Royal but redundant: why the Disney prince is an endangered species

The new Little Mermaid film reinforces the sense that the Disney princesses' significant others are doomed to non-existence

Much has been said over the years about the Disney princesses - some are bad role models, some good, they set impossible expectations for young girls, they're predominantly white, and so on. But what about their male counterparts? Just like the princesses have evolved as characters, so have the roles of the Disney princes; yet, we rarely hear about their cultural impact (or lack thereof).

So who are the Disney princes? The latest iteration of the character is Prince Eric in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Although he has more screen time than in the original, he's arguably even more redundant this time around. The film follows the same story beats, but it overhauls Ariel from a naive and reckless figure into a mature protagonist who doesn't fall for the first human pretty boy she lays her eyes on. The Little Mermaid wants to keep Eric, but it doesn't want to need him.