Snow White

Snow White illustration by Carl Offerdinger (1829-1889).

Further Reading

1. Little Snow White - fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm from Household Tales, translated by Margaret Hunt 1884; full-text.

2. Snow White and Rose Red - Fairy tale by Andrew Lang, Blue Fairy Book (originally published in 1889); full-text.

3. Literature: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - trivia about the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs story, from TVtropes.org

Faline

Mirko Hanak's illustration from Bambi, A Life In the Woods circa 1967

Further Reading

1. Bambi, A Life in the Woods - book by Felix Salten, originally published in 1923, (no full-text available online).

2. Disney: Bambi - trivia about the Disney film adaption of Bambi, from TVtropes.org

Cinderella

Aschenputtel by Arthur Rackham (1867-1939), scene from The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, circa 1909.

Further Reading

1. Cinderella (also called "Aschenputtel")- fairy tale from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Household Tales translated by Margaret Hunt 1884; full-text.

2. Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper - from Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book, originally published in 1889; full-text.

3. Literature: Cinderella - trivia about the Cinderella story, from TVtropes.org

4. The Cinderella Bibliography - includes extensive lists of Cinderella-related resources compiled by Russell A. Peck.

5. Cinderella - Twenty-three different versions along the same Cinderella theme compiled by D.L. Ashliman of the University of Pittsburgh.

Alice

 Illustration by John Tenniel from Chapter One of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1865:

"The Rabbit started violently, dropped the white kid gloves and the fan, and skurrried away into the darkness as hard as he could go."

Further Reading

1. The Lewis Carrol Society - founded in 1969 (charity) "formed in 1969 with the aim of encouraging research into the life and works of Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)".

2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - full-text book by Lewis Carroll, (originally published in 1865).

3. Literature: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - trivia about the Alice in Wonderland story, from TVtropes.org

Wendy Darling

 Mabel Lucie Attwell's 1938 illustration of Peter Pan rescuing Wendy.

NOTE: See Tinker Bell for other important reading material pertaining to Wendy Darling. 

Further Reading

1. Online Literature Library - J.M. Barrie's books, which include The Little White Bird originally published in 1902; also The Adventures of Peter Pan (alternate title Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, also Peter and Wendy) was published first as play in 1904, and later a novel in 1911; full-text.

2. Peter Pan 1924 Silent Film - information provided by Silent Era website in reference to the Peter Pan silent film, which predates the Disney film.

3. The History of the Name "Wendy" - the name Wendy was not in popular use until after the book Peter Pan was published.

4. Wendy Darling - character profile from fan-site Neverpedia.

5. The Peter Pan Alphabet - children's spin-off book circa 1907.

6. Literature: Peter Pan - trivia about the Peter Pan story, from TVtropes.org

Aurora

Little Briar-Rose illustrated by Walter Crane, as seen in Household Stories from the Collection of the Brother's Grimm circa 1899.

Further Reading

1. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood - one of many stories collected in Charles Perrault's Stories or Tales from Times Past; or, Tales of Mother Goose originally published in 1697; full text.

2. Little Brier-Rose - one of many tales collected by the Brothers Grim in their first edition book Kinder- und Hausmarchen in 1812; full text.

3. Sun, Moon, and Talia - written by Giambattista Basile in 1893, translated by Richard F. Burton, revised by D. L. Ashliman.

4. Sleeping Beauty - article by Midori Snyder, author and co-drector of The Endicott Studio, and the Journal of Mythic Arts.

Maid Marian

Robin Hood and Maid Marian, 1866 painting by Thomas Frank Heaphy

Further Reading

1. Maid Marian - novel by Thomas Love Peacock, first published in 1822; full-text.

2. Child ballad 119A: Robin Hood and the Monk - one of the oldest ballads of Robin Hood, dating back to approximatley 1450 CE.

3. Robin Hood and His Historical Context - article by Dr. Mike Ibeji of BBC.

4. Disney: Robin Hood - trivia about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org

5. The Real Robin Hood - article from History.com; also includes a video entitled, "Who Was Maid Marian?"

Miss Bianca

Garth Williams is the illustrator of Margery Sharp's books; he also illustrated Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and Little House on the Prairie.

Further Reading

1. The Rescuers - first book (1959) written in in a series of books by Margery Sharp; GoogleBooks preview of the first 45 pages or so of the first book (excluding illustrations); full-text unavailable online.

2. Margery Sharp - Goodreads brief overview of Margery Sharp's work, including The Rescuers Series.

3. Disney's Animated Classic 'The Rescuers" Marks 35th Anniversary - article by Susan King of the Los Angeles Times

4. Disney: The Rescuers - trivia about both Disney films The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under, from TVtropes.org

5. The Rescuers: Margery Sharp, Illustrated By Garth Williams - article from New York Review Books; includes brief synopsis, quotes, and concise info about the author and illustrator.

Eilonwy

 Eilonwy holding her bauble (sphere), which has magical powers.  She is wearing a crescent moon, which is the emblem of her family (the Royal House of Llyr).

Further Reading

1. The Chronicles of Prydain - series of five children's books by Lloyd Alexander (published from 1964 to 1968) after which the film was based, (full-text unavailable online); bibliography from Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

2. The Pydain Companion: A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles - GoogleBooks preview of the first 15 pages of this book by Michael O. Tunnell is available online.

3. The Chronicles of Prydain series - Goodreads brief overview of the series.

4. Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present - The Black Cauldron was a 1966 Newbery Honor and The High King was the 1969 Newbery Medal Winner, both of which books in the Prydain series.

5. Concerning the Name "Eilonwy" - article concerning the origins of the name Eilonwy and pronunciation help from the SCA College of Arms on the Web.

6. Princess Eilonwy - fan character profile from the larger "Prydain" wiki from Wikia.com

7. Disney: The Black Cauldron - trivia about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org

Ariel

 Illustration from Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid.

Further Reading

1. The Little Mermaid - full-text story by Hans Christian Anderson, written 1836.

2. Edvard Erikson (1876-1959) - sculptor who in 1913 created a statue of The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.

3. Literature: The Little Mermaid - trivia about the story of the Little Mermaid, from TVtropes.org

4. Undine - written by Friedrich de la Motte Fouque in 1811, translated from German by F.E. Bunnett; full-text.

5. Hans Chrisitan Anderson: Father of the Modern Fairy Tale - article by Terri Windling (well-kown, multi-award winning author).

Belle

Beauty illustration from Walter Crane's Beauty and the Beast picture book published in 1874.  The original story was published in France in 1756. 

Further Reading

1. Beauty and the Beast - full text by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont, 1783 edition from Pitt.edu

2. Beauty and the Beast - poem by Charles Lamb, circa 1811 from Beauty and the Beast History and Scholarship website.

3. Beauty and the Beast - collection of different versions of the Beauty and the Beast story spanning many different cultural interpretations, also from Pitt.edu

4. Disney: Beauty and the Beast - trivia about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org

5. Beauty and the Beast - article by Terri Windling (well-known, multi-award winning author).

6. Shimchong, the Blindman's Daughter - article by Heinz Insu Fenkl, author of Memories of My Ghost Brother.

Jasmine

In The Story of Aladdin, one of many stories that make up One Thousand and One Nights (also known as the "Arabian Nights"), the princess's name was Badroulbadour not Jasmine).  Also, the story took place in China. 

Further Reading

1. The Story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp - selections from the original tale, from The Arabian Nights Entertiaments, selected and edited by Andrew Lang after the edition of Longmans, Green and Co, 1918 (1898); original e-text from Project Gutenburg.

2. The Story of Aladdin; Or, The Wonderful Lamp - first series edited by E. Dixon, 1893 version.

3. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp - audio option on this page will read you the story in about 30 minutes; also included is a print version.

4. Comparison of the Contents of the Various Editions of Arabian Nights - very lengthy and detailed list, just to get an idea of HOW MANY variations there truly are.

5. Disney: Aladdin - trivia about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org

Nala

Arthur Huges Ophelia (1865).  The Lion King was loosely based off  Shakespeare's Hamlet.

NOTE: See Kiara for other important reading material pertaining to Nala. 

Further Reading

1. "Lion King" and "Hamlet": A Homecoming for the Exiled Child - article from the English Journal from JStore.

2. Hamlet - full-text play by Williams Shakespeare (written 1600-1601) from Shakespeare Online.

3. Disney: The Lion King - trivia about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org

Pocahontas

The real Pocahontas was born near present-day Jamestown, Virginia in 1596.  While living in England, she died at the age of 21. 

Further Reading

1. Pocahontas - biography of the real Pocahontas from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

2. Pocahontas - article from Powhatan Museum of Indigenous Arts and Culture.

3. History of Jamestowne - article about what life was like in Jamestowne during the time when Pocahontas was alive, from the Historic Jamestowne.

4. Disney: Pocahontas - trivia about the Disney film Pocahontas, from TVtropes.org

Megara

The classic Greek hero Hercules (or Heracles) had four wives, Megara being the fist.  Their marriage was relatively short lived. 

 Further Reading

1. Heracles - trivia about the original Greek myth from In2Greece.com

2. The Life and Times of Hercules - outlines the life of Hercules from Hercules Greece's Favorite Hero via Perseus.tufts.edu

3. Hercules - by Euripides written 421-416 BCE, translated by E.P Coleridge from the Internet Classics Archive.

4. Megara, Hercules' Fist Wife - article about Megara's role in Euripedes' play, also from Greece's Favorite Hero.

5. Disney: Hercules - trivia about the Disney film Hercules, from TVtropes.org

 Mulan

 Further Reading

1. The Ballad of Mulan (Ode of Mulan) - written in the fifth or sixth century CE; excerpts and brief history from Asia for Education.

2. Disney: Mulan - trivia about the Disney film Mulan, from TVtropes.org

Kiara 

 Romeo and Juliet by Ford Madox Brown, dated 1870.

 NOTE: See Nala for other important reading material pertaining to Kiara. 

  Further Reading

1. The Lion King II: Shakespeare's Pride - an article by Maxine Rafaella C. Rodriguez, BA English studies.

2. Romeo and Juliet - full-text play by William Shakespeare (written 1594-1595), after which the film is loosely based.

Jane Porter

Actress Joyce MacKenzie as Jane in the 1953 movie Tarzan and the She-Devil, directed by Kurt Neumann. 

 Further Reading

1. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs - originally published in a magazine in 1912, later a book in 1914); full-text e-book available for download via Project Gutenberg.

2. He Tarzan, You Fan - article by Thomas Wood from Bill & Sue-On Hillman's ERBzine.

3. It's Been a Jungle Out There - article by John Taliaferro of the Los Angeles Times.

4. Tarzan of the Apes (1918) - First Tarzan film made available for download from the Internet Archive via The Public Domain Review.

5. Literature: Tarzan of the Apes - trivia about the story of Tarzan of the Apes, from TVtropes.org

Kidagakas "Kida" Nedakh

Nemo and Aronnax explore Atlantis in the book 10,000 Leagues Under The Sea, a novel by Jules Verne, written in 1870.

  Further Reading

1. Atlantis - article including general information about the Atlantis myth from Encyclopedia.com

2. Atlantis - article from the Skeptic's Dictionary; includes list of additional books, articles, websites, and news stories pertaining to Atlantis.

3. Echoes of Plato's Atlantis - article from BBC History, Ancient History in-depth; concerning the historical context of the legend surrounding Atlantis.

4. Atlantis--True Story or Cautionary Tale? - article by Willie Drye of National Geographic.

5. The Lost Continent: Atlantis - article from The Museum of Unnatural History about Plato's Atlantis.

6. Jules Verne: An Author Before His Time? - article also from The Museum of Unnatural History about the author Jules Verne, who wrote 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

7. Atlantis - trivia about Atlantis in general, from TVtropes.org

8. Disney: Atlantis: The Lost Empire - trivia about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org

 Sophie Hatter

Sophie is the woman pictured with the walking stick. 

Further Reading

1. Howl's Castle - series of books by Diana Wynne Jones; Book 1 is Howl's Moving Castle (published 1986) after which the film was based (full-text unavailable online); bibliography from Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

2. Howlas Moving Castle - article by Mechademia (Volume 3, 2008) from Project Muse.

3. Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle, Updated Edition: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation - GoogleBooks preview of the first 26 pages of this book by Susan J. Napier is available online.

4. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - New York Times review by A. O. Scott of the Disney film adaption.

5. War, Wizards, and Words: Transformative Adaptation and Transformed Meanings in Howl's Moving Castle - article by Lindsay Smith of the Department of Theatre and Film, Bowling Green State University.

6. Literature: Howl's Moving Castle - trivia about the Howl's Moving Castle story, from TVtropes.org

Amy Adams as Giselle. 

 Further Reading

1. The Line Between Homage and Parody - an article from the New York Times about Enchanted as an example of Disney's modern approach to storytelling, incorporating new with the old.

2. Find the Hidden Disney References - an article by Robert W. Butler featured in the Chicago Tribune.

3. 'Enchanted' Disney Spoofs: Past Princesses, Familiar Restaurants, Cleaning Cockroaches - an article by Shawn Adler of MTV who interviews the main cast of Enchanted.

4. Disney's Enchanted History - article by Stephen Schwartz that details the process that led up to the making of the film.

5. Film: Enchanted - trivia about the Disney film Enchanted, from TVtrope.org

Tinker Bell

Margaret Kerry (born 1929) was the live model for Disney's Tinker Bell in the 1953 film. 

 NOTE: See Wendy Darling for other important reading material pertaining to Tinker Bell. 

 Further Reading

1. The Little White Bird - full text of the book by J.M. Barrie, originally published in 1902 from Literature.org

2. Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Golden Egg - book written by Newberry Honor author Gail Carson Levine; author's official website.

3. Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean - excerpt from the official sequel to J.M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy, as authorized by Great Ormond Street Hospital (who holds the rights to Barrie's original work).

4. Tinker Bell, character profile from fan-site Neverpedia.

5. Tinker Bell Talks.com: The Official Margaret Kerry Website - the real-life model for the animated Tinker Bell in Disney's Peter Pan film (from 1953).

6. Franchise: Disney Fairies - trivia about the Disney Fairy Franchise, from TVtropes.org

  Tiana

 This illustration by Charles Folkard can be found in Grimm's Fairy Tales circa 1911.

 Further Reading

1. The Frog Princess - by E.D. Baker, after which the film is based (full-text unavailable online).

2. Tales of E.D. Baker - author's official website.

3. The Frog Prince or Iron Heinrich - by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm; a version of this tale was included in the Grimm's manuscript collection of 1810.

4. Literature: The Frog Prince - trivia about The Frog Prince story, from TVtropes.org

5. Her Prince Has Come. Critics, Too - an article by Brooks Barnes of the New York Times.

6. Disney: The Princess and the Frog - trivia about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org

Rapunzel

Rapunzelturm (Rapunzel Tower) 1922 illustration from Grimm's Fairy Tales.

 Further Reading

1. Rapunzel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm - compares and contrasts between the 1812 and 1857 versions of the story, compiled and translated by D.L. Ashliman of Pittsburgh University.

2. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair - article by Terri Windling (well-known, multi-award winning author).

3. Literature: Rapunzel - trivia about the Rapunzel story, from TVtropes.org

  Merida

The figure above is an 1842 illustration by R.R. Mclan.  An unmarried girl (such as Merida) living in the Scottish Highlands in the tenth century would have looked similar to this. 

  Further Reading

1. From the Silver Screen to the Scottish Highlands - article from Walt Disney World News.

2. Search for the Real Merida of Disney Pixar's Film Brave - article by Steven McKenzie, a BBC Scottish Highlands and Island film reporter.

3. Disney Pixar's Brave - article from the National Museum of Scotland.

4. 23 Questions With...the Brave Cast and Crew - article from the Official Disney Fan Club.

5. The Cultural Impact of the Highland Clearances - an article by Ross Noble of BBC.

6. Women's Dress - article detailing the type of clothing traditionally worn by Scottish Highlander women 

7. Western Animation: Brave - article about the Disney film, from TVtropes.org