See, the thing with the Princesses is more "purity" than "strength"; they don't have to be great strong heroines, just free of darkness.
I don't think swapping either the worlds or the Princess status would work. Neverland is an intermediate world, with a whole different set of thematic purposes. Storywise, it's where (slight spoilers) Sora finds Kairi and learns of her condition, and sees how far Riku has fallen - this is heavy story stuff, and works better on a pirate ship with a pixie and a flying boy than in the LOLCRACK of Wonderland. Also, it's full of affirmation, "you can do anything if you believe!", and galvanizing Sora's will and resolve. This is all stuff Sora needs later in the game, rather than earlier, when he's been through the wringer a bit and is about to REALLY get into the thick of it. The simpler choice of swapping the Princess status doesn't help much either - if Alice isn't really a princess, that gums up the story early on when she's kidnapped. Too much to keep track of too early. Wendy being under investigation but not actually a Princess gets you further into the Princess plot at a good point in the story, after you have the basic idea.
See, one of the things about KH1 that I love, and one of the reason it holds up better than its sequel(s), is how tightly plotted and designed it is. The story is just put together so well. :D
Re: Coming in late to the party, but...
See, the thing with the Princesses is more "purity" than "strength"; they don't have to be great strong heroines, just free of darkness.
I don't think swapping either the worlds or the Princess status would work. Neverland is an intermediate world, with a whole different set of thematic purposes. Storywise, it's where (slight spoilers) Sora finds Kairi and learns of her condition, and sees how far Riku has fallen - this is heavy story stuff, and works better on a pirate ship with a pixie and a flying boy than in the LOLCRACK of Wonderland. Also, it's full of affirmation, "you can do anything if you believe!", and galvanizing Sora's will and resolve. This is all stuff Sora needs later in the game, rather than earlier, when he's been through the wringer a bit and is about to REALLY get into the thick of it. The simpler choice of swapping the Princess status doesn't help much either - if Alice isn't really a princess, that gums up the story early on when she's kidnapped. Too much to keep track of too early. Wendy being under investigation but not actually a Princess gets you further into the Princess plot at a good point in the story, after you have the basic idea.
See, one of the things about KH1 that I love, and one of the reason it holds up better than its sequel(s), is how tightly plotted and designed it is. The story is just put together so well. :D