Ever wonder how different these classic Disney tales would be without their princes? Join us as we explore alternative storylines where princesses take charge of their own destinies! From Rapunzel finding her own way out of the tower to Mulan saving China without Li Shang, these stories might have been even more empowering.
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00:00It would have been better if we'd never met. None of this would have happened."
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're exploring how differently some princesses' lives could
00:08have turned out if they hadn't simply waited for the someday their prince would come. What
00:13if true love's kiss never came? No prince came soaring in on a magic carpet, or no rapscallion
00:18sought refuge in a secluded tower. Would these fairy tales end before they even started?
00:23Or would these princesses have taken life into their own hands and created their own
00:28So let's set off on a magical adventure to see how five classic Disney tales might have
00:32unfolded if we cut the princes out of the story.
00:35I want so much more than they've got planned.
00:44Flynn Rider, Tangled. Rapunzel has waited practically forever for her life to begin,
00:49and conveniently, just as she has a greater motive than ever to leave her tower, opportunity
00:54knocks. Or rather, she knocks it out with a frying pan. She strikes a deal with Flynn
01:09to take her to see the floating lanterns, and off they go. But hang on, so you're telling
01:13us that even without Flynn, she could have left the tower at any time?
01:16Look at me, there at last. I just have to do it. Should I? No. Here I go.
01:25She'd already concocted this tale about needing more paint to get Mother Gothel out of the
01:29way, which works, leaving the window figuratively and literally open. Sure, Rapunzel didn't
01:34know a world beyond her tower, so Flynn was a handy tour guide, even though his motives
01:39weren't initially so altruistic.
01:41Let's just turn around and get you home. Here's your pan, here's your frog. I get back my
01:45satchel, you get back a mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust, and voila, we part
01:51ways as unlikely friends.
01:53No, I am seeing those lanterns.
01:55Oh, come on! What is it gonna take for me to get my satchel back?
01:59However, while he certainly has his uses, and perhaps she might have gotten a bit lost
02:03without him, we think Rapunzel could have probably managed just fine alone. We saw how
02:07effortlessly she won over the patrons at the Snuggly Duckling. We're sure any one of
02:11them would have been happy to help her.
02:13Like all lovely folks, I've got a dream.
02:16She's got a dream. He's got a dream.
02:18They've got a dream. He's got a dream.
02:20So what difference is it really that it's dream?
02:23Rapunzel also learns that trusting an outlaw comes with some risks, which in this case
02:28leads her straight back into the hands of the cruel Mother Gothel. So let's rewind.
02:32Say Rapunzel and Mother Gothel still had that argument about seeing the floating lanterns,
02:36and Gothel still insisted that Mother knows best before leaving Rapunzel alone. Only this
02:41time, without the distraction of an intruder, Rapunzel is still crafty enough to get Gothel
02:46out of the way.
02:47New paint? The paint made from the white shells you once brought me?
02:53Well, that is a very long trip, Rapunzel. Almost three days' time.
02:58She also could have skipped the added drama of a fugitive on the run, and perhaps had
03:02a smoother trip to Corona. She'd sneak out, charm her way into friendships, and get everyone
03:07just as invested in her dream. And of course, she absolutely still has a blast at the festival.
03:22Meanwhile, Gothel returns to an empty tower with no clues about where Rapunzel went or
03:27who helped her. She could probably guess, but without Flynn's involvement, there's no deal
03:31with the Stabbington brothers.
03:33Oh, well, say, lovey. Enjoy your crown.
03:39What's the best part?
03:41It comes with revenge on Flynn Rider.
03:46Also, let's not forget that Rapunzel had an epiphany about her true identity on her own.
03:51She'd been planting clues for herself all along. Flynn or no Flynn, she'd realize her
03:55hair is her superpower and the key to her freedom.
03:58You were wrong about the world, and you were wrong about me, and I will never let you use
04:06my hair again. He wouldn't have gotten hurt, and she probably still would have reunited
04:10with her real parents. Aladdin. Aladdin. Before Aladdin, Jasmine was stuck in the same cycle.
04:16Trapped in the palace, rejecting suitors, and clashing with her father over marriage.
04:21You've got to stop rejecting every suitor who comes to call.
04:25The law says you must be married to a prince by your next birthday.
04:31The law is wrong.
04:32Meanwhile, Jafar was already manipulating the Sultan, and without interference,
04:37he likely would have used his mind control to force a marriage, securing his rule.
04:41When Jasmine first meets Aladdin, she's incognito and accidentally shoplifts,
04:46leading to a rescue that wouldn't have been necessary if she just revealed she
04:49was the princess as she does later on.
04:51She thinks the monkey is the Sultan.
04:55Oh, wise Sultan, how may I serve you?
05:00From there, their relationship is built on lies, disguises, and an unhealthy amount
05:05of deception. Plus, 75 golden camels, llamas galore, and whatever else Genie throws in.
05:11Not to mention, Aladdin's snowballing lies practically hand Genie's lamp to Jafar.
05:17You've lied to everyone else.
05:18Hey, I was beginning to feel left out. Now if you'll excuse me, master.
05:26Oh, Genie, I'm really sorry.
05:30Well fine, then just stay in there.
05:34But back to Jasmine. She's one of Disney's most headstrong princesses.
05:38Without Aladdin, she was still bound to take control of her own fate, on her terms.
05:42How dare you, all of you, standing around deciding my future? I am not a prize to be won.
05:50She's no prize to be won, and she certainly wasn't about to let Jafar slither his way
05:55into power. The 2019 remake makes her a more active participant in her own fate,
06:00showing that she's more than capable of ruling as sultan.
06:02You remember my mother used to say we would only ever be as happy as our least happy subject?
06:08If she saw what I saw today, she would be heartbroken.
06:12In the 1992 version, without Aladdin swooping in, she could have come to that realization on her
06:17own, too. She was never going to settle for marriage, so why not fight to change that law
06:22herself?
06:23You've certainly proven your worth as far as I'm concerned. It's that law that's the problem.
06:29Father?
06:30Well, am I sultan or am I sultan? From this day forth,
06:34the princess shall marry whoever she deems worthy.
06:39Jafar's mind control wouldn't have worked forever. Jasmine's sharp,
06:43she would have noticed his influence over her father, especially as his grip on power grew
06:47bolder. Even if she didn't catch on immediately, she knew she didn't want to marry him,
06:52and she would have done whatever it took to stop that from happening.
06:55A beautiful desert bloom such as yourself should be on the arm of the most powerful
06:59man in the world. What do you say, my dear? Why, with you as my queen?
07:06Never!
07:07We already saw how far she was willing to go just to buy Aladdin time during his rescue.
07:11Still, without him distracting her with his lies, Jasmine could have focused on something
07:16far bigger than romance. She was the only one in the palace who truly seemed to want to
07:20understand Agrabah's struggles. She wanted to be among her people and to connect with them.
07:25Given the chance, she could have built a city that thrived under a leader who
07:29actually cared about its future. She had the intelligence,
07:32determination, and heart to create lasting change.
07:35What are you doing outside the palace and with this street rat?
07:38That's not your concern. Do as I command.
07:41The Beast, a.k.a. Prince Adam, Beauty and the Beast. In the reprised The Opening Song,
07:46Belle tells us how she wants to explore a world beyond her provincial village.
07:50I want much more than this provincial life.
07:55While the other townsfolk scoff at her for being different,
07:57her father encourages her to dream big and block out the haters.
08:01The truth is, Belle already knows exactly who she is. She's smart,
08:05kind, and sees beyond appearances from the start. Ahem, Gaston.
08:09The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read.
08:13Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking.
08:16Gaston, you are positively primeval.
08:19While the Beast goes through major growth, Belle pretty much stays the same.
08:22She doesn't learn to be brave or curious. She's been that way the whole time.
08:27I wonder why I didn't see it there before.
08:30Now, would she have been better off choosing adventure instead? Absolutely.
08:34I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell.
08:43She longs for the great wide somewhere. Yet she ends up locked in a castle,
08:47babysitting a beast with anger issues, who, let's be honest, brought this fate on himself.
08:52Sure, she gets a beautiful library, but wouldn't she rather live her own story
08:56instead of reading someone else's? And yes, we remember, she chose to stay to save her father.
09:02No, Belle! I won't let you do this!
09:08You have my word.
09:09Done!
09:09But even when she almost escapes, she goes back to tend to her captor's wounds.
09:14What if she had helped him recover and then negotiated her freedom?
09:17You must go to him.
09:19What did you say?
09:20I release you. You're no longer my prisoner.
09:24You mean, I'm free?
09:27Yes.
09:28Or, and not to bring the tone down too much,
09:30but what if she'd headed out on her adventure without ever knowing her father was in danger?
09:35Perhaps Maurice and the beast would have become unlikely friends instead.
09:38Hello there, boy!
09:39What service!
09:47Maybe he would have even become a father figure to his captor.
09:50And parental love can be strong, too. Strong enough to break a curse, even.
09:54But back to Belle. We can imagine her as a true adventurer,
09:57charting unknown lands, seeking hidden wonders,
10:00or even helping her father showcase his inventions around the world.
10:03You'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow.
10:06And become a world-famous inventor.
10:09You really believe that?
10:12I always have.
10:13Maybe she'd even become a world-renowned inventor herself.
10:16Real adventure means applying what she's learned from her beloved books,
10:19and instead of just reading about people who achieve incredible feats,
10:23she'd become one.
10:24I'll borrow this one.
10:26That one? But you've read it twice!
10:29Well, it's my favorite.
10:30Borrowed laces, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise.
10:35If she'd left, she could have found places where intelligence and curiosity were celebrated.
10:40And no one cared if you fit in, as long as you had a good heart.
10:43This version is where Belle gets a chance to truly grow.
10:46Not as someone's caretaker or as a prize in a redemption arc,
10:49but as a hero forging her own path.
10:52Well, don't you worry,
10:54because this invention's gonna be the start of a new life for us.
10:57Prince Naveen, the Princess and the Frog.
11:00Let's just start by getting the obvious out of the way.
11:02If Prince Naveen hadn't shown up,
11:04Tiana wouldn't have spent the majority of the movie as a frog.
11:07What did you do to me? I'm green and I'm slimy!
11:11No, no, no, that is not slime!
11:14What?
11:14You are secreting mucus.
11:16Tiana's story teaches that success doesn't come from magic or shortcuts.
11:20It's the result of dedication, effort, and sacrifice.
11:23So yes, that would be much easier if she hadn't wasted so much time
11:26as a roughly three-inch slimy amphibian.
11:29It serves me right for wishing on stars.
11:31The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work.
11:34Along the way though,
11:35Tiana discovers that it's as much about the journey as it is the destination,
11:39as well as the people who help you through it.
11:41When you think about it, how much did Naveen really help?
11:45He starts out spoiled and shallow,
11:47accustomed to a life of luxury without much responsibility,
11:50and ends up cut off by his parents.
11:53Sad but true.
11:53Now y'all gotta get hitched, but hitching ties you down.
11:57You just want to be free, hop from place to place.
12:00But freedom tastes green.
12:02He derails Tiana's plans,
12:04and doesn't have the money to help her build her restaurant either.
12:07In fact, Louis does more to help than Naveen ever could.
12:10Naveen is purely there for his own growth and as a love interest.
12:14Well, before he came along,
12:15Tiana was one of the most relatable characters working the grind,
12:18dreaming of a better future and facing setbacks.
12:21So I work real hard each and every day.
12:25Now things for sure are going my way.
12:29Just doing what I do.
12:31Being Black in 20th century New Orleans adds extra obstacles.
12:35And while Disney does acknowledge that,
12:37that narrative gets sidelined for the whole frog thing.
12:39It would have been more powerful for Disney to give this issue the focus it deserves,
12:43rather than simply checking a box.
12:45You know how long it took me to save that money?
12:48Exactly, which is why a little woman of your background
12:53would have had her hands full trying to run a big business like that.
12:57In a version without Naveen,
12:58Tiana's story is all about her grit, hustle, and determination.
13:02She's still juggling multiple jobs, saving every penny,
13:05and pushing through every setback with one goal in mind, her restaurant.
13:09Trials and tribulations, I've had my share.
13:15There ain't nothing gonna stop me now, cause I'm almost there.
13:20The magic comes from the people who surround her,
13:23her best friend Charlotte, her dad's memory, and that fire within her.
13:27Without Naveen, Tiana doesn't need a prince to show her what she's capable of.
13:31The way you light up when you talk about your dream.
13:35A dream that, it is so beautiful, I, I promise,
13:41I will do whatever it takes to make it come true.
13:44She realizes that true happiness comes from self-love and the pride she takes in her work.
13:48She learns that the most important thing isn't finding someone to share her dreams with,
13:52but building those dreams herself.
13:55As for the frog in the title,
14:07there are always some slimy individuals who try to stand in the way of our growth and success.
14:25Li Shang, Mulan.
14:29In the movie, our protagonist and her general definitely get off on the wrong foot.
14:33Sure, there's a war to win, and he's trying to motivate his troops,
14:37but emasculation probably isn't the best strategy to raise morale.
14:41Did they send me daughters? I asked for sons. You're the saddest bunch I ever met.
14:52Mulan proves she can be swift as the coursing river and have all the force of a great typhoon,
14:57without meeting the typical masculine ideals.
15:00In fact, it's Mulan, um, Ping, who ends up motivating the others.
15:04We must be swift as the coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon.
15:12She even saves her comrades, but when she gets wounded and the truth comes out,
15:16does she get any gratitude? Spoiler, no. Sparing her life doesn't count.
15:21A life for a life. My debt is repaid.
15:27Move out!
15:28In the end, Mulan is the one to save China, and with a fan, mind you.
15:33The same fan that earlier in the story symbolizes femininity
15:36and the traditional role of the perfect subservient bride.
15:39Fulfill your duties calmly and respectfully. Reflect before you snack.
15:48Act! This shall bring you honor and glory.
15:51Mulan essentially says it herself. This is a story of finding herself. She doesn't feel
15:56she fits the cultural expectations laid out for her, but she's trapped by the lack of options.
16:01When will my reflection show who I am inside?
16:12It's when she joins the army and pretends to be a man that everything starts to fall into place.
16:17In her heroic rescue, she proves there's no one way to be a woman,
16:21and that femininity has power and strength too.
16:35The moment Mulan stops trying to be what others expect of her,
16:38whether it's the archetypal wife or the macho soldier Ping,
16:41she finally sees herself for who she truly is.
16:44So where does Li Shang fit in? Honestly, whether he's there or not,
16:48Mulan's story doesn't change.
16:49The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter.
16:55She shows loyalty and bravery from the moment she takes her father's place to fight for her country.
17:00At first, maybe she's trying to prove herself to others,
17:03but deep down she's driven by a fire that was just waiting to be unleashed.
17:06So what's the plan?
17:07Um...
17:08You don't have a plan?
17:10Hey, I'm making this up as I...
17:12Go.
17:14Mushu!
17:15Way ahead of you, sister.
17:16Come on, Kiki.
17:17Even on a basic level, Mulan is the most heroic character in this film,
17:21without needing a man to help her,
17:23although who couldn't use the assistance of a travel-sized dragon?
17:26The only savior Mulan needed was herself, and she more than delivered.
17:30Take this, so your family will know what you have done for me.
17:35And this, so the world will know what you have done for China.
17:42Which Disney story do you think could have been improved if The Prince never turned up?
17:46Let us know in the comments.
17:48Looks like you're out of ideas.
17:54Not quite.
17:55Do you agree with our picks?
17:57Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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