Meet the real people who voiced your favourite Disney princesses… from Snow White to Cinderella

MILLIONS have grown up watching their favourite Disney princess cartoons on screen, but would you recognise the real faces behind the magical characters?

From the teen paid £20 a day to voice Snow White, to the singer behind both Mulan and Jasmine, here are the women who have brought the much-loved characters to life...

Snow White

Many know the tale of the young girl who befriended tiny woodland animals and a band of seven men in the 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

But the woman behind the “fairest in the land” character was a teenager called Adriana Caselotti.

The convent-educated girl beat off 150 actresses for the role and was paid $970 (£753) for working on the film, which worked at around $20 (£15) a day.

Belle

Emma Watson may be a well-known face for the recent reboot of the 1991 classic, but do you know who the original star behind the book-loving heroine was?

Self-confessed Disney fanatic Paige O’Hara auditioned alongside 500 other hopefuls for the role and was chosen for the part after her fifth audition.

Paige started her career as a Broadway actress and went on to voice the spin off films, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Belle's Magical World.

Cinderella

The 1950 Cinderella film captured the hearts of many, telling the tale of a young girl who attended a ball, won the heart of a prince, and lost a shoe in the process.

Although Lily James has starred in a recent real-life adaptation, the voice behind the cartoon character was Ilene Woods.

Ilene beat out 300 others auditionees to be cast as the voice of the princess, dazzling Walt Disney himself with her demo recordings of Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo and A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

Princess Aurora / Sleeping Beauty

She may have spent some of the film asleep, but do you know who was behind the role of the 1959 princess who was awakened by true love’s kiss?

Actress Mary Costa auditioned for the role purely because she wanted to meet Walt Disney himself.

She managed to bag the role within hours of her audition, after being given the chance to perform when a casting director heard her sing at a party.

She later went on to sing at a memorial service for President John F Kennedy in the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1963.

Ariel

The aquatic Disney-movie The Little Mermaid arrived on screens with a splash in 1989.

Taking the lead as red-head Ariel was actress and singer Jodi Benson.

You may recognise her voice from recent times, as she has starred as the character Barbie in the 1999 movie Toy Story 2.

Jasmine

In 1992, Disney released the hit movie Aladdin, but needed two stars to take on the role of the free-spirited princess Jasmine.

Linda Larkin and Lea Salonga were the dream team duo were behind the character, with Linda doing the speaking voice and Lea singing the songs.

Originally Linda thought she had lost out on the part after she couldn’t sing, but Broadway star Lea was brought on to complete the beloved role.

Mulan

Lea Salonga also lent her incredible vocal range to the warrior teen Mulan, which was released in 1998, and has said she is her favourite Disney princess.

Again, Lea did the singing, while actress Ming-Na Wen was cast for the voice of the weapon-wielding princess.

Ming-Na may be recognisable today as a star in the ABC drama Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Pocahontas

Disney released the movie Pocahontas in 1995, which told the tale of a fiercely independent chief daughter who fell in love with a soldier called John Smith.

There were, in fact, two actresses who were behind the character in the cartoon.

Irene Bedard was responsible for the speaking voice of the character, and went on to voice Pocahontas’ mother in the 2005 movie The New World.

American singer Judy Kuhn did the singing parts, and recorded the famous Colours of the Wind song, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Judy is a four-time Tony Award nominee and has starred in many Broadway shows over the years.

We previously shared the actors who voice your favourite cartoon characters from Homer Simpson to Scooby-Doo.

And recently Phillip Schofield was in awe after teen star of Peppa Pig spoke to him in her iconic voice on This Morning – and left kids at home so confused.