The Prince (official name is Prince Florian for the Disney Princess franchise) is a character in Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Originally planned to be the deuteragonist, it was ultimately decided that he would appear only twice in the film; at the beginning and the end (this was because he was the hardest character in the film to animate).
He has been voiced by Harry Stockwell, Jerry Whitman and James Arnold Taylor.
Behind the Scenes
Animation
The Prince was the first 'realistic' human male that the Disney animators attempted to bring to life. It was found that the Prince was the hardest of all characters to animate. For this reason, his role in the film was minor; he only makes 2 appearances in the film. The character was mostly rotoscoped from Lewis Hightower's live-action performance. The Prince was partly animated by Milt Kahl, who would later be given similarly difficult tasks in the animation of Prince Charming in Cinderella and Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty.
Abandoned Concepts
Imprisoned by the Queen
It was originally planned that, jealous of the Prince's affections for Snow White, the Queen would have him brought to her, and she would have him locked in her dungeon. As the Witch, she would have made the skeletons in the dungeon get up and dance. She would have left the Prince in the dungeon, and he was to escape in the manner of Errol Flynn, enabling him to reach Snow White and break the spell. After escaping, the forest animals were to tell him where to go; however, only the horse was to understand, however, causing the Prince to take the long route and arrive too late to save Snow White. The idea was abandoned when it was realized how difficult it was to animate the Prince convincingly, and the character only appeared when he needed to further the story, which centered primarily around the relationship between Snow White and the Queen. However, comics released to promote the film include such scenes; the Witch locks up the Prince and tells him what her plans are for Snow White, telling him that she will win his affections, while the Prince is defiant. Later, as the animators became more experienced at animating human characters, a similar concept was used in Sleeping Beauty, in which Maleficent has Prince Phillip captured and taken to the Forbidden Mountains, where she shows him visions of the future she has planned for him.
Alternate Version of "Someday My Prince Will Come"
Sketches were made for the sequence in which Snow White sings Some Day My Prince Will Come depicting Snow White and the Prince dancing in the clouds, while small, star-like creatures cavort around them. However, the idea was reused, to an extent, in Sleeping Beauty, in which Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora dance together; their surroundings transform into clouds, presumably to reflect their happiness together.
Appearances
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Meeting Snow White
The Prince enters the castle grounds to see Snow White.
The Evil Queen, jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty, forces her to work as a servant in her castle. As Snow White works, she sings I'm Wishing, attracting the attention of Prince Florian, who's passing by on his horse. As she sings into the well, performing a duet with her echo, she's startled as Florian suddenly joins in. She runs into the castle, and watches as he sings One Song. The two fall madly in love with each other. Watching from above is the Queen, who angrily closes the curtains of her window in jealousy.
Breaking the Spell
When the Queen arrives, disguised as the Witch, to poison Snow White, she, knowing of the romance between the girl and the Prince, fools her into believing that the Poisoned Apple is a magic wishing apple, capable of making her greatest desire a reality. Snow White wishes to live with the Prince and, taking a bite, falls to the floor, taken by the Sleeping Death. Though the seven dwarfs succeed in chasing the Witch to her doom, Snow White remains uncured; the dwarfs place her in a glass coffin and take her to a clearing in the forest. The Prince hears of this and comes to the clearing. After singing One Song again, he kisses her on the lips and breaks the curse on her as she is revived. He takes her in his arms and puts her on his horse; after saying farewell to the dwarfs, the two ride into the sunset to his castle (the image of which is shown in the clouds above), where they live happily ever after.
House of Mouse
Like other Disney characters, The Prince received many cameo but for him they were always non-speaking. He was usually seen at a table with Snow White.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
When Aqua comes to Dwarf Woodlands she encounters the Prince at the castle as he desperately tries to find Snow White. When she tells him that she was cursed by the Wicked Queen and is in a deep sleep, he asks Aqua where he can find her and she tells him to go to the Dwarf's Cottage, where he will find her in a glass coffin. After this he makes his way to the cottage and when he finds her, he kisses her and she awakens and together the ride of on his horse.
The Prince and Snow White were shown in the end credits in the meadows picking flowers with the Dwarves.
Once Upon A Time
The Prince, also known as Prince Charming, Prince David is a major character on Once Upon a Time. He debuts in the first episode of the first season. He is played by starring cast member Joshua Dallas and is the fairytale counterpart of David Nolan.
David is a poor shepherd whose twin brother, James, was given to King George as an heir in a deal with Rumplestiltskin. Prince James is killed in battle shortly after agreeing to kill a dragon for King Midas in exchange for gold, and the shepherd takes his brother's place in exchange for the prosperity of his mother's farm and the promises that he can return home afterward. He takes his brother's name and unexpectedly slays the dragon himself. Midas then declares David worthy to marry his daughter Abigail and unite the kingdoms, unaware that neither the real James nor his replacement is of royal blood. David, wanting to marry for love, tries to decline, but George reneges on his promise and vows to kill David's mother if he does not marry. David reluctantly agrees. He visits his mother to say goodbye and receives her wedding ring, which she claims is followed by true love. The ring is stolen and sold by Snow White, who nicknames him "Prince Charming". The pair fall in love while trying to retrieve it. He writes a letter to Snow saying that if she loves him, visit the castle before his wedding, and they will run away and be happy. She comes, but George catches her. He forces her to tell David that she does not love him or he will kill David, martyring him, and hopefully uniting the kingdoms out of Midas's pity for George. She complies, but David still attempts to secretly flee his wedding. Abigail reveals that she knows he does not want to marry her and tells him that she does not want to marry him either; she gives him provisions for his journey. He is later seen fleeing King George's knights on his search for Snow. When he finds Snow, he learns that she cannot remember who he is. To prevent her from killing the Evil Queen he takes the arrow meant for the Queen and tells Snow he would rather die than let her become evil. She realizes that no one else will die for her; she kisses him and regains her memories. However, the pair are separated again when George's knights capture him. He is set to be beheaded, but is rescued by the Queen. She takes him captive and uses him to convince Snow to willing eat a cursed apple that put her into a deathlike sleep. Some time after, he awakens Snow from her enchanted sleep and the pair marry. At their wedding, the Queen announces that she will cast a curse on the Enchanted Forest and take away all they love. David and Snow seek advice from Rumplestiltskin, who tells them that Emma, the daughter they are expecting, will break the curse. Emma is born shortly before the curse takes hold, and David places her in a magical wardrobe to protect her from the curse. However, he is seriously wounded by the Queen's knights in the process.
In Storybrooke, he first appears as the comatose John Doe, who has gone unidentified for years. He wakes up after Mary Margaret, who is Snow White, reads him the story of Snow White and Prince Charming. Shortly after, he is reunited with his wife Kathryn Nolan, who is Abigail, and is identified as David Nolan. It is revealed that he and his wife were separated after he left the house after an argument and, unknown to Kathryn, fell into a coma. However, David suffers from amnesia and cannot remember his life with Kathryn. Although he cannot remember his life in Storybrooke either, he falls in love with Mary Margaret and decides to leave Kathryn for her. However, his false memories of his marriage begin to return and he decides to work things out with Kathryn instead. He eventually gives in to his attraction to Mary Margaret and begins having an affair with her. Kathryn is later accepted to a law school in Boston, but he tells her that he cannot come with her and suggests they end their marriage. Kathryn learns about the affair, but realizes there was never any love in the marriage. She decides to go to Boston alone. She writes David a letter telling him that she wants David and Mary Margaret to be happy together and that she forgives them both. However, Regina steals the letter from the Nolans' home and burns it before he can read it. Kathryn disappears shortly after. David becomes a suspect in her disappearance, namely because of a phone call he made to her immediately before she went missing and because he starts exhibiting strange trance-like behavior during which he cannot recall his actions. However, the suspicion is dropped when Mary Margaret's fingerprints are found on a box containing a human heart thought to be Kathryn's. In an attempt to prove Mary Margaret's innocence, he asks Archie Hopper to help him regain his memories of the black-outs. However, he recalls some of his memories of the Enchanted Forest, namely when he was telling Snow not to kill the Queen. He confuses these for more recent memories and believes he is telling Mary Margaret to not kill Kathryn. He starts to doubt her innocence. When Kathryn turns up alive, David sees her at the hospital and Kathryn says she is no longer angry at David as she is the first to realize that he and Mary Margaret belong together. The two break up on good terms. However, Mary Margaret is upset over David doubting her innocence and refuses to speak to him. David decides to move to Boston and asks Mary Margaret to give him a reason to stay in Storybrooke. However, she does not. As he approaches the town limits, the curse is broken and he regains his memories. He returns to town and reunites with Snow White.
Disney Parks
The Prince at Disneyland Paris.
The Prince is a rare meet and greet character at the Disney theme parks around the world. He can be found in Fantasyland with Snow White most of the time. Other than that, he make various appearances in shows.
Snow White's Scary Adventures
The Prince can be seen as an audio animatronic in the dark themed ride. At the end of the ride he can be seen riding off with Snow White.
World of Color
The Prince makes a brief cameo appearance near the end during the So Close sequence. He is seen kissing Snow White and freeing her from the curse.
One Man's Dream II: The Magic Lives On!
Overseas at Tokyo Disneyland, the Prince accompanies Snow White and other royal couples during the princess segment.
Fantasmic!
He appears in the nighttime show where he and Snow White along with other princesses ride on a boat across the water while Snow White sings "Someday my Prince Will Come". In some showings, the Prince himself is absent.
Trivia
- In the comic version by Hank Porter when the prince surprises Snow White it is from behind a dummy she made. When she asks who he is and where did he come from; he responds "Where I came from doesn't matter! The only thing that does matter is that I am here. As for my name, I like the one you gave me---Prince Buckethead----though perhaps is is more honest than flattering." this embarrasses Snow White since she did not know he was hiding behind the dummy she named "Prince Buckethead".Source
- At the 1938 Oscars, Shirley Temple mentions the name "Ferdinand" among others while presenting Walt Disney his awards. Many have interpreted that she was referring to the Prince; thus, that Ferdinand is his name. However, she was not referring to him, but to another character, Ferdinand the Bull. As confirmed by Dave Smith, Historian of the Walt Disney Studio Archives, the Prince was never given a name in the film and "Ferdinand" has never been used as one by the company. Despite this, many Disney fans still believe that the Prince's name is Ferdinand. Source and Source
- Disney France once revealed in a TV-spot that his real name is Florian. That same TV-spot also revealed that Prince Charming's real name is Henry (or "Henri," as it would be in French).
- The name "Florian" originates from this article. It was allegedly used by Disney when it started the Disney Princess franchise.
- Disney France once revealed in a TV-spot that his real name is Florian. That same TV-spot also revealed that Prince Charming's real name is Henry (or "Henri," as it would be in French).
- There's a story that there are artwork and documents in the Walt Disney Studio Archives that call the Prince "Frederick". Source
- The Enchanted Stables collection reveals his white horse is a mare named "Astor". Source This is reconfirmed the Disney Princess book "Special Horses."
- The Prince is the first of the Disney Princes to sing to his respective love interest, the second would be Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. The third is Aladdin.
- He is the only Disney Prince to be a "Minor Character" due to his little screen time, yet he's mentioned many times in the film by Snow White when not appearing and unlike most characters with little screen time, he is reconized by Disney Fans.
- He is the only Disney Prince to serenade his love interest.
- He is the first Disney Prince to have a solo. The second would be Aladdin.
- Though he is the first Disney Prince, he has the smallest amount of screen time of all the Disney Princes, only appearing briefly at both the beginning and the end.
- The voice of the Prince, Harry Stockwell, is the father of Academy Award nominated actor Dean Stockwell.
- The Prince is only Disney Prince that does not deal with the film's antagonist at all. All other Disney Princes come in contact with the antagonists. The exception to this would be Prince Charming (Cinderella's Prince), for though he did not deal with Lady Tremaine in the original, he helps defeat her in the second sequel.
- The Prince is the first who revives his love interest with a true love's first kiss. The second is Philip by defeating Maleficent and kisses Auora and she comes back to life.
- Disney sometimes markets the Prince as Prince Florian for Disney on Ice. Source
- While the Prince has a dagger, he never uses it.
Gallery
Template:Disney Princes
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