That honor goes to Persephone, the main character of a 1937 Silly Symphonies short that served as a sort of test run for Snow White. The film, "The Goddess of Spring," features Disney’s first ...

The cartoon was inspired by the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone and was used to explain seasons to younger viewers (via D23). Although The Goddess of Spring was the 48th entrant in Disney's ...