Carrie Fisher, who died at the age of 60 on December 27, 2016, played an intergalactic ruler in the Star Wars franchise. Now, to honor the late actress’s legacy, fans want her to be made into Disney royalty. As TIME reports, a man named Cody Christensen launched a Change.org petition requesting for Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger to make Princess Leia an official Disney princess, joining the ranks of Snow White, Cinderella, and other heroines. (Reminder: Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, thereby adding Princess Leia and her Force-wielding sidekicks to the entertainment conglomerate’s roster of characters.)
Website GeekExchange.com interviewed Christensen, who points out that some people say Princess Leia can’t be made into a Disney princess because a real actor portrays her instead of an animated figure.
“With Carrie’s death, I think that it’s time to change the rules,” Christensen told GeekExchange.com. “I actually have five daughters, and there are constantly princess movies playing in the background. We are big fans of the current Princess lineup, but I think that Leia is a really strong, positive, awesome role model for my girls, and she would make a great addition.”
The petition reads:
“After the tragic lose of Carrie Fisher, we feel that it is only fitting for Disney to do away with the rule that an official Disney princess must be animated and make Leia a full-fledged princess. This would be a wonderful way to remember Carrie and a welcoming to one of Disney’s new properties that is beloved by millions.
What we are asking is that the Walt Disney Corporation hold a full ceremony inducting Leia as the newest Disney princess as well as a special service in memory of Carrie Fisher.”
As of noon on Thursday, January 5, Christensen’s petition had more than 35,000 signatures.
[h/t TIME]
January 5, 2017 – 3:30pm