Disney’s new animated film, “The Princess and the Frog”, draws criticism from some in the African-American community. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin”, this classic tale is said to have a modern twist. Although the film isn’t scheduled for release until December, it has already created a lot of buzz, because for the first time in Disney’s animated history, the princess is black.
The beautiful Princess Tiana is voiced by the talented, Tony-winning actress Anika Noni Rose. The musical score is written by Oscar-winning composer Randy Newman, and the film marks the return to traditional Disney with hand-drawn, 2D animation. Disney also secured Oprah Winfrey to voice Eudora, Tiana’s mother and serve as a consultant on the film. It appears that the producers pulled out all the stops to bring a classic fairytale to life and create a stunning work of art. Even Cori Murray, entertainment director at Essence magazine told CNN, “Finally, here is something that all little girls, especially young black girls can embrace.”
So what could possibly be so controversial? It started years back with the original title, “The Frog Princess”...perhaps insinuating that African-American women look like frogs. The Princess’ original name, Maddy (short for Madeleine) was also under fire. Some said it sounded too much like Mammy thus racist while others claimed Maddy didn’t sound ethic enough. So Disney changed the name of the movie to “The Princess and the Frog” and Princess Maddy became Princess Tiana. Whew! All settled, right?
Not so fast. Now, the main point of contention is that the Prince isn’t black…he’s tan. In fact, Prince Naveen hails from the fictional land of Maldonia and is voiced by a Brazilian actor. Angela Bronner Helm from Black Voices, a website dedicated to African-American culture, wrote in a March article,
That's right – even though there is a real-life black man in the highest office in the land with a black wife, Disney obviously doesn't think a black man is worthy of the title of prince. I guess Sasha and Malia and all the other little black girls out there should just shut up and be thankful to have something! Little black boys will have to wait another 20 years.”
And she’s not the only one, William Blackburn, former columnist at The Charlotte Observer, had a beef as well. He explained that the “story is set in New Orleans, the setting of one of the most devastating tragedies to beset a black community” and felt this locale was a bit insensitive. Even the lovable sidekick, Ray the firefly, is under scrutiny. Performed by Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Yosemite Sam, some people think Ray sounds too much like the stereotypical, uneducated Southerner.
So is “The Princess and the Frog” unintentionally promoting awful African-American stereotypes? Experts say dealing with race in animation is extremely difficult, because cartoons by nature are caricatures. Well, what do you think? Watch the just released trailer below and share your thoughts. Racist cartoon or enchanting fairytale?
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