As I mentioned in an earlier post about Disney Princess Aurora, the limited release Sleep Beauty Platinum Edition Blu-ray DVD will be available in stores starting TODAY, just in time for early Holiday shopping.    I was surprised to read that Sleeping Beauty is “Disney’s most expensive animated feature to date“; I thought for sure a movie like Cars would have had a much larger budget.  I guess that is something of a testament to how esteemed Princess Aurora is in the pantheon of Disney Princesses.

Here’s a rundown of the news on the release of Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition DVD:

• Boston Herald: Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition

• Market Watch: The Magic of Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Comes to Life on Blu-Ray

• Star-Tribune: ‘Sleeping Beauty’ gets high-def makeover

• if Magazine: Exclusive Profile: ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Awakens a New Era for Disney Blu-Ray

• DVD Talk: Sleeping Beauty: Two-Disc Platinum Edition
• Digital Camcorder Redux: DVD Release of the Week: Sleeping Beauty

One great thing about Disney Princess costumes is that little girls will probably try to wear them well after Halloween, which makes them something of a bargain.  Hours and hours of playtime fun from just one costume!  The downside is that little girls will probably try to wear them well after Halloween to places like school and the mall, so you may have a little trouble convincing your little princess that it’s time to put the costume away.  But these costumes are so adorable, can you really blame little girls for trying to wear them as much as possible?

• Disney Princess Cinderella Prestige Collection Gown: This Cinderella costume is what I consider a little on the pricey side ($48.99), but it is stunning.

• Disney Princess Ariel Costume: The blue side panels on the skirt of this Disney Princess Ariel costume create the impression of swimming under the sea.  Pretty cool!

• Disney Princess Belle Costume: Your little girl will be the Belle of the ball in this adorable golden Princess Belle costume.

Disney’s much-anticipated and much-delayed  “The Princess and the Frog” just added Oprah Winfrey to its vocal cast, starring as Princess Tiana’s mother.  This is exciting news for many reasons, but I am most excited about the fact that this is the first time (at least to my knowledge) that the mother of a Disney Princess will actually appear on the big screen.  The Princess and the Frog is set to hit theaters on Christmas Day 2009, but it’s already stirring up controversy online.  Here are some more reactions:

• Stereohyped: Disney’s Princess Tiana: A Gift or A Curse?
• The Independent: Disney’s ’subservient’ black princess animates film critics
• Film School Rejects: The Princess and the Frog: Controversy or Innocence?

Just a quick reminder: The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning will be available for a limited time starting August 26th!

I watched the sneak peak, and it looks pretty good…not to give too much of the plot away, but apparently there is a ban on all music in the kingdom of Triton and Ariel is once again breaking rules by sneaking away to underground(water?) octopus calypso club. There was also a slight hint that perhaps Ariel’s mom died in a music-related tragedy, and I appreciate the attempt to explain her absence. Additionally, the animation is really great, so adults will find that The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning is both tolerable and enjoyable.

Like I mentioned earlier, this Little Mermaid DVD won’t be around forever, so pre-order it soon and score big at holiday gift giving time!

Snow White, like Cinderella, had a long and illustrious Disney career before becoming one of the 6 original Disney Princesses in 2000. I was never really into her because I have always had a weird issue with her dress (I think it’s that crazy collar), but millions of current and former little girls disagree with me on this point, so she remains a favorite Disney Princess. She so popular, in fact, that even Rachel Weisz wanted to be Snow White:

Disney Bridal also has a line of Snow White gowns for women who just can’t get enough Disney Princess action in their lives. None of these gowns suggest Snow White to me at all (or Disney for that matter), but if it works for some people, great. The girls’ dresses are super cute, but most little girls I know will call you on it if you try to tell them it’s a “Snow White” dress, so I’d recommend not even mentioning it to avoid tantrums.

The coolest thing about Snow White is that she (like Cinderella) was an environmentalist and animal rights supporter long before it was the trendy thing to do. Right on!

2. Princess Belle: My niece’s Disney Princess obsession quickly grew to include Belle from Beauty & the Beast, so she’s the next Disney Princess up for discussion. Like Ariel, Belle is smart and independent, has a very complicated relationship with her father and an absent mother. (Whoa, it didn’t occur to me until I typed that just how Freudian Disney heroines can be. Anyway…) Unlike Ariel, who needs to rebel against her domineering, larger-than-life father, Belle has the responsibility of basically managing her sweet but eccentric and relatively clueless father’s life. He goes missing one day, she takes off to find him, which leads her into meeting the beast, etc. The best part about the entire film is the underlying message that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, even though that message is somewhat dampened by the fact that the beast eventually turns back into a pretty hot cartoon guy. Regardless, Princess Belle toys tend to be a big hit with little girls.

Here are some great Disney Belle gift ideas:

• Disney Princess Tea Time With Me Little Belle
• Disney Princess Belle Deluxe Red Velvet dress
• Disney Princess Belle Snowglobe
• Disney Princess Glowing Beauty girls pajamas

In honor of my oldest niece’s 6th birthday, I have decided to chronicle the history of her obsession with the Disney Princesses, one Disney Princess at a time.

1. Princess Ariel: I believe the obsession with Princess Ariel began in the womb, since Ariel is also my sister’s favorite Disney heroine. Ariel is a cool independent thinker so I encouraged my niece’s interest in Ariel. I also like the catchy songs and Sebastian the Crab in The Little Mermaid. Seriously, who can’t appreciate the calypso rhythms of Under the Sea?

A quick guide to Disney Princess Ariel-related gifts:

• The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning limited release DVD will be released on August 26, 2008. Great for fall birthdays and Christmas stocking stuffers!
• Ariel’s Undersea Adventure for Nintendo DS
• The Little Mermaid pajamas
• Beware of Shimmering Lights Ariel!

This isn’t totally Princess Ariel-related, but if you want to really impress the little girl in your life, sign up for the inaugural Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend, March 6-8, 2009. Registration just opened on Monday, May 5th, but I have a feeling it will fill up quickly. I am sure many of the Disney Princesses will be there in person to cheer the racers, especially the kids races on Saturday, March 7.

Through some divine coincidence, the Disney Princesses are up next in my list of Kid Mysteries, and I had the chance the spend some time this weekend with a Princess-obsessed 2 year old. She insists on being called Princess, has an almost entirely pink wardrobe and a pink bedroom complete with Disney Princess bedding. It was an interesting weekend to say the least.

I have some conflicted opinions about the whole Disney Princess phenomenon, but it will require another post, because I think it will end up being a huge rant. But here are some links for a little more background on the Disney Princesses, so you can impress the little girls in your life.

• Disney Princess party ideas
• Disney Princess Make-Overs at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Orlando, Florida
• Disney Princess magazine for girls aged 4-7
• Disney Princess Bridal Gowns for big girls
• Info on the Disney Princess franchise on Wikipedia
• Is is any surprise the Disney Princess franchise generated $4 billion and is “on its way to becoming the most successful marketing venture ever“?
• And, should we be scared of the Disney Princesses’ influence on little girls?
• BTW, which Disney Princess are you? I’m Pocahontas.