Disney’s brand new animated feature “Frozen” opens this week in Los Angeles. In honor of its release I’ve decided to list my favorite princesses of the Disney universe. Read on for my picks…

3. Cinderella

Normally I do a “Top 5” of something but with a much more narrow field than you would have imagined I decided to only pick 3. My list is comprised of some pretty obvious choices. So in order to justify them I’ve found more personal reasons for each character on my list.

Cinderella made the cut based on the fact that she’s the princess that I probably cared for the least in childhood but recently rediscovered as an adult. I haven’t even watched the movie lately but she’s maintained relevance based simply on her music, I love the song “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and a modern rendition performed by Daniel Bedingfield is pretty great.

Usually I’d post the video or a link to the video but instead I decided to post another song from “Cinderella” (1950) that caught my attention. The song “So this is Love”, another great one from the movie, became a favorite of mine a few years back. But not the version from the American release but the French release of the movie. Once you’ve heard it you can never go back:

2. Ariel

This is the most superficial of all my choices. I just think she’s super cute. Creepy I know but still, come on! She’s just gorgeous. So well animated it’s hard not to love her.

To be fair I may be blinded by the fact that she’s the only princess we ever get to see in a bikini. Also, we had “The Little Mermaid” (1989) on tape when we were kids, its the first Disney movie that we ever owned. We watched it so many times it broke. It was a sad day when we couldn’t watch it anymore.

I recently revisited the movie on the big screen at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, which is owned by Disney. Seeing it in a movie theater, probably for the first time, was a really great experience. I feel the movie has aged well and is still one of my favorites. Easy to revisit without remorse or guilt (maybe a little guilt). I do know all the lyrics to “Part of Your World”.

1. Snow White

Sure this was the obvious choice, she started it all, but that’s not why I picked her.

I mean the movie was a great achievement and had it tanked I probably wouldn’t be going to Disneyland for my birthday but…well who knows what would have happened. I can guarantee that it wouldn’t have affected my maturity level so I would’ve ended up at some equivalent to Disneyland.

Anyway, picking her on her significance would have sufficed. Even just the technical marvel that it was to produce her in 1937 is reason enough. Another reason I could’ve picked her is that she has the most classic film that even with so many interpretations of the story (even one with Amanda Bynes) she’s still considered the pinnacle. No, as good as all these reasons are, they aren’t why.

I picked her as number one based on a story my parents told me. The movie was re-released in 1987, I was just a toddler, but as the story goes I was very enamored with Snow White. I was so in love with her that as the movie was ending I blew kisses to her as she blew kisses, waved good-bye, and rode into the sunset. She was my first crush, I was swept off my feet before I could even walk.

That’s my list, hope it didn’t creep you out. Agree? Thoughts? Hugs?