Official 2026 poster art from Disney did not include six major Disney princesses among its characters. Even without regular new releases, the Disney princess line-up remains an important part of the company's brand, through both animated and live-action releases.
Disney insider/Nexstar manager Scott Gustin shared a picture of a special piece of art on board the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Adventure. This piece of art features seven popular Disney princesses, as depicted from the movies in which they were introduced.
On the far left is Pocahontas, introduced in her own 1995 animated movie. Irene Bedard's daughter of Chief Powhatan eventually has her first encounter with white men in the early 1600s, meeting Mel Gibson's John Smith.
Next to Pocahontas is Disney's first Black princess, Tiana, first voiced by Anika Noni Rose in 2009's The Princess and the Frog (which almost got its own Disney+ spin-off show). Working to save up enough money to own her own restaurant, Tiana is accidentally turned into a frog when she tries to help Bruno Campos' Prince Naveen turn back into a human by kissing him.
2010's Tangled is featured next in the art, as Mandy Moore's Rapunzel is highlighted (ahead of the movie being rebooted as a live-action project). Locked away in a tower by Donna Murphy's Mother Gothel, who uses Rapunzel's magic hair to stay young, the young princess escapes the tower with Zachary Levi's Flynn Rider and goes on her first-ever adventure out in the world.
Released in 2021, Raya and the Last Dragon showed the first look at Kelly Marie Tran in her Disney debut as the princess Raya. Five hundred years after dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity, monsters called the Drunn return to wreak havoc, while Raya tracks down a dragon named Sisu (played by Awkwafina) and tries to stop them.
In her own section at the bottom of the picture is Jodi Benson's Ariel from The Little Mermaid (1989), splayed out on a rock with her eyes closed. Wanting to learn about the surface world, Ariel finds a way to trade her fins for legs, developing a relationship with a prince without the benefit of her voice.
Right above Ariel is another redheaded Disney princess, Merida from 2012's Brave, who is played by Kelly MacDonald. Seen holding her bow and arrow in this image, Merida defies her kingdom's customs and culture, hoping to change her fate before being forced to save her family from a spell.
The image finishes with Auli'i Cravalho as Moana from the same-named 2016 animated film (which is also in line for a live-action remake releasing in 2026). Known as the daughter of the village chief, Moana takes on a quest to find Dwayne Johnson's Maui, demigod of the wind and sea, to save her island home.
While those seven Disney princesses took the spotlight in this image, seven others were left out.
That group starts with the leading character from the 1950s Cinderella, played by Ilene Woods. Kept prisoner in her home by her stepmother and two stepsisters, Cinderella gets help from a fairy godmother to make her dream of going to the royal ball come true.
In 1998, Disney introduced one of its most popular heroines ever in Mulan, whose titular character was played by future Agents of SHIELD, The Mandalorian, and Percy Jackson star Ming-Na Wen. Held back by tradition, Mulan secretly takes her elderly father's place in the Chinese army, hoping to bring honor to her family.
Disney's first princess appeared in the studio's debut animated movie, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, voiced by Adriana Caselotti (and reprised by Rachel Zegler in the 2025 remake). Trapped in a castle by the evil queen, Snow White runs away and finds herself in the company of seven dwarves, who she helps learn valuable lessons in taking care of themselves.
1991 introduced fans to Paige O'Hara's Belle in the animated Beauty and the Beast (a role later reprised by Harry Potter's Emma Watson in the 2017 live-action remake). Known for her love of books, Belle is forced into captivity by a terrifying Beast to save her father before learning to see beneath the monster.
Princess Aurora came into the spotlight in the 1959 animated movie Sleeping Beauty. Cursed to die on her 16th birthday, Aurora's guardian fairies put a counterspell on her to protect her, all while she falls in love with Prince Phillip.
Arguably the most popular Disney princess of the 21st century is Elsa, played by former Wicked star Idina Menzel, in 2013's Frozen and 2019's Frozen 2 (she will return to the role in the upcoming Frozen 3). Cursed with the power to freeze anything in her path, Elsa struggles to find her place in the world while keeping her magic secret.
Also introduced in 2013's Frozen was Elsa's younger sister, Princess Anna, played by Kristen Bell. Separated from her sister because Elsa is considered dangerous, Anna wants nothing more than to be out in the world with people and live a normal life.
The full poster piece hung on the walls of the Disney Adventure, as shared by Gustin, can be seen below:
All of the aforementioned Disney princess movies are streaming on Disney+.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
