9 celebrities who inspired the looks of Disney princesses
Voice actresses inspired the look and feel of many Disney princesses, but so did celebrities.
"Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara" revealed animators often had a board of celeb photos for inspiration.
From Grace Kelly to Christie Brinkley, here are some of the influences behind Disney favorites.
Jean Harlow and Claudette Colbert inspired the look of the first Disney princess, Snow White.
Snow White's thin eyebrows and hairstyle were inspired by popular actors at the time, including Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, and Marlene Dietrich.
Disney legend Marge Champion acted out film scenes as a model reference for animators.
Early sketches of Snow White with a larger head and eyes resembled animator Grim Natwick's work on Betty Boop.
It's believed that Grace Kelly's influence can be seen in Cinderella.
In "Beyond the Tiara," Cinderella's blonde hair and delicate features are said to resemble the "Dial M for Murder" actor.
Audrey Hepburn was looked at when designing Aurora for "Sleeping Beauty."
According to "Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara," the two not only share a similar facial structure but also prominent eyebrows and very expressive eyes.
If you're a fan of Hepburn's 1953 film "Roman Holiday," Aurora's outfits contain elements with nods to fashion from the movie.
Christie Brinkley was one of the inspirations for Ariel's look in 1989's "The Little Mermaid."
Ariel was even originally designed as a blonde mermaid. You can see above how Brinkley's hair from the late '80s would've inspired some of Ariel's appearance.
Animator Glen Keane also looked to his wife. Actor Sherri Stoner helped nail down Ariel's movements and expressions.
Elizabeth Taylor and Natalie Wood were both looked at while creating Belle.
Taylor, Wood, and Hepburn were among the faces animators kept on a board while designing the "Beauty and the Beast" character.
Voice actor Paige O'Hara also served as an influence for the character's personality while Stoner returned as a live-action reference for the princess.
Anika Noni Rose didn't just lend her voice to Tiana in "The Princess and the Frog."
"I went to the directors one day and said 'Can I put dimples in? I see Anika's got these amazing dimples and when she smiles, it just lights up a room,'" animator Mark Henn said of basing some of Tiana on the actor.
Another big source of inspiration for the character was Leah Chase, the owner of Dooky Chase's New Orleans restaurant who was referred to as "the Queen of Creole Cuisine."
Members of the NAACP and Oprah Winfrey, who voiced Tiana's mother in the animated film, also weighed in to make sure Tiana felt authentic.
Ming-Na Wen voiced Mulan and also served as one source of inspiration for the heroine.
In "Beyond the Tiara," animator Mark Henn says the voice actor influenced the personality and final design of the character.
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