The Frog Princess – Open Letter to Disney
by Racialicious special correspondent Latoya Peterson
Somewhere in the course of growing up, I learned that Disney was the devil. It wasn’t always that way. I gave the same rapt attention to Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, Aladdin, and the Rescuers as did any other child growing up.
Hell, I think I had “The Work Song” from Cinderella stuck in my head while I was at work.
[Side Note: Do you remember that song? The lyrics were something like:
Cinderella/Cinderella/All they say is Cinderella/make the fire/fix the breakfast/wash the dishes/do the mopping/ and the stitching and the shopping/they always keep her hopping. She's going around in circles / till she's very very dizzy / still they holler /keep her busy /Cinderelly!
Anyway...]
As most of us are, I am quite familiar with Disney’s animated characters. When I got a bit older, my parents spoke to me about the issues they had with Walt Disney. The general whiteness of the Disney Princesses was topic of discussion. Just like the discussions that were had about Barbie being a tool to advance Aryan standards of beauty, the image of Disney was also called into question.
[Second Side Note: Yes, I realize how time period and societal norms impacted what Disney produces. However, the fact of the matter remains that the Disney Studio has only produced a handful of non-anglo human based characters: Mowgoli from The Jungle Book, Aladdin & Jasmin from Aladdin, Pocahontas of Pocahontas, Mulan of Mulan, and Lilo from Lilo and Stitch. Notice a trend?]
Apparently, I’m not the only one who thought Disney was a bit whitewashed in their reputation. Studio heads at Disney have recently announced a new animated tale set to take place in America during the Jazz Age. The new film, entitled The Frog Princess, has been called “An American Fairy Tale” and features Maddy, the first African-American princess.
While I am enthusiastic about the new release, I must admit that I am a bit concerned about how the movie will pan out. The costumes and animation look amazing. I must say I am quite partial of the Jazz Age, and Maddy’s pre-production sketches seem to capture the era quite well. Check out the images here.
However, I can’t help but be plagued by the images of jive talking frogs and crazy voodoo priests. Could this be a modern version of Snow White and the Sebben Dwarves? Okay, maybe not that bad…
[Side note 3 - I am also interested to see how they are going run with the Voodoo priest portrayal in modern day America, which has grown increasingly more concerned with Christianity in general. I feel an angry conservative Christian protest coming on. I know that they sure as hell didn't mention Islam in Aladdin - and that was released way before 9/11 shifted how we think about Islam.]
Maybe, maybe not. I suppose all things will be seen once the film is closer to production. I know one thing is for sure: I am pulling for Jennifer Hudson to get the voice role. I love Alicia Keys…but maybe she should have started doing voices for Shark Tales.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
nadia wrote:
“I can’t help but be plagued by the images of jive talking frogs and crazy voodoo priests. ”
i’m glad i’m not the only one! when i heard “frog princess,” all i could picture were the old amphibious cartoon representations. given the history of representations of black people in cartoons, i think a frog theme was the wrong way to go.
Posted 26 Mar 2007 at 10:40 am ¶
EVD wrote:
Anyone ever notice that the characters in Lilo are ugly? Wonder why? Hawaiians are beautiful.
Posted 26 Mar 2007 at 11:04 am ¶
berrybrowne wrote:
i have to say that i’m seeing lots of reasons to be scared – the princess is chambermaid to a spoiled southern debutante – for real? plus the petty (perhaps) concern – why does the first black princess have to be a frog princess? (instead of just a princess) and why complicate it with historical authenticity – quote unquote? none of the other stories had a racial element. can’t little black girls just get their fantasy without interjecting black servanthood to white folks into the storyline? plus i share the other concerns you raised. i guess my main thrill is that now little black girls can dress up as maddy, instead of all of the current costumes, which include a photo of the white princess on the bodice….
Posted 26 Mar 2007 at 11:12 am ¶
nadia wrote:
this discussion reminds me of this anti-racist parent post: http://www.antiracistparent.com/2006/10/31/why-my-daughter-will-never-dress-in-a-national-costume-for-halloween/
“For the rest of the day, I fended off constant questions about who I was supposed to be, from students and teachers alike. Everyone guessed everything from Aunt Jemima to Kizzy, the slave girl who was one of the main characters from Alex Haley’s then-recent epic movie, Roots. By the time the day ended, I’d ripped the head wrap from my head, and scrubbed my face clean of any makeup. I couldn’t get home fast enough. And I could never fully articulate why I was so upset to my mother, who’d worked so hard to make my costume.”
Posted 26 Mar 2007 at 12:29 pm ¶
S wrote:
I don’t know WHY I thought I was the only one who noticed Disney’s extreme White Pride. Sure they’ve featured different races before, but they were what’s been catagorized as “exotic”. Black people aren’t “exotic” to white America. We are just a race of dark skinned, kinky haired people who come from nowhere. That’s why I am surprised that the first “black” princess-animation isn’t fully African. Either way, even after all the progress we’ve made, I’m shocked that Disney put down some of their pride to animate a story with a black princess in it. Now, let’s see how many white/asian/latino parents take their kids to actually SEE it…
Posted 26 Mar 2007 at 2:06 pm ¶
berrybrowne wrote:
“S” – as more proof that you’re not alone, here’s a petition that was circulating until VERY recently about the disney black princess issue…http://www.petitiononline.com/disneybp/petition.html
Posted 26 Mar 2007 at 3:46 pm ¶
eric daniels wrote:
I am not a fan of Disney product outside of Kim Possible so I will not say anything about the movie until me and my Goddaugthers watch it next year, so I will withold my judgements.
Posted 26 Mar 2007 at 4:36 pm ¶
Tereza wrote:
Some of the press is saying that Disney is making this movie to ward off accusations of racism. I find it fascinating that this character, who has not yet “come to life” is already being projected onto with
headlines such as “Princess
Maddy repairs Disney’s racist reputation.”. Quite a role for Maddy
to live up to!
I wonder what you, racialicious fans, think of the fact that the story is set in New Orleans? Given Disney’s huge presence in the cultural & consumerist landscape worldwide, as well as its pattern of whitewashing history, I worry that Disney may be trying to play a part in wiping out any lingering post-Katrina racism-related “beef” and promoting instead the idea that New Orleans is back to its original Jazz Age splendor… you know what I mean?
I’d be interested in your opinions on this.
Posted 27 Mar 2007 at 4:57 pm ¶
S wrote:
berrybrowne –
I signed it, even though I don’t totally agree with trying to “force” a company to do something with their own money. I do want them to consider how racist it appears, and the damaging message that it sends to our children along with all the other daily doses of negative images they receive from the world about themseves.
Tereza –
Often when an up-and-coming animation is mentioned, it’s usually a project that has already been on the drawing table for a couple of years. It’s possible that this was in the works before Katrina/New Orleans.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 11:34 am ¶
Tereza wrote:
S, I researched when the work on the Frog Princess began, because I didn’t want to let Disney off the hook so easily. This article makes it seem that the work on the script was in its earliest stages in June 2006. That’s almost a year AFTER Katrina.
Posted 28 Mar 2007 at 2:11 pm ¶
Kyla wrote:
EVD – I thought the human characters in Lilo and Stitch were gorgeous.
Nani actually looked like a person instead of some impossibly stick-thin, anatomically incorrect Barbie ripoff like most Disney princesses. I mean, she had thighs! And they weren’t fat and gross, just well-muscled. And a chest that a normal woman might have!
Lilo was adorable and David was cute (kind of hot for a cartoon, actually). I didn’t think they were ugly at all. Cinderella, now …
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 12:47 am ¶
Kyla wrote:
Tereza – I believe work began after Pixar took over Disney animation. Disney had declared that it would make no 2-D animation after Home on the Range, and Lasseter said that he would reopen the 2-D department after the merger. So it might have been in people’s minds, but no production would have begun until it looked like there was a chance of actually making it.
Not letting them off the hook, just saying that there are probably business reasons for it, too.
Posted 29 Mar 2007 at 12:49 am ¶
elizabeth wrote:
Ever read Princess Bubble?
The wise fairy godmother is black. The princess is white. But this princess works and does not find a prince. She learns true happiness comes from loving God, helping others and liking who you already are. She learns all this from her fairy godmother.
Posted 02 Apr 2007 at 12:11 pm ¶
Kia wrote:
I am so happy! Finally a Disney Princess that looks like me. I taught pre-k in this very rich white area for 10 years. There were a few minorities that went to the school. I remember a 4 year old child telling her black friend. ” I am having a Disney Princess Party, and you can’t come!”. The little black girl said “why, I’m your friend.” The white child said” there are no black princesses , so you can’t get an invitation.”
I will never forget the look of painon that child’s face. She started to cry.
This is progress. I was concerned about having an animal name in the title.
I think any issues , the executives, creative team and actors will work the problems out.
I welcome the new Black Disney Princess. I am so excited and my 3 year old (Tatiana) is too.
She has been talking about it almost every week.
Posted 01 Oct 2007 at 5:27 pm ¶
kyra wrote:
Interesting discussion and comments. I recently read where the film’s title is changing as well as the ethnicity of the prince. I do hope there will be fabric based on the film.
http://blackthreads.blogspot.com/search?q=disney
Posted 28 Oct 2007 at 8:42 am ¶
alex wrote:
Has anyone else seen Mickey Mouse Monopoly? It’s a great documentary that looks at the racist and sexist stereotypes that Disney has perpetuated over the years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byaMd_PNyIY
Posted 28 Oct 2007 at 7:15 pm ¶
Ada wrote:
For me the issue is that instead of preserving the original ethnicity of this princess as with Snow White (German), Mulan (Chinese), and others, she is made to be a “black-american” with all the stereotypes of early black American culture. Were they so blind as to choose “Frog Princess” as part of the story, have they never seen a golliwog doll? And the whole voodoo thing? OMG. When I heard that Disney was going to make a black Disney princess, I was hoping for another Mulan or Jasmine. They are 10x better than this idea
Posted 07 Jun 2008 at 10:27 pm ¶
Tom wrote:
I can’t believe this – Disney try and do the right thing, and still they are criticised, without seeing the script or a second of animation you’re already judging the film. Give them a break, sit back, watch the film and then judge it based on the evidence.
Posted 14 Jul 2008 at 3:37 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:
>I can’t believe this – Disney try and do the right thing,
Tom – what’s the “right thing?” Playing to stereotypes? Changing gears based on marketing and more stereotypes? Disney is a entertainment for-profit business, but since it targets young children, and has a history of… problematic issues regarding race ande thnicity, it deservedly gets more scrutiny.
>still they are criticised, without seeing the script or a second of animation you’re already judging the film.
Yes, people are judging in comments based on images (which are powerful) and released PLOT (which is raising questions). Not to mention previous articles about the film.
The actual POST talks about released information and voices FEARS of how this could go and what Latoya HOPES will not happen, not outright criticism of the final product.
>Give them a break, sit back, watch the film and then judge it based on the evidence.
So by that recommendation, I should have no problem watching any film or letting my kid do the same, regardless of what I’ve already seen in previews, read about the plot, or prior history of a franchise or production company?
Ok then. I’ll be taking my 2 year old to Death Wish 9 this weekend. Thanks for setting me straight.
Posted 14 Jul 2008 at 7:34 am ¶
Olivia wrote:
I don’t think the original initial plot was that racist. Many other Disney Princesses have begun from “humble” backgrounds, so the original plot of Maddy being a chambermaid wouldn’t have been racist but rather just the opposite, because it shows that Disney isn’t treating an African-American heroine differently from other heroines. I honestly think this was the original view that Disney had, and they simply underestimated the sensitivity that many people still have about race relations (even from an earlier time period). Once they realized the extent of the sensitivity, at least they made the right decision to revamp the story, and hopefully just as good. I just hope it won’t be a re-hash of earlier Princess movies, just because I would like Tiara to have her own unique story, different from other ones, yet still reminiscent of the “Disney Princess legacy.”
As far as Disney white-washing history, this has always been true. They frequently simplify and romanticize different time periods, locations, and cultures. It has frequently been that the hero/heroine and their immediate circle (of friends or family) are portrayed as being more enlightened than the “common” people around them. This usually creates the common conflict where the protagonist is seen as misunderstood or even ostracized by the rest of society before they are redeemed by the end of the movie (Beauty and the Beast; Hunchback of Notre Dame; Aladdin; The Little Mermaid; etc.). I think a voodoo character (whether as a villain or an aid to Tiara) would be really good, since it keeps with the fairytale theme. To me, they are a standard character to the particular time period and an aspect of the culture the story is being portrayed in, just like a “witch” or “fairy godmother” is a stock character in Medieval or European stories.
I think it’s only because of present perceived race relations that the race of every character and their relationship to the protagonist (in this case, the princess Tiara) is being called into question. I don’t think it should be about portraying any one race in a positive or negative light, but that the story is about different people in general. At the end of the movie, no doubt African-Americans will be portrayed in a positive way, if only because the heroine is African-American. If there is an African-American villain, this should not be seen as trying to confuse children into saying that African-Americans are bad, except that people are people and they can be good or bad, regardless of race. As far as the race of the prince, I don’t think it’s that important. I think Disney usually chooses the race based on the society in the movie. In the Hunchback of Notre Dame, they were able to put multiple races (Caucasian and darker gypsy) because that was a reasonable make-up of Paris in that time period (where it wouldn’t have been too outlandish for this two people to meet). New Orleans, in the 1920’s and how Disney is portraying/exaggerating it, it was relatively multi-cultural compared to say, Mulan’s China, which was more-or-less homogeneous.
To a degree, there WILL be stereotypes in the movie, but that’s because fairytales often have stock characters who are exaggerations of a personality or role in society. It’s not meant to say anything in particular about someone, but helps create the nostalgia of old tales and fables. Not all the characters are supposed to be “real” people but often represent one personality trait (and thus are very simple). Usually only the main characters are more complex and are meant to be identified with (and actually, in earlier times, even the protagonists were 2-dimensional, such as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, who represented “purity” or “innocence” with little character development). I don’t think it should be thought of as narrow minded, but is usually what creates nostalgia. If that isn’t our tastes anymore, then Disney should respond to this preference by changing how they create their character. However, because the “Disney Princesses” have done so well, especially the older ones (Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, & Snow White compared to Mulan or Megara), Disney probably thinks the nostalgia formula will work well.
In any case, I’m really excited for the movie! I’m hoping that Disney will be FINALLY be making a QUALITY 2-D animated film after many years of cheap sequels and full-features that relied on over-exaggerated characters to carry the film (this is only for the 2-D department. Their 3-D movies have been wonderful). The concept art has been truly great (especially that of Tiara; I loved all the different ways they played with her hair design!). In the past 10 years, Disney’s animation 2-D techniques have gotten better, more fluid and more expressive (though sometimes TOO expressive… “Ariel’s Beginning” anyone?), and now if they have a great story line it will make for a wonderful film!
Posted 29 Oct 2008 at 9:53 pm ¶
Bex wrote:
The characters in Lilo and Stitch are BEAUTIFUL, and I believe they did a great job breaking the white-feature mold with them.
Posted 03 Jan 2009 at 7:07 pm ¶