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Princess and the Frog: Controversy Surrounding Disney’s First Black Princess

Move over Snow White. Make room for Disney’s first black princess.

With America’s first African-American president in the White House, Disney is counting on an African-American princess to be a big hit in Hollywood.


But even though The Princess and the Frog isn’t released until later this year, it is already stirring up controversy.

For while Princess Tiana and many in the cartoon cast are black – the prince is not.

Which has led some critics to complain that Disney has ducked the opportunity for a fairytale ending for a black prince and princess.

While some have hailed Disney’s decision as a reflection of melting pot America, others say the company is sending out a mixed message.

Although the black princess’s love interest in the new animated musical is called Prince Naveen of Maldonia and is voiced by a Brazilian actor, he looks more white than black in photographs from the film that Disney have released.


Since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, all of Disney’s princesses have predominantly been white.

A native Indian princess was featured in Pocahontas and Jasmine in Aladdin had a Middle Eastern appearance.

source: [daily mail]

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Comments
SIU | April 6th, 2009

There shouldn’t be controversy over an interracial couple http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2reAJPKiiXw

chichi | April 14th, 2009

I don’t the controversy is because it’s an interracial couple, but the reason behind it. They should have a black princess and black prince. What a black prince isn’t as desirable as another ethnicity? I beg to differ.

Anonymous | May 11th, 2009

I dont think Disney wants to give out the message that young black girls should only be paired with black princes

Alysa | June 1st, 2009

There’s really no controversy; a black princess and a white prince. It’s an interracial couple; there is nothing wrong with that. Who really cares? I doubt it that little kids will care, and really, that’s all that matters. It’s a kid’s movie, it’s appropriate, and it’s Disney. There should be no controversy. Racism is overrated. Get over this.

[...] * – seriously? Do we not have more important things to get in a tizzy about than an upcoming Disney flick? [...]

Mysticalbtt | June 30th, 2009

I honestly think the prince looks Creole. Which was definitly normal for the times!

Monroe S Tarver | August 12th, 2009

I agree, i think kids will love this disney movie regardless. The princess in my New book “Imagia and the Magic Pearls” also being released in November, is a black prncess. I grew up on Disney Classics. I think it’s more important that little black girls see that they too can grow up to be a princess when they dream. And I don’t think little white girls or black girls will focus on the color of the princess or who she is married to. I’m glad Disney decided to release their movie at this time. I think we both felt it was time to have a black princess in a Classical Childrens Story.

DisneyExpert | August 13th, 2009

The Prince IS black. He is Creole. They are in New Orleans. Come on people, put two and two together.

Anonymous | September 9th, 2009

Well it’s a good thing the princess is not white and the prince black. Then there would really be an uproar. When this is an issue it just shows what a sad world we live in.

Anonymous | September 15th, 2009

I think either way this is devastating to the 2D Animation Industry. This ship has sank before it could even sail.

ANONYMOUS | October 28th, 2009

I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIP BUT WHY NOW, WHY WHEN THERE IS A AFRICAN AMERICAN PRINCESS, YOUNG BLACK BOYS NEED TO KNOW THEY CAN BE PRINCES TOO. ITS NOT ONLY FOR ARABIAN, WHITE, INDIAN OR CHINESE AS THERE HAS BEEN BEFORE.AFTER ALL THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT I HEAR BEHIND THE PRINCESS BEING AFRICAN AMERICAN TRYING TO BOOST THE CONFIDENCE OF YOUNG AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRLS.

Johny | November 13th, 2009

A black princess? yuck. when is the opportunistic Obamania going to stop?

Allie | November 14th, 2009

What an idiotic comment!

Terry | November 14th, 2009

It takes years to make these hand drawn 2D movies. This movie was started long before Obama was even a glimmer on the political scene. Now to have someone try and insinuate that Obama’s presence today contributed to this movie is insanity of the worst order. It is only a coincidence of history that Disney’s movie and Obama are on the world stage together. But that is the magic of America’s history. We are a blessed nation; this could not have happened anywhere else in the world. America and Americans are special; …even you Johny! God Bless Us Everyone!

Mike | November 16th, 2009

I saw a billboard here in Los angeles and it shows a croc and a frog, why not show a BLACK princess which this is about? Are they (disney) not proud? I will NOT see this movie for false advertising

Anonymous | November 18th, 2009

in about 3 years

sekrsandy | November 21st, 2009

Wait wait a minute. Why are we even having this chat. First like it is was said by others what child is going to care. Second for the time period and city the movie is set in to highlight interracial is historical correct. A creole is African, native american, french and/or of other European enthicity. If you think that for America was the only place where there was interracial relationship happening your sadly mistaken. I am creole and from NO I think they got it right. Why can’t we just be happy there is a black princess and support the movie.

anonymous | November 23rd, 2009

WHATEVER!! SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. SO SHE IS BLACK AND HE IS ??? YES, THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE HIM BLACK TOO WITH AN AFRO. GET OVER IT! WHY HAVEN’T THEY HAD A HISPANIC PRINCESS YET?? TELL DISNEY THAT ONE!
NOT HAPPY, THEN DON’T GO SEE THE MOVIE. I WAS JUST AT DISNEYLAND YESTERDAY AND THE CAST WAS EVERYWHERE! THE END….

Christina | November 23rd, 2009

I’m a black girl. i don’t care about this interacial stuff. I don’t think disney is tryin 2 say”black boys cant be princes”. i hope they make one tho. and besides if u really think about it,i dont think little boys will really go and see this movie. I think it’s good 2 see black girl/other raced man.relationship. he’s not white. but u rarely see a black girl with any other raced man. so i think it’s good there doin that. i can’t wait 2 see this movie.. this controversey is stupid. it’s a kids movie.

patel | November 24th, 2009

this is hype. nobody cares about whether the prince or princess is black. i rather stick to white cartoons!

your truth | November 27th, 2009

So heres your truth,
(a)Child are influenced by what they see. Yes, it affects thier perception of themself and life.
(b)You are all worse than childern, you lost your ways, concise and heart.
(c) Look inside of yourself, if you can.
most of you cant see through all the hate you have within yourself.
Find truth.
Peace

rioger | November 27th, 2009

There was a black barbie, now here we go a BLACK princess, i’m sure the average Obama voter and in general the politically correct will be drooling all over this movie. But i am not politically correct and i am not following trends, I will make sure my child does NOT see this

tiffany | November 27th, 2009

i think its disgusting.

JUSTICE | November 28th, 2009

ALL I HAVE 2 SAY IS THAT, IT’S ABOUT D*%* TIME! IT TOOK 72 YEARS TO EVEN GET AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PRINCESS! I REALLY THINK PEOPLE NEED TO GET OVER THE RACE THING. IT IS A KID MOVIE AND THEY REALLY DON’T CARE ABOUT THE RACE OF THE CHARACTERS! UNLESS YOU ARE A RACIST AND TEACHING YOUR KIDS THAT, INTERRACIAL DATING OR ANY OTHER KIND BUT YOUR OWN IS RIGHT!

Priscilla | November 29th, 2009

i hear that people are complaining of a black princess. why? get with the times! i’m mexican-american. where’s the hispanic princess at!? lol.

reide bay | December 1st, 2009

I think people forget that African-American come in many shades and mixes. I doubt this much of issue in the black community. The Prince is Creole just like me….African American

Chrissy | December 3rd, 2009

the problem I have is that the first blak princess is a frog for half of the movie…problem..and the prince is creole..duh its in new orleans..and the racist comments yikes..at the end of the day its for the kids but I would have preferred for her to be a princess through the whole movie.

Tyrone | December 4th, 2009

This is starting to get ridiculous. Snow White with white man, Sleeping Beauty with white man, the Little Mermaid with white man..OK fine. But Pocahantas with white man (yes, I know its historical to a point), the Lost Empire’s dark-skinned girl is with a white guy, in the Road to Eldorado a dark-skinned girl is again with a white guy, the HunchBack of Notre Dame’s Esmarelda loves her dark-skinned people so much she falls for a white guy as well. Presenting Moses, and Joseph as white guys (when neither of them was white by any stretch) in The Prince of Egypt, and Joseph the Man of Dreams with Black women was already insulting. But now a Black woman in the apparently Jim Crow south is in love with a white man. His skin is ‘darkish’ but the hair gives him away. The only time the main characters of a big-screen animated movie have been non-European has been with Mulan, and only then after they made the woman seem almost more manly than the man. Does Disney have a problem with non-European men being manly, classy,and desirable to the women in his own race? Unfortunately for Disney real life is not the cartoon. All of their blonde-haired, girls-gone-wild daughters who are cheerleaders touring the country to cheer on athletes of mostly…guess who? What do you think is going to happen when they spend so much time together? and this is not the Disney cartoon. Too bad for racist Disney.

disgusted772 | December 5th, 2009

This ‘PRINCESS FROG the story of maddie’ movie is
not acceptable. Its disturbing how hollywood producers suddenly throw in a black princess during the Obama era, such hypocrites, they don’t care about the black cause except to make money, they are a group of White people who probably send their kids to expensive private schools with as little black kids as possible. Do not go see it.

Anonymous | December 7th, 2009

ok really though, all of a sudden we get a 1st black president now we need a black princess? c’mon now isnt this whole obama thing ever gonna come to an end. im not black, but i voted for him and i think he’s doing a great job but i mean “everyone else” is pretty much makin such a big deal about a black president, he half white in case theyr too dumb to watch the news! now we have a black princess and a white, medium tan looking prince? what happened to just sticking with the basic story line of tradition?

Melanie | December 8th, 2009

This movie has been in making foryears people, before Obama was even on the scene.
And The Prince is not white.
*OH HE HAS LIGHTER SKIN THAN THE GIRL HES WHITE*
Fuck sakes, have you heard of hispanic, , greek, norwegian, plus many other races which appear to have white skin
the stereotype “white” refers ONLY to caucasian – mostly of european descent.
not middle eastern, not african indian, not spanish.

Plus, we have – Mulan: Asian disney princess
Jasmine: Arabian Princess
Pocahontas: Indian American Princess

and for those there was not even a smidge as much fuss that some of you’s are kicking up about.

Go fuck a blender you close minded one storied fools,

Oh and I might just “blackface” cosplay this princess girl. Really, to be more accurate in portraying a character, how is that racist?

awomansthoughts | December 10th, 2009

I think its sad how some of you think. For years we have sat through the white princess movies supported it let our kids watch it purchased the merchandise and here we finally get ours and she’s called yucky you won’t let your child watch it. Grow up America. No its not cause of Obama its because its time. Whites are not superior to any race so get over it. Deal with it.

alli | December 11th, 2009

for the stupid people who said this is about OBAMA. UM…you’re stupid. Why don’t you leave the kkk. The movie was made before he was even thought of..it takes years to produce. EVEN If it was Obama why didn’t they make the PRINCE African. ya big dummy. And for NAVEEN being ‘white’ he’s tan. so what, it’d be nice for them to show a black prince but he’s like spanish, mixed or creole..no biggy. I guess I will just have to wait. I’m not complaining. Look black people need to make more movies, and not depend on others to tell our stories. look at fat albert. Nice for the kids though. And Disney will make tons whether you like the flick or not.

great movie | December 11th, 2009

This was a great movie and as a African woman I don’t see anything wrong with the interracial mixture, people are reading too much into this story and 2D animations take years to create so Obama wasn’t even a topic at that time!!!

Jasmine | December 12th, 2009

They are both Creole so people need to stfu. Think about it-this is an American fantasy story set in New Orleans. What is African-American really? It’s not really a race, it’s just one blend of predominantly Caucasian (yes), African and other American ethnicities-black Creoles are mixtures of African, French, and multi-ethnic decent. Creole has it’s own culture. Black and White racists that dislike our culture can MOVE somewhere else because this is America and you can’t own or rewrite what is history. Creoles make no excuse for who they are so why should we?

Addy | December 12th, 2009

okay, some things NEED to be clarified. First, Prince Naveen is NOT, I repeat, NOT Creole. He is from a place near the Mediterranean or Spain, hence the Spanish accent; and he’s tan not white. They should’ve chosen a different picture of naveen for this site. he looks even more handsome in other pics i’ve seen. Second,they didn’t make him a black prince because it would’ve meant that the film is exclusive to only one race, which is not what they wanted. it’s a good thing that they’re showing an interracial couple. Besides, no matter what you say about it they’re not gonna give a thought to you. it’s their film, not yours. go make your own if you’re unhappy! I’m just glad they’re making it 2D again! hurrah! The only racist thing here is you, not the movie. Third, for those talking about Obama, WHAT THE HECK! This movie was in production like 5 years ago, FYI. Bunch of ignorants making a fuss out of nothing!

Addy | December 12th, 2009

FYI! for those of you complaining about how she should’ve been a princess for most of the movie, get real. If the story were like that you’d have called it boring and would’ve slammed it for not being creative. Further more, it would’ve been a very short movie. Besides, there isn’t a darn thing you can do about it so stop your whining, you ninnies!

Madison | December 12th, 2009

I saw the movie yestersday and it was grreat! It made you laugh,cry,and dance! I am a 11 yr old african-american and i remember coloring in the other princees black, now i draw tiana from who she is! Prince Naveen on the other hand is so cute! i luv his accent and + ppl he is not white , I think he is from some soanish speaking country or maybe he is creole i cant stop wonderi y think he is white just becuz someone is light colored doesnt mean they r white if u go out much u would no that black ppl or others of minortiy come in all shapes colors and ect so dont judge naveen or tiana by their apperance the movie was so gud i did not care about color barries and there was a strong message so strong that broke almost all afican amrican sterotypes i reccomend all ppl to c this grammy award bound movie

msjay | December 12th, 2009

This world is made of all different races and there is room for everyone. I think that it was a great idea for Disney to make a cartoon with a black princess. It is just a small percentage of ignorant people who has not realized that this world is shared by more than just one race. And besides who is 100% pure anything we all come from Adam and Eve.

mason | December 13th, 2009

So do you all really believe that this movie was under construction long before Obama was President, well we all know why he was elected. To the Point, the idea is ridiculous enough, Is this where our country is going, where we have to be CONSTANTLY reminded that there are blacks in the world. Yeah it sounds racist but it’s a point worth making. Watch the news and see for yourselves. No I have not seen the movie but the idea is stupid, and you can ask why, but the answer will always be the same rest of you are too ignorant to see it.

Concerned | December 13th, 2009

There are no African-Americans in america anymore. They passed way back during slavery times. All black americans nowadays are pure americans. They may be referred to as Black-Americans but they are not of African descent.

Concerned | December 13th, 2009

Drop the claims of being african-american because there are no more african-americans. You are american only or black-american. unless your direct parents were born in africa and you were born in america, then you are not african-american b ut rather pure american. This is not a racist staement but rather an enlightening statement for thos ewhom try to hold on to a heritage that isn’t rightfully theirs.

This Seems Stupid | December 14th, 2009

I think that the huge buzz over the fact that they are African American is unnecessary. Is that the only reason people will want to see this film? I don’t know. It feels like it after I watched CNN, with a Brownie troop in Atlanta dressing up like princesses to see it. The parents made it seem like that when they were interviewed. Also Addy, ‘Creole’ is used to describe a mixture of French, African, and Native American in Louisiana. Since they are in New Orleans, I would figure that someone would be of this descent in the 19th century. It sure doesn’t seem like the 19th century at all. I hate when Disney is inaccurate. Like in Pocahontas. John Rofle. Not John Smith.

African Princess | December 16th, 2009

All the white ppl need to shut up and stop complaining because if they had a problem with blacks and our color they wouldn’t be trying so hard to get a tan so that they can have beautiful skin like us black ppl. Black is beauty and they all need to face that reality. Thumbs up to Disney for stepping out of the box.

How sad | December 18th, 2009

I think it is ridiculous that this movie was made with a black as the lead character. This story was written by Germans and then Disney raped and mutilated it(as with all fairy tales) and then put a black girl as the princess. If they wanted a black princess they should have created an original story, with a black character in mind. Here, they stole a story from a different culture just to pander to our race obsessed society.

SUPERIOR | December 18th, 2009

Dear African Princess comment #44:
Listen to what you just said. White people are getting TAN not BLACK. If we wanted to get black we wouldn’t spend the entire day in the fields picking cotton getting our asses beat and our backs cracked with whips. And black is beauty? Seriously? When is the last time you’ve seen a black chick on the cover of Victoria’s Secret or any other fashion or beauty magazine? And you mentioned a thumbs up for Disney stepping out of the box. When are blacks going to step out of the box and start doing some work? The only blacks that have been successful are either rappers or athletes and they are males. Successful black women is not even a topic of concern because there is no such thing. Goodluck on your own never-ending fairytale to continue to fight the power bitch.

Animater | December 18th, 2009

I saw this movie and it was amazing! And Superior, what about Mahalia Jackson? She was very amazing too! You didn’t even mention Marther Luther King!

SUPERIOR | December 18th, 2009

Congratulations you named two people. Theres Oprah, Robert Johnson, Tiger Woods, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan for the top 5 richest black people and as I pointed out earlier, ALL 5 are in the entertainment industry or athletes. So can you name more than a handful that don’t fall into either of those two categories? Both of those two categories make up less than 1% of the population by the way. And I don’t see why people are getting so upset about this movie. If you don’t like it then don’t watch it! Or feel free to make your own movie.

Real | December 18th, 2009

Superior Idiot,

There are plenty of successful black women both domestic and abroad, sweetheart….Donna Richardson, Saffire, Bell Hooks, Nikki Giovanni, Oprah, Debbie Allen, etc. And a great group of them Black, Brown and Tan Beauties would love and enjoy to sit around and give you a whipping of a lifetime, honey. The topic “is” of a black woman and definitely of “concern,” thus this particular blog… Your comment of women of color on fashion and beauty magazines. Have you read them lately? Can you name some of value other than Victoria’s Secret? BTW, VS is not a high fashion or beauty magazine either. How about some beauties like Naomi Campbell or Iman. And of course, Ms. Anika Noni Rose…she’s been to the bank and right back to the bank, baby! And as far as work is concern, let’s ponder this a moment. This group of ppl are the hardest working I know…since you brought it up, let’s discuss slavery, over 400 years of work, reconstruction and sharecroppers – over 100 years of work, civil rights over 500 years of work. So, let’s not, let’s really not, b/c you won’t win that one, pussycat.

Good luck on your neverending fairytale of trying to be “superior.” …access DENIED!

Peace and Blessings,

Dangerous | December 18th, 2009

Stupid Superior,
There are plenty of successful black women both domestic and abroad, sweetheart….Donna Richardson, Saffire, Bell Hooks, Nikki Giovanni, Oprah, Debbie Allen, etc. And a great group of them Black, Brown and Tan Beauties would love and enjoy to sit around and give you a whipping of a lifetime, honey. The topic “is” of a black woman and definitely of “concern,” thus this particular blog… Your comment of women of color on fashion and beauty magazines. Have you read them lately? Can you name some of value other than Victoria’s Secret? BTW, VS is not a high fashion or beauty magazine either. How about some beauties like Naomi Campbell or Iman. And of course, Ms. Anika Noni Rose…she’s been to the bank and right back to the bank, baby! And as far as work is concern, let’s ponder this a moment. This group of ppl are the hardest working I know…since you brought it up, let’s discuss slavery, over 400 years of work, reconstruction and sharecroppers – over 100 years of work, civil rights over 500 years of work. So, let’s not, let’s really not, b/c you won’t win that one, pussycat.

Good luck on your neverending fairytale of trying to be “superior.” …access DENIED!

SUPERIOR | December 18th, 2009

Congratulations you named two people. And nobody even knows who Mahalia Jackson is. The top five richest black people are Oprah, Robert Johnson, Tiger Woods (who is like half Taiwanese), Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson. ALL 5 of these people are either athletes or in the entertainment industry. Can you name more than a handful of people that are successful that don’t fall into either of those two categories which make up less than 1% of the population? And I don’t understand why there is a controversy over this movie. If people don’t like it then don’t watch it. Feel free to make your own movie if you so please.

anonymous | December 18th, 2009

Congratulations you named two people. And nobody even knows who Mahalia Jackson is. The top five richest black people are Oprah, Robert Johnson, Tiger Woods (who is like half Taiwanese), Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson. ALL 5 of these people are either athletes or in the entertainment industry. Can you name more than a handful of people that are successful that don’t fall into either of those two categories which make up less than 1% of the population? And I don’t understand why there is a controversy over this movie. If people don’t like it then don’t watch it. Feel free to make your own movie if you so please.

Dangerous | December 18th, 2009

Oh, so your definition of successful is”rich.” Well, I’ll play your game. Since you mentioned, the folks above…again…let’s discuss. Oprah – talkshow host, director, network owner…business woman. Michael Jordan – athlete, retail line, franchise owner…businessman. Tiger Woods – golfer, retail owner….businessman. Magic Johnson – athlete, sports announcer, philanthropist…author. Robert Johnson – franchise owner, Princeton graduate, network owner…businessman. I mean, really, Stupid, your boring me and the rest of the blog. In think you need to rest your weary eyes and study up. Your pedagogue is retiring for the night.

Peace and Blessings,

Steffani | December 18th, 2009

I personally LOVED the movie!!! The music was so fantastic and the 2D was so beautiful. I don’t really see the racism in any of it. Its a story of wonderful people who take a journey to find themselves. Like Mama Odie says “You got to dig a little deeper to find out who you are.” This movie is really just fantastic. I think people just have a lot of time on their hands and they just sit and send out nast blog messages to one another. I don’t really get it. I encourage everyone to see it, it will truly brighten your day!!! And I just want to add the Princess Tiana’s voice is soooo beautiful and I loved that it was set in New Orleans…I just loved everything about this movie and I can’t wait to see it again. Don’t let these negative people get you down, Disney has has given us another beautiful Disney Classic!!!! Plus Oprah loves it and stars in it, you know if the queen of TV loves it, it must be awesome!!!!!!!

this guy | December 19th, 2009

Oprah is fat. Michael Jordan has a gambling problem. Tiger cheats with countless women. Magic has AIDS. Hmmm…sounds like success to me. LOL.

color blind girl | December 20th, 2009

this controversy is bs. there is nothing controversial about an interracial couple. i loved the movie and i thought the princess was beautiful as was her prince. people just like to find something wrong with perfectly good things.

Mom of ASH | December 28th, 2009

My complaint is not the ethinicity of the prince but why so much darkness in this movie. Many of the children in the theatre were actually afraid the majority of the time. This should have been more fun loving and not so dark. Dark as the darkside with the VOODOO.

Deb | December 30th, 2009

I just saw it and thought it was lovely. I didn’t know the Prince was white until I started reading this Wiki. I thought he was dark and of undetermined race.

Bryanna | December 30th, 2009

Ok. First off… the prince is not white. He doesn’t even look white. In the trailers he does. But if you see the movie he just looks like a light black person. Like maybe creole or something. Every black person doesn’t have to be dark skinned. Every black person isn’t american. Just because the prince is from maldonia doesn’t mean he’s not black. There are black people in europe. Doesn’t make them any less black. Plus this is probably why Disney didn’t want to give us a black princess because they knew that all this drama would emerge. I loved that movie. It was awesome. Only thing that could have been better was if they had music by alan menken. But guys. Seriously.. chill. It was a good movie.

laurensmom | January 1st, 2010

Everyone is a friggen victim… always something to whine about, complain about, or criticize. It’s pathetic. Nobody even mentions the message of the movie. For the first time, Disney has portrayed a hard-working, American woman with a dream beyond getting married. For the first time, the dream did NOT depend on finding a prince, though one was found. For the first time HE needed HER to become human. For the first time, Disney taught children that working hard is what makes fairy tales come true. We saw the movie. My six-year-old said NOTHING about race, skin color or any of the bullshit most people here are getting their panties in a bunch over. She commented on the MESSAGE: “If I work hard, mom, that’s what will make my dreams come true when I’m a grown up.” Maybe it’s about time that all you whining adults start thinking like children and stop acting like them.

laughingboy | January 2nd, 2010

It seems that everyone is forgetting that the Frogs are neither the first interracial royal couple in Disney, nor the first ones of African origin.

The first interracial couple were in Mermaid. She was a FISH. He was a HUMAN. Not only interracial, but inter species. (Magic not withstanding) Even if you argue that the magical transformation removes any racial distinction, then we need only look to Atlantis in which a White Man marries the Atlantian princess (Who usually gets left out of the princess party plates).

As for Royals of African origin, everyone seems to forget THE LION KING….

Sandy Park | February 15th, 2010

After reading several articles and blog posts on the Internet, I discovered the film actually is arousing extreme emotions and responses, whether they are criticizing or defending Disney. As the saying goes, “Any publicity is good publicity” if it increases sales, and certainly the number of viewers has increased. Countless people accuse Disney of being hypocritical, not caring about the black community, and only producing such a film to coincide with President Obama’s term in office. Clearly, the film is offending many black and white people. Nonetheless, the proponents of the movie argue that this is only a film for children and that those who are being offended are simply being ridiculous and over-reacting.

Nevertheless, I understand the argument that the film might seem offensive to some people. It typecast a character, without considering the ramifications of race or colour. If the intent is to remove race barriers, and encourage the audience to view a character for who they are, rather than black or white, then the viewer should be able to enjoy the movie for the narrative alone. However, are the critics giving any leeway to Disney? Even before the announcement of the film, there were still countless critics accusing Disney of racism; in this case, that Disney was still sticking to the “white” characters even in the 21stcentury. So, Disney decided to listen and produced a fine film, just as magical and exciting for the children as Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella, but with a Black princess. Remarkably, the critics seem to be in need to criticize Disney regardless.

Furthermore, from my perspective, I do not exactly understand why so many are condemning Disney of “racism against the black community” If we really think about it, couldn’t Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella also be considered offensive to the white community? Snow White could be seen as a character who is weak, and dependent on everyone else to protect and save her from danger; Sleeping Beauty could be seen as an offense to women, with a storyline that demeans women’s ability to save themselves from danger, in this case, from the evil witch’s spell. Equally, Cinderella was a maid for her step-mother and sisters, and is another woman fully dependent on a man, the prince, to provide her a watershed that changes her from an unfortunate maid to a princess. So, why did these story lines and characters not cause any controversy? Also, why can we not look at The Princess and the Frog in a more positive view, and say that it is a wonderful and inspiring story for children, about a strong and independent woman who goes on an adventure to fix her situation by herself, instead of waiting on a velvet cushion until some fanciful prince to show up and do everything for her?

Another role to examine is the argument that Prince Naveen is not black. From a negative perspective, we could say, “why is there no black Prince in Disney?”; meanwhile, from a positive perspective, it can be argued that Disney is accommodating multiculturalism. Clearly, the solution to this controversy is based on how we look at life; just as a bottle half-empty is half-full, The Princess and the Frog can be examined from both perspectives. Is the controversy arising because the movie is by “Disney” and thereby holds certain traditional expectations, or is the movie itself really offensive to anyone? Indeed, it should certainly be possible for the viewer to enjoy any character today, regardless of race or colour.

teddy | April 1st, 2010

Omg I totally like charlotte, does kristen chenowith play her?

Native american | May 18th, 2010

We’re not called ‘Native Indian’ we’re NATIVE AMERICANS. Indian is a very offensive term when talking about us.

Saundra | May 27th, 2010

The movie troubled my grand child with all the evil and voo doo. It even troubled me. It showed nothing but demons satanic powers and evil. Disney has lost its innocence

Jenni | May 28th, 2010

What’s everyone upset about? They’re both frogs. Except – wait – “frog” is a slur for a French person, right? Hmm. Well – anyhow, all seriousness aside, with the mix of different ethnicities that make up this wonderful gumbo of America, I think you could fairly say we’re ALL mixed race couples, n’est-ce pas? The most significant “message” this movie had for me was to say that anyone can love anyone, regardless of ancestry, color, accent, or dietary preferences! Chillax, calmate, stop taking this so seriously. It’s a cartoon for gods sake.