Disney's First Black Princess

We’re starting to see the marketing machine rev up for Disney’s new animated movie “The Princess and the Frog.” Gee. Another Disney princess movie. Yawn. Hard to get too excited because we know when it comes to gender, Disney has the imagination of a toadstool. What about race? Will this story be different, now that the princess is African American? Maybe, if you count the fact that she gets changed into a frog along with her prince and that this will be the first inter-racial coupling (he’s white-ish). But will pretty Tiana also talk to little animals? Have that thin but sexy hourglass figure? Sing in that lovely voice? Yes, yes, and we’ll have to wait and see. Brookes Barnes does a nice job of sorting through the not unexpected controversies in a New York Times article , but if you want a really great read, check out Linda Holmes' fabulous letter to Pixar. We already know Disney is hopeless, but maybe Pixar can give us what we want. While we wait — and it could be a very, very long wait -- we’ll take a reader's advice on the NPR site and go back to the best in good old 2-D animation: Studio Ghibli's haunting, imaginative, original films like Howl's Movie Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Spirited Away. All female driven with nary a princess in sight. Listen up Disney — and Pixar!

Comments

[Jennifer]

Oh, I see...

Pages for the comments...

[Jennifer]

I agree w/ the guy above.

[Jennifer]

However, spice girls are a little too superficial to be taken TOO seriously....

[Jennifer]

On the other hand, if riot grrl is too harsh for your tastes-and by harsh, I mean loud, angry, ear-splitting, head-banging-yet you want girls who rock, check out The Runaways, The Bangles, The Go-Go's, and the Donnas. They were/are more mainstream/pop-sounding than riot grrl.

[Daniel]

Western society seems determined to pigeon hole little girls into an obsession with princesses and pink. It's something of a chicken and the egg argument whether Disney is merely reflecting society or if society has been shaped by disney.

[Jennifer]

But some men-mostly tough men in fact-wear pink. In my movie one of the male characters in an action-based subplot loves playing piano, dancing, and *gasp* painting his nails. No, really. And yet he's still awesome. Oh, and his sweater vest is pink (in the (TBD if being made) sequel.) I mean maroon. As in Maroon 5. Whatever.

[Jennifer]

Not to mention he has a weakness for Hello Kitty. No, really.

[premium quality writing service]

why I never saw her before?? strange...I were sure that know all Disney's characters