Disney and Political Science Part II

This is part two of my review of Disney ruling couples. I recommend that you check out last week’s post before reading further.

6-Cinderella/Charming

        Prince Charming (not the suspicious Prince Charming that courted Snow White) was raised to be king. That and his ability to make snap decisions like “I’m gonna marry this girl ASAP” means that he’ll do alright. He’s bland, but this isn’t a personality contest.

                                                                                       

Cinderella’s a genuinely kind person—she put up with her family all those years—I can see her as a sort of Princess Diana that can make up for Charming’s blandness. Everyone loves this girl, woodland creatures help her prepare for state functions, she’ll make the royal family look good. Still, she lacks the background and ambition to really shine.

5-Tiana/Naveen

Maldonia. We don’t know much about this made-up African kingdom except that the royal family seems surprisingly European. The Disney wiki implies that they speak Italian, and brief pictures of Maldonian architecture look almost British. However, there’s no hint of colonization from a Western power. I guess the writers didn’t think that these details were plot relevant. Weird, right?

Prince Naveen has come a long way since the beginning of the first movie, but he’s still the carefree type. Luckily for him Tiana’s entire character is built around being a hard worker. They balance out nicely. In addition, their years as owners of a successful restaurant will teach them to work together and solve problems with smaller stakes. By the time they take the throne they’ll be ready for bigger challenges.

Tiana’s experience as a black woman in the 1920’s South is another big plus. After growing up with a clear line between the haves and have-nots she’ll be sensitive to injustice. Her perceptiveness will lead to a fair and lawful government. She’s an American girl; she just might institute a democratic republic instead of a monarchy. She could be Maldonia’s last and greatest queen.

4-Elsa/Anna

Arendale practically runs itself. No, it actually runs itself. As far as we can tell there’s zero leadership coming from the castle between the time that the parents die to the coronation day. So let’s assume that the queen and the princess are mostly figureheads with power to issue the occasional decree (like cancelling all trade with Weselton.)

So they don’t have to deal with the day to day business of running a kingdom, that makes it easier to succeed. It seems like they mostly need to keep good foreign relations and stay popular with their subjects. Between Elsa’s serious mind and Anna’s instant likeability, the two girls will succeed--even Anna does marry a valiant, pungent, reindeer king.  

They also have an ace card, hopefully they never have to play it, but Elsa can always freeze the harbor again to keep attacking ships away. She can also freeze other harbors if you get my meaning. That’s an awfully nice port town you’ve got there, it would be a real shame if something were to happen to it. Elsa wins trade negotiations every time.

3-Jasmine/Aladdin

Jasmine might be one of the original rebellious princess types, but now that she’s grown up a little, seen the world, and inherited actual responsibilities as queen she’s going to be scary-good at her job. She was gutsy enough to escape the palace, but she goes all regal and saves Aladdin's life at the cost of her own freedom. Later on she fake-seduces Jaffar and tries to destroy him herself. Look, she’s just cool ok? I mean, she has a pet tiger for crying out loud.

Aladdin suffers from the same rouge-turned-king problem that Flynn Ryder has. They should hang out on weekends. Much like Flynn, Aladdin has greatness in him and can pull it together well enough to make responsible decisions.

2- Merida

Two words: Queen Elinor. That lady has class. She was willing to sacrifice what her daughter wanted for the good of the kingdom. That makes her sound like a jerk, but realistically an angry teenager is better than war. Still, she had the flexibility to defend her daughter’s wishes when she saw that she could do so while maintaining the peace.

Merida initially rebelled against Elinor’s example, but by the end of the film the girl already had the presence to quiet a room just by walking into it. She’s shown remarkable statesmanship for a girl her age and she’s gonna knock ‘em dead when it’s her turn to make the big decisions.

Let’s not overlook King Fergus’s legacy. He gave Merida some serious skills with a bow. Hanging around him long enough will prepare Merida to be a war-queen (it’s Scotland, there’s always a war.) Plus, every conflict looks easy after you’ve faced down a giant demon bear.

This picture is spinny because their kingdom is the best.

1-Belle/Beast

If I had to be an ordinary villager in any Disney kingdom, I’d choose to live near Beast’s castle. Think about it, it’s a small area with a local castle. If you need to air grievances it’s less than a day’s journey to the seat of power. The rulers have a huge emphasis on literacy so you know they’ll be opening up universities and public libraries.

Speaking of libraries, the castle library is bound to have just stacks of books on law, leadership, taxation, and general advice on how to keep a country up and running. This kingdom is a renaissance waiting to happen. They already have an eccentric inventor experimenting with steam power--Oh my goodness Beauty and the Beast magical steampunk kingdom!

Ehem. Back on track now. Belle and Beast will get married, have hairy babies, and launch a golden age in France. It’s a guaranteed success, and that’s why they snagged the number one spot on the list of best disney rulers.