Young Adult Meets Disney

YAmeetsDisney

If my Pinterest boards tell you anything, it’s that I love books (especially YA) and I love Disney — especially Disney princesses — so what better thing to do than combine the two, right? I started musing which Disney Princesses each of my favorite YA heroines would be and then I started noticing that I could spot some similarities in my favorite YA books and Disney movies. Before long, I was writing up a storm for a blog post, sharing which of my favorite books I could match with my favorite Disney adventures, and so we have…

YOUNG ADULT MEETS DISNEY: YA/DISNEY CROSSOVERS

beautyandthebeast_anna

If you like BEAUTY AND THE BEAST try…
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS

WHY?

  • Set in France (and her father uprooted her to go there)
  • Her relationship with her family isn’t the easiest but she loves them fiercely
  • Feels totally alone but is quickly shown hospitality by the locals
  • She’s a little bit nerdy
  • There’s a whole scene about the food and her friends show her the best things to order
  • Starts to fall for a guy but it’s a bit complicated…
  • And the guy tries really hard to make things right before he loses the girl forever.

THE HEROINES: Belle // Anna Oliphant
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Anna and the French Kiss is one of my all-time favorites. It’s funny, it’s realistic, it’s extremely swoony, and I will recommend it to anyone!
BOOK REVIEW: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

mickeys

cinderella_eleanor

If you like CINDERELLA try… ELEANOR & PARK

WHY?

  • It’s about a girl who has been treated like an outcast
  • Even by her own family
  • Her step-parent is totally awful and the home situation is dismal and abusive
  • But she has her own dreams of what she wants out of life
  • She meets a handsome guy who is tired of the average girls without any substance
  • Essentially all of the good things in her life have to be kept a secret so her family won’t ruin them
  • The start of their relationship is timid and she’s reluctant to share so much about herself
  • The story is a little bit sad but in the end, the two characters find that they just fit perfectly together

THE HEROINES: Cinderella // Eleanor Douglas
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Eleanor & Park goes much deeper than the bullet points mentioned above. It’s a very moving story and sometimes I really wish Eleanor had her own fairy godmother! But I guess if you want to make that parallel to Cinderella there, Park is sort of both the prince and Eleanor’s “fairy godmother”. The first spark of feelings are there but he also shows Eleanor that it’s okay to express what she wants to and that not all people — and not all families — are horrible. They really learn a lot from each other and Park introduces her to so many new things — especially music!
BOOK REVIEW: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

mickeys

aladdin_legend

If you like ALADDIN try… LEGEND

WHY?

  • One main character is a criminal, on a mission to steal
  • One main character is local royalty who can essentially do no wrong
  • They end up meeting and making a connection but… neither really truly knows the true identity of the other
  • The girl has other suitors — one who she doesn’t really feel comfortable about both romantically and in other ways — and it’s hard for her to push that guy off
  • True identities are discovered when things start to go down and the characters end up feeling betrayed… but deep down they still have feelings for each other.
  • Meanwhile, the guy ends up indisposed thanks to the local government & local baddies
  • The girl discovers the true nature of her other suitor which throws even more questions into play
  • But by that time it’s too late and things are starting to break bad
  • The girl decides to help and restore the natural order of good and the two set things straight

THE HEROES: Aladdin // Daniel (Day) Wing
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Legend was a great read for me! I actually enjoyed it more than Divergent. I really love stories about characters who have to hide their identities and at the same time, it makes me SO nervous! I kind of enjoy the Day/Aladdin parallel.
BOOK REVIEW: Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

mickeys

frozen_shadowandbone

If you like FROZEN try…SHADOW AND BONE

WHY?

  • An orphaned girl lives with her only companion and best friend
  • Well, they used to be closer but things have been a bit rocky lately
  • In a moment where she loses control trying to protect the one she loves, the girl’s powers are displayed to the world!
  • And people panic
  • But it’s cool though. Once she finally starts to get more comfortable with her powers, she’s a total badass.
  • The elements are at her will!
  • Animals with antlers make appearances
  • BUT people are greedy for power and want to abuse the girl’s magical power and political power
  • This dude may seem like he’s a good guy, but trust me. He’s got some hidden layers there that really show his true colors. He has nothing but rotten motives
  • The two besties eventually reunite and eventually, they’re stoked about reestablishing their relationship as well as righting the world once more
  • And the best friend decides to help to set the world right once more and save the main character from the evil guy’s plan


THE HEROINES:
Elsa // Alina Starkov
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Shadow and Bone takes place in a world inspired by tsarist Russia. The magic system and hierarchies of the book are really interesting and I love the details Leigh Bardugo took to create them! Obviously the “best friend” situation in Frozen would be Elsa and Anna and it’s a bit different in Shadow and Bone — Mal and Alina grew up together and truly were best friends and Alina definitely has a thing for him! Then we go back and forth throughout the book regarding the relationship because the power struggle (in many senses of the term) is more prevalent.
BOOK REVIEW: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo


 There are my selections for YA books for the Disney fan! What do you think? Which books do YOU see corresponding with a Disney movie? Which YA hero/heroine would you match with a Disney prince or princess?

There was another one I wanted to include BUT it would be a total spoiler for the book so mum’s the word on that one for now!

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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32 thoughts on “Young Adult Meets Disney

  1. Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

    “Animals with antlers make appearances” HAHAH this one was my favorite although all of these are SPOT ON. I can totally see the parallels as you pointed them out and I just loved reading this post! Such fun!

    Reply
  2. Alexa S.

    PHENOMENAL post, B! I love that you managed to combine your love for Disney films with your love for young adult so dang well. Plus, I think your recs are pretty spot on 🙂

    Reply
  3. Amber

    Oh my gosh, I love this. Beauty and The Beast is my absolute favorite Disney movie. I read and liked Anna too. 🙂 My interest in Shadow and Bone has grown greatly now that you’ve compared it to Frozen (which may or may not be my third or fourth favorite Disney movie). This is such a great post.

    Reply
  4. Kristin

    I have been waiting to read this post until I could really sit down and appreciate it and it was totally worth the wait! I’m also a HUGE Disney fan so I really enjoyed reading your comparisons! I never would’ve thought to make some of those connections but my favorite is the Belle / Anna one! What a clever post. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Terri @ Reading By Starlight

    Definitely bumping Legend farther up my TBR list now! I was interested but with that comparison? DANG! Also I just don’t like the cover. For some reason, it looks boring even though the symbol probably makes a lot more sense once you’ve read it. I just … it’s beige.

    Reply
  6. Danielle @ Love at First Page

    Oh my goodness, this is so much fun! I love the comparison between Cinderella and Eleanor & Park. I never would have thought of that but it makes a lot of sense. Anna and B&B, I can see that. Especially since both couples form such a solid friendship first. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Morgan @ Gone with the Words

    I love all your reasons! BatB and Anna is so perfect!!! And I can see how Cinderella fits with Eleanor & Park (which I haven’t read yet). I tried the first chapter of Legend and didn’t love it but your comparison and the fact that you liked it more than Divergent makes me want to give it a second chance! And wow, Elsa and Alina is such a great comparison! I’m soooo curious about the book that you can’t spoil!!

    Reply
  8. Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally

    This is amazing. And I like that you didn’t go really traditional and obvious with your picks. They’re subtle which makes it even better. Also seeing the comparison between Legend and Aladdin makes me want to read that series even more! I love Aladdin.

    PS… If you do this again you should totally do Tangled!

    Reply
  9. Angeline @ Some Bookish Things

    I absolutely love this! I love Disney and Young Adult books so seeing them combined is amazing. I haven’t read Shadow and Bone but I can totally understand where you’re coming from with the other matches. I especially love the Aladdin and Legend one.

    And I’ve never really thought about which Young Adult books had parallels with Disney movies, so I’d have to get back to you on that, haha 🙂

    Great post!

    Reply

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