Former DreamWorks animator Jason Porath has a list of princesses you won’t see in the Disney lineup any time soon. His new site RejectedPrincesses.com highlights these characters with a rundown of their unnerving back story.

Wu Zetian

Introducing Wu Zetian, first and only Empress of China — seen here poisoning her infant daughter. Now, that’s actually a bit of a historical inaccuracy: the generally-accepted truth was that she *strangled* her young daughter, to frame the old queen and get her out of the way. It worked — both the old queen and the old queen’s mother were executed, and haunted her from that point forward. I thought they’d make good comic relief characters in the movie adaptation. From there, she ascended to be Emperor Gaozong’s predominant consort, and set about eradicating all other claimants to the throne. Continue Reading →