The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a 1954 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Loosely based on the German fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm, it was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske, and features the voices of TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD, TBD and TBD.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses was released to theaters on July 13, 1954 to box office success. It was Disney's first animated film to be distributed by their Buena Vista division following their split from RKO Radio Pictures. Upon its release, the film earned positive reviews from film critics. A direct-to-video sequel, The Twelve Dancing Princesses II: The Magic Returns, was released on September 10, 2002. A live-action remake premiered on November 12, 2019, as a launch title for the Disney+ streaming service.
Plot[]
Genevieve and Lacey are two of twelve princesses who share a passion for dancing and live in a castle with their widowed father, King Randolph. Unbeknownst to the princesses, other people consider them improper for having unique but unladylike hobbies and interests. King Randolph summons his cousin, Duchess Rowena, to help educate them into proper ladies. However, the Duchess wants the throne and removes all color, music, and joy from the palace, trying to break the girls' spirits.
On Lacey and her older sisters' birthday, the other sisters gift a copy of their late mother's favorite story, wherein a princess discovers a magical land and dances there for three nights before it vanishes. Looking at the story and the tiles on their bedroom floor, Genevieve discovers how to open a portal into the magical land. Upon entering, they dance the night away. They learn the hanging golden flowers grant wishes, the statues can come to life, and the water has healing properties.
The next day, the princesses appear tired and Rowena finds their new dancing shoes worn out, arousing her suspicions. King Randolph falls ill, so Genevieve asks the royal cobbler, Derek, to investigate Rowena's true intentions. That night, the princesses return to the magical land; Derek confronts a local apothecary and deduces that Rowena has been poisoning the King.
The next morning, the sisters are again exhausted. Rowena, refusing to believe the sisters when they tell her the truth, forces them into servitude. After overhearing Rowena maneuver the King into referring to his daughters as burdens, the heartbroken princesses return to the magical land for a third time, and Rowena finds them missing the next morning.
After learning that the princesses are missing, Derek figures out how to open the portal and makes his way into the magical land. Rowena's pet monkey, Brutus, spies on Derek and leads Rowena through after him; she steals one of the wish-granting flowers. The princesses decide to go home and help their father; however, Rowena returns to the palace ahead of them and has her henchman, Desmond, destroy the portal. Derek and Genevieve figure out how to activate another portal by dancing together, freeing the group.
Once home, they find out that the King is dying and that Rowena has taken over as Queen. The Duchess uses the golden flower to wish for Genevieve to dance forever without rest, but Genevieve blows the magic dust back at her with a hand fan, forcing Rowena to dance uncontrollably. When Desmond tries to help Rowena, he is pulled into the spell, and the two dance their way out of the castle. Lacey uses the healing water she took from the magic land to revive her father. King Randolph affirms his unconditional love for his daughters and Genevieve and Derek celebrate their wedding.
Voice cast[]
Princesses[]
Each of the 12 Princesses is designated with a gemstone and a flower. Each princess' flower appears on their dresses, the book gifted to each of them, and on the stones on the floor of their bedroom, and each of the princesses' names begin with the first 12 letters of the alphabet.
- TBD as Genevieve - the 16-year-old 7th sister, and one of the two main protagonists of the film. She tends to run late for all sorts of occasions. She is also an experienced chess player. Next to her family, Genevieve loves dancing more than anything. Derek, the royal cobbler, harbors romantic feelings for her. Her flower is the pink rose and her gemstone is a pink opal. She wears a dark pink and white dress.
- TBD as Lacey - the 5-year-old youngest sister, and one of the two main protagonists of the film. She is very close to her big sister, Genevieve and likes to collect teddy bears. Being the youngest, she is timid, somewhat clumsy and frequently needs help for the simplest things. Even though she loves her sisters and her father, Lacey often wonders about where she belongs in her large family. Her flower is the white lily and her gemstone is an amethyst. She wears a light purple dress.
- TBD as Ashlyn - the 22-year-old eldest sister. She is practical, calm and knowledgeable. She loves music, especially playing the flute and oboe. She is straightforward and cares for her sisters, for whom she tries to act as a role model. Her flower is the purple geranium and her gemstone is a garnet. She bears the most resemblance to her mother Queen Isabella, and wears a purple dress.
- TBD as Blair - the 21-year-old 2nd sister. She loves horseback riding and collects music boxes. Feisty and outspoken, Blair is always the first to voice her opinion, especially her complaints about Rowena's presence in their lives. Her flower is larkspur and her gemstone is a ruby. She wears a red dress.
- TBD as Courtney - the 20-year-old 3rd sister and is close to Ashlyn and Blair. She seems to be the shyest of the twelve sisters. Her favorite hobby is reading, which makes her intelligent and open-minded, but often renders her totally oblivious to her surroundings. Her flower is the forget-me-not and her gemstone is a sapphire. She wears a blue dress.
- TBD as Delia - the adventurous 19-year-old 4th sister and Edeline’s fraternal twin. She loves sports, especially croquet and horseback riding. Her flower is the sunflower and her gemstone is a green peridot. She wears a green dress.
- TBD as Edeline - the 19-year-old 5th sister and Delia’s fraternal twin. She loves to play sports, her favorites being badminton and croquet. She also tends to be messy and disorganized. Her flower is honeysuckle and her gemstone is orange citrine. She wears an orange dress.
- TBD as Fallon - the 17-year-old 6th sister. She loves animals, plays the harp, and is a romantic who hopes everyone can find their happily ever after. She likes hearts, lace, and writing stories. Her flower is the camellia and her gemstone is a pearl. She wears a pink dress.
- TBD as Hadley - the 13-year-old 8th sister and Isla's fraternal twin. She loves to walk on stilts, an interest she shares with Isla. Her flower is the narcissus and her gemstone is a topaz. She wears a turquoise dress.
- TBD as Isla - the 13-year-old 9th sister and Hadley's fraternal twin. Isla is a skilled acrobat and enjoys walking on stilts with her twin. Her flower is the lily of the valley and her gemstone is an emerald. She wears a light violet dress.
- TBD as Janessa - the 5-year-old 10th sister and leader of the young fraternal triplets. She is interested in bugs and loves collecting them. While she may be bossy at times, her intentions are always good. Her flower is the jonquil and her gemstone is aquamarine. She wears a light blue dress.
- TBD as Kathleen - the 5-year-old 11th sister, the middle triplet, and is close with both triplets. She loves art and enjoys painting, but tends to be messy like her big sister, Edeline. Kathleen is down-to-earth and helps keep balance among the triplets. Her flower is the daisy and her gemstone is a pink diamond. She wears a light pink and yellow dress.
Other[]
- TBD as Derek - a 16 year old royal cobbler. He is friends with Genevieve and her sisters, secretly in love with Genevieve, and becomes the princesses' main ally in stopping Rowena. At the end of the film, he and Genevieve are happily wedded.
- Mel Blanc as Felix - Derek's talking parrot. He wants Derek and Genevieve to be together, often blabbing hints about how Derek feels to Genevieve, which causes great embarrassment for his master.
- Margaret Hamilton as Duchess Rowena - King Randolph's cousin and the primary antagonist of the film. She is brought to the castle to help the king raise his twelve daughters. She seeks to steal the throne by poisoning Randolph and getting rid of the twelve princesses. She is doomed to dance forever when a spell she tried to use on Genevieve backfires.
- TBD as King Randolph - the father of the twelve dancing princesses. He loves his daughters more than anything, but is determined to turn them into "proper princesses" with Rowena. Little does he know Rowena is slowly poisoning him in an attempt to steal his throne and that it is up to his "unruly" daughters to save him.
- TBD as Desmond - Rowena's large and ruthless footman. He seems to have a crush on Rowena, doing anything she says to please her. He is doomed to dance with her forever when he tries to free the cursed duchess.
- June Foray as Twyla - Genevieve's pet kitten. She tries to act tough in front of her enemies and is constantly fighting with Rowena's monkey, Brutus. She is friends with Felix and believes that she is related to the tigers of India.
- TBD as Brutus - Rowena's pet monkey, who is just as cruel and arrogant as his mistress. He loves making Twyla angry and often spies on the princesses to find ways to get them in trouble with Rowena. He ends up being defeated when Twyla injures his tail with a mouse trap, forcing him to run away when Rowena is forced to dance off the castle.
- TBD as Mr. Fabian - an apothecary who sells poison to Rowena in exchange for stolen goods. He is eventually tracked down by Derek, who trades his horse for Queen Isabella's goblet.
- Queen Isabella - the late mother of the twelve princesses. She is seen in the movie through a portrait that hangs near the entrance of the castle. Even in death, she helps her daughters discover the magical kingdom and the importance of family. Her goblet is stolen by Rowena to purchase poison from the apothecary.
- TBD as the Narrator
Production[]
Coming soon!
Music[]
Coming soon!
Release[]
The Twelve Dancing Princesses was originally released to theaters on July 13, 1954. It was then re-released theatrically in 1961, 1968, 1972, 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1991.
Home media[]
The Twelve Dancing Princesses was first released on North American VHS cassette and Laserdisc in 1985 as part of the Walt Disney Classics video series. It was released on VHS again in 1994 as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection video series. A THX 45th anniversary limited edition of the film was released on October 5, 1999. The Twelve Dancing Princesses was remastered and restored for VHS and DVD on February 24, 2004, as the fifth installment of Disney's Platinum Editions series.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses was released as a Diamond Edition on March 2, 2010, consisting of a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack. This release included multiple bonus features not previously included in The Twelve Dancing Princesses home releases.
For its 65th anniversary on September 24, 2019, The Twelve Dancing Princesses was re-released for HD digital download and on Blu-ray as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection.
Reception[]
Coming soon!
Other media[]
Coming soon!
Transcripts[]
Main[]
To see the main transcript of the film, click here.
Trailers[]
To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.