Many viewers are being reminded by movies like Hulu’s The Princess that the “pretty-in-pink” trope isn’t always dependent on a prince to save her. She may occasionally use swordplay equal to that of any would-be hero to fight her own conflicts. The princess has generally been portrayed as the love interest or the damsel in distress in television and film when we were growing up watching Disney and other film studios. In favour of stronger, more complicated female leads, there are movies that play with the damsel in distress cliché, parody it, and completely destroy it. Here are a few princess movies that defied expectations.

1. Mulan (1998)

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Director(s)- Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook

Mulan is a tomboy who is the sole child of the Fa family. She falls short of performing the typical Chinese girl role of suitable bride. Mulan worries that her brave father, a veteran who has served his country honourably, won’t be able to battle. When the empire gathers a man from every family to fight the invading Huns. Therefore, she joins in his place while posing as his invented son Fa Ping. Only eager baby dragon Mushu actually travels to the great stone dragon. As designated by the ancestors as her magical protector. Ping will be working with the training unit of general Li’s son, captain Fa Li.

Even though he does a fantastic job of preparing the peasant recruits, only Mushu and the good fortune Mulan received from her cricket grandmother can override the mandarin adviser’s unfavourable assessment. The Huns already have the regular army destroyed when they get to the front. Now, either China gets save or the fledgling enterprise dies with honour.

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2. The Princess Bride (1987)

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Director- Rob Reiner

Think back to the days when man and marshes were both swamps. That is, fire swamps. Quicksand and Large, Unusual Rodents are present. Shouting eels lived in the lagoons. And Buttercup was the name of the world’s most stunning woman? Anyway, it’s a twisted fairy tale. With all the typical fencing, chasing, escapes, and ridiculous accents. Including individuals with unusual traits like Inigo Montoya, who has spent his entire life dreaming of locating the six-fingered killer of his father. His huge sidekick’s name is Fezzik. Max is the kvetching miracle worker, too. Poor stable boy Westley gets love by blonde Buttercup. However, she is chosen by the villainous Prince Humperdinck to be his princess bride. When he is taken prisoner by pirates. He is slain along the way, and she is taken. But everything works out in the end.

3. Princess Mononoke (1997)

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Director- Hayao Miyazaki

The youthful prince Ashitaka embarks on a lengthy and risky journey to the Western countries. In order to learn why Mother Nature is in disarray after getting struck by a blazing and destructive curse during a fatal confrontation with a boar-demon. Ashitaka will eventually arrive in the Iron Town. There the ruthless Lady Eboshi, who rules the region with an iron fist. It engages in combat with the brave Princess Mononoke, a mystifying young woman who was nurture by the wolf-god, Moro.

4. Enchanted (2007)

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Director- Kevin Lima

A lovely young woman by the name of Giselle formerly resides in a hut in the woods in the kingdom of Andalasia. However, before she can wed the handsome Prince Edward, she gets knock down a magical well and lands in the lifeless, immensely disillusioned world of present-day New York City. There, she becomes friends with Robert Philip, a cynical divorce lawyer who isn’t so confident that her Prince would come to her rescue. As she waits for Prince Edward, Giselle charms everyone around her with her impromptu singing and fairy-tale manner. But she’s about to find out that finding love in the real world isn’t always as simple as exchanging a single True Love’s Kiss. She’ll need courage, grit, and perhaps even a little magic if she wants to find her own happily-ever-after.

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5. Tangled (2010)

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Director(s)-  Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

Rapunzel, a long-lost princess with the longest hair possible, has lived her entire existence in a lonely tower, dreaming of the outside world and eagerly anticipating its discovery. When Rapunzel begins to lose faith, Flynn Rider, an escaped prisoner, comes to her isolated tower and offers to take her to see the lanterns that come out every day on her birthday in exchange for returning his satchel full of stolen valuables, including the lost princess’s sparkling crown. Rapunzel learns about her true self as Flynn and she set out on a voyage they will never forget.

6. Moana (2016)

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Director(s)- Ron Clements, John Musker

The people of Motunui, a Polynesian island, revere the goddess Te Fiti, who gave the ocean life and used a stone as her heart and the source of her power. The shape-shifting demigod and sailing guru Maui captures the human heart and grants it the ability to create. Te Fiti, however, falls apart, and Maui is assaulted by Te Ka, a volcanic monster, losing both the heart and his magical gigantic fishhook to the depths. A thousand years later, Te Fiti is chosen by the ocean to receive the heart back from Moana, the daughter of Motunui’s chief Tui. Moana, however, loses her heart when Tui shows up and whisks her away. In an effort to get Moana ready for her future as the chief of the island, Tui and Sina strive to keep her away from the water.

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7. Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)

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Director- Rupert Sanders

After the untimely death of the gentle Queen Eleanor, King Magnus is enchanted by the seductive beauty of the imprisoned Ravenna and resolves to marry her. However, he is fatally lured on the wedding night. As a result, Snow White is exiled to the castle’s solid jail by the evil usurper Queen Ravenna, who dreams of being an immortal. However, the evil king needs Snow White’s pure and unblemished heart in order to change into an everlasting entity and become the fairest of them all. The prized prisoner will soon escape, and as the huntsman who was dispatched to capture Snow White joins forces with the legitimate princess of the land, her devoted and valiant army of rebels prepares for the decisive battle.

8. Brave (2012)

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Director(s)-  Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews

Merida, a courageous aristocrat of the hardy mediaeval highland Scotland, defies stereotypes of the normal young princess by preferring to hone her archery abilities over preparing herself to be a queen and accepting the burden of royal duties for the sake of her kingdom. Merida, a headstrong rebel who disapproves of her mother’s attempts to set up an uncomfortable betrothal, departs the castle as a result in a fit of wrath, only to reach the enchanted dark forest, which is the residence of a strong local witch. But to change one’s destiny, one must first change from within. The frantic girl foolishly believes that a strong magical spell may be the answer to her difficulties.

9. Raya And The Last Dragon (2021)

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Director(s)- Carlos López Estrada, Don Hall

The once-calm kingdom of Kumandra, where people and mystical animals coexisted peacefully for five arduous centuries, is now torn apart and divided into five nations. This is the result of the selfless sacrifice of the magical dragons. Raya, the swashbuckling Princess of Heart and fearless Guardian of the Dragon Gem, sets out on a perilous adventure to find a kind mythological being who may heal the earth as warring factions, mistrust, and the unstoppable menace of the Druun wreck havoc on Kumandra.