Reception

The Disney Princess franchise has received generally mixed reception from critics and customers, particularity feminists.

Tension has been present between the Disney Corporation and feminists since the first Disney princess movie came out in 1937. The type of representations of women in Disney films reflect Walt Disney's personal feelings about family life, which in turn also shaped the Disney Company. Another influence was the fact that Disney's attitudes mirrored the patriarchal cultural beliefs of the 1940s about what roles women should play in society.^[40]

On December 24, 2006, Peggy Orenstein published "What's Wrong With Cinderella?" in The New York Times.^[7] In her article, Orenstein discussed her concerns about the effects of princess figures on young girls. Orenstein used the Disney Princesses specifically to present many of her points. Orenstein also noted the pervasive nature of Princess merchandise and that every facet of play has its princess equivalent.^[7] Tamara Weston of Time magazine criticized the franchise, referring to the princesses as "damsels in distress" and negative role models for young girls.^[41]

The introduction of different ethnicities in Disney animated features has also faced sceptic reactions, as well as criticism, from authors and media alike. An example is Princess Sofia in "Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess", presented as Disney's all-time first Latino princess. Dubious reactions to Disney's statement about the Princess being a Latina and the lack of characteristics actually identifying her as such placed the studio under mild fire and fueled discussions in the blogosphere. Similar reactions were evident upon the release of "The Princess and the Frog" regarding the main heroine, Tiana^[42].