Someday My Prince Will Come

One would think that since I have been lucky enough to procure one, I would dedicate a post to my new job. Ha! Yes, one would think. Alas, no, my silly mind does not work in such ways. I shall continue to bore my very few readers with the inner ramblings of my crazy mind.

So... who has missed my Disney posts? Nobody? Well, too bad because you're getting another one just the same. I've been on a little Disney streak lately, watching a bunch of princess movies mostly. I'll let you in on my thoughts as I watch each one. Throughout the film, I react appropriately; laughing, gasping, whimpering, even crying. (This is mostly when I'm watching them alone. I tone it down a bit when I watch them with other people). Then, of course at the end when the romantic leads FINALLY kiss and live happily ever after, I grin like an idiot (literally) and get all warm and fuzzy inside... Then come the after-effects.

After-effects? What are you getting on about, Kelsi? Well, after the warm and fuzzy feelings start to dim, I start to feel depressed. My thought process starts to go something like this: "Why are they so perfect for each other? Why can't I have something like that? Why are all the guys I know such dweebs? Why can't I have the perfect guy? FOREVER ALONE!". Then, of course, I always laugh at myself later... until I watch the next movie and it starts all over again. Don't judge! I just have a lot of feelings, OK?

Disney: raising our expectations of men since 1937.

No, but really though, girls! Haven't we all at some point in our lives wanted a Disney guy? I mean look at them all! (Oh yes, I'm going to break them all down. Come on, you know you want it. XD)

THE PRINCE

from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

voiced by Harry Stockwell

"One heart, tenderly beating, ever intriguing, constant and true."

The boy who started it all. He's the only prince to serenade his girl while she's up on a balcony. Ha-HA! Got to give him credit for that. Quite frankly, I can't break this one down very much since he's not present for 95% of the film, but for what he is there, he's your typical over-the-top romantic, horse-riding, feather cap-wearing prince.

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He searches the entire land for Snow White.

PRINCE CHARMING

from Cinderella (1950)

voiced by Mike Douglas

"I'm all a glow, and now I know, the key to all heaven is mine."

First off, I've got to give this guy credit for his underestimated, unnoticed sass. He hardly speaks during the film, but during the beginning of the ball especially it's just written all over his face and in his body language "Why am I here? *bows* Oh gosh, another foofy dress *bows* How many chins does that girl have? *bows* I wanna go to bed now *bows*". Ha! I love it. Again, I can't really break this one down either since he's absent for the majority of the film. And he's the only male lead not present for the climax (even The Prince from Snow White was there.)

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He searches the entire kingdom in order to find Cinderella.

PHILIP

from Sleeping Beauty (1959)

voiced by Bill Shirley

"Now, father, you're living in the past. This is the 14th century!"

Our first and only cliche dragon-slaying prince! Wazoos! Also, our first prince with an actual personality and who plays a major part of the story. Although he still follows in his two predecessors's footsteps of falling unconditionally in love with a girl at first glance. But like I said, he's much deeper than the past princes. He's brave, he's daring, he's stubborn, he's even a little silly at times (like when he dances with his father as if they're at a ball).

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He undergoes perilous obstacles, including slaying a dragon in order to reach Aurora and save her.

ERIC

from The Little Mermaid (1989)

voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes

"Believe me, Grim, when I find her, I'll know. Without a doubt, it'll just-BAM-hit me. Like lightning."

I've always been a sucker for dark hair and blue eyes. Now we're reaching the guys with more depth to their characters. I love Eric, though he doesn't have much character development. We'll get to those guys later. He starts out a total sweetheart and ends a total sweetheart. Nothing really changes. But he's a total sweetheart, that's what matters, so I love him! He's just nice to everybody, and he totally makes Ariel's first day in the kingdom special. Fun fact: Eric is the only prince to not sing in his movie (although he does sing in the broadway musical).

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He searches for Ariel every day and night hoping he'll be able to find her again.

THE BEAST

from Beauty and the Beast (1991)

voiced by Robby Benson

"But, she is being so *difficult*!"

Huzzah for males getting bigger roles in Disney movies! In my opinion, the Beast is one of the most deep and complex Disney characters ever created. This is because, although the protagonist, he also has a lot of villain-like qualities. He has a vile temper and is almost violent at times. He has to overcome his own weaknesses and flaws in order to break the enchantment placed over him and his castle. Beneath his rough, angry self is a soft, helpless little boy with a big, loving heart. Imagine having such a curse on you, having to live as a beast until you found love and love in return, with a deadline included. It would definitely make me feel a bit hopeless and cranky. And he was already prone to anger to begin with.

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He lets Belle go because he loves her.

ALADDIN

from Aladdin (1992)

voiced by Scott Weinger

"Trouble? No way. You're only in trouble if you get caught."

The first "prince" to be the main character of the movie! (Well I guess The Beast sort of was, but he shared the spotlight equally with Belle, so it doesn't quite count). Let's give him a round of applause for that, shall we? I say "prince" with quotations because he's not a prince at first. He's a "street rat"/thief. As the main character, he obviously has a large amount of depth and of course has some character development (otherwise it would be a very dull film). He's completely selfless, extremely clever, and utterly charming. No one will ever forget "A Whole New World", whether you love Disney or not. It's remembered as one of the most romantic movie scenes of all time. *dreamy sigh*

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He becomes a prince so he can be with Jasmine.

SHANG

from Mulan (1998)

voiced by BD Wong

"Okay, gentlemen, thanks to your new friend Ping, you'll spend tonight picking up every single grain of rice. And tomorrow, the *real* work begins."

Oh-ho-ho, yes! My ex-roommate's favorite "Disney hunk" as she referred to him. He's the only one on my list who never starts out as, or becomes a prince at any point. Now his relationship is interesting with the female lead since he doesn't even know she's a female until the last quarter of the movie. He sings basically the best Disney song ever written so he ranks high in my book. He's an honorable man, breaking the law by not killing Mulan to fulfil his debt. He's brave, honorable, noble, strict, and compassionate. He's "swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon" XD.

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He breaks the law so Mulan can live.

NAVEEN

from The Princess and the Frog (2009)

voiced by Bruno Campos

"You must kiss me. You will enjoy, I guarantee. All women enjoy the kiss of Prince Naveen. Come, we pucker."

And now we get into the era of the cocky, suave, over-confident heroes that need the girls to turn their lives around. These guys have a lot of thought put into their personalities. I was about to say that he's the first prince to play an instrument, but Eric plays some sort of whistle. But he IS the first prince with an accent! Also, he's the first prince to be set in a "modern" time period (in other words, past medieval/renaissance times). Anyways, once you rub past his "no account, philandering, lazy bump on a log" exterior, you find a fumbling, silly boy who doesn't really know how to look out for himself. But he's a nice guy with a very romantic side. Tee-hee! His failed proposal to Tiana is adorable.

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He's willing to give up his happiness by marrying Charlotte so Tiana can have her restaurant.

FLYNN RIDER (aka Eugene Fitzherbert)

from Tangled (2010)

voiced by Zachary Levi

"Alright, listen. I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the smolder."

Last, but definitely not least, our most recent addition to the "Disney Hunks" collection. (I remember analyzing him a long, long time ago back when this movie was released, but I'll go ahead and do it again.) Our first "prince" with facial hair. (Now I know Phoebus from HBoNT had facial hair, but he's not on my list, so he doesn't count). Again, I say "prince" with quotations because he's not a "prince" at first. He's a thief, but a different kind than Aladdin. He steals because he wants to, not because he needs to survive. He falls firmly into the category of the cocky, suave, overly confident until he meets the girl who turns him around. But beneath that exterior is a sad, lonely little orphan and a total sweetheart. The way he looks at Rapunzel though, it just screams out his sweetness (I mean just look at the above picture).

ULTIMATE ROMANTIC: He gives up his life so Rapunzel can be free.

You see? They're not all perfect (because perfect's boring), but they've got a good kind of imperfection. So I'll just be here waiting for my own Disney prince to come along. Now, don't go telling me that I need to get out there and look, because I am! Don't think I'm just sitting on my backside waiting for some frog to appear on my windowsill, or for my dad to be kidnapped, or for a guy to climb through my window, or for me to be enlisted in the army, or something. OK, everyone see where I stand now? Good. Someday my prince will come and we'll live happily ever after. The end.

Happily Ever After Video