I don't think she is the smartest, but she is one of the smartest :)

While she has a vast imagination, curiosity and cunning, she doesn't think her actions through most of the time. I haven't given a smartest princesses list much thought yet, but Rapunzel and Mulan are definitely the top two for me.

^ I agree with both of you.

Far from it.
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One of the smartest, but I think Elsa, Jasmine, Aurora and Cinderella are smarter. Belle comes next though I think.

Belle is bright and wise, but she does a lot of stupid things, more than any of the other girls if you ask me. Not hating on her at all, but she does. Which annoys me because Snow is widely considered to be an idiot for the SAME THING Belle gets excused for- trusting strangers and doing things she was told not to do. At least Snow has the excuse of being young/sheltered and was trying to be polite, but it annoys me that Belle is seen as a genius and is older, so what's her excuse?

Cinderella is resourceful and the wisest (if you ask me). Jasmine is the most cunning and a logical thinker. Aurora lacks common sense sometimes but she still knows to not trust Philip right away and was going to get to know him first (and she is also curious in her way). I'm not sure about Tiana- she does dumb stuff too (trusting a voodoo queen, a talking frog, an alligator, etc.) and isn't an intellectual at ALL but isn't dumb either. Merida is crafty and bright but lacks wisdom and the ability to foresee consequences. Snow is very people-smart, commonsensical, even rather logical, and I truly don't think she fully trusted the hag. if she's stupid for her mistakes, so are all the others.

She's my favorite, but I wouldn't say she's the smartest

She's one of the smarter ones.

Um, to be honest yes, but only because I find many of the princesses to be pretty dumb

She is smart but honestly i think Elsa is one of the smartest DP! Building that ice castle instantly, i mean you must being able to imagine it first in your head, planning it ,making structural calculations, etc... I need weeks and weeks to create an average building and she creates and builds something so complex like a gothic cathedral in less than 5 minutes! Wow it always impressed me !!!

^The whole point of magic is that it's supernatural, meaning that it cannot be explained by natural explanations, such as science, math, technology etc. If Elsa uses math and science as a basis for her using her powers, then she's not really using magic at all, and in that case, you'd have to explain how she is able to physically produce ice from her body. It would also mean that Rapunzel was mentally figuring out how to repair tissues and skin as she sings. I don't buy the whole "Elsa's doing math when she's building a castle" thing, because it kinda defeats the point of her having magical powers.

Belle's not stupid, but a lot of the others are smarter than her. Even Ariel who is criticized for being dumb shows more of a willingness to learn than Belle does, while Belle is always commended for how much she loves to learn, when we don't really know if she does. I think Mulan, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora and Tiana are all smarter than Belle.

^ I agree with you.

I agree with magnoliamay on the Elsa issue. I don't find Elsa to be very smart, tbh. Most of her actions lack logic behind them and I don't think that's because of her anxiety/depression. It would be much more logical if she, after her parents' death, had actually tried to experience her powers again: after all, she was very skilled and much more in controll of them when she was little. She could have taken a room in the palace just for this use.
I'm not going to comment on her panicking over a glove (she can't have only one pair, really) because I guess that was anxiety kicking in and because I think she has some feelings attached to it. When she ien't wearing them, she experinces a sensation of being uncomfortable and incomplete. I can't really explain.

^That's very interesting. I thought that the gloves were both a prison and a sanctuary for Elsa. At first, it was a safe place where she could hide, and when she'd lost one she felt exposed and vulnerable. Eventually, she throws away the other one, representing her freeing herself.

But yeah, I think she's overrated in intelligence and that most of her decisions were based on fear and were ultimately illogical. I honestly find Anna to be smarter than Elsa, though still illogical in her own way- she's just a quicker thinker and a doer.

The difference i see between Rapunzel's magic and this of Elsa is that Rapunzel get it from a flower (its external), Elsa is born with it without any external power (the movie does not explain it ) She is like a gifted child. Than with her magic she is creating new things, like complex spaces that you have first to imagine it in your mind. Its not that the magic did it for her...she is thinking of it and molding it with the help of the power of her magic. I study architecture and its not easy to imagine new spaces and creating new forms, and by Elsa its comes so natural because of her enormous creative ability. And a smart mind is always a creative one.

Oh, I think you explained what I meant in better words, Magnolia (may I call you that or do you prefer Shawna?). Elsa is definitely connected to her gloves because her parents taught her to "conceal" herself in them, in a way. Without them, she feels exposed.

Diamela - But a creative mind isn't always a smart one.

I think Elsa is one of the smartest but more- like Rapunzel- book-smart. She knows politics, art, etiquette, etc. But I kind of agree while the movies paints her to be this much smarter, more logical girl than Anna, her actions lack logic sometimes too. but then again, that's fear for you: irrationality.

that's also a really good point about Ariel I never even noticed! She is much more curious in general. Belle is only curious when it comes to excitement and things that interest her (notice for someone always called the curious princess she isn't at all willing to learn about her own town and its inhabitants and when she lives in the castle, she does the same stuff she normally does at home, just reads for fun), but Ariel wants to experience EVERYTHING in the human world and is willing to feel pain and heartbreak to do so.

I don't mind either, whatever you prefer.

It's pretty easy to paint a perfect picture in your head, Diamela. Also, according to the movie, Elsa's powers are influenced by her emotions, not by her logic (which doesn't make much sense, since as a supernatural force magic should not be explained by applying any knowledge of natural forces such as logic, math, science etc.). She was happy because she was free, and that it why she was able to create beauty rather than cause destruction.

EDIT:
@AudreyFreak: You make a good point about Elsa, but I do think her intelligence is almost completely book smarts. She mostly knows what can be learned. I did find Rapunzel to be very street smart, quick witted and resourceful too, with an added willingness to learn (or at least, keep herself busy by learning).

I once read that there are different types of intelligence, and one of them was the ability to imaginate proportions and the likes clearly in your head. Maybe Elsa is one of these people.

Let me find it. It was in my English textbook.

Aha, I found it. They're called "multiple intelligences" and the one that might suit Elsa is "visual/spacial" (can create vivid mental images). "Mathematical" might be a good fit, but the text describes it as "number relationships and logic" and like I said, I don't find Elsa to be very logical.

^That's a good point. I just prefer not to try to explain supernatural things by applying proven scientific theories, as it kind of redefines the word "supernatural".

Although, it would makes sense with regards to Elsa's emotions. When she's feeling scared or sad, she doesn't act carefully or rationally, but when she's in a better mood, she can think more clearly (although excitement and logic don't usually go hand-in-hand, so my argument is kind of collapsing on itself).

BUT, if we're trying to explain how Elsa is able to create an ice castle, we really should question where the ice comes from and how her body generates it (although, if the movie had explained these, it would be less fantasy and more sci-if).

like Silver Rose 1991 state there are different types of intelligence..there are also "emotional intelligence" Her sense for proportional aestheticism or to create beauty is coming from an emotional impulse...you don't need logic for it . Most of the artist create new things because of an emotional impulse they are not using exact science like math or chemical for it. It's intelligence too. I am not painting a perfect picture in my head of her, i admire this smart qualities of her more not.

Yes!!!!!!!