Top Five Disney Princes
Ah, Disney princes. Actual princes that are gentlemen and not backstabbing traitors who belong in Game of Thrones. We love you, we adore you, and we thank you for giving us unrealistic expectations of love.
I hope Disney gives us more singing princes soon. Many voice actors could provide the pipes, and the characters. Until then, and on this Valentine’s Day, may I present my contender for Disney’s best princes:
5) Philip
When your first Disney prince that actually rides into battle has a personality, he has to go here. Philip by Disney standards is one of the most action-oriented vintage princes.
Philip meets the viewers and we know he has flaws. As a kid, the thought of marrying another princess for political purposes doesn’t sit well, even with the logical reasons. He impulsively follows a mysterious voice, and decides to marry a girl he just met. We also see that even when he is downright terrified, he will fight for what is right. The prince totally earns that victory against Maleficent, with the three fairies’ help.
4) Hercules
Hercules as the legitimate son of Zeus and Hera. rulers of Olympus, in the Disney Greek pantheon belongs here. The Disney version is a nice guy who has to get training to control his powers and find his purpose. As Lindsay Ellis noted in her review on YouTube, Hercules doesn’t let fame get to his head but rather uses it as a means to an end: to reunite with his biological family. When Zeus tells him that’s not how heroics work in a Disney movie, Hercules immediately tries to figure out what he did wrong. What’s more, he never stops trying
His date with Megara shows his princely side. Megara attempts to seduce Hercules to find her weakness, because she is Hades’s slave. Hercules, rather than taking the hints, adjusts her dress straps and slides her ankle off his face to talk to her like a person. He tells her that he believes she is a good person. Even after learning the truth, he goes into battle powerless, willing to die for people. That is true courage.
3) Flynn Rider aka Eugene Fitzherbert
Flynn’s not a prince by birth, but he becomes one after marrying Rapunzel. A reformed thief that gives up thrilling robberies for spending life with the girl of his dreams, Flynn won every viewer’s heart. He died to save the girl he loves, and will continue to make her happy.
We may compare Flynn to Aladdin, who I didn’t put on the list because right now I have a thing about deceit and hurting others with insecurity, but Flynn like all the others on the list is a gentleman. While he schemes to get his latest theft back from Rapunzel, he makes sure that the schemes don’t physically hurt her. Gradually, his motivations change to protect her, especially when he learns how others would kill for her magic hair. He lies about many things, but he doesn’t lie about what he will do for her.
2) Captain Shang
Shang technically isn’t royalty, but he has a royal heart and noble lineage. A son of a general who will lay down his life for his country, and whip his men into shape, Shang proves himself as a hero. The way Shang treats Mulan as a romantic partner isn’t discussed in the first film, though the horrendous direct-to-video sequel had a moment where off the battlefield, they have different opinions. With that said, he always strives to communicate with her, and remembers how they bonded. They don’t forget the training, the treks through the snow, or the fighting.
As to how he treats his subordinates, Shang is very fair. Mulan makes a bad first impression on him as a troublemaker, and what’s more fails to prove herself due to her inexperience with combat and angry coworkers tripping her up. When he kicks her out of the army due to incompetence, she wins her place back by completing a challenge he set on their first day. Shang appreciates that Mulan respects him as captain, and how she works to surpass him in combat. He lets her go when she’s outed, because she saves him and their entire squadron from Shan Yu’s army. More importantly, he trusts her in the climb to take the lead to rescue the emperor and stop their enemy. This trust bodes well for their future relationship.
1) Prince Eric
Eric is one of the best princes, because of his kindness, bravery, and etiquette. People have called him “Gen-Eric,” but I think he was one of the first Disney princes with an actual personality.
Eric won me over in The Little Mermaid when he climbed ”back” onto a sinking ship to save his dog. And this wasn’t a tiny little terrier; Max is a giant fluffy sheepdog who must weigh as least seventy pounds. But Eric went for Max, and nearly died saving the giant puppy. Ariel saved him because she was attracted to Eric’s looks, and the way he played with Max, but she has a good choice in men.
What’s more, Eric is a gentleman. He finds a shipwrecked mute girl on the beach, whom his dog scares, and he doesn’t understand what she wants or who she is, but he helps her into his palace and offers sacred hospitality. The next day, they go on a date as he shows her the sights and sees her love for dancing and chariot driving, while facing doubts about taking advantage of her. He waits until he learns her name to even consider kissing her. While Ariel would rather if he just kissed her so she could remain human, he’s actually abiding by etiquette. When he realizes that she’s a mermaid and a giant sea witch has taken her, Eric goes down with a harpoon and refuses to leave her. Triton certainly respects him by the end as a human that rescued everyone from Ursula, and who protected his daughter. Eric needs more love.