These are the real faces behind every Disney princess

Walt Disney personally hired 18-year-old Adriana Caselotti for the role of Snow White in his first feature-length cartoon. She made $20 a day reciting lines and singing, which is reportedly less than one of the actors who voiced a dwarf.

After "Snow White," Caselotti sang opera, worked briefly in real estate and the stock market, and wrote a book on singing.

Ilene Woods captivated audiences with her voice long before crooning "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes." The New Hampshire native sang in her own local radio show at 11 and a network show at 14.

Two songwriter-friends asked her to record a demo of some tunes they'd written for an upcoming Disney feature, and two days later, she wound up in Walt Disney's office.

Woods later became a spokeswoman for United Cerebal Palsy telethons.

Mary Costa made an impromptu performance at a dinner party when unbeknownst to her, the choral director casting Princess Aurora was in the room — and he was hooked. The animators later modeled the character off the Knoxville, Tennessee, native, as well.

Costa led an illustrious singing career and threw herself into charity work after retiring from show business. She's 85.

Jodi Benson took a break from the Broadway stage to record her voice-acting debut as Ariel. She had no idea it would be a hit.

After living under the sea, Benson went on to voice Thumbelina in 20th Century Fox's movie of the same name, Weebo in "Flubber," and Ariel in every subsequent video game, TV show, short, and sequel. She reprises her role as Barbie in "Toy Story 4" in 2018.

Broadway starlet Paige O'Hara auditioned with 500 other people for the part of Belle, and learned she booked the gig after the fifth audition, on her birthday. The animators squeezed in some of O'Hara's mannerisms into Belle's character, like the way she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

O'Hara signed with Disney Fine Art two years ago to paint "Beauty and the Beast" inspired art, and starred in Las Vegas' long-running "Menopause the Musical" earlier this year.

Linda Larkin auditioned over several months for the prized role of Jasmine, and thought she'd lost the gig when she told producers she couldn't sing. But they were taken with her speaking voice, and Larkin has since reprised the role in several straight-to-video sequels.

Lea Salonga, on the other hand, is a singing machine. Since landing her big break at 18 and earning a Tony Award two years later, the Filipina actress graced the Broadway stage in "Les Misérables" and "Flower Drum," and lent her voice to another Disney princess, Mulan.

Irene Bedard gave her speaking voice and live-action modeled for the titular role in "Pocahontas." The Alaska Native actress went on to portray other strong indigenous women in TV and movies, including Pocahontas' mother in the 2005 drama "The New World."

Judy Kuhn sang with a 90-piece orchestra while recording music for "Pocahontas." The four-time Tony Award nominee starred in the original Broadway productions of "Chess," "Les Misérables," and "Rags," and currently appears in "Fun Home."

Ming-Na Wen launched her voice-acting career as Mulan, but these days, fans are more likely to find her kicking butt in live-action roles. The Macau-born actress landed recurring roles in "ER," "Two and a Half Men," and "Eureka." She currently handles all kinds of weapons in "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Lea Salonga, who also voiced Jasmine in "Aladdin," said in an interview that Mulan is her favorite Disney princess. In 2011, Disney honored her with a Disney Legend award, making her the first Filipina to receive it.

Before bringing the first black Disney princess to life, Anika Noni Rose won a Tony Award for "Caroline, Or Change" and played a backup singer in "Dreamgirls." She grew up watching peach-skinned princesses on screen, so Rose was over-the-moon to play Tiana in "Princess and the Frog."

Since that fateful kiss with a frog, Rose earned recurring roles on "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," "Private Practice," and "The Good Wife." She's currently filming a miniseries adaptation of "Roots."

Kelly Macdonald was working as a barmaid when someone fatefully handed her a casting call flyer. Since winning the part in Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting," Macdonald has led an illustrious acting career on both sides of the Atlantic, appearing in "No Country for Old Men" and "Boardwalk Empire."

Landing the lead in "Brave" was a "dream come true," Macdonald said in an interview. The Glasgow-born actress even talked the animators into sneaking a few local slang words into the script.

Having a hit single wasn't enough to land the role of Rapunzel, apparently. Singer-actress Mandy Moore belted Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" during her audition and won the part.

Before getting tangled up in those famous golden tresses, Moore starred in teen flicks "A Walk to Remember," "Princess Diaries," and "Saved!" She's slated to voice Rapunzel again in an upcoming TV series on Disney Channel.

Though acting is what she's best known for, Kristen Bell grew up singing opera and studied music in college. Landing the lead role in "Frozen" brought the "Veronica Mars" star back to her roots.

Bell can currently be seen opposite Don Cheadle in Showtime's critically acclaimed "House of Lies."

Before she was Elsa, Idina Menzel held reign over Broadway. The Tony Award-winning actress starred in the original productions of "Rent," "Wicked," and "If/Then," a musical written for her.

Like co-star Kristen Bell, Menzel also auditioned for "Tangled." She said in an interview that during "Frozen" production, she liked to hang around the studio and watch the animators work, to embed herself in the process.