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Félicie Milliner
- Voiced by: Elle Fanning
A poor, orphaned girl who aspires to become a ballerina. Together with her best friend Victor, she escapes her orphanage and journeys to Paris, where she strives to make her dream a reality.
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: As her skills improve, Félicie's dream of dancing for the sake of it is twisted into using ballet as a way to move up in society. This drives her to forgo practicing and getting a good night's sleep before the final rehearsal to go on a date with Rudy.
- Ascended Fangirl: As stated above, her dream is to be a ballerina dancer. She not only becomes one, she also gets the role of "Clara" in The Nutcracker.
- Child Prodigy: Though initially lacking in finesse, Félicie shows talent when it comes to dancing. And her skill continuously shows thanks to Odette's teachings.
- Fiery Redhead: Félicie's defining trait is her passion, and she has a bright red hair.
- Genki Girl: She's always full of energy and spirit.
- Heroic BSoD: She undergoes this after she loses to Camille in the final dance competition and is promptly returned to the orphanage by Regine against her will.
- Motor Mouth: Félicie just cannot stop talking when she's excited. Odette finds it annoying.
- Nice Girl: Is generally kind to those around her, and is even willing to befriend her enemies.
- Official Couple: With Victor at the end of the film.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The passionate Energetic Girl dancer to Victor's down-to-earth Savvy Guy inventor.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Fiery Redhead. Bright, green eyes. And she's the protagonist.
- Smitten Teenage Girl: A younger variation. She develops a crush on Rudy during her time as a ballerina trainee (at first).
- Straight to the Pointe: Wears pointe shoes on her first day in the class, and afterwards is depicted dancing en pointe in footwear not really suited for pointework.
- Technician Versus Performer: Félicie's the "performer" to Camille's "technician"; Félicie's technical skill is poor but she's full of energy, passion, and emotion. This is why Félicie eventually gets the part of Clara: Félicie is able to improve her technical skill in addition to the passion she already possesses, while Camille is unable to improve her emotional performance.
- Took a Level in Badass: Goes from the worse ballet student who couldn't do simple techniques to being able to match with an experienced ballet dancer.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She is a tomboy that desperately wants to be a ballerina.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: Downplayed. In one scene, Odette mistakes her hair braid for a ponytail when joking about how monstrous Regine is.
- Tragic Keepsake: The little ballerina music box was from her deceased mother.
- True Blue Femininity: She wears a blue skirt, and her dance outfit includes a blue sash around the middle.
- Unskilled, but Strong: While Félicie can throw some energetic, instinct dancing, she lacks the finesse required for ballet.
- Youthful Freckles: She has these.
Victor
- Voiced by: Dane DeHaan (international English), Nat Wolff (US English)
Félicie's best friend and aspiring inventor. He joins Félicie on her journey to Paris, and becomes the assistant to Gustave Eiffel.
- Absent-Minded Professor: Victor studied chickens for months in preparation of building a flying machine, and apparently, it never occurred to him to determine whether a chicken can fly or not.
- Brainy Brunette: Victor has brown hair and is a budding, talented inventor.
- Bungling Inventor: As brilliant as he is, few of Victor's gizmos work properly until the climax with the Pigeon Wings.
- Butt-Monkey: He endures a lot of misfortune throughout the movie.
- Child Prodigy: Victor is only 11, but is already a Gadgeteer Genius.
- Curtains Match the Windows: Brown hair and brown eyes.
- First Guy Wins: He ends up with Félicie by the end of the film.
- Gadgeteer Genius: He's a pretty great inventor for an 11-year-old.
- Official Couple: With Félicie at the end of the film.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The down-to-earth Savvy Guy inventor to Félicie's passionate Energetic Girl dancer.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Victor gives Félicie a minor scolding when Félicie admits that she's assuming Camille's identity so she can join the ballet class; Victory advises that Félicie should "be you!" instead.
Camille Le Haut
- Voiced by: Maddie Ziegler
An extremely talented young ballet dancer. Her upbringing has resulted in her being arrogant and ruthless. She quickly becomes rivals with Félicie as the two compete for the role of "Clara" in The Nutcracker.
- Alpha Bitch: She's very haughty and self-centered, poking fun at Félicie's insecurities constantly and attempting to destroy her dreams of becoming a ballerina.
- Being Tortured Makes You Evil: It's heavily hinted that she's only mean due to her Abusive Mom.
- Beneath the Mask: Underneath the self-important, overbearing, and snotty attitude is a joyless child trapped under her abusive mother's thumb.
- Broken Ace: Camille's a great ballet dancer for someone who is only an 11-year-old. She's also haughty and doesn't truly love ballet, only doing it due to pressure from her Stage Mom.
- The Bully: She constantly bullies and shames Félicie, destroys her ballerina music box out of spite, and shoves her down a small flight of stairs during their dance battle.
- Child Prodigy: Same age as Félicie and is a talented ballet dancer.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Camille was raised by an abusive Stage Mom who pressured her into ballet dancing, and has been forced her to push herself to the limits in order to please her mother's demands.
- Defeat Means Friendship: After Félicie defeats her in their dance battle, Camille, impressed by Félicie's skill, congratulates her and the two become friends.
- Easily Forgiven: Hilariously, even Camille herself is in total shock when, the minute she softens up and allows Félicie to have the role of Clara, Félice gives her a tight, friendly hug.
- Everybody Has Standards: While Camille may have been a haughty, spoiled brat who smashed Félicie's music box out of spite, she was greatly disturbed at her mother's attempts to kill Félicie.
- Foil. To Félicie — Félicie is a poor, but nice girl with a genuine love for ballet; Camille is a rich, but mean girl who only does ballet because her mother wants her to.
- Graceful Loser: She accepts her loss to Félicie rather well, acknowledging her as the better dancer and even handing over the role of "Clara" to her.
- Green and Mean: After pink, Camille is associated with the colour green, as shown by her civilian dress and personalized leotard. However, both are a lighter shade than her mother's outfit, foreshadowing that Camille has good in her.
- Heel–Face Turn: She befriends Félice and even helps save her by the end of the movie.
- Heel Realization: When Camille is unable to give Merante a satisfactory answer as to why she dances, she realizes that Félicie really is the better dancer, and she steps aside to give Félicie the part of Clara.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: Her stuck-up and snobbish attitude serves as a mask to hide her depression and insecurities.
- Jerkass: She's second only to her mother in sheer unpleasantness. She later takes a level in kindness, even trying to stop her mother from hurting Félicie.
- Kick the Dog: She destroys Félicie's music box after Félicie expresses her desire to become a ballerina... and when Victor fixes it and Félicie and her meet again, she says she didn't "toss it hard enough" and tries to destroy it again.
- Pet the Dog: After their intense dance battle and an Armor-Piercing Question from Merante, she kindly states that Félicie deserves the role of "Clara".
- The Rival: She is this to Félicie, being her biggest opponent in her quest to earn the role of "Clara".
- Technician Versus Performer: Camille's the "technician" to Félicie's "performer"; Camille's technical skill is perfect and she's able to do all the steps without any mistakes, but she's completely unable to put any emotion into her dancing. This is why Camille ultimately does not get the part of Clara: while she seemed to get the part at first, Merante is irritated by the fact that she can only do the steps without any emotion, so when Félicie is eventually able to improve and dance on Camille's level, Camille realizes Félicie really is the better dancer.
- Took a Level in Kindness: She comes to appreciate Félicie's ballet skills and passion, and even hands over the role of "Clara" to her. She later aids Victor in saving Félicie from Regine.
- "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: She only does ballet to please her demanding mother.
Odette
- Voiced by: Carly Rae Jepsen
The mysterious caretaker of the opera. She becomes a mentor and mother figure towards Félicie, teaching her how to improve on her dancing skills. Initially bitter and cynical, she eventually opens up towards Félicie as she mentors her.
- The Ace: She was a former prima ballerina.
- Birds of a Feather: With Merante. They are both no-nonsense perfectionists who are passionate about the art of ballet.
- Cynicism Catalyst: The tragic fire that caused Odette's limp shattered not only her promising dancing career, but her hope that anyone's dream could come true. Befriending and training Félicie renews her faith.
- Dark and Troubled Past: A fire at the opera resulted in her limp.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: She works as the live in cleaning lady of the Paris Opera House, but years before, she was prima ballerina. After the fire left her with a limp, her career as a ballet dancer was done.
- Handicapped Badass: Not a violent example. She has a limp and while she doesn't do any ballet moves, she was able to teach Félicie so effectively that the young girl went from the worst to the best in her class.
- Meaningful Name: She is named after Princess Odette of Swan Lake, one of the world's most beloved ballet heroines.
- The Mentor: Odette takes Félicie under her wing to polish off her dancing.
- Mysterious Past: Most of her early life is left a mystery.
- Parental Substitute: To Félicie.
Louis Mérante
- Voiced by: Terrence Scammell
Félicie's demanding ballet instructor.
- Birds of a Feather: With Odette. They are both no-nonsense perfectionists who are passionate about the art of ballet.
- Brutal Honesty: He'll always be honest, even if it's not nice.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Merante may be demanding, brutally honest, and strict, but he's ultimately fair and reasonable.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: It is implied that Merante figures out that Félicie is not Camille Le Haut after seeing her in the Breton tavern, but keeps it quiet because her passionate dancing impresses him.
- Stern Teacher: He accepts nothing less than perfection from his students, but it's ultimately for their benefit. He's especially hard on Félicie when she enters his class under Camille's name because Merante knows the real Camille uses her mother's wealth and connections to bribe her way into dance school.
- Uptown Guy: The ending implies he (a reasonably wealthy dance instructor) will become this to Odette (the poor caretaker of the opera).
Régine Le Haut
- Voiced by: Julie Khaner (international English), Kate McKinnon (US English)
A wealthy restaurant owner and the mother of Camille.
- Abusive Parents: Regine put Camille through a rigorous ballet training regimen.
- Ax-Crazy: When Camille gracefully passes the role of Clara to Félicie, Regine tries to cripple or even kill the orphan girl in a full-on foaming-at-the-mouth rage.
- Bad Boss: She's rude and abusive towards her staff For the Evulz.
- Big Bad: Camille may be Félicie's main ballet rival, but Regine is ultimately the main antagonist for the film, with Camille being subservient to her.
- Evil Gloating: Regine gloats a lot, constantly taking verbal jabs at Félicie and Odette, including when Félicie bombs her audition due to not training or resting the night before.
- Evil Matriarch: The relationship between her and Camille is abusive and controlling, forcing her daughter to push herself to the limits to please her.
- Foil:
- To Odette. Odette is a poor woman who serves as a maternal figure to the orphaned Félicie, giving her strict ballet training but genuinely caring for her. Regine is a rich woman, the biological mother of Camille, gives almost inhuman training for her daughter, and only seems to care about herself.
- To Félicie's mother. Félicie's deceased mother was kind-hearted and a passionate dancer. Regine did not even give Camille genuine love.
- Green and Mean: Is always seen wearing a dark green dress.
- Kick the Dog: When Félicie fails at the audition, Regine adds insult to injury by having her sent back to the orphanage by force while simultaneously spiting Odette by having to see her friend taken away and then sacking her for the coup de grâce.
- Lean and Mean: Is very thin, and is the film's Big Bad.
- Nouveau Riche: Regine's wealth comes from being the owner of a successful restaurant, and she is hellbent on climbing the social ladder via Camille's ballet career.
- Revenge Before Reason: In the climax, after Félicie gains the role of Clara in The Nutcracker, Regine is so enraged that she attempts to kill Félicie. She doesn't seem to consider the fact that there are numerous witnesses to her crime, including her daughter.
- Rich Bitch: Is wealthy, and is very stuck-up and snobbish.
- The Sociopath: She has no empathy for anyone; even her daughter is just a means to an end in her eyes. She's even willing to commit murder just to get her way.
- Sore Loser: Her response to Félicie besting Camille and gaining the role of Clara is to try and kill her.
- Stage Mom: She measures her success by her daughter's.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Pretty rude and abusive throughout the whole film, and fully graduates to this trope on the film's final few minutes, that with her fully trying to commit violent murder or equally brutal crippling of a kid with a heavy wrench and all.
- Villainous Breakdown: She suffers from one in the climax of the movie. After Félicie defeats Camille and gains the role of "Clara", Regine loses it, becoming noticeably unhinged and trying to murder Félicie.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Very jarring, since Regine is the closest the movie has for a Big Bad and attempted to kill Félicie for taking the role of "Clara", which she wanted Camille to have. However, what became of her after Victor saved Félicie is left a mystery. Given her position when left off, it's quite possible she suffered a Disney Villain Death or she was arrested for attempted murder.
- Would Hurt a Child: Regine can be rather rough towards her daughter. She also tries to kill Félicie in the climax; and before that, she hit Victor on his head with a wrench.
Monsier Luteau
- Voiced by: Jamie Watson (international English), Mel Brooks (US English)
The supervisor of the orphanage where we first find Félicie and Victor.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may not seem very sympathetic at first, but he definitely shows more sympathy for the orphans than the Mother Superior, even if he does come across as more than a bit tyrannical in trying to keep them in line, even sending Félicie back to Paris simply because he can't stand seeing his orphans so miserable.
- No Indoor Voice: Very loud especially when he's pissed off.
- Stock Scream: The classic Wilhelm scream escapes his lips when he loses control of his motorcycle while chasing Félicie and Victor early on in the film.
