a man. Then he ends up loving Mulan because she’s strong and brave.
Oh, and don’t forget the scene where he takes his shirt off. Animated? Who cares? Hubba-hubba!
spamword: looking56. I must’ve looked at least 56 times. Probably more!
Honestly, having seen Beauty and the Beast recently I thought he was a real jerk. I went with Aladdin – scrappy and cute and a great sense of humor! My kinda guy.
Beast/Prince Adam, hands down. That has always been my favorite fairy tale and I was thrilled when Disney made it.
Beast is interesting not because he’s a fixer-upper or a bad-boy, but because he isn’t perfect, even after he’s transformed back into a human. He’s stubborn and a little spoiled and cynical and lonely and is very close to losing hope. Then he meets Belle who doesn’t take any crap from him and likes him the way he is—hair and fangs and all—and suddenly he has hope again, not necessarily of being transformed, but of not being alone.
He falls in love with the smart brunette who loves to read. It was like Disney based Belle on me. (I was seventeen when it came out.) And then he went and gave her not just a library, but the most amazing library ever! *swoon*
Philip is my next favorite again because he loves her as Briar Rose and Aurora. He can sing and dance. And come on, he fought a freaking huge scary dragon for her. (That is still one of the scariest scenes for me. Right up there with watching Ebeneezer Scrooge fall into the open grave filled with hell-fire in Mickey’s Christmas Carol. *shudder*)
Naveen is my third favorite. (Frog Prince is my other favorite fairy tale.) Funny and carefree, he’s just so darn cute. “I minced!” And he and Tia are equals. They both give as good as they get.
Hmm, I never thought about it before, but I do look for the same qualities in my romance heros as in my Disney heros—an equality in the relationship and imperfect characters who grow and change for themselves.
I have to mention David from Lilo and Stitch. Granted, he’s not a prince but he’s a good guy, kind and supportive, gentle, helpful and uh, very well drawn. He even risks his life to save Stitch and that’s pretty awesome too. Any dude who can juggle fire, even with limited success, is my kind of dude.
Mulan is my ALL TIME FAVORITE Disney movie! I make my girls watch it all them time in hopes they pick up their inner woman strength early in life.
So my vote is for Li Shang, and his pecks!! O momma, in the training seen…. mmm! LOL
But second is totally Beauty and the Beast. But I think it’s because I really enjoy BOTH hero and heroine so much in it. I don’t think there is enough of human Beast to have an opinion of him, heck even Disney World has him portrayed as the beast not as his true self, because nobody would recognize him!
I gotta go with Beast, though many of them deserve honorable mentions.
Beast because:
1. The library.
2. The suffering.
3. The fight scene with the wolves
Honorable Mentions:
1. Eric, for seeing past species boundaries.
2. Phillip, for waiting a really really long time.
3. David (Lilo and Stitch), for putting up with the older sister’s problems.
Dishonorable Mentions:
1. Li Shang, when he found out about her he pulled away and turned his back on her. He almost killed her.
2. John Smith, for leaving and letting John Rolf get her in part 2.
Pocahontas and John Smith were always my favorite Disney couple. Imagine my dismay when I heard that Disney totally butchered the history there. Eh, who cares anyhow? History is so overrated anyways.
I thought I knew how I was going to vote until I actually got to the site and saw Robin Hood (foxy!) and Li Shang. And I gotta go with my boy, Li Shang. Yes, he was a little unmanned by the idea of his female fighting compatriot, but then he showed up, helmet in hand… realizing that if she wasn’t rendered helpless by her two X chromosomes, then neither would he be.
I voted for Shang because he falls in love with Mulan for more than her pretty face. Her intelligence (using the rocket to defeat the Huns) and determination to meet challenges (reaching the top of the climbing pole) win him over. This seems more realistic and meaningful than Prince Charming falling for Cinderella because she’s pretty and wearing the right clothes.