The age gaps betweenDisneyprincesses and their love interests can vary greatly, but one Disney romance has a much larger age gap than any of the others, by over 1000 years. Disney has recently been moving away from the traditional fairytale romance storylines that manyDisney Princess moviesrevolve around. Many modern andunofficial Disney princessesdo not even have a love interest, with Elsa’s and Moana’s stories focusing on sisterhood and self-discovery. Though traditional Disney love stories are still popular, the age gaps can sometimes be large, which has been getting both attention and criticism.
Snow White, the first Disney Princess, had a traditional romance storyline, butDisney princesses have changedgreatly since then. This is partly due to greater attention being paid to the messages that the Disney Princess brand promotes.Modern Disney princess storylines are less likely to revolve around finding romance, with the relationships they enter prioritizing a connection rather than a marriage, and a more healthy dynamic overall. However, while Disney has been controversial for featuring princes who are often significantly older than the princesses, one unofficial Disney Princess reverses this as she’s over 8000 years older than her love interest.
The Biggest Disney Age Gap Is In Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Atlantis May Be The Only Disney Movie In Which The Characters Mention The Large Age Difference
Many Disney Princesses are in their teens, while Kida is an extreme outlier based on her age.Atlantis: The Lost Empire’sKida is considered an unofficial Disney Princessas she is a princess in her own culture, and when Milo arrives in Atlantis, he estimates her age at between 8500–8800 years old. As Milo was born in 1882 andAtlantis: The Lost Empiretakes place in 1914, Milo is about 32, depending on when exactly his birthday is. This would make the age gap between Milo and Kida between 8468 and 8768 years.
By the standards of the Atlantean lifespan, Kida is roughly the same age as Milo.
Some live-action Disney movies have changed the age of their princessby casting an older actress, but ifa live-action adaptation ofAtlantis: The Lost Empirewas made, this is less likely to be an issue. The Atlantean crystal gives its people extremely long lives, so by the standards of the Atlantean lifespan, Kida is roughly the same age as Milo. Still, Milo is startled when he works out Kida’s age when the two ask each other questions about their worlds and this could be the only Disney movie that mentions the large age gap between the characters.
There Are Some Big Age Gaps Between Other Disney Princesses And Their Love Interests
The Age Gap Between Flynn And Rapunzel Is Especially Controversial
It is not always knownhow old each Disney Princess is, and whilemany Disney princes and princesses' ages can be estimated, other movies clearly state the age of their princess, likeThe Little Mermaidwhen Ariel says “I’m 16 years old, I’m not a child.” As Prince Eric is 18, this is a smaller age gap than many Disney Princess relationships. Snow White and the prince are thought to be 14 and 18. Belle and Prince Adam are estimated to be 17 and 21, and the age gap between Rapunzel and Flynn may surprise viewers.
Some Disney couple age gaps
Princess approx age
Love Interest approx age
2001
8500-8800
32
1989
16
18–19
2010
17-18
26
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1937
14
18
1959
20
2013
21
Beaity and the Beast
1991
17
1950
19
The Princess and the Frog
2009
Though Kida and Milo have an enormous age gap inAtlantis: The Lost Empire,the most controversial Disney age gap is the eight-year difference between Rapunzel and FlynnRider inTangled.Flynn Rider is 26 years old inTangled, while Rapunzel is about to turn 18, with her birthday happening during the movie. While Kida and Milo are of a similar age when adjusting for the Atlantean lifespan, Flynn is both older than Rapunzel and has life experience that Rapunzel has not had. This is what makes their relationship controversial, even though the two are presented as a good match.
Why Disney’s Age Gaps Are So All Over The Place
Live-Action Disney Princesses Are Usually Older Than The Animated Versions
WhileAtlantis: The Lost Empirewas written in the 1990s, many fairytales were written at a time in which young teenage girls often got married. This meant that thecharacters that the original Disney Princesses were based on were much youngerthan a modern audience would expect. As Disney movies tend to keep the focus on the princesses, the prince’s age has often been flexible or unclear, though they often appear to be older based on their role in their kingdoms. However, many of the more recent live-action Disney movies address theharsh realities about Disney princesses, including their ages.
How On Earth Does Michael J. Fox’s Forgotten Disney Movie Only Have 49% On Rotten Tomatoes?!
The darker-toned Atlantis: The Lost Empire has been buried as one of Disney’s animated failures, but it deserves to be revisited and reevaluated.
Thelive-action Disney movie princesses often marry laterthan in the animated movies, if at all, and mostupcoming live-action Disney movieshave cast actresses who are significantly older than their original characters.Snow Whiteactress Rachel Zegler is 23, and while there is still a three-year age gap between Ariel and Eric in the live-actionThe Little Mermaid, both characters were made two years older. Rumors of a live-actionAtlantis: The Lost Empirehave circulated for years, but based on the story’s context, finding a way to make Milo’s actor 8000 years older shouldn’t be an issue.
