Take the idea that most girls want to marry their father. In a lot of the Disney movies, there are the evil step-mothers, and because the step-mothers generally sweep in and take that position away from the daughters, we want to see that the step-mothers are defeated. This is accomplished in Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and then there are variations with movies such as the Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmatians and more. Most little girls don't like the movies solely because there are princesses and magic, but because the movies portray something all little girls are relatively programmed to want.
Along with just being satisfied with the step-mother being killed or overthrown, it is essential that the step-mother is evil, because why would anyone want a perfectly suitable person taking over their role in life. But along with overthrowing the step-mother, the saying "every girl marries her father" comes into play. This phrase essentially means that most girls end up marrying a boy similar in characteristics to her father. This probably comes from the idea I stated earlier, but this is when the handsome Prince comes in. In the princess movies, there is always a trusty prince who comes to save her life. This feeds into our programmed minds because the princess' father is a king, general handsome, and has a lot of power over people and situations. The rescue driven princes usually have a patriarchal way of thinking because they are the person to be saving the princess, and she generally follows along with out a fuss, thus feeding into the idea of power.
Disney knew right where to write our deepest desires, and it helped them sell movies. I don't want to see evil lose, I want to see the poop who took my spot in life taken away so that I metaphorically can marry my father. That's what Disney movies give us.
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