Does Disney Have Princess Problems?

A few days ago, Disney released the full soundtrack of their controversial Snow White movie that comes out this week. Among the multitude of new songs that have been added to the butchering of this classic film is one performed by Andrew Burnap called "Princess Problems." This song has not been promoted nearly as much as the new "feminist" anthem, "Waiting on a Wish," and for good reason. With all the negativity surrounding this movie, anyone who sees the title of this song would have instant fodder to take it out of context and apply it to Disney directly, and they wouldn't be too far off. Disney does have princess problems, but not the ones described in the song.

A couple of weeks ago, Disney announced that they were ceasing production of their upcoming Tiana series, which had been in development hell for the past five years, upsetting many fans and even the voice actress for Tiana herself. The cause of this cancellation was their decision to no longer produce long-form content for Disney+, which could mean the end of animated series from them in general. Animated princess shows are something that has been celebrated for years with heartwarming and entertaining new stories featuring beloved characters from movies like The Little Mermaid and Tangled. This announcement could have residual effects on other upcoming animated shows including Sofia the First: Royal Magic, which has also been kept under wraps for years. The cancellation of their animated princess shows and the fact that they haven't had an original animated princess since Raya and the Last Dragon came out four years ago provide ample evidence of their "princess problems." The final nail in the coffin comes later this week when Snow White will premiere to potentially empty theaters.

Performed by a character named Jonathan, who appears to be Snow White's love interest despite Rachel Zegler claiming she would "not be dreaming of true love," "Princess Problems" is a classic Broadway-style song about cynicism that equates princesses to first-world countries where people are too caught up in themselves to know what's going on in the real world. This song is a perfect follow-up to the line "your princess is showing" from last year's Descendants: The Rise of Red, which paints a picture of how Disney presents princesses in the modern era. Being a princess is no longer something to strive for, but instead something to overcome. Their place as relatable role models has been stamped out by feminism. Now, if you are kind and gentle, you need to toughen up and become a queen.

It's also telling that Disney's latest princess movie is a live-action remake of the first movie that proved to the world that people are willing to watch feature-length animations. Taking away the one thing that made this movie so iconic is not a great look for the mouse house. That's not to say that there haven't been other live-action adaptations of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," but the Disney version in particular was the beginning of a celebrated era of the film industry. In a way, it's poetic that the Disney Princess line should end with the same story that started it. At this point, it's best to look for other sources of wholesome princess content such as independent publishers.

As the live-action Snow White remake hits theaters, it's clear that Disney's "princess problems" run deeper than a single song or movie. The cancellation of animated series, the lack of original princess stories, and the rebranding of princesses as flawed and in need of "toughening up" all point to a larger issue. Disney's relationship with its princess franchise has become increasingly complicated, and it seems that the magic of Disney Princess is slowly fading away. As the curtain closes on this era of Disney history, it's hard not to wonder what's next for the beloved princesses who once captivated audiences around the world.