Disney to Feature Its First Black Princess Options

[Melie]

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. The race row hasn’t yet hit the mainstream because the film’s release date isn’t until late in the year, but Internet chat rooms and blogs have been abuzz with complaints. One disappointed fan wrote (sic): 'I think it's sad that he is white because its saying that black love isn't good enough and that black men could never be princes. ‘Disney had the perfect chance to make its first black prince, but instead it decided to go the controversial route.'
Another complained (sic): ‘I am very disappointed and I wished Disney had made the prince black,(and the ironic thing is the prince in the movie is white but the evil voodoo villain is voiced by a black actor and is black).’ Since announcing their plans for the first black princess in 2006 the production of Hollywood studio's 49th animated film has been dogged by racial controversy. Originally called The Frog Princess, its heroine was to be a chambermaid called Maddy working for a spoilt white debutante in 1920s New Orleans. But the storyline sparked a backlash from critics who claimed it reinforced prejudice and demeaned black people. The princess’s original name was perceived by some to be a stereotypical ‘slave name’ and she was also a maid working for a wealthy white boss, which was criticised as being racially insensitive. Even the New Orleans setting for the film was questioned as it had overtones of voodoo and slavery. Disney has insisted its choice of a black princess was part of a policy to give characters as much diversity as possible. In the past, founder Walt Disney has been accused of being racist, particularly against Jews and blacks. One extreme example often cited by his critics was in The Jungle Book which was made in 1964 at the height of the civil rights movement. In one scene, Mowgli is told he can't live with Baloo the bear because different species need to keep to themselves. Disney also ran into trouble when creating the character of Pocahontas in 1995 for the retelling of the encounter between an English settler and a Native American princess. Animators were accused of modelling Pocahontas on model Naomi Campbell, although they said they had used Native American faces as their inspiration. Anika Noni Rose, the black actress who voices the character of Princess Tiana, has insisted that people should look beyond the colour of the character. ‘Not only is she the first black princess, she’s the first American princess. We’ve never had an American princess,’ said Rose.
‘The scope and the significance is larger than people even realise,’ she added. Rose has starred in Dreamgirls but is best known in Britain as the officious secretary Grace in the new BBC series The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. The film also features the voice of chat show queen Oprah Winfrey as Tiana's mother called Eudora. The film is scheduled for release in December. Although set in 1920s New Orleans it an adaptation of the classic tale The Frog Prince. In the Disney version, Prince Naveen is turned into a frog by a voodoo magician and asks Princess Tiana to kiss him to break the spell. But she turns into a frog and the pair must reverse the spell, while in true fairy tale tradition, they fall in love. Nobody from Disney was available to comment tonight.

how interesting that they think that if you put oprah as a voice that the movie will do better.

[brooklyneast05]

i think people have made way too big of a deal out of this, especially since no one has even seen it yet. but i mean, basically nothing disney does is going to be good enough because they've already been so racially stereotypical through their movies that it's hard for many to take it seriously...for me anyway. we had to wait until 2009 for them to have black people? lol there you go.

i make an attempt to not buy into all that racial shit people spew about disney, but sometimes it's just too much and i have to wonder. at least they're making a black one at all i suppose. although i do wish they would have made the prince black too...i don't really get why they didn't. if they're going to do the first black princess why not do the first black prince too?

[superstitious]

Oh now now. 101 Dalmations was about both white and black spots and how the evil man (woman) tried to destroy them.

Mk. That's the best I can do to defend Disney.

The scope and the significance is larger than people even realise.

How so? It's only significant if you care about what Disney does.

[shoryuken]

makk princezzz skinn lykee jasminee aladin... nott all blak.. dat shiet wak..

n da princee be lykee alad skin 2.. dat onlii waii 4 dizz da worrkk..

dey try da make da princezzz alll blak skin colurr i bet u $999999999999 shiet ginna fail.. u all noo ett 2..

[karmakiller]

I thought Disney was going to sell meaningful stories not race :(

I think it's kind of unfair that they hype up having a black character, they make it sound like it's some kind of taboo... but I don't think anyone has an issue with a black princess or prince. The color of the characters shouldn't matter, Sesame Street has orange, purple, green, etc. characters Disney is just wayyyyy behind.

[smash]

i think if they're going to go the route of having the majority of the characters black they should go ahead and make the prince black as well. if they care sp much about letting everyone know they're diverse then they should go ahead and make more movies like Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella. where the cast is diverse and the main characters are people of color.

[illriginal]

so lol... let me get this straight, it takes a half black president to finally make a black princess cartoon movie?

BRB prophesying fried chicken in up coming movie. (me no racist. Disney, more than likely)

[shoryuken]

so lol... let me get this straight, it takes a half black president to finally make a black princess cartoon movie?

BRB prophesying fried chicken in up coming movie. (me no racist. Disney, more than likely)

princc givv u propp 4 dat onee.. hahaha

[*BOSS*]

there is a deleted 10 min clip from disney on nazis during WWII. I wonder if anyone has it....

[illriginal]

there is a deleted 10 min clip from disney on nazis during WWII. I wonder if anyone has it....

Do you mean, "psychological warfare"? Where Nazis used to draw certain patterns then create cartoons out of them, like Disney artists drew/draw sexual organs then create cartoons out of them?

[*BOSS*]

i believe that was it

[illriginal]

i believe that was it

Psychological warfare on children:

[brooklyneast05]

Psychological warfare on children:

i don't really get how that's relevant. if they were drawing actual disney characters or characters kids actually see it'd be a lot more effective...

[illriginal]

i don't really get how that's relevant. if they were drawing actual disney characters or characters kids actually see it'd be a lot more effective...

Apparently you don't know anything about subconsciousness. But I don't blame ya, you're stagnant.

The example shown above is not the actual character itself.. it's what's in the background. The unimportant characters.

[brooklyneast05]

yeah what i said still stands, it'd be more effective to link this to REAL characters. if they showed a REAL character, main or background either, and then drew it for us showing that, i'd care. i can make up that shit right now and it means nothing unless i'm going to show that the characters exist.

[illriginal]

yeah what i said still stands, it'd be more effective to link this to REAL characters. if they showed a REAL character, main or background either, and then drew it for us showing that, i'd care. i can make up that shit right now and it means nothing unless i'm going to show that the characters exist.

Ah ok:

@ 6 Min.

I'll find you the one with 1940's Walt Disney's, "Fantasia".

Enjoy.

[brooklyneast05]

yeah that didn't make me care anymore about those cartoon characters that were being drawn. it still didn't show those in any actual cartoons, which is still what i think it would have to do before i'd give a shit about those.

[illriginal]

Then either you didn't watch them.. or, you simply never watched any cartoon films while growing up.

[brooklyneast05]

Then either you didn't watch them.. or, you simply never watched any cartoon films while growing up.

ok then why don't you point out where those characters are, or what movie/cartoon? what do you not f*cking get about this? if someone wants to convince me that drawing cartoon characters out of dicks has anything to do with anything then they need to show a REAL character that is REALLY in movies/cartoons drawn out of a dick. not a made up character than no one knows where it's from.

i can draw a random cartoon out of a dick and it's not going to influence children because children aren't going to be seeing it. it would be one i just made up out of my head.

so if those are really characters that children actually see then show where they are from and then it'll make sense. otherwise THAT SPECIFIC VIDEO with THOSE SPECIFIC sexual characters isn't hurting anyone cause kids aren't even seeing that shit on tv.

[illriginal]

lol damn son... you've never watched any of those cartoons?

shit you had a rough childhood huh?

[brooklyneast05]

lol damn son... you've never watched any of those cartoons?

shit you had a rough childhood huh?

yeah now how about you post the characters since you had such a nice childhood and know where they are from.

[illriginal]

yeah now how about you post the characters since you had such a nice childhood and know where they are from.

lol I think I'd rather just let you wonder, instead.




LOL I can't believe you've never watched Lion King, Little Mermaid, Snow White, nor even Fantasia!!! LOL... God that is so sad.

[brooklyneast05]

lol I think I'd rather just let you wonder, instead.
LOL I can't believe you've never watched Lion King, Little Mermaid, Snow White, nor even Fantasia!!! LOL... God that is so sad.

you'll let me wonder becuase you can't post them becuase you don't know where those characters in the first video are from.

[illriginal]

LOL I can't believe you've never watched Lion King, Little Mermaid, Snow White, nor even Fantasia!!! LOL... God that is so sad.

you'll let me wonder becuase you can't post them becuase you don't know where those characters in the first video are from.

ROFLMAO

Oh God this is the funniest shit. Dammit it's just.. unbelievable.

[brooklyneast05]

yeah, i'm sure anyone who reads this thread will feel the same way.