The Real Women Behind Your Favorite Disney Princesses

As the first full-length Disney movie ever made, it was lucky that Walt struck gold with this animal-loving heroine. Adored by everyone from woodland animals to the seven dwarfs, the pure and innocent Snow White of 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is despised only by the pathologically jealous Evil Queen. She famously wishes to replace her own stepdaughter as “the fairest of them all.” So how does the woman behind the voice match up?

The daughter of an opera-singing mom and a music-teacher dad, Adriana Caselotti was an 18-year-old MGM chorus girl when Walt Disney chose her to voice Snow White. Not only did she earn less than $1,000 for the job, but the role also stunted Caselotti’s career; she reportedly signed a contract limiting her from voicing other projects. Caselotti later, however, worked as an opera singer and penned a book called Do You Like to Sing?

In the ultimate rags-to-riches love story, Cinderella conquers her cruel stepmother and ugly stepsisters by finding true love at the ball in the 1950 version. But she couldn’t have done it without the help of the Fairy Godmother, a handful of seamstress mice, and, of course, those unmatchable glass slippers. The sweet-sounding Ilene Woods may not have married an actual prince, but she did bag some impressive accolades of her own.

She had her own radio show at 15, but four years later, Woods was nevertheless still amazed to beat 300 other hopefuls to nab the role of Cinderella. The budding starlet even went on to sing for Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. Now, Ed Shaugnessy — the drummer from The Tonight Show — may not have been descended from royalty, but the pair still went on to marry. Tragically, though, the star would eventually forget that she had played the iconic princess, after falling victim in later life to Alzheimer’s disease.

After one fateful mishap with an enchanted spinning wheel, Princess Aurora falls into a deep, unbreakable slumber in 1959’s Sleeping Beauty. Luckily, the woman behind Briar Rose didn't befall any textile traumas during her lifetime. She was, however, contacted directly by Walt himself when she bagged the part. An honor, no doubt, even if she had already performed with a few other musical legends before her big on-screen break.

Few people know that former choir girl Mary Costa trained with a famous maestro at Los Angeles’ Royal Conservatory of Music — and sang with rising legends Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin — before Walt Disney picked her to play Sleeping Beauty. Later she would have a thriving opera career before going on to give motivational speeches in her later years. What’s more, Costa amazingly continued replying to fan mail until her 86th birthday.

Ariel’s curiosity about the world above the sea turns into longing after she falls in love with Prince Eric in 1989’s The Little Mermaid. In desperation, the young mermaid seeks out the scheming Ursula, who agrees to turn Ariel into a human being in exchange for her ability to speak. You may have guessed, but it's unlikely Jodi Benson had to sign away any of her bodily functions to secure such a melodious singing voice.

No dodgy deals, but before she was plucked by Disney to play Ariel, Jodi Benson sang a song on Broadway called “Disneyland” — a tune she described as “the first piece of the puzzle... the first step of the journey, so to speak.” After The Little Mermaid, Benson went on to play Ariel in two more Disney features as well as a TV series. And while continuing her musical stage career, she was also asked to play the role of Weebo in Flubber alongside Robin Williams, as well as the voice of Barbie in Toy Story. Quite the repertoire!

Belle is the kind-hearted heroine of both 1991’s animated Beauty and the Beast and the revamped live-action 2017 version. In each film, she offers herself up to become the Beast’s prisoner in return for her beloved father’s freedom. Emma Watson did a stellar job of bringing the selfless leading lady into the 20th century, but who paved the way for Belle's unwavering popularity through the decades?

None other than broadway actress Paige O’Hara, of course! In fact, she was actually a long-time Disney nut when she auditioned for the starring role in Beauty and the Beast at age 30. O’Hara was cast for her Judy Garland-inspired singing tone; Belle herself, meanwhile, was reportedly modeled on her voice actress’ appearance and quirky mannerisms. Here’s hoping there weren't any real-life beasts in O’Hara’s past.

Who wouldn't feel a little imprisoned by a looming marriage and a desperate urge to see the outside world? Facing these conditions, Princess Jasmine sneaks out of her palace one day. And the rest, as they say, is history. Both the 1992 original and 2019 Aladdin re-make go a little something like this: fondness at first sight, a hilarious Genie, learning about “A Whole New World,” and a handy magic carpet. You know the plot, but what of the two voices behind the disenchanted princess?

That's right, it actually took two talented women to play Princess Jasmine. Seasoned actress Linda Larkin did all of the character’s speaking parts, though she had to deepen her voice to get the tone Disney execs were looking for. It was Filipina singing talent Lea Salonga, meanwhile, who belted out Jasmine’s tunes. She went on to have a successful singing career and was once named among People’s 50 Most Beautiful People.

Another princess with two mysterious voices behind her iconic character is Pocahontas. The 1995 flick of the same name features the free-spirited daughter of a Powhatan tribal chief. Cue a warning against getting too close to British explorers, and you've got yourself a Disney classic. Interestingly, it wasn't just a voice that one of the voice leads lent to the film's creators.

And that's because Pocahontas was voiced by Native American actress Irene Bedard, but her natural beauty also played a part. In fact, it inspired the black-haired character’s signature look. Bedard later went on to start her own production companies dedicated to sharing Native American stories. Pocahontas’ singing, meanwhile, was taken on by seasoned Broadway actress Judy Kuhn, whose rendition of “Colors of the Wind” earned her an Academy Award. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kuhn’s Broadway career has continued to flourish since.

When the Huns invade in 1998’s Mulan, Fa Mulan decides to bravely disguise herself as her father, who is too ill to fight. And the makers of this Chinese-set fan favorite were also crafty in disguising not one, but two, voices behind the disobedient character. They also cleverly enlisted the help of a star who'd already aced another singing princess role for Disney.

Ming Na-Wen, who launched her acting career by voicing Mulan, later won a repeat role in ER and, more recently, a part in ABC action drama Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Wen’s daughter Michaela is growing up to be just like mom too, having taken on a recurring voice role as Princess Jun on Disney Channel’s Sofia the First. Disney, meanwhile, loved Princess Jasmine’s soprano so much that it asked Lea Salonga back to sing the tracks in Mulan — and again for the movie’s 2004 sequel.

In 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, Tiana features as a waitress on a mission to turn a frog back into a human prince. Unfortunately, however, it’s she who turns into a frog after she plants a smooch on the amphibian. It's improbable the multi-talented actress who voiced the humble princess encountered any cursed creatures on her road to stardom, but she did make headlines for more impressive reasons. 

After starring in 2006’s Dreamgirls alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose took center stage by beating the two megastars — as well as Alicia Keys and Tyra Banks — to land the highly coveted role of Disney’s first black princess. After breaking the Disney princess mold, the former Tony Award winner has had a flourishing acting career since, having starred as Sara Tidwell in Bag of Bones and, more recently, Kizzy in the Roots remake.

Merida is the fiery Scottish princess and talented archer in 2012’s Brave who courageously breaks from tradition by refusing to pick a suitor for marriage: a decision that leads to her mother being transformed into a bear by a devilish curse. It then becomes up to the courageous princess to use her bow — and one wish — to save her mom and the very future of her kingdom. With fewer arrows, but heaps of talent, Kelly Macdonald added Disney to her already brimming track record.

Scottish-born Macdonald had already starred in Trainspotting, Nanny McPhee, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 when she was chosen to play Princess Merida. The former Glaswegian barmaid decided to give acting a try after stumbling upon an ad for open casting for Trainspotting. And after winning the role as Ewan McGregor’s teen seductress in the 1996 film, Macdonald never looked back — she went on to land several roles including, most recently, that of Claire Maddox in Ricky Gervais’ movie Special Correspondents.

Rapunzel, from 2010’s Tangled, is a beautiful princess born to the king and queen but cruelly taken away by Mother Gothel. The evil Gothel wishes to keep the girl in a bid to stay forever young by using the magical healing qualities of Rapunzel’s hair. The woman behind the ill-fated princess endured slightly less wickedness but still faced some stiff competition to secure the role.

Reese Witherspoon was first set to play Rapunzel — and future Frozen stars Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel both wanted the job — but in the end it was actress and professional singer Mandy Moore who landed the role. Growing up loving Disney as a kid, Moore described playing a Disney princess as “the ultimate fantasy.” Who said fairytale endings are just make-believe?

In 2013’s Frozen — Disney’s biggest ever animated feature — Princess Anna is left with a white streak in her ginger locks after her big sister Elsa’s mysterious freezing powers nearly kill her in a childhood accident. But, just like the star behind the plucky young princess, she wouldn't let anything get in her way to find her happily ever after.

Musical theater-trained Kristen Bell said that playing a Disney princess was “the first goal” she ever had; indeed, listening to recordings of a young Bell singing Disney tracks influenced casters to choose her for the role of Anna. It also helped that Bell had magical vocal chemistry with co-star Idina Menzel — the pair met when they both tried out for the role of Rapunzel a few years earlier.

Princess Elsa is the heir to the throne but accidentally freezes the kingdom of Arendelle with her untamed magical powers — and on the day of her own coronation, no less! Exiling herself, Elsa eventually learns how to “Let it Go” and tame her amazing gift. The ability to roll with the punches seems to resonate with the talent behind Elsa's recognizable timbre, too. And it came especially handy after an embarrassing on-stage mixup.

In keeping with the largely anonymous reputation of Disney princess voice actresses, Broadway dazzler Idina Menzel got her name famously messed up by John Travolta when he introduced her to sing “Let it Go” at the 2014 Oscars. Fortunately, Menzel wasn’t fazed — the mark of a Disney legend in the making — and starred as Elsa again in Frozen’s 2018 sequel.

Not one to be deterred by the die-hard fans who've treasured their beloved animated princesses since the days of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney has pulled out some epic remakes in recent years. Hey, who can blame them for wanting to be part of the live-action world!? With The Little Mermaid set to be one of 2023's hottest releases, many may be wondering what makes the budding actress behind the modern-day Ariel tick. 

The Atlanta-born Halle Lynn Bailey is a true millennial. But don't be fooled by her 2000 birth year — the young star is already packing an impressive talent punch. She's best known as one half of musical duo Chloe x Halle and has numerous Emmy nominations already under her belt already. Her acting chops are not to be sniffed at either. With roles in both TV and film, the star will surely ace her role as one of the world's most well-known mermaids. 

Poor Aurora — cursed by your evil stepmother and bound to a lifetime of sleep. Luckily, the 2014 remake Maleficent chose to stick to the plot where Aurora gets woken up. And what's better, Elle Fanning claims that Sleeping Beauty was, in fact, the one Disney princess she looked up to the most, "she was always my favorite one," the star shared in an interview ahead of the film's release. But how different is the star when she takes off her crown?

Not the only famous fanning in the family, Elle had big shoes to fill — not just in her portrayal of a beloved animated princess — but also in regards to her older sister Dakota. Her breakout role in J. J. Abrams' Super 8 saw the little sister label begin to fade. And she's since gone from strength to strength, securing herself a spot as a respected star in her own right. As for her personal life, Elle has claimed her stake as a fashion icon and bagged herself an enviable other half in The Handmaid's Tale's Max Minghella.

Modern-day Jasmine is decidedly more skeptical of her on-screen love interest than the original animated princess. As well as seamlessly bursting into song and taking cinemagoers' breaths away with her solo rendition of Speechless, Naomi Scott made re-doing a family favorite seem utterly effortless. Off-screen, too, the English actress and singer's life actually has some parallels to her Disney character. 

Just like her animated character, Scott has done her bit for others. Born into a strictly religious family, she was raised by parents who worked closely with the church. And the giving mentality seems to have rubbed off on the charitable star. Involved in both missionary and outreach work, it seems Scott is more like Jasmine than first meets the eye. But what about the characters that Walt never wanted to ever reach our eyes? There's a whole host of forgotten princesses who the studio wanted to keep under wraps. Scrapped at the last minute, these characters should have been buried in the Disney vault for good.

It's hard to believe that not every Disney creation is so beloved. In some cases, it took years for these lost princesses to emerge from the shadows. Who knows how different Disney's collection would've been if these female protagonists had made it on the silver screen? An early cut of Disney’s classic Beauty And The Beast featured a little sister for the main protagonist Belle. Her name is Clarice, and she lives in fear of their Aunt Marguerite. But neither character made it into the fairytale’s adaptation. You see, screenwriter Linda Woolverton didn’t feel the pair served the storyline.

Belle was considered a non-conformist and a bit of a loner around the little French village where her family lived. In turn, Woolverton felt that having a doting little sister detracted from the central character’s intended disposition. Because Claire became a distraction from the main plot, animators ended up leaving her on the cutting room floor.

Not all fairytales have a happy ending. Fewer still have a gruesome beginning. For instance, one story tells of Priscilla Gore, who believes her husband Bartholomew is an affluent captain, sailing the open seas. But while he is away on a voyage, she accesses a bounty chest that suggests Mr. Gore is a pirate. Then, when she confronts him about his duplicity, he murders her.

Priscilla Gore’s story, then, was perhaps too gruesome for a cinematic adaptation. Even so, it became the premise for the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, where one version gives the last laugh to the slain wife. You see, after her murder, Priscilla returns to haunt her husband and slowly drives him mad. Then, when he can take no more, the pirate takes his own life.

My Peoples was supposed to introduce the Harpers and the McGees, who are embattled families living in Appalachia, Texas. But two children from opposing clans — Elgin Harper and Rose McGee — fall for one another, providing all the hallmarks of a modern-day Romeo & Juliet. However, despite having a cast ready to voice the animation and musicians chosen to perform the soundtrack, the movie was scrapped.

It was an unusual script. Early on, Elgin charms Rose with dolls he made from found objects. However, her father creates a potion intended to wipe her suitor’s memory, so he would forget about a future with Rose. Instead, the concoction brings the dolls to life, creating a group to protect the lovers from their meddling families. But the movie was abandoned, heartbreakingly after Mulan co-director, Barry Cook had “poured [his] soul into it.”

Although two stories for Penelope And The Twelve Months were developed in the 1940s, neither made it into production. Early in the decade, Dick Huemer and Joe Grant wrote a short about a time-traveling girl named Penelope who meets numerous spirits on her journeys. Early ideas were sketched out by Mary Blair, who later altered the story into a revised version of The Prince And The Pauper by Mark Twain.

However, Blair’s version featured a Disney familiarity. You see, Penelope works in a kitchen and is the subject of ridicule from her stepmother and stepsister. Her salvation comes from a supernatural ring that has the power to fulfill wishes. Nevertheless, there was a case of bad timing for Penelope And The Twelve Months. As Grant described, “The audience for Disney films became more and more adult, especially after the war, so we made an effort to avoid kiddie-material.”

Mistress Masham’s Repose started life as a novel in 1946. Four decades later, its plot struck a chord with Disney, which began developing the idea into a feature-length movie. As in the T.H. White book, the central character is ten-year-old Maria, an orphan whose guardian is the awful vicar Mr. Hater, who often leaves her in the care of the stern Miss Brown.

However, a lonely Maria finds solace in taking peaceful walks around the grounds of their home. On one excursion, the ten-year-old discovers a Lilliputian island in a lake on the estate. The girl befriends the little people who brighten up her unhappy life. Although Roy Disney was charmed by the plot, one-time CEO Michael Eisner wasn’t a fan and the idea was scrapped.

Wild Life started development at the tail end of the 1990s, and it was intended to satirize popular society from the ’70s. Paying homage to iconic figures like Anna Wintour and Andy Warhol, it told the story of rival nightclubs. In the fictional tale, club owner Red Pittsain’s star attraction starts to dip in terms of popularity. As such, his livelihood is dragged into jeopardy as his patrons turned to his rival. So what does he do?

Realizing he needs a new star, Pittsain recruits a talking elephant named Ella from a nearby zoo. But Ella eventually recognizes that show business isn’t for her and longs to return home. However, the studio decided the movie was more suited to live-action and an older audience, rather than an animated flick marketed to kids. Work on Wild Life ceased in 2000 despite Kathy Bates and Alan Cumming already being cast as the nightclub owners.

Stoneflight was set to follow the familiar thread of a lonely girl outcast from a turbulent home life. To escape some overwhelming family drama, Janie heads to the New York rooftop of her household and befriends the gargoyle. You see, the pair find they have a lot in common, what with the creature’s life of solitude.

The plot continues, following the arc mapped out by a 1975 book of the same name. The gargoyle brings Janie to Central Park. Here, more troubled kids are hanging out with their own friendly critters. And according to Variety in 2001, Disney seemed to run with the screenplay when it landed on their desk. However, it’s unclear what happened to shelve the idea.

In a story being developed by Pixar around 2010, the blue-footed newt is facing extinction. As such, it is down to the last male and female to keep their entire species going. But first they have to try to, you know, like each other. The story focuses on the concept that love isn’t an outlined thing. As the movie’s press release stated, “Love, it turns out, is not a science.”

Newt was first due to hit theaters in the summer of 2011. However, despite being rescheduled for the following year, it was ultimately superseded by Brave. When the animation disappeared from Pixar’s schedules, speculation suggested it had been shelved. Then the project was handed to Up and Monsters, Inc. director Pete Doctor, who proposed, “another idea altogether, which I think is better.” That idea evolved into 2015’s Inside Out.

In 1937 Disney released a Silly Symphonies short animation called Little Hiawatha. In it, a young and hapless Native American child embarks on a hunting expedition. Each animal that the eponymous Hiawatha targets makes fun of his hunting skills – or rather his lack of them. But when he pursues a bear, the other creatures protect him in gratitude for not killing them. Minnehaha was suggested as a sequel.

Little Hiawatha was loosely based on a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem. In this piece, Minnehaha is the lover of Hiawatha, who meets an unfortunate demise. As a matter of fact, Minnehaha and her death scene have inspired numerous works of art. However, it remains a mystery as to why Disney never actually paid their own homage to the fictional character.

There was a time when Disney flirted with a proposal to remake the famous ballet Swan Lake. In the Tchaikovsky-scored story, Odette is a princess who falls under the spell of a wicked wizard and consequently turns into a swan. Had the animation company developed the idea, then, Odette would have been a Disney princess.

Well, the idea was developed – but the finished product was released outside of the Disney stable. Richard Rich once worked as a director at Walt Disney Feature Animation throughout the ’70s and up until 1986. But he was fired, prompting him to assemble his own staff – most of whom were Disney colleagues – to form Rich Animation Studios. He took the Swan Lake idea with him, creating 1994’s The Swan Princess.

Disney once toyed with the idea of remaking the opera, Aida. After all, the story does feature some of the studio’s magic ingredients. That is, a female servant happens to fall in love with a man of influence. In the case of this story, the slave Aida takes a liking for an Egyptian soldier. However, the soldier is torn between his feelings for Aida and his allegiance to Egypt’s leader.

Nevertheless, somewhere along the way, the idea was dropped. It’s unclear why Disney ended up canning any ideas for a live-action adaptation. It is, after all, still a popular production in cultural calendars across the world after nearly 140 years. However, it’s possible that some of the mature and complex plot would have been lost on a younger audience.

In 1997 Hercules’ performance at the box office was regarded as a disappointment at Disney. However, although it didn’t generate the same returns as The Lion King or Pocahontas, it did capture some hearts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, a sequel was proposed. This was to center on the hero’s wife Meg as the lead character, while Hercules is away battling in the Trojan War.

Another proposed sequel idea pitched Hercules’ sister Hebe as the lead. As a keen-eyed, sword-wielding archer, there's no doubt the female fighter would have been a kick-ass heroine. And, although Hercules II ideas fell by the wayside – even at a time Disney was milking the straight-to-video market – two seasons of Hercules: The Animated Series ran in 1998 and 1999.

According to the Russian fairytale, Vasilisa Vasilyevna went to such great lengths to conceal her true gender that she went by Vasily, the masculine version of her name. You see, despite being the priest’s daughter, she could wield a gun and ride a horse like any soldier. And she enjoyed little more than knocking back the vodka shots.

Vasilyevna caught the king’s attention. However, when seeking more information on the “young man,” his staff revealed that it was, in fact, a woman. The king then resorted to sly methods to uncover her true gender but was quickly outwitted by the non-conformist. While there’s little evidence that the character was under consideration by Disney, imagine how progressive the studio would be for introducing such a radical heroine.

Tam Lin was originally a male character whose story was told throughout Scottish folklore. However, modern adaptations depict the protagonist as female. But describing the character as a “princess” would be to land spectacularly wide of the mark. In fact, alternate names for a 1970 movie included The Devil’s Woman and The Devil’s Widow.

You see, in the Scottish fairytale, Tam Lin was portrayed as a womanizer. Indeed, the female counterpart in the movie adaptation isn’t depicted in much of a favorable light either. Nevertheless, the character was once under consideration by Disney in the early ’00s. But then-Disney CEO, Michael Eisner had a bitter falling out with Roy E. Disney and rejected the project when he learned of his enemy’s interest in it.

The name Iara – or Yara – translates from the native Brazilian language of Old Tupi as “water lady.” She is a figure from Brazilian mythology said to have tanned skin, dark eyes, and distinctive green hair. Oh, and she’s also half sea creature. In other words, she’s a mermaid. Furthermore, she has many tales to tell.

Iara’s stories typically revolve around Brazilian myths surrounding disappearances in the region’s abundant rainforests. And while her characteristics follow those of other mermaids – notably eternal youth – her tales are perhaps not as suitable for Disney’s roster. Besides, there would be too much similarity to a certain mermaid in the animation studio’s lineup.

In Disney’s world, princesses typically fall for the male hero. It’s likely, then, that Banu Goshasp, a principal player in Iranian mythology, wouldn’t fit in. Indeed, in one story, the Iranian princess is going about her business when she catches the attention of a foreign prince. And when a rival prince figures the best way to get Goshasp’s attention is to kidnap her, she promptly chops him in two. Ouch.

Many stories of Banu Goshasp exist in ancient literature, including a nearly 1,000-year-old poem made up of 900 verses. It seems, however, that this princess is determined not to have her happily ever after. When one particular admirer emerges victorious from an epic battle among other potential suitors – the majority of whom the princess slays or imprisons – she then ties him up in anger on their wedding night.

Vanellope Von Schweetz is, of course, already well known to anyone who has seen Wreck-it Ralph. But, for those who don’t know, she is the princess of Sugar Rush, a kart-racing arcade game that she dominated. However, a rival competitor reprograms her as a glitch that ensures she would never again compete in a race.

So, if she’s already a princess in the Sugar Rush world, why not in the Disney canon, too? After all, her bubbly personality is highly relatable to the studio’s core demographic, while she also exhibits a sharp wit for broader appeal. However, her choice to become president of Sugar Rush later in the movie forfeits her from any regal positions.

The First Queen appeared in an early cut of Disney’s Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. However, her scene was deleted, so little information on the character can be extrapolated from the film. For more information, one needs to turn to the literature. Notably, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Golden Book from 1952 has some important details.

In the tale, the Queen is sewing when she pricked her finger. As she wistfully gazes out of the window that cold day, she longs for a daughter “with lips as red as blood, skin as white as snow and hair as black as ebony.” She gets her wish when Snow White is born. Later, it’s suggested that the First Queen passes away shortly after giving birth to Snow White, providing a backstory to the 1937 animation.

In an alternate universe, Señorita Cactus is the third recruit to Woody’s Roundup gang in Toy Story 2. Similar to the Prospector, Señorita Cactus isn't fond of kids and prefers to be left on the shelf and admired rather than tossed around on the floor. In the final movie, however, the eagle-eyed may have still spotted her.

Despite making way for cowgirl Jessie in the final Toy Story 2 cut, Señorita Cactus wasn’t written out of the movie completely. You see, when Buzz Lightyear inadvertently releases Zurg at Al’s Toy Barn when he collides with a stack of toys, look closely and you’ll see boxes for Señorita Cactus. She also crops up in the pinball machine scene in Toy Story 4.

While he wasn't technically a princess, this character was almost reimagined for a big Disney production. The fairytale of Rumpelstiltskin was first published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. It tells the story of how an imp spins straw into gold for a miller’s daughter in exchange for her riches. After she gives up her necklace and ring, the only thing left she can offer Rumpelstiltskin is her firstborn child. Well, the goblin’s desire for a child became the premise of a 2003 Disney remake.

Disney owned the rights to a Rumpelstiltskin story due to be titled Uncle Stiltskin. And, as well as a friendlier name, the character was more affable, too. You see, he yearned for a child. Although attempts to get one by spinning gold out of straw failed, he nevertheless learns what family really means. Unfortunately, Uncle Stiltskin clashed with the production of Tangled, so the project was shelved.