My Top 10 Favorite Off-Brand Movie Princesses

  It’s every girls dream to be a princess, right, and in today’s pop culture, there seem to be more princesses than ever before, so plenty of young actresses have the golden opportunity to live out that dream. I knew I’d eventually have to do a list of my own personal favorite Princesses portrayed in movies, so I’ll just take this as my golden opportunity. Now when I say my own personal favorite, I really mean it because, if you’re expecting more traditional princesses like Buttercup from “The Princess Bride”, or Princess Danielle from “Ever After”, there’s a strong chance you’ll be disappointed with this list. Most of my favorite Princesses are very different from the more traditional stereotypes and may come off as very odd choices, but so be it, this is my list and I’ll just be plain and honest with my choices. So, agree or disagree, these are my personal, top 10 personal favorite movie Princesses.     

#10 Princess Vespa from “Spaceballs” 

In this comedy classic, Princess Vespa comes from the planet Druidia and is a direct satire of Princess Leia from the “Star Wars” series. From the bun hair, to her snippy attitude, Vespa is an affectionate and funny spoof of the classic princess, but with her own charms and likability that also makes her stand on her own. Vespa seems to represent every classic trait of a Princess stereotype, and at the same time she’s nothing like traditional movie royalty. Vespa’s more of a stick in the mud, and her personality is that of a child that aged but never grew up, making her a fun offset to all the other princesses out there and an amusing start for my countdown.      

#9 Princess Anna from “Van Helsing” 

In the 2004 motion picture “Van Helsing”, the oh so beautiful Kate Beckinsale plays the princess of the Gypsies, who spends her time hunting down the monsters that terrorize Transylvania, honestly, what’s not to like. This is another character that you’d never associate with a princess stereotype, but she is in fact a princess and she can kick some serious butt. While she knows how to swing a sword and be strong, she still keeps her femininity in tacked and she still has her share of charm and charisma to boot. Kate Beckinsale dose a good job giving this albeit generic action character plenty of personality, emotional strengths and passion to stand as another favorite princess for my list.  

#8 Princess Nuala from “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” 

From a world of monsters and mystical creatures comes Princess Nuala, one of the most underrated and unique Princesses ever featured in a motion picture. She may belong to a nightmarish world of monsters, but honestly, this Princess is the stuff of dreams. When tensions rise between humans and monsters, her evil brother plots to overthrow humanity, now princess Nuala dose all in her power to maintain peace between the two worlds. Despite the fact that humans hate mystical creatures, she’s still willing to give it all to see that our world stays safe, even if that means giving up her own life in the process, making her one of the bravest and most companionate royals on my list. With her soft and sweet voice, love for poetry and selfless nature, princess Nuala is a personal favorite and not one to underestimate. 
      

#7 Princess Anastasia from “Anastasia” (1997) 

In this Don Bluth classic, Princess Anastasia imparks on a journey of self discovery to reunite with her Grandmother and learn that she’s in fact the last surviving air the to the Russian thrown. Traditional animated Princesses are a dime a dozen, but Anastasia is a special case because this is a character who had forgotten her heritage all together and has to learn what it means to be in a Royal family. I’ve never seen anything like this before, usually an animated princess is against her heritage but Anastasia just wants something to belong too, she could even care less about the perks of being a royal, it just happens to be something in her family line and she’ll do all in her power to fit in with it. Plus, the character of Anastasia is just brimming with personality and voice actress Meg Ryan brings her to life with attitude, charisma and charm, making Anastasia one of my favorite Princess from an animated motion picture.  

#6 Princess Nefertiri from “The Mummy series” 

Over 3000 years ago, Nefertiri was the princess of Egypt, an expert sword fighter and protector of mystical items. But when her father is murdered by an evil high priest named Imhotep, everything falls to ruin. Now in present day, the princess has been reincarnated as a librarian named Evie, who soon finds herself battling a re-animated mummy of the man who murdered her father centuries ago. This is a very different character for my list because it’s the reincarnated spirit of a princess in the body of a regular everyday woman, but that only makes her more special. I absolutely love the character of Evie, she’s adventurous, energetic and actress Rachel Weisz is so charming and likable in the role. Plus, she has plenty of really cool actions scenes and sword fights to boot.   

#5 Any one of Disney’s Classic Animated Princesses 

This may seem a little absurd giving a single spot on my list to an entire caravan of princesses but honestly, I just couldn’t leave any off my list and I couldn’t fill this list entirely with them either. But let’s face it, whenever we hear the word “princess”, we immediately associate it with one of Disney's classic animated ladies. We all know there colorful designs, we all remember their classic songs and we know them all off by heart, Snow White from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, Jasmine from “Aladdin”, Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”, Repunzel from “Tangled”, Cinderella from “Cinderella”, the list goes on and on.

Actually, I really like some of the more underrated characters like Princess Eilonwy from Disney’s “The Black Cauldron”, who in my opinion has the cutest voice of any of them. I’ve never had an official favorite Disney princess, but if I was forced to pick one, it would be either Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” or Pocahontas from Disney’s “Pocahontas”. These are the two princesses that broke out of the traditional royal stereotypes and had so much more to offer. Whichever character you like best, there’s no denying that the Disney Princesses are some of the most classic and belong on any Princess list.  

   

#4 Princess Neytiri from “Avatar” 

From the planet Pandora comes a race of aliens called Navi, which resemble Native American Indians and the princess of the tribe is a kind hearted, but also fierce warrior named Neytiri. Being a tall, blue skinned, cat like alien from another world definitely makes her stand out on my list of royals. But she sure has all the conventions of a great princess. She isn’t afraid to follow her heart, willingly breaks tradition and trusts her instincts, which leads her to fall in love with a human visitor named Jake. Zoe Saldana is personally one of my favorite actresses and has played some unforgettable Sci-Fi characters ranging from Uhura in “Star Trek” to Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy”, but it’s her portrayal of this exotic but wise and compassionate, blue skinned alien princess that stands as my favorite character of hers to date.   
  

#3 Princess Leia from “Star Wars” 

  

Like I even need to explain why Princess Leia makes my list, she’s pretty much the proclaimed icon of Princesses in the media. Obviously she’s famous for her bun hair, golden bikini, and limited but capable fighting abilities. Personally, I just love how involved she get’s. Leia never once gets held back by her Princess status, she’s always out there on the front line, leading the Rebels in battle, and she has just as much of a tough attitude to boot. What else do I need to say, it’s Princess Leia, one of the greatest Princesses of all time and for all the right reasons. 
     
  

#2 Princess Andromeda from “Clash of the Titans” (1981) 

In the Greek legend of Perceus, Andromeda was the Princess of Joppa, and sentenced to death at the hands of a sea monster, but she was rescued by our Greek hero Perceus before being consumed by the beast. Andromeda may not be a house hold name like Princess Leia or any of the classic Disney Princesses, but she is one of the most classic and iconic, especially in Greek Mythology. Heck, this princess actually has a star constellation named after her. No joke, the Great Andromeda Galaxy, also known as the Andromeda Nebula, got its name from an area of the sky, which in Greek literature outlines the appearance of the mythological princess chained to the sacrificial stone. That’s how the constellation of Andromeda got its name, but Astronomy lesions aside, why is she one of my favorite Princesses. While I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology, I also loved her portrayal in the 1981 motion picture, “Clash of the Titans”. This is the classic princess that any man would fantasized about rescuing. She was so young, innocent and cute that it’s no wonder Perceus put himself through so much for her. The two had a sweet relation and I love how she doesn’t let the status of being a princess keep her from going on a paroles adventure. She may be the epitome of a classic damsel in distress, but she’s also lovable, cute, and she’s the Princess that’s always worth fighting for.   

Before I crown my number one pick, here are my Honorable Mentions ...

Princess Buttercup from “The Princess Bride”, 
Princess Lily from “Legend”, 
Princess Danielle from “Ever After”, 
Princess Odette from “The Swan Princess” 
Princess Fiona from “Shrek”

#1 Princess Nausicaa from “Nausicaa of the Vally of the Wind”

Taking the top spot on my list is a princess that most main stream movie goers have probably never heard of, but shouldn’t be ignored, nor should her movie. In an apocalyptic future, civilizations wage war for ownership of the last surviving human populations, and cot in the middle is a brave young Princess named Nausicaa who’ll fight to her dying breath to insure peace is made across the land. So what, is she another stereotypical Princess that switches between being a soft spoken mediator, and a cunning, sword wielding action heroin, well, yeah she is ... and more. Princess Nausicaa has a warm heart and charming personality, but she also commands authority, takes serious action and always takes charge in any given situation. If a sudden attack happens, she’ll quickly think of a plan on her feet, and take charge the way a strong leader should. She never talks down to her people like their in any way beneath her, in fact she see’s everyone on the same equal ground, and has the same love and devotion to the smallest inhabitant of her Kingdom that she has for her own family. More than anything, this is a Princess who really inspires her people, raises their hopes, and you just feel that warm connection she has with everyone in her home valley. Also, like any animated princess, she has a real love for nature and can form an instant connection with animals. Now underneath her warm smile and selfless devotion to a just cause, Princess Nausicaa dose in fact have a dark side, an unstoppable rage that lashes our, and it terrifies her when she looses herself. This add’s a lair of complexity to the character which keeps her from being a stereotypical good role model. She is in fact a person bound by the human condition, but that only makes us respect her all the more when she acts heroically. In my opinion, she’s just an all around perfect character who earns her title, and set’s a new standard for other Princess characters to aspire from.

    Now go and live happily ever after! 

          

                                                                   The End