Salam & olla lovelies :D
Today I would like to share with all of you about
the real person behind Disney princesses :D
You guys probably familiar with Disney and their princesses right?
It's soooo childhood for me as I've watched some of them too :)
Well, here we go! :D
# 1 - Snow white (Adriana Caselotti)
Walt Disney initially consulted Adriana Caselotti’s vocal coach father for recommendations for Snow White, but after hearing his 19-year-old daughter’s natural child-like voice hired Caselotti instead. Caselotti was limited in her lucrative Disney contract to use her talents elsewhere, and spent her career reprising Snow White as a the first woman named a Disney Legend.
# 2 - Cinderella 1950 (Ilene Woods)
Ilene Woods was personally selected to voice Cinderella by Walt Disney from a pool of over 300 actresses. Woods sang for both President Roosevelt and President Truman and was named a Disney Legend in 2003.
# 3 - Alice in Wonderland 1951 & Peterpan 1953 - Wendy / Alice (Kathryn Beaumont)
At just 10 years old with curly blonde hair and blue eyes, Kathryn Beaumont was chosen to be both the voice and model for Alice in Disney’s original 1951 animated "Alice in Wonderland." Under contract with Disney, Beaumont went on to be the voice for Wendy in "Peter Pan," and today continues voice work reprising her famous roles. The 75-year-old Beaumont also worked as a schoolteacher where she was known to delight her students by performing her Wendy and Alice voices.
# 4 - Sleeping Beauty 1954 - Princess Aurora (Mary Costa)
Mary Costa auditioned for the role of Princess Aurora and within hours, Walt Disney, who'd been searching for the right actress for three years, personally contacted Costa and gave her the part. Costa’s professional singing career soon took off with performances at the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera. Costa sang at President Kennedy’s memorial at Jackie Kennedy’s request, and at age 83 still makes appearances for her Disney fans.
# 5 - The Little Mermaid 1989 & Toy Story 1999/2010 - Ariel/Barbie (Jodi Benson)
Jodi Benson is the famous voice of both Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" and Barbie in the "Toy Story" sequels (Mattel didn't allow the character to appear in the first movie). Both of her Disney voice roles have earned her the Disney Legend title, but she also appeared in person as Patrick Dempsey's receptionist in Disney's "Enchanted." "The Little Mermaid" will be on Blu-ray for the first time this October.
# 6 - Beauty & The Beast 1991 - Belle (Paige O'Hara)
After reading about "Beauty and the Beast" in the newspaper, Paige O’Hara auditioned for the role at the age of 30. Already an established Broadway performer with roles in "Showboat," "Oklahoma," and "South Pacific," O’Hara voiced Belle for the Oscar-nominated original film, as well as its direct-to-video follow-ups before returning to her stage career. She also moonlights as a painter, and Belle is one of her favorite subjects.
# 7 - Aladdin 1992 - Jasmine (Lea Salonga-singing, Linda Larkin-speaking)
Salonga won a Tony award for her starring role in “Miss Saigon” and appeared in many Broadway shows before singing in "Aladdin". Salonga has most recently starred as Fantine in “Les Miserables” and still reprises her roles of Jasmine in Disney TV shows. Linda Larkin was the voice actress for Jasmine, and had to lower her voice to meet the already high-pitch desired level for the role. Larkin has consistently voiced Jasmine for over 20 Disney projects, and had roles in "Doogie Howser, M.D." and "Runaway Bride."
# 8 - Mulan 1998 - Mulan (Lea Salonga-singing, Ming-Na Wen-speaking)
Known as the Pride of the Philippines, Lea Salonga first established her singing career at the age of 10 in Manila before taking her talents to Broadway. For her second turn as a Disney Princess, Salonga provided the singing voice for Mulan for both the movie, the sequel, and for Disney TV shows. Ming-Na Wen started as an actress on "As the World Turns" and starred in "The Joy Luck Club" before providing Mulan's speaking voice (she could do the lower register needed for when Mulan pretends to be a man). Ming-Na Wen will next be seen this fall on TV in "Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
# 9 - Pocahontas 1995 - Pocahontas (Judy Kuhn-singing, Irene Bedard-speaking)
Irene Bedard is an actress of Inupiat of Inuit descent who was the voice and physical model for Pocahontas, a role that even mimicked her mannerisms. The Golden Globe-nominated Bedard has made a career portraying Native American characters, and she played Pocahontas' mother in the live action film, "The New World." Three time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn was the singing voice for the character in two movies, and she also has a cameo appearance in Disney's "Enchanted."
# 10 - Princess & The Frog 2009 - Tiana (Anika Noni Rose)
Anika Noni Rose is a Tony Award-winning actress for her performance in "Caroline, or Change." There was a great deal of competition for role of the first African-American Disney Princess, and Rose beat out her "Dreamgirls" co-star Beyonce Knowles for the part. Rose is a Disney Legend, but continues to appear in non-musical live action films like her Image Award-winning role in Tyler Perry's drama "For Colored Girls."
# 11 - Tangled 2010 - Rapunzel (Mandy Moore)
Initially known for her pop-music career and smash hit ‘Candy,’ Mandy Moore has established her acting career with leading roles in "A Walk to Remember," "The Princess Diaries," and "Saved." Early animation tests for Rapunzel used Natalie Portman's voice for the role, but the part eventually went Moore who also sang the Grammy-winning love song, “I See the Light.”
# 12 - Brave 2012 - Merida (Kelly MacDonald)
Scotland-born actress, Kelly MacDonald, was a perfect fit to voice the first Pixar Princess, fiery Merida in "Brave," which takes place in the Scottish Highlands (she replaced the decidedly American Reese Witherspoon in the role). Known for her more serious parts in "Trainspotting," "Finding Neverland," and "No Country for Old Men,' MacDonald enjoyed Merida’s spunky teen character that doesn’t need Prince Charming to save her.
# 13 - Frozen 2013 - Anna (Kristen Bell)
Most widely recognized for her starring television role on "Veronica Mars," Kristen Bell first got her start on Broadway and soon started appearing in both television shows and movies including "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "When in Rome." Known for her good looks and love of sloths, Bell is the voice of the newest Disney Princess, Anna, in the new film "Frozen," coming this November.
Enjoy & Have a great weekend dear readers! :D