Behind The Voices: Disney Princesses

I’m back with Part 2 of Behind The Voices where I match the face to the voice of popular Disney actors. Looking for Part 1? Read that here!

Today, let’s learn about the voices behind those beloved Disney Princesses!

Snow White

Adriana Caselotti (original film) – Adriana comes from a family of vocal performers. Her father was a vocal coach and her mother and sister were opera singers. She was paid $970 for her performance in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which comes to about $15k today. In addition to her work as Snow White, you can hear her say, “Wherefore art thou, Romeo,” during the Tin Man’s song in The Wizard of Oz.

Mary Kay Bergman (1989-1999) – Mary Kay decided to try her luck at voice acting after belting out a few karaoke tunes at a housewarming party. From there, her voice was featured in many popular shows and films including South Park, Beauty and the Beast (as Babette) and Toy Story 2 (Jesse’s yodeling voice).

Carolyn Gardner (2000-2010)

Katie Von Till (current)

Cinderella

Illene Woods (original film) – Before voicing Cinderella, Illene had her own radio program called The Ilene Woods Show. She won the role of Cinderella out of 300 other auditions and throughout her career, sang for both President Roosevelt and President Truman.

Jennifer Hale (sequels speaking voice & merchandise) – Jennifer was named by Guinness World Records for the most prolific video game female voice actor. She voiced Cinderella in both sequels as well as Sofia the First. She has also voiced Princess Aurora in other Disney content.

Tami Tappan (Singing voice in the sequels)

Aurora

Mary Costa (original film) – After Mary auditioned for the part of Aurora, Walt Disney called her hours after offering her the role. She is a professional opera singer and has only been in four other films, the latest being in 2000.

Kate Higgins (current singing and speaking voice) – In addition to her role as Aurora, Kate has done very well as a voice actor in the anime genre.

Ariel

Jodi Benson – Ever since her role as Ariel, Jodi has been very active within the Walt Disney Company. In addition to The Little Mermaid sequels, she has been in films such as Toy Story 2, Secret of the Wings (a Tinkerbell film), and Enchanted (hint: she’s the secretary). She has also been a guest artist many times in the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World.

Belle

Paige O’Hara (1991-2011) – Paige was 30 when she auditioned for the role of Belle. Over the next 20 years, she continued to voice Belle in the sequels, related films and video games. She was replaced in 2011 as her voice had changed too significantly.

Julie Nathanson (2011-present)

Jasmine

Linda Larkin (speaking voice) – Linda has voiced Jasmine since the original film. During her last and final call back for the role, she read nearly the entire script for a lengthy four hour audition!

Lea Salonga (singing voice) – Like Linda, Lea has provided the (singing) voice for Jasmine since the original film. She is also the singing voice for Mulan. However, her success doesn’t end there. She has done tremendously well on Broadway in shows such as Les Miserables, Grease, and Into the Woods.

Pocahontas

Irene Bedard (speaking voice) – Yes, she voiced Pocahontas, but did you know she was also the physical model for the character? Extra fun fact: she was included in People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People,” in 1995.

Judy Kuhn (singing voice) – Judy is a four-time Tony Award nominee and has been heavily involved in Broadway for years. Her musical theatre credits include Les Miserables, Drood, and Chess.

Mulan

Ming-Na Wen (speaking voice) – Ming-Na is not recognized by just her role as Mulan. She has been in several popular films and TV shows including The Joy Luck Club, Private Practice, ER, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tiana

Anika Noni Rose – Anika is not only a film actress but a Tony Award Winner. Before voicing Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, she starred in the movie Dreamgirls. She has also been in shows such as Private Practice, The Simpsons, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Rapunzel

Mandy Moore – Mandy was popular long before her role as Rapunzel. At a young age, she was recognized as a successful pop star and has since released five other albums. She is also a film actress who has starred in films such as A Walk to Remember, Because I Said So, and License to Wed.

Merida

Kelly Macdonald – Once you see her photo, perhaps you’ll recognize Kelly from her role as the Grey Lady in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 and as Margaret Thompson on Boardwalk Empire. Before her acting career came to fruition, Kelly was working as a barmaid in Glasgow, Scotland.

Julie Fowlis (singing voice)

Anna*

Kristen Bell – Kristen got her big break starring in the show Veronica Mars before making her way into film. When preparing for the role as Princess Anna, she made significant changes to the characters personality to make her more relatable (ie. Anna’s messy hair askew and drooling in her sleep. We’ve all woken up like this, am I right?).

What did you think of this series? Did it make you want to google these actors further? Let me know in the comments!

*I didn’t include Elsa as she’s an Queen, not a Princess. 😉