From the Little Mermaid and the Snow Queen to Ariel and Elsa: The Development of the Disney Princess Through Adaptation

Abstract

Costume, color and music are common elements of the film adaptation process, as they contribute to the representation of the emotional depth of a character or narrative. This thesis is a study of how the figures of H. C. Andersen’s fairy tales The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen have been made into the Disney princesses Ariel and Elsa in The Little Mermaid and Frozen. The analysis focuses on how these Disney princesses are portrayed in the films through the use of costume, color and music, and how the stereotypical Disney princess has changed during this period in time. Costume, color and music play an important role in our perception of characters, and where costume and color tell a story without the use of words, music contributes to our understanding of the characters’ different experiences and emotional journeys. Comparing the characters from the same story, in addition to comparing the two Disney princesses, gives an insight to how the adaptation of these features have worked and how the film has adapted to the society of its time.