Brave was the first Pixar film to feature a princess as the lead character. Disney Animation, on the other hand has relied heavily on princesses, who have gone on to become a major symbol for the Walt Disney company. Prior to today, there had been 10 characters named as official Disney Princesses. Coinciding with Mother’s Day weekend, Merida was crowned a Disney Princess by her mother at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Check out photos and a video from today’s festivities after the break!
Merida arrived at her coronation ceremony on horseback, riding in on Angus. After Queen Elinor, who was making her Disney Parks debut, placed the crown on Merida’s head, the two shared a touching moment in front of the large crowd of onlookers. Merida was then joined on stage by the 10 other Disney Princesses.
It is great to see Merida’s unique features, which were so important in Brave, preserved in the crowning event. It would have been simple to change her look for the day and put her in an elegant gown or take away her bow and arrow. Also, seeing Queen Elinor stand beside her once again reinforced the importance of that mother-daughter relationship from the film.
Watch the coronation event, courtesy of our friends at Inside the Magic, below:
