To make matters more uncertain, Snow White’s and Prince Florian’s ages are approximate, not official. Along with providing the ages, “The Art of Walt Disney” describes the princess as a “Janet Gaynor type” and the prince as a “Doug Fairbanks type.” This is confusing for a few reasons, but the primary one is that Fairbanks was born 23 years prior to Gaynor, meaning that the two real-world talents were never the same age at the same time. And the age gap between Fairbanks and Gaynor does nothing to defend Disney against the accusations of creating predatory characters framed as heroes.
On one hand, neither Snow White’s nor Prince Florian’s age is ever discussed in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” so viewers may apply their own headcanons if they so choose. On the other, Disney’s got a track record. Across the board, Disney’s prince characters, like Prince Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes), the Beast (Robby Benson), and Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), are all supposedly older than their romantic counterparts. Exact ages differ from various accounts, but the consensus remains the same.
But Disney doesn’t seem too bothered by it. “Snow White” was released almost a century ago; there’s even a live-action “Snow White” remake in the works. If the studio really wanted to clear the air, it would have done so by now.
