What’s Worth Watching: ABC Family’s Disney Princess Marathon

“Princess Funday” marathon (Saturday, March 21, beginning at 5/4c, ABC Family)

Once upon a time, my goddaughter fancied herself a Disney princess. Even though she’s now well into her college years, I’d like to think she’d still get a kick out of wallowing in ABC Family’s nightlong celebration of feminine will and wiles as the channel presents a “Princess Funday” marathon of classic Disney animated movies. As the box-office success of the new live-action Cinderella reminds us, there’s always a new audience for these timeless stories.

The fun begins with one of Disney’s more recent entries, 2009’s The Princess and the Frog (5/4c) with its African-American heroine Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) in a New Orleans fable; and continues with 1989’s tuneful The Little Mermaid at 7/6c (starring Jodi Benson as Ariel), 1959’s opulent Sleeping Beauty at 8:45/7:45c (Mary Costa as Princess Aurora), 1950’s charming Cinderella at 10:30/9:30c (Ilene Woods in the title role), and concludes at 12:15 am/11:15c with 1995’s Pocahontas (Irene Bedard as the Native-American free spirit), which won Oscars for its score and signature song “Colors of the Wind.”