After much ado, Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" opens Nov. 25 in select cities. The film will be the first Disney production to feature a black heroine. While much of the viewing public is excited that an African American will be added to Disney's multicultural list of leading ladies, which includes Mulan, Pocahontas and Esmeralda, others have lambasted the film long before its November release.
So, what do naysayers have against "The Princess and the Frog?" The main objections are that Tiana, the film's protagonist, spends much of the film as a frog rather than as a black woman; the prince is not African American; and the film's portrayal of voodoo.
Before delving any further into criticism of the film, let's outline the plot. "The Princess and the Frog" takes place in 1920s New Orleans. Tiana, an aspiring restaurateur who works as a waitress, turns into a frog after she's talked into kissing an amphibian who's really a prince. Much of the film focuses on Tiana's quest to remedy their condition.
Back in May, the aptly named Shannon Prince, contributed an essay to Racialicious.com about her concerns with this plot device.
"The prince is turned into a frog by a bad voodoo 'magician'... ," she wrote. "The foundation of voodoo is not charms but monotheistic faith, belief in saints and spirits, and a focus on moral values such as charity and respect for the elderly. People do perform rites for protection and defense, but suffice it to say that voodoo is not about being a magician or a fairy godmother."
On a related note, Prince also takes issue with the fact that Tiana is not in human form for the bulk of the film.
"After decades of waiting, would it be too much to actually see an hour and a half of a black princess on the screen? I can't help but think that Disney would never hide a non-black princess away in animal form for a large part of a film--maybe because they never have."
While this is certainly a disappointment, the merchandise of Tiana, the doll in her likeness and the actresses who play her in Disney theme parks represent her as a black woman, not as a frog. Accordingly, I doubt that filmgoers will forget that Tiana is, in fact, black. And in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Disney animators Ron Clements and John Musker explained that they always conceived of the "frog princess" as African American, which undermines the idea that the studio made her a frog because they were lukewarm about committing an entire feature to a black heroine.
"From the beginning we wanted to do an African American heroine. It seemed natural," Musker told the Los Angeles Times. "It seemed like it was time to do that and Anika Noni Rose brought such intelligence and vulnerability to this part."
Disney executives have also spoken out about the race of Tiana's love interest. "Prince Naveen hails from the fictional land of Maldonia and is voiced by a Brazilian actor; Disney says that he is not white," the New York Times reported.
Whatever Naveen's ethnicity is, Shannon Prince raises some interesting points about why not making him African American is cause for concern. She writes:
"Some might argue that portraying interracial marriage in film is good - but why then weren't any of the white princesses given non-white princes to save them from white villains? And since Disney doesn't give white princesses non-white princes, isn't this interracial relationship at the expense of black boys who deserve a hero just as much as black girls deserve a heroine?"
For those not familiar with Disney's history, this intense focus on "The Princess and the Frog" may seem like overkill. It's only a cartoon, many of you are probably tempted to say. But Disney films have a long history of misrepresenting ethnic groups.
The New York Times points out, "Yes, 'Dumbo' traded in black stereotypes in 1941 with its band of uneducated, pimp-hat-wearing crows. All the animals in 'The Jungle Book' from 1967 speak in proper British accents except for the jive-talking monkeys who desperately want to become 'real people.'" And in the Los Angeles Times, Walt Disney biographer Neal Gabler writes: "The main evidence for Walt's racial insensitivity, however, is 'Song of the South,' his 1946 combination of live action and animation based on the Southern folk tales of Joel Chandler Harris, known as Uncle Remus, which, though set in the Reconstruction era, makes the black former slaves seem dependent upon and excessively grateful to their former owners. From any modern racial perspective, the film is cringe-inducing..."
Because of this history, a sociology professor at my college warned students to skip Disney films altogether. I might just catch a screening of "The Princess and the Frog," though. Not only does Tiana's debut mark a key moment in popular culture, I also want to be able to decide for myself if the film constitutes a step forward or step back for race relations. Despite the problems I've already heard the film has, I do believe it has the potential to make a positive impact. For example, "The View's" Elisabeth Hasselbeck--the right-winger on the talk show--reports that her young daughter Grace adores her new Tiana doll. This has proven mind-boggling to white passersby who observe the little white girl clutching a black doll, Hasselbeck says. So much has been made of black girls preferring white dolls that if "The Princess and the Frog" results in not only black girls but white girls and everyone in between making a black doll their favorite, that's one reason I can find to support the movie. It would be a long overdue racial turnaround.
Comments
This upcoming movie is disgusting, why is Disney responding to the White House ’s pressure to brainwash people with multi cultural relationships? What if most Americans are tired to hear about it, especially with all the propaganda on TV since 2008 in commercials, shjows and movies? Isn’t there already the message everywhere we need to indoctrinate our little kids about this? Why do we need now to show a black prince going with a White princess or vice versa when we never did this? it will definietly irritate most of America which is conservative (not necessarily racist btw). Remember America voted Obama to fix the recession (where we see no result) not to promote his interracial agenda. Disney’s producers and artists are not even black it looks all too condescendent. Disney wont even call it ‘the black princess’. They have to hide the black theme under a frog. How misleading and hypocrit
Not sure how you made the connection between multi-cultural relationships and brainwashing. So the “powers that be” are brainwashing our youth into favoring multicultural relationships? Oh no!
My issue as more to do with the sassy “black” vernacular used by the heroine. Would it offend black people if the princess spoke with a more stereotypically “white” American dialect? Or would this confuse white people? Not sure…
Its black…its white….who cares?
In the Little Mermaid, Ariel was a mermaid and Eric was human, not only is that interracial, its inter-species!
Aurora was white and blonde and only seen for one song in the entire film “Sleeping Beauty”.
Belle falls in love with a BEAST for crying out loud!
What about all the injustice done to the little people in Snow White? Forced to work in the mines and then take care of a young teenage girl after a home invasion!
Cinderella enslaved animals; Mulan turned cross-dresser after taking direction from ghosts; and they truly botched up the historical facts of the Native Americans in Pocahontas.
Stop the whining…..
superman, the racist with the agenda is YOU. You want Hollywood to show and your children to hear about one type of relationship only so that YOU can indoctrinate them. Why SHOULD Hollywood call the movie “The Black Princess”? The previous movies weren’t called The White Princess Part 1, 2, 3, etc. You have an unhealthy obsession with color. Here’s a hint: if you don’t agree with the movie – don’t watch! If you don’t want your children knowing that people of other colors exist and *gasp* see each other as human and fall in love – then whisk your kids off to a deserted island where they won’t be exposed to any ideas aside from those you teach them.
As for the rest of us who see the world differently, we won’t stop expressing ourselves and stop existing simply because you don’t agree. I pity you and your wife or girlfriend that your so-called love for her is based on her skin color. As for me, I’m a young Black woman about to marry a man who happens to be White. My love for him transcends color, down to the depths of his heart and soul. He feels the same, and this is what unites us. This is how love is by its very nature. The intellectually advanced among us are aware that what is billed as “race” amounts to relatively superficial features, the most obvious being skin color. In reality, we’re all humans – ONE race.
Just because something “was always” one way, it doesn’t mean it was the best way or should stay that way forever. That’s a fallacy called “Appeal to Tradition.” The Dark Ages are being ushered out as dinosaurs like yourself pass over to the next world. A new world is here. Get used to it, or just sit there and suffer.
Boys rarely watch Disney movies. No one was clamoring for a Black prince before; they are complaining now only because they begrudge Black women for having a Black princess onscreen. There’s nothing preventing a Black prince from being onscreen at a later date…with a Black woman or otherwise.
I don’t see why just because the princess is Black, it’s assumed that she belongs to or with a Black man. They think by her being with a non-Black man, a Black man is somehow being cheated or not being given his rightful place by her side. This says more about the racist beliefs of this “Shannon Prince” person than it does about the movie.
As a young Black woman in an interracial relationship, I beg to differ. I belong only with the man who loves me and with whom I connect best. In my case, he happens to be White. Love transcends color…it’s lovely to see more relationships similar to mine on screen. Why is your article one-sided, Ms. Kareem? Maybe you’ll do a second article, this time on the positives. You can interview me…I have a blog, too, so my perspective is at least as valid as “Shannon’s.”
Thanks Hollywood! My fiance and I will be watching this movie for sure.
Honestly im glad this movie did a switch up and has the first black main character, though i fail to see what the big deal is with race. I’m part African American and Native American and im not worried about the Black princess belonging to a black prince. i think its stupid to base a movie on concepts that have plagued our nation ( the U.S. for years) we have to move beyond it. I feel Velvet had a major point and she specified that better than i ever could.
If you sit an think about this too maybe many of you will calm down with this, if it wasn’t for interracial marriage and relationships HALF OF US IN THIS WORLD WOULDN’T EVEN EXIST. I know i wouldnt, I know tons of african americans wouldnt, tons of caucasions wouldnt, nor hispanic americans, asian americans Indian americans etc. this world is one BIIIG melting pot an if you dont like the flavor then leave. I have to say too if you dont like the movie or its concepts DONT WATCH IT. I hear about race far too much for far too long on this short stay on earth to stay silent on it. when i have children to my wife whatever race she may be I WILL TEACH THEM RACE MEANS NOTHING AN NEVER LIMIT YOURSELF BASED UPON RACE NOR WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT RACE…when will we learn to just stick together … and yes i know my sentence structure is poor on here because i truly dont care about it this is not a essay for college so dont comment on it thank you ( because i know some may)
The post by “superman” is truly hilarious, revealing not only misplaced anger at Obama (who has NOTHING to do with the film) but a genuine misunderstanding of race, politics, American social values and basically everything else.
First of all, Disney is not being pressured by the Obama White House “to brainwash people with multi cultural relationships.” I think Obama has bigger things on his agenda. Also, it may behoove you to know that it takes about 4 to 5 years to make an animated film; which means that this dreaded “interracial black princess” movie was actually hacthed during the Bush administration. Go fig.
Further, it should surprise no one that as America has evolved, we have a black Disney Princess the same year we also have a African American first family; whatever your politics, you have to acknowledge that face of America is changing — Disney is simply reflecting that in the characters of Tiana and Naveen. (Besides, we’ve seen plenty of othe non-white Disney leads . . . Pocahontas, Esmerelda, Mulan, Aladdin, Jasmine, Mowgli, etc).
So if “conservative America” is irritated by this, they certainly don’t show it at the box office.
I hope your post was joke; if not, please do your best to find reality. Peace out!
I think that we must find a middle ground. In the posts that I have read, the readers seem to want to defend one side or the other. It is definately time for Disney to pay homeage to the Black race with a character that is not demeaning. I also feel that it should still be in the realm of the Disney spirit. The frog seems to be an important character and the plot never takes away from the fact that she is Black.
The main point that I want to make is that I feel that the love interest should have been a Black man. I am a successful professional Black man and am married to a Korean woman. I would have loved to have met a Black woman and to have fallen in love with her but that wasn’t in the cards for me. I feel that the interracial angle could have been addressed in a future movie or in a side plot. The main characters had more to gain by offering a positive relationship between a Black man and woman to America and the world. There has been enough negativity shown in media of the Black male. I feel that we have made great gains in my lifetime in understanding each other culturally. But there are still opportunities to further expose positive relationships to our youth. Disney has begun the journey. Let’s see how they continue down that road.
This movie was complete bull. I saw it today at disney studios. The princess had to save herself because she engages herself with a good for nothing broke ass manhore (Naveen). It disgusts me that she settled for that kind of man. And they were both frogs 80% of the film. The voodo man is a metaphor for a drug dealer and is the only black man constantly present. I would like to publish an article dedicated to how offensive this movie was. It was artistic, creative, new aged coonery. We are no longer only ages and gorillas, we are now just plain animals,period.
Disney, you FAILED at this one. Shame on you! If you werent ready to have a black princess film then you should have not half assed it.
Brick, this is a Disney film, an animated movie. It’s not meant to solve the world’s problems. It’s meant to entertain children for an hour or two (those who have the attention span). If you want to see movies dealing with social justice issues, you’d be better off making your own rather than trying to shift the responsibility to the makers of children’s cartoons.
Every time they try to make a movie or show about Black people or put a Black character(s) into one, there are so many complaints and accusations of hidden racist motives and meanings, and so much focus ONLY on the negative side of things. I’m not saying concerned Black people shouldn’t make *constructive* suggestions about what could be done better in future projects – but too many come from an entirely negative and pessimistic viewpoint. I bet it’s discouraging even to those who have good intentions. Can we relax, maybe? Stop putting the weight of the world on each and every film, show and character and maybe you’ll be able to enjoy them – and life – a bit more.
I find it interesting that you are married to a Korean woman – yet insist that even a cartoon Black woman should be with a Black man. I hope you’re not trying to teach Black girls and women to wait for a Black prince when you already have a Korean wife. I’m a Black woman of foreign cultural heritage…but I’ve noticed that in the Black American community, there’s a lot of pressure for the women to stay loyal to the men. Meanwhile there are a lot of men from the same community who date, marry, shack up and/or have babies interracially. 70% of Black American women are single, so if you’d wanted one to be “in your cards,” she would have been. Notice I never blamed other people, destiny, or Disney movies for my choice to marry a man who is White. The only reason I gave had to do with my fiance and I (love – though there are others like complementary personalities, common interests, mutual attraction, etc). Honesty and accountability. That’s what’s needed for your community’s issues, too. The subject of your marriage is a good area for you to start using both, since I’m sure your wife wouldn’t like it if she knew you go around implying that you really wanted a Black woman but it “wasn’t in the cards.”
Nadra:
Sorry, but must of the stories about him are not true.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-disneyrace22-2009nov22,0,978597.story
I’ve already read this article, and I link to it in my blog post.
Nadra:
From the one small part of the LA Times article that you quote about Disney it is hard to tell that you really read the article.
@ BRICK :
“The main point that I want to make is that I feel that the love interest should have been a Black man. I am a successful professional Black man and am married to a Korean woman.”
The irony. The hypocrisy is ludicrous.
“There has been enough negativity shown in media of the Black male.”
LOL. This is comedy. So anything Interracial between a black woman and a non-black man is “negative for the black male’s image”?LOL. GET OVER YOURSELF! Everything isn’t about “YOU”. This a freaking cartoon, not a political movie, and even if it was, you’d still have to GET OVER YOURSELF. This is exactly what happened with “Something New”. Complaining, complaining, complaining. YET the same people who complained about “Something New” were completely silent about “Save The Last Dance” or “Hitch”.
Would you be “concerned” about “positive black couples in the media” if the couple was a Black Prince and a Non-Black Princess? Oh let me answer for you……..NO, you’d see that as advancement to racial relations for America and the world. You’d be happy to have a couple looking like yours. Why didn’t you write a complaint to the directors of TV Show “Grey’s Anatomy” about that black man/korean woman couple (played by Isaiah Washington and Sandra Oh) in the name of, I quote, “positive relationship between a Black man and woman to America and the world”? Because it only matters “to you” when BW are shown with a non-bm? I have nothing against this TV couple, I only used them to prove a point.
You people have a false sense of entitlement. Stop b*tching about every damn thing. Black women don’t “belong to black men”. We have the right to have IR couples represented in movies and cartoons because we DO exist.
Wow, well I’m black, and I definitely was cheering about my black Disney Princess. I was all, “Woo hoo! Finally! We had Asian, Gypsy, and Native american and now, African American.”
I am an absolute Disney nut and have memorized every song from every movie, own every VHS and DVD (that have been released) and have my entire ipod devoted to the songs, but even I was kind of taken aback by the fact that the only black princess was a frog. That’s not to say that the other princesses werent portrayed badly in their movies, and disney itself is definitely racist, fascist and whatever other label you want to slap on it, but really, how many times have you read the princess and the frog where kissing the frog made the princess a frog? That’s kind of messed up.
I wouldn’t be mad if they made the Princess frog the actual tale where the frog turns into the princess, but they really twisted the story. But I’m going to watch it and enjoy it thoroughly, despite the plot.
Now about the not-with-a-black-man thing, I admit, that made me a little mad too. I really wanted it to be a black couple, but at the same time, so what? In the past, the only not white prince was shang from mulan, and he wasn’t a prince. Hey, if you really think about it, most princes in the early time barely had a speaking role. cinderella’s prince charming didn’t even have a name. Heck, the prince is a frog for all but 15 minutes of the movie anyway so who cares what her looks like? Like I said, sure it kind of sucks and is slightly racist, but hey, is it really a disney movie if it doesn’t offend somebody?
My bad, I forgot Jasmine, she was a non whit princess with a non white prince. For all those Aladdin loves, my bad.
@K Lively
The Prince not being Black is NOT racist. You’re the one who’s racist for thinking the princess has to be with a Black man.
I watch Princess and The Frog online and the Movie is not racist at all like what others have commented. i haven’t seen a single scene on the movie that implies racism at all. so, what’s wrong if the prince is not black?
Sleeping beauty is a white princess and all she do is sleep, that is too dumb for being a princess. The movie portrays Princess Tiana as intellectual, optimistic, talented and skilled woman.
Being made into a frog is not racist at all, if they want to be racist they should make Princess Tiana a dumb and useless frog!
Hi, I believe that it dont matter black or white princess or prince. What really matter is the story perse and having a good time with the children. Why things need to be so complicated in life? Let’s start living in the present time, not in the past. Let’s go on living and make this world a better place to live. And let everyone express his or her ideas, it’s great to have different people playing different roles in different movies….next, I will love to see more interracial movies please, so that we all learn that we are not alone.
i think it is a big step because of its not all about the white people or of how much wealther they are then black people and i love the idea that theres finally a movie with a black princess in it and they need to start makin more things with black people in it because everytime i turn the t.v i see white people the only way i see black people is if i turn it to BET and thats not fair at all
this is freakin bull crap i hate when black people always cry when things dont go there way its ridiculous yes the princess is black and yes she turns into a frog, who cares its just like a remake of the swann princess but with new twest its ridiculous quit whinning and no im not racist im black
I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t speak to any sort of racial stereotyping that may take place. What I can say is this: when I see little girls playing with princess dolls, they are rarely talking about the plot of the movie. Most of them are enacting their own version of “happily ever after” with – or without – the prince. What excites me about this film is that idea that black girls can be princesses if they desire. I’d like to think that as parents we teach our girls that they can be so much more. I don’t rely on Disney to raise my children, but I do like to see a rainbow of on-screen role-models for them to identify with in whatever way they see fit.
It obvious that none of you know anyting about New Orleans, because if you did you would know that it is home to a mixed race called the creoles. I’m creole, and from the previews the film seems to capture the essence of the French Quarter during that era.The Prince is obviously Creole, which is basically black and french. I think it is wonderful that Disney finally has a black princess. But just because the Prince doesn’t have a darker skin tone, or coarser hair, does not make him any less black. The fact that he has an accent shouldn’t really matter. Does every black person in the world talk the same? NO! Although she is a frog for most of the film, it doesnt take away from the fact that she’s black! Besides its a children’s movie, and its meant to entertain CHILDREN!!! Its not meant to spark a racial debate between adults!
White woman are some of the low trashey woman I know.Their are some black woman too!On a scale of 1-100 white women come out on top everytime!White women are riddiculous and so are the black men that marry these silly hoes.They do marry these women because mostly their are more docile than black women and their no going to teach them no ghetto slang.But for all the reasons besides them so called falling in love (no such thing.)Black atheles marry them because of social and networking opportunities. Because they know that their white sponsors are going to give more with a white wife than a black one.They rather see little white faces or almost white on the television with daddy than dark colored ones.Secondly,he’s going to taking care of her momma and family ,she will put in his mind his own black family and cultural beliefs are not socially exceptable anymore. Only time his family will see him is on t.v.And let him have kids she wont even do the childs hair,I don’t know how many of these half breed kids hair I have did because their momma don’t know how to do it.IF he loses job she won’t hold him up.He’d be put down to the ground and divorced!
Ok the prince is creole or hispanic not white and whats wrong witht he black princess superman im 16 and from what you wrote you sound so ignorant
this movie was in the making before obama became president and is there something wrong with a black princess i can understand the movie being THE FROG PRINCESS OR WHATEVER i mean what other princess story is there to make i think this is a great movie for the little girls out there i mean what young african american girl wont be suprised to see a black princess i wish they had this when i was a kid it would have made me so happy anyways its just a movie you dont like it dont see it
AND ITS NOT TRYING TO MAKE US BELIEVE INTERACIAL MARRIAGES OR REALATIONSHIPS ARE OKAY WHO SAYS THAT THAT IS SO STUPID
the only thing i dont like about it is that the princess just sounds kinda ghetto to me and im black so dont get me wrong but still
To superman: you are very ignorant
they have to do this because of pressure from the PC police. if you notice it is a cartoon, so it will probably fail at the box office. that will let disney off the hook because they will say that since it was a cartoon and not a computer type pixar film that is why it failed. disney is very clever.
Let us forget about race for a second and just appreciate the fact that this a traditional hand drawn movie, instead of being a computer animated movie.
Creole Lady, I do know about the Louisiana Creoles. However, the Prince in “Princess and the Frog” isn’t a Creole because he’s from Brazil. He’s a non-Black man.
I am a white women. I am so glad to see a Black princess and If you give me a minute I will tell you why. A while back a black graduate student did a study, She had Little Black girls around 5 years old set before her with little white dolls and little black dolls. All the dolls were dressed alike. She asked the little black girls which dolls were the good dolls, All the little black children pointed to the white dolls, then she asked which doll was the bad dolls and they pointed to the little black dolls. She then asked which doll are you and they pointed at the bad black dolls. Now if this does not break your heart you do not have one. I think there should be a Black Tinker Bell, Snow white and every other Princes that children grow up to love, Their should be white princes, spanish princes , Indian ,etc. I think Disney land should be forced to do this. We went last Month to Disney Land to see Cinderella and have dinner with her. A beautiful Blond Lady was their to great all the girls, black and white. So what if’s it is not tradition and the story that was written. When it comes to the self esteem of just one child on this planet it should be changed. Linda Katz in Kansas
im sure pocahontus and jasmine are black.
“this is freakin bull crap i hate when black people always cry when things dont go there way its ridiculous”
LOL, I tried to put it in a nice way earlier,
but I agree. All of the whines and rants from a vocal sector of Black people every time a film, show or Black character comes out is very annoying. Then when there are no Black people in entertainment media they get angry. Why would anyone put us in there if they’re going to get their heads bitten off just for trying?
tt, the reasons why Black men and White women get married is the personal business of each of those couples, just like any other marriage. Hopefully, any couple is marrying for the right reasons, whether or not they’re the same skin color – because if not, they’ll be the only ones to suffer. So why exactly do we care about something having nothing to do with our own lives? I’m surprised you took the time out to analyze Black men/White women relationships in such specific detail, and rant about it under an article about an animated movie. It’s kind of funny in a sad way. That topic seems to preoccupy and bother you a lot. You have to realize that it’s not going to stop anyone from marrying who they want, so by constantly thinking about and analyzing it, you’re only hurting yourself. Random people’s relationships won’t bother you so much when you get your own and are happy in it. By the way, you sound racist and ignorant…you posted lots of stereotypes and called children “half-breeds.” You won’t meet anyone if you give off these bitter vibes. Stop wasting your energy focusing on other people’s lives…move on; get your own.
NAVEEN is creole? A light-skinned black man? LOL. I guess NAVEEN used Dark-N-Lovely “SUPER ULTRA” to relax his hair? Or maybe he used Luster’s Pink “REGULAR”? This guy has no curly hair, no dark skin, he doesn’t have ANYTHING BLACK in him, he looks either white italian, hispanic or indian, but some of you can’t get over that.
Disney said it was an interracial relationship from the START. Why do you think black people have been b*tching about it since last year? Because people were mad at him being white, Disney decided to make him look “universal” enough so that he could pass for indian or hispanic as well, to make that IR love story more acceptable.
Native Americans didn’t mind seeing IR dating in Pocahontas, but black america is showing their bigotry once again towards IR with black women. It’s a damn cartoon!! You people are pathetic.
LOL, Rocka. I wasn’t going to say it, but I really believe that all of the whines, tantrums and tears over “The Princess and the Frog” are simply due to the fact that seeing a Black woman happy is upsetting to Black America. Why is there far more of an uproar over a movie of a cartoon princess than there is over that movie “Precious”? Hmm.
Has it ever occurred to anyone that Disney movies always reflect the culture from which they originate? It’s true. I would say the Princess and the Frog is actually the only exception.
Yes, it is true that Disney has done some things which are very racially insensitive. However, you have to realise that this was completely normal at the time the movies were made. Give it thirty or so years, and the gay-bashing in today’s movies will be the atrocities future generations complain about. This is what you have to realise; times change. People change. But that doesn’t mean we have to cover our tracks to be politically correct. In fact, that’s probably the worst thing we can do; that way, we won’t learn.
Personally, I’m curious to know what the people complaining about these movies and these characters think the children are thinking. It leads me to conclude that they have no recollection of what it was like to be a child watching these movies, so allow me to speak of my memories some twelve years earlier when I watched the crows in Dumbo, and the monkeys in the Jungle Book, for those are the two popular examples.
I thought the crows were loveable and fun. I particularly loved them for being kind to Dumbo during the hardest time of his life. Actually, it never even occurred to me that the crows were a black stereotype until it was pointed out to me several years ago. I thought they were just birds, lazy, fun-loving birds with hearts of gold, and they were the characters I loved best in that movie.
As for the monkeys in the Jungle Book, I think that’s really an out of context stretch. The song wasn’t genuine, it was buttering Mowgli up to try and coax the secret of fire out of him. As a child, I thought absolutely nothing of it, and could only focus on the creepy song the snake sang as he prepared to try and eat Mowgli.
Do you see what I’m trying to say? I really don’t think a child will look at these movies in terms of skin colour. Children are notorious for seeing issues adults see as complex and sensitive in simple terms. To a child, it doesn’t matter that Ariel’s a fish and Eric’s a man, or that Belle’s beautiful and Beast’s a monster, because it’s love. That’s what they’re going to see, that’s what they’ll be absorbed in. Love triumphing over all the trials, even being turned into frogs.
If you want to complicate a child’s view of love by saying things like Princes Naveen should be black cos Tiana is and Snow White got a white prince, go ahead. You’re the one screwing them over, not Disney.
Personally, I don’t even see why their skin colours matter. I would adore the Little Mermaid just as much if Ariel was black, Hispanic, Asian, or what-have-you. Beauty and the Beast would still be a stunning love story no matter where they’re from. Their appearances, their skin, their hair, their eyes – none of it matters. What matters is their personalities, how good the story is, and throwing tantrums over things like skin colour completely overshadows what the movie is all about; love. That’s what all Disney movies are about, love in its many forms overcoming evil. How is that negative?
Parents, give your kids more credit. Chances are they get it better than you do if you’re concerned.
I agree with much of what you say.
And to add to it, I think that’s tragic, given how popular Disney is with young children.
It’s no wonder that young children grow up with superiority/inferiority complexes, even in this very modern, post-cultural-revolutionary society!
In spite of my general dislike for Bratz, my girls actually love them better than Barbie, because the former seems more geared toward this multiracial culture than the latter
None of the fairy tales that were used for Disney movies were written with the character being anything but white. They were written by Danish people and other Europeans as white. The original fairy tale is the frog prince and I’m really sure black people would be complaining if they used the original story and didn’t change it. A black princess who is spoiled and refuses to keep a promise? Then you’d still be complaining.
i thinks its cool because we hve had differnet princesses before and no one said anything and why start now
I don’t really care what colour the Princess is!!
Velvet half the people in Brazil look black and speak spanish! Just like the cubans and the dominican republicans! And besides who cares what he is! Tiana is black and thats all that matters! Now little black girls have a Disney princess who looks like them, and thats what i think is most important.
@ velvet, exactly. Black america definitely has a problem with black women being happy, God forbid she finds it with a non-black man.
T said : “None of the fairy tales that were used for Disney movies were written with the character being anything but white. They were written by Danish people and other Europeans as white.”
EXACTLY. That’s why black people have been all upset over this movie since 2008, the moment Disney introduced their character and said the prince was white, black people lost their minds. Disney had to make him look a little more “universal” like italian-ish, indian or hispanic, to appease black folk feelings (quite like “Dora the explorer” can pass for mexican, indian, hispanic, or dark asian) and give him an “ethnic name”. Disney still claims the story as IR, and they’ve always been about IR as you said, nobody saw it as a problem until they decided it to do it with a black girl. People have been spreading this little lie about him being creole/mixed/whatever y’all wanna call it, since November of this year. They can be in denial all they want, if that makes them feel better, that won’t change the fact that Naveen is not black. There will be no “Chi flat iron” in the movie. Black people are never satisfied.
Wow. I have to say what I have seen of this movie did a fairly good job of identifying our (The New Orleans) culture. In New Orleans, most people do not see black or white. (Despite what the media may tell you about my city) They see LSU fans and Tulane fans. They see Eastbankers and Westbankers. So while everyone is going on and on about OMG she’s BLACK and he’s WHITE – the truth is if they are from New Orleans there’s no telling what blood runs through those veins. And most ‘black’ people who are truly from New Orleans are not AFRICAN American but are HAITIAN American. So those of you complaining, will you complain now that they are once again not portraying African Americans properly? Is a Haitian black person as acceptable as an African as the new Princess? After all the other minorities (Indian, Japanese, etc) are completely ignored and are all referred to as “white” princesses, is she a “white” princess now, too? And Naveen is not “white” in the slightest, and I think it’s an insult to call him such just because he’s not black. (Not that there is anything wrong with white people, but to classify anyone that is ‘not black’ as ‘white’ is one of the most racist things I’ve ever heard of!) He’s South American – from a fictional country called “Maldonia.” But I guess it’s not ok for two people from different cultures to love each other, right? Grow up. It’s attitudes like that which continue this racist crap in the first place.
See it for what it is, a fictional fairytale story about love. I don’t see you complaining that women can’t turn into frogs. Or that Pocahontas was actually 12 and John Smith in his 30’s. Or that mermaids, wizards, or talking animals don’t exist. This is a story about love, as all of these Disney Princess movies are. And there have been plenty of other politically incorrect injustices done by Disney but they are slowly opening their eyes and seeing the real world. This movie is a pretty great portrayal of that, IMO. And since I am actually from New Orleans – I think I am qualified to say that.
Stop whining about the damn movie, don’t watch it, and go do something more productive with your life. Like, say, teach your children to see past ‘black’ and ‘white’. Because so long as you go around placing that label on everyone, that label will always exist. If you notice people who aren’t racist (towards whites or blacks or any other culture for that matter) don’t go around saying black people this, white people that, Asian people this. Disney made an effort to portray a very real cast of characters in a fairytale setting. They succeeded.
I asked my seven year old daughter while writing this if she saw anything different about Princess Tianna and the other princesses. You know what she said? “Of course! None of the other Princesses are from here!” Funny how a child can put aside such petty things as race and grown adults can not.
As far as the voodoo goes… real voodoo and “VooDoo” are two different things. The “VooDoo” in the movie is commercialized, just as every “VooDoo” shop on Bourbon is. Again, it’s a part of the fairytale. And considering it’s in my heritage and it’s portrayal in the movie doesn’t offend me, I think that you’ll all survive. At least until Princess Maria comes about. *Gasp!* A Mexican princess! She better be marrying Luchadore or a Matador, or I am calling for a boycott! *snickers*
Spooninator – I wanted to echo you. Apparently I am a minority in that I never saw the crows as ‘black’. I saw them as talking crows. Then again I was not raised that people are ‘black or white’, I was raised that people are people. I rarely if ever notice what ‘color’ a voice actor is. Hell, it took me YEARS to put together that James Earl Jones (Mufasa) plays (Simba) Jonathan Taylor Thomas’s father. When I was watching the movie I didn’t go OMG – that can’t be possible, JEJ is BLACK and JTT is WHITE! *gasp* The people who DO realize things like that are the racist once, IMO. When you make a point to realize color you enforce racisim and are being racist yourself. Until we can see people as people and not as “black, white, etc” we will get nowhere.
its a cartoon people! They drew the man on a piece of paper and colored him in. And rocka, not all black people have dark skin wit afros… Sum of us (like myself) have light skin with straight hair but that don’t mean we aint black! Yall crazy! It aint that crucial! Tha man really don’t even exist! Make him watever race you want him to be! Hell, he aint even tha main character! Tiana is! Little boys aint gon look up to him!
Creole Lady, they speak Portuguese in Brazil, not Spanish. Nearly half the people in Brazil look Black, as you said – but the other half don’t – this Disney prince included.
Disney announced that the relationship in the film was going to be an “interracial relationship,” so I wasn’t just speculating or projecting. I’ve been saying all along that it’s just a fun cartoon for children showing two people in love and it shouldn’t be made into such a huge deal if the people falling in love are the same or different colors. Therefore, I find it confusing that you kind of echoed my sentiments on that point – but at the same time try to insist to me to accept that the prince “could be Black”…that would kind of indicate that it is a big deal to you. I find it odd that people have to pretend the prince is “Black but light-skinned” in order to enjoy the movie. To me, it says they are silly and have racial hangups if they had to classify him into an acceptable “racial” category in order to accept him. I don’t see why it matters that much, but to each their own.
Anyway, part of the problem is this forcing people into categories to begin with, which is what you’re doing. When I have children with my White husband-to-be, they won’t call themselves “Black” as if he didn’t also contribute genes, culture, or help raise them. I know if it were the other way around, it would be such a slap in the face to me that it was as if I almost didn’t exist or matter to my children just because I was White. My children will recognize both parents and the cultural heritage(s) of both sides. My cultural heritage is not my skin color but the country I come from, just as my fiance’s cultural heritages are European countries. We don’t consider it Black vs. White heritage as many Americans do. The “one-drop rule” (one drop contaminates) is a concept from Black American slavery, and needs to die. Since I know how some love categorizing others by colors, if people ask my children “what” they are, they’ll know to say they are Black AND White.
LOL. This is hilarious.
Creole Lady, I’m not making it “crucial”. You’re the one who brought up a whole theory on why you think he’s “creole”, writing your whole little cute analysis on his ethnicity when Disney made it clear the story was interracial and NEVER ever talked about “creole”, then you have the audacity to act like it doesn’t matter to you and WE are the ones making a big deal out of it? LOL. Why did you EVEN bring up race and that whole “creole” talk then, if you’re so ABOVE it all? Boys won’t identify to it? Is that why “BRICK”, a grown man, got offended? Is that why black people, mainly black men, created an uproar whey Disney announced the prince was white last year? YOU made it whatever YOU wanted to make him in your head, I didn’t. I went and still go by what Disney, the CREATORS of the movie, stated. I assume they know a little more about their own movie than we do. Disney created an INTERRACIAL cartoon, people who don’t accept it and are trying to REINVENT the characters (like you) are the ones making a big deal out of it,. If he was black I’d say he’s black. Truth is truth though. I’m cracking up at how now you wanna make it seem like those who go by Disney’s claim (the only LOGICAL thing to do) are “taking things too seriously” when we just call it what it is. Too bad reverse psychology doesn’t work on me LOL.
“Anyway, part of the problem is this forcing people into categories to begin with, which is what you’re doing.”
What I meant to say is it seemed like you’re kind of forcing biracial/multiracial people to be just choose the Black side. From what I know of Creoles, most refuse to be classified as Black OR White. I’ve seen websites where they fight to defy categorization and embrace and celebrate all aspects of their multicultural heritage.
I deffinately agree with velvet tongued, black and white is JUST colors!! I am a young black women and pround reguardless of color i am HUMAN fisrt then black and that goes the same for everyone else you are human first and then your color. It doesnt matter if the princess happens to be black and marrying a white man, all black and white arnt made to marry and be attracted to the SAME race and i think its about time they showed a movie of a black women marrying a white man or vise versa this makes it clear to young children that mixed race marraige as well as same race marrige is EXCEPTABLE that it aint wrong! just because its not normal to everyone does not make it wrong just because its new to americans does not mean its cant be done.! I think interracial romance is as equal as a white man & women and/or black man & women we are all PEOPLE nomatter if we are white, black, yellow,purple, blue, etc.. it does not make a difference of your color, color doesnt make you who you are. and if you dont like the face that disney is bringing something new to the table DONT WATCH IT! its helping kids learn about our interracial world and if you aint like it you can isolate yourself on some far away land or tolerate it and except its going to happen and it makes this country a better place without discrimination of race, sexualality or anything along those lines we are all the same we are humans and how you are raised to think is different among beliefs and oppinion but change in our society can be excepted not denied because none wants to see change to see merge diversity this is a new millennium get your head out the dirt. ____LOVE IS LOVE___ —>thank you. sincerly brown eyed girl!!
Well tbh i think this is pathetic! get over yourselves!………
YOUR ALL HOT!!
AND SO IS TIANA THE BLACK PRINCESS!! HELL YEAH!!
BOB OUT
Of course the prince is WHITE. The guts of the story is about a man that comes and rescues a woman,to run off to marry and be happy ever after.
A black man wouldn’t do that!!! lol
stop ur dang whining cause its annoying, black people always do this they cry and say hey my ansestors were freakin mistreated cause im black i get treated badly no u dont its the same thing with every other race but the only reson whites havent been inslaved is cause were the only ones smart enough not to sell our own into slavery! and also shut up about the movie its a movie how the CRAP is it a step forward!!
Do ya’ll knopw what Imago Dei means? well let me educate u: IT MEAND CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE!!!!! half of ya dnt care but wanted to throw tht out there have a good day!
Hey there, just a quick note to say, firstly… Cartoons in general play a substantial role in the development of many children in western society, especially in the lower classes. Children learn and assimilate stuff at an substantial rate compared to later years, most of which sticks like gumbo! If you teach a prepubescent how to lie, cheat and steal. What do you think he or she will become when they hit maturity? As an adult this film does not incense my insensibilities but I have to agree in some part with some of the negatives in here. Superman for one! He could be accurate in citing it as brainwashing. Some may call it reflecting the tone of the times. The zeitgeist! Some may simply call say it’s entertainment. While others unlike some and like superman could say it’s a clear attempt to push the agenda on to an impressionable young audience. Get em early and you can really make an impact. That’s true for sport, education and everything else, including a child’s upbringing. I also have to partly side brick (not about the comment he made in reference to his poor wife, which I find deeply disturbing and if his partner finds out I doubt he will remain married for much longer (i.e. when she reads this post! Oh lala, what an outrageous comment, he should be shot for it… Ok a slap on the wrist and no nookie for a month should suffice), when he commented on the princess heroin being coupled with an african american prince. Just for the reason why not! If any scene should have been set first, it should have been that theme, surely. It seems it’s still a TABOO in the industry. Disney obviously worried whether white collar america would approve! Well they did for the presidency! I think it would have painted a beautiful portrait of black america to the rest of the world. Lord knows they need a break and not Obama! I think it would have been a bold move for Disney had they done that, but i believe it would have been a greater box office success and as such it would have stood the test of time as a truly ground-breaking cartoon anime opus magnum. Then moving into the grey area would be acceptable and most probably welcomed by most black communities. Born in Britain, I’m bi-racial, half spanish and half nigerian. I now reside in the United Kingdom, but have also lived in lagos where i spent most my childhood years and spain on and off. I’m proud of my african roots and also my spanish heritage, vice verse. Race is a touchy subject, only because we are inherently insecure by nature, as to be blinded by the murky waters that keep mankind a mental prisoner from observing the breathe-taking and awe-inspiring beauty that lies beneath us all, our anima. My mammalian belief is we all descended from one and will inevitably ascend to one. Race is relative, I only just found out I had viking blood in me :S How it got there was as perplexing a puzzle to me as it was my addled doctor.
Alright I lied 
My sincerest apologies it slipped my mind, there are couple other prominent black superheroes. Storm from the Xmen played by the sensational and luscious Halle Berry. Most famous for her silky smooth role as Jinx in the James Bond feature flicks. Wesley Snipes as Blade the vampire slayer, poor Wesley once having the sole responsibility of burdening the entire African American population on his shoulders. He was the onscreen voice of black. But that’s about it! There needs to more. Some good, some bad and lord forbid some even, even. Some butt ugly, some chiselled handsome, some dumb and some dumber (oh that bit’s already covered), some smart, some confident, some timid… Personally the crime here is to stick to a single/micro-set stereotype on screen of what a black person is, especially in cartoons. A black person is… A Human Being! He is not a human prop! Make fun of him yes, because he can be funny. Fear him because yes he can be scary, but also make him approachable, courteous, serious, adorable, affable, caring, loving, understanding, intellectual, assiduous, cunning and the rest. There are black actors like Densel Washington that prove it’s doable, you can make a killing. Audiences adore him black, white and in-between. Take a leap of faith and stop worrying solely on box office returns, because you’ll get them anyway as long as you got the plot right and maybe that’s the worry. I believe Disney have a responsibility to portrait all ethnics as they would themselves with respect to moral standards, especially when applying to those who live within their borders. Adding a bit of spice (i.e. african or asian culture to the mix is only positive and shouldn’t be frowned upon). “And that’s a good thing!” As quoted by the once famous wrestler D.D.P!
Secondly… I just have to say in defence of those that share the stance “Who gives a s***!” It’s only a cartoon. Yes you’re right, if you don’t like the message it sends, don’t take your child to see it. Personally i’m not offended by cartoons the like of Jungle Book, Dumbo etc that portrait the black speaking as jive talking, rubber lipped and seedy by nature. Every race, colour and creed shares this hideous trait. Also and I could be wrong, but judging by my own experience, I bet most african americans that grew up watching such cartoons actually enjoyed them as much as I did, especially some of the notorious depicted characters previously mentioned (the black crows) and even though it was condescending toward black people, I loved em, they were my favourite characters of all. I related to them and the humour. Making fun of someone or yourself is comedy. Creating stereotypes is part and parcel of our social make-up and understanding of one another.
Lastly to Disney Studios… Even though the Princess and the Frog is a seminal production by Disney addressing the absence of black role models in their countless cartoons, it seems they were afraid to get their feet fully wet on this one and by doing so I suspect it has left them with a somewhat sour taste in their mouths, one which i sadly fear their palate is unlikely to scrub-off over time. In other words I doubt we’ll be seeing a sequel for some time to come.
How many black superheros have you seen on the silver screen? One or two! Hancock! That says it all!!! Even though the concept was rather unique and somewhat intriguing for the superhero genre, it’s funny how it got pinned on the black guy. A cracked up superhero… Not that I mind, it’s just funny and oh Will Smith wow how appropriate, I’m lovin it!
Nuff said! Take care all and watch out ladies when you kiss the frog it might turn into a Thug4life…
p.s. I think “The Princess and the Hooded Frog” would have been a better title.
OMG this is hilarious!!!! But your right velvet, people in Brazil do speak Portuguese, my bad, calm down lol Anyway i can care less what the Prince is, all of these ADULTS are getting so riled up about a children’s movie! I’m still going to take my niece to see it! It’s obvious that some of you have waaaaaay too much time on your hands, dissecting this movie, as if you getting paid off of it! Grow up! The black community as a black Disney Princess!! Hip hip hooray!!!!
Sorry I got a better title “The Ghetto Queen and the Hooded Hopper!”
If you can thing of a better title… Let’s ave it!!! 
OMG this is freakin’ hilarious!!! Ok velvet your right people in Brazil do speak Portuguese, my bad, calm down lol Whether the prince was black white, or purple im still taking my niece to see it! I think it’s sooooo funy how all these ADULTS are getting all riled up over a children’s movie, and dissecting it as if their getting paid off this movie LMAO!!! FYI Disney is not cutting you a check, so calm down! The black community has a black princess, isn’t that we wanted! Hip hip hooray! Now black people can sleep better at night knowing we have a disney movie lol!!! O and btw, i wasnt saying he was Creole, it was just a guess, unlike some of u, i havent researched and analyzed the movie!!! LOL grow up and just enjoy the movie
i know i will!
hi
this is crazy!
WAt IS up we Got a BlAcK Princess!!!!
Hello Creole i share your sentiments but that’s what we are here doing. Sharing our views. What are you doing here? If it is of no interest to you then i think you should find another forum that is. Not meaning to be rude by any means. And yes i think you should take your niece to see it. I’m sure it will be well recieved. Children don’t see colour as adults do. A princess is a princess in their eyes. But that’s the issue, a lot of parents don’t feel comfortable with it and that’s on both sides it seems. It’s an adult issue really all about racism and stereotyping. And be ignorant if you may but it affects many peoples lives in so many ways. So to brush it off as no more than a bunch of adults getting peeved off about a kiddies cartoon because the lead character is coloured etc is a bit shallow. The debate is about what message the cartoon projects to its audience, mainly children.
I am really sick of 17% of the population dominating our entertainment and sports. Why is the entertainment advertising and media pushing this when the majority of wealth is not in this sector.
OJ its a cartoon, it obvious that your taking this cartoon to heart as well, so I see you as the ignorant one, not trying to be rude or anything
I participated in the forum because it shouldnt matter what race the Prince is, Tiana’s the princess, the movie is about follwing your dreams and overcoming obstacles, not race.
It about time!!!!!
Hey Creole!
non taken! 
And as i said i agree with you whole heartedly. I was speaking for the forum and replying to your remark about everyone getting worked up about the cartoon. Because you have share the view “it’s only a cartoon” doesn’t mean others do. It’s a big thing, just as obama becoming president was in politics. Yes we can rejoice for the black princess but call me an idealist im still at loss to understand what would have been wrong with the addition of black prince to complete the story. That’s what’s causing the farore with black parents. Personally for me it’s all good in the hood! live and let’s LOVE! Love labour’s WON! Peace out! :p
First of all there’s no such thing as black people nor white people. Last time I checked people who are claimed to be white do not have skin color the color of the white space on this page nor do those who are said to be black people have skin the color of the black text on this page. People are seriously COLOR-BLIND!
The following comment deserves to be stickied:
“Ellica’s Mom says:
Its black…its white….who cares?
In the Little Mermaid, Ariel was a mermaid and Eric was human, not only is that interracial, its inter-species!
Aurora was white and blonde and only seen for one song in the entire film “Sleeping Beauty”.
Belle falls in love with a BEAST for crying out loud!
What about all the injustice done to the little people in Snow White? Forced to work in the mines and then take care of a young teenage girl after a home invasion!
Cinderella enslaved animals; Mulan turned cross-dresser after taking direction from ghosts; and they truly botched up the historical facts of the Native Americans in Pocahontas.
Stop the whining…..”
Couldn’t have said it any better than that! Somebody with some sense. Applaud you Ellica’s Mom. Well said!
this article is not interesting
the author should say something about 2D and 3D animation
@Creole Lady: LOL…you are the one sounding extremely excited. Look at all of the exclamation points, namecalling, attacking anyone who comes by and dares to state a fact that you wish wasn’t true (that the prince is non-Black). Also, checking the times on your posts, you literally lurk here for at least 3 hours at a time.
LOL…stop looking everywhere else around you for someone who has a problem with maturity and other serious issues – and start looking in the mirror. Before you came here, people (even the ones I disagreed with) were having something that’s called a “discussion.” It’s where people share their opinion and others discuss the points of their opinion. You came here raining personal attacks on people and so far the only thing you’ve contributed are hysterical “Grow ups! Grow ups! LOL! Ignorant!” The very first sentence you posted here said we were all ignorant, in fact, and assumed we knew nothing of Creole culture. Anyway, Disney probably won’t cut a check to pay for what’s ailing you, but I wish you well, anyway. Now, I’m done reading YOUR comments. I don’t let people pull me down to their level.
“my bad, calm down lol Whether the prince was black white, or purple im still taking my niece to see it! I think it’s sooooo funy how all these ADULTS are getting all riled up over a children’s movie, and dissecting it as if their getting paid off this movie LMAO!!! FYI Disney is not cutting you a check, so calm down!”
LOL. That’s what I talked about when I said “reverse psychology”. Velvet clearly isn’t pissed off. You’re the one one who brought up the whole “creole” theory, while we, on the other hand, keep it simple : we just go by what Disney stated. We’re not changing the story. You’re the one doing it, why? It’s just a cartoon so why can’t you accept that this story is what *Disney says it is* aka IR? Is it that big of a deal that you had to make up that lie about him being “creole”? Like I said, if he was black, I’d call him black. We only call this movie what it is. But you obviously can’t seem to accept what is. You need to take your own advice and calm down, Disney won’t cut you a check for reinventing their character. Why reinvent a cartoon? It’s not that serious.
When I looked at this article and posts I expected some light happy comments about a good kids movie and maybe a bit of optimism on the side. Some of the points raised are interesting but I really hope that people don’t read too much into ‘bad’ aspects of the movie. People need to remember that Disney are out to create a kids movie, not to solve racial prejudice and be absolutely historically correct. They want to appeal to a majority of audiences, sure. Watching America from Australia I see African Americans in sports, movies and tv programs all the time and I see them as a part of America’s image as much as white people and I guess I feel it’s natural that animated movies will be created with African Americans in them too. I feel that it is sad that there is seemingly so much bad feeling between races that there can’t be a black girl and a white boy in a movie without there being controversy on one side or the other-maybe the movie is actually is shaking things up in a good way. Anyway I don’t see how making things into a bigger deal than it actually is will make any racial situation better- I think this approach is likely to cause more division. Let the kids enjoy the movie for what it is without making such a fuss. I seem to remember a few movies with interracial pair ups being fraught with family acceptance issues. Maybe it is good to clear the air with those kind of movies, but maybe it is equally good to let your kids know early on that interracial love is OK- and hopefully this movie wont shout about the ‘likelihood’ and ‘acceptability’ of the coupling (after all, we hope America is over that by now). I hope just as Pocahontas was an inspiration to a white girl like me, I hope that this disney princess is an inspiration to girls of all races. I like the look of the princess, she’s pretty and sounds cool.
I’ll have to watch it.
we finally have a black princess, yayyy!!!
i dont get it velvet how is Prince Naveen from Brazil. The person who is the voice of him is from brazil. that is why he kind of sounds like hes from brazil and a bit of french.
AND TO ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT SAY HES WHITE YOUR COLOR BLIND; LOOK AT THE TRAILER DOES HE LOOK WHITE; NOOOOOOOO!! AND FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE MOVIE DONT WATCH IT EVERYONE HAS OTHER THINGS TO DO RATHER THAN LISTEN TO YOUR OBSESIVE WHINING. GOT A PROBLEM KEEP IT TO YOURSELF THE WORLD IS ALREADY FULL OF PROBLEMS THAT ARE WAY MORE WORSE AND YOU ARE WASTING TIME ARGUING ABOUT A CHILDRENS MOVIE MADE TO ENTERTAIN KIDS. OKAY,THE MOVIE HAS SOME PROBLEMS NO ONES PERFECT. ALL IM SAYING IS GET OVER IT, IT IS JUST A MOVIE. LASTLY IF YOU STILL GOT A PROBLEM AND IS ARGUING HAVE NO LIFE
Hey Velvet! Well done for pointing out Superman as colour predujice and hypocritical. I’m bi-racial so i’m not bothered in the slightest when I come across couples of contrasting races on or off the silver screen. However I can understand why it’s not so welcomed by the puritans. Growing up and this is quiet poignant. Both my parents wanted the best in life for me as any loving parents would for their child. My mother being spanish wanted me to marry a beautiful spanish girl and my father being nigerian wanted me to marry a beautiful nigerian girl. Can you see the paradox? Neither of them married someone from their own ethnicity, but fought fervently to persuade me to marry someone from their respective backgrounds. Hypocritical, YES! But also very human! I did neither, ha! So now try and put yourself in the shoes of a proud and happily married african american couple accompanying their daughter to the movies for the much anticipated premier of The Princess and the Frog…? As african american parents you would surely want your daughter to see a charming young handsome african american prince on screen and vice versa, because that’s the type of individual you would want your child to eventually pair with. Someone like youself! Now, I’m aware that Disney is universal and it’s great they shake things up from time to time. How would it have been received had Disney done it the other way around, in reference to gender. I even made a short story. Hope you like it?…Enjoy.
Once upon a time…
Cinderella attended the ball and met an enchanting young prince, with whom she had never had such fun since… Alas! The fair lady lost track of time. “Oh no!” She cries, peering at the clock. Midnight fast approaches, tic toc tic toc.
Deeply distressed, Cinderella scurries frantically toward the exit door and in her state of panic left with one shoe, no more. Would an intrigued and by now restless audience care to guess who had been gallant enough to return her missing shoe?
Having searched the entire kingdom from highland to shore, suddenly knock, knock goes the front door, stood weary in the cold as if waiting for a tip, was a young man whose fortune had found him the one true fit.
“Who is it?” Cinderella replied in a soft toned manner, as she peeped out anxiously her mum holding a hammer. The mysterious stranger shouts out. “Yo cindy wadup? I got your clear heels, man was it a mission no choice but to jack these wheels!”
And they all live happily ever after…
The End!
(Oh did i neglect to mention that the tireless character in this short play prince labrone is of a black hue, african american, full of attitude and last but not least stone cold broke and unemployed to boot!) Now that would be a really controversial Disney cartoon remake of Cinderella.:D
If you’re going wow an audience by base jumping off the side of one of tallest and most intimidating buildings in the world, be a good sport and leap off the top, not one tall story short of the parking lot. But hey I’m liberal one story at a time I guess. Roman wasn’t built in a day. Who knows where the plot will stay?
Until this stereotype is lifted, it’s hard to see “the black man” getting a break. It’s so much easier to portrait an african american woman on screen without affecting the status quo than it is to portrait their male counterparts. I think this is why Disney was so hesitant to enlist the services of an african american to play the role of prince for this particular movie. I believe it was for fear of misrepresentation and all the fiasco that usually follows suit. What he will sound like, what will he dress like, I have come to learn that when it’s race related everything is up for scrutiny. No doubt his posture will be judged, body language, mannerisms etc. Sorry Disney you got your work cut out. It’s back to the drawing board… Pardon the pun!
On a happy note, even though in my view it wasn’t what I expected, things can only get better. That’s why these discussions are healthy.
As for Bob with your out of the blue statistic of 17 per cent, where on earth did that come from? Look at who dominates your nations most loved sports, african americans! Most of mainstream music in the US is now overrun by african american recording artists. Solo rap artists such as 50cent are now viable commercially, earning grammy nominations left, right and centre. Not the best role model I agree but what you’re seeing is a paradigm shift. Young minds are in a state of flux. (But where all those good ‘ol fashion values on which we used to rely? dedede… Lucky there’s a family guy… dededede director yells cut!)
They are more responsive to mainstream media nowadays than ever before. If the aim is to sell sports merchandise then only the highest paid sports personalities will suffice for the leading brand name. They are the ones responsible for clogging up the ad space on TV, radio etc. Because sport in the US is dominated by african americans and rightly so it only makes commercial sense to employ a marketing strategy that will draw in star struck consumers, be it from the black, white, hispanic or asian communities. In the eyes of globalists, el dinero es sin color (translated…money is without colour). Say you are the fastest man on earth (Quite a title), regardless of colour. You could be green and kids would still look up to you. They will covet your possessions and imitate your moves. Everyone loves and deep down inside aspires to be a hero and that’s the funny thing. If athletes can be classed and so often are in mainstream media as being sporting heroes and most current sporting heroes in the US are of african american descent and are among the most highly recognised celebrities in the US and worldwide. You can’t help ponder why Disney is so slow to reflect this phenomenon. Take athlete like Michael Johnson, he runs with the grace of a swan. Almost as if he is floating on a cushion or breeze. Such an air of nobility in the way he holds his posture when in full flight down the straight. It’s awe-inspiring to witness. What I’m getting at here is… If Disney was looking for a candidate to represent all what it means to be a charming young prince. Then all I’m saying is there are numerous charming coloured candidates out there, all of which I’m absolutely certain would woo the audiences. Lets’ not forget africa had kings and queens long ago way before the western monarchs took hold in europe. So being princely is nothing new to an african, if anything new to europeans.
OJ
@Speakthetruth: Prince Naveen is from a fictional South American country called Maldonia as ObscureAllure said. People thought he was from Brazil at first but it was later clarified by Disney where he was from. I forgot. My point there was that he was South American and had an accent that made him sound Brazilian…and Disney called this an “interracial relationship.” All of that put together means he’s not a “Creole” or a “light-skinned Black man.”
@OJ: No, *your* parents wanted you to marry someone of a certain color and pushed you that way. Not all parents are like that, but you say it as if it’s natural and universal. Some parents want to see their child happy first and foremost, so they tell him/her to marry the individual that’s best for him/her.
Still, I’m not sure what this has to do with “Princess and the Frog.” It’s only a cartoon, but I feel you’re putting the weight of the world on it. No one is going to grow up and get married to a non-Black man just because they saw it in a cartoon when they were little. A cartoon isn’t going to determine a child’s life. I saw all types of cartoons when I was little…I’m sure you did too.
Well clearly Disney wouldn’t make a PRINCE speak as if he’d been raised in a ghetto. Those stereotypes you listed there could also be applied to the princess. I don’t understand your argument. Are you saying Black women aren’t allowed to be in interracial relationships or be shown in interracial relationships in the media because Black men aren’t happy with their image? I don’t see what one has to do with the other.
“that’s the type of individual you would want your child to eventually pair with. Someone like youself!”
Not all Black people are like me. Some have a similar skin tone…but that’s not enough to base a marriage on.
This isn’t a cultural thing, though. This is about the prince’s skin color, plain and simple. I think you know it too. Not a single Black American person would be complaining if the Black American princess in this movie had married an African prince instead. You can take that as a declaration of fact.
Hey Velvet!
To clear things up because it seems you knew my parents well (No, *your* parents wanted…).:D My mother wanted me to marry a traditional spanish girl, not portuguese, french she hates the french, italian or english and she loves england (all the nations I’ve just mentioned share a common characteristic, they are all white). My dad on the other hand wanted me to marry a nice nigerian girl from his village in particular and we lived in a bustling city with dozens on dozens of potential partners for me to choose from, but it wasn’t good enough she be nigerian alone, oh no! She had to be from my dad’s region of nigeria. So an african american, jamacian, kenyan or ghanaian would fail the test miserably (again all the nations I’ve just mentioned share a common characteristic, they are all black). And yes not everyone is like that, but a lot of people are and that’s the point, even though in time most get over it, like my parents who adore my wife and always have. As you said it’s who makes you happy that counts. But if either had their way it would be a different story completely. And I’m sure every nation on this planet has more than enough decent women in it to make any man happy and content for the rest of his life. It’s funny because I never listen to what my parent’s wishes were but was seduced by disney’s wishes. Also I agree if the prince had been let’s say west african, because africa is a huge continent, you have north africans that look nothing like west africans, so to generalise can come across as rather rude in some circles. Also west african because that’s where african american origins begin. Then yes I doubt there would be as many complaints coming from the african american community, even though believe it or not, you can’t please everyone. Even myself, I still go back to what I said earlier… Why not an african american prince, is it too much to ask for Disney? And by the way it has everything to do with The Prince and the Frog and what this debate is about. My apologises but I’m honestly not going to repeat myself… I’d be here all day! 
Velvet my dear, I’m not saying watching one cartoon is going to shape the way you lead your life. But it does have an impact believe it or not. If it didn’t we wouldn’t be having this discussion and I’m sure About.com would have not brought this topic to light. Have you ever fallen in love with an on screen character, when you were child, in your teens or even as an adult? I know I have…
Being a red-blooded male I used to fantasies about a few female cartoon characters growing up. Mainly hailing from Disney and all of which were white (I’m not white). As an innocent these names spring to mind, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Tinkerbell, Wilma Flintstone, Daphne from Scooby Doo, right down to Betty Boop. In my teens it had to be the sexy curvaceous lady in the red dress Jessica Rabbit, in Roger Rabbit, starring Michael Jordan. She was so red hot I used to drool all over the TV set to dampen the flames bursting from it. And guess what I’m now happily married to a stunning anglo-american white woman, my gorgeous wife. Funny thing is when I laid eyes on her for the first time in a crowded room, it was her red dress that caught my eye. Do you see the correlation? Those cartoons had played a role in my ultimate selection. Yes I could have gone for the black lady in the white dress, however the power of suggestion ultimately leaned my will toward the white lady in red. In my single days I can’t lie I found both appealing and everything else in-between, however if presented with a choice I tended to sway toward white rather than black, and that’s the honest truth. You can say I’ve been a human guinea pig for the maniacal Walt Disney corporation, Muhahahahaha! and the tests were a flying success. Hey if it worked on me, then it can work on others.
White collar american parents (not all but enough to start a commotion) would (and this is a fact, that’s if you want to throw theoretical facts into the ether) be in uproar, had the princess been white anglo american and the prince a black african american, no matter how eloquently Disney portrait his character. Hey the movie might have broken the box office but only for all the wrong reasons. It would be the talking point on everyone’s lips, state side. And you know it! It’s still a taboo subject for the US. Jungle Fever. Get over it America!
OJ
you people are racist BIG time god there is truly one race and that is human race so all the ones that are talking stupid are dumb and can’t get over people with dark complexions go get lives why does it matter if a kid is going date someone what you think they shouldn’t so what
hey eriq and this is the last post on this topic for me, so there will be no more replies. EriQ you’re obviously not married and don’t have no children. If only we all could be as lucky as you to see the world through the eyes of an innocent. This world would be a brighter place.
oj
Lastly, I just wanted to clear my name, by saying “Your honour it wasn’t my bloody glove!!!!”
Ok this is really it!!! Just wanted to say a big thx to About.com I been brushing up on my spanish and found the spanish language section headed by guide Gerald Erichsen very useful indeed. Great work G and great site About.com!!!
OJ
OJ: If you have an issue with Hollywood or Disney not putting Black men interracial pairings onscreen, then take that up with them. I don’t see why you have to begrudge Black women’s interracial pairings over that.
Your second paragraph mostly just shifts the blame to cartoons because you’re attracted to all women but had a slight preference for White women. I find it hilarious though not surprising that all the Black men protesting the most here are themselves in interracial relationships. You don’t want even this cartoon princess to be with a Black princess, and meanwhile you have your White or Korean princesses at home. Come on, this is pathetic. If this was really about preventing the supposed brainwashing of Black men, then you would be advocating for more Black women to be shown in the media, and you’d be protesting Black men’s onscreen interracial pairings just as loudly. Please provide the link to a site where you protested a Black man/White woman pairing with as much gusto as you protested here…thanks.
By the way, I’ve never heard of anyone getting hot over a child’s cartoon, even as a hormonal pre-teen (I remember that time in my life), so if I were you I wouldn’t hold that up as the standard.
Hello again Velvet!
Sorry if you feel I’m being begrudging or to use a better word apathetic (because begrudging sounds a bit strong and I wasn’t for the record) toward black interracial pairings as you put it. It was not my intention and if you took it that way, then I am sincerely apologetic… I’m all for inter-racial relationships and that’s regardless of gender.
In a previous post I quoted… “We all descend from one and will inevitably ascend to one… OJ”
It is of no gravitas to me whether the male or female be white, black or in-between. I’m delighted that Disney’s got a black princess. It’s a milestone… hmmm maybe a yardstick in this case, but nonetheless it’s brill. May I ask? Do you have a problem with an african american male cartoon character playing this role? Because I’m sorry but the “black man” (and that’s regardless of whether he married a korean or martian for that matter.) surely has the right to complain about this particular movie and you should be defending him. Why! Because he was not represented by Disney and in my opinion he should have been alongside the black princess heroin. It is the first of its kind, a true fairy tale story from Walt with a black princess, sadly little of whom we saw, not something knocked up by Nickelodeon. Now correct me if I’m wrong but every other Disney fairy tale I’ve seen that feature’s a white princess comes exclusively packaged with a white prince charming. Why is that? Going back to the black princess… So why not use the same winning formula for this epic love story? Why not a black prince charming for a black princess? Is there something profoundly wrong with that? Surely not! You can’t go wrong! So the very first Disney fairy tale cartoon featuring a black princess is missing what vital component? A black prince, hmmm interesting. What did he do? Jump state, so some south american stand in had to make do, because all the other potential african american candidates were either too busy riding around the hood all day, popping caps or locked up in state pen doing 5 to life. Hilarious!
As for my second statement that you jumped on, I was going to add that the cartoons are not alone (#we’re not alone… cut!). TV dramas, soaps, sitcoms, serials, talk shows, hollywood blockbusters, the endless barrage of adverts on tv and other mediums out there, overtime do eventually sink into the psyche and that many day to day decisions we make, consumer based or otherwise fundamentally derive from what we’ve been exposed to by mass media and advertising through the years, much of which is subliminal. Some are not so easily taken in by it but are affected, while other are and willing to buy into an ideal quiet readily with little persuasion. Needing only a nudge! Media is controlling our minds!
As for your last statement, you’re kidding right? Oh well maybe it’s just a boy thing then. Velvet are you aware that there are cartoon caricatures in circulation on the internet that depict a few of the previously mentioned disney leading ladies as adult movie stars. Snow White for example fornicating with the seven dwarfs (obviously not approved by disney). Believe it or not there is even a popular movie genre for x-rated cartoons, it’s called Hentai, Look it up on Wikipedia. There is a thriving adult industry out there based on cartoon characters and that’s a fact. Back when I was a boy… All my mates at school and outside school often made comments, naughty by nature (#You down with OPP? Yea you kno… Cut!) about Jessica Rabbit when she first graced the silver screen… It wasn’t just me!
Those voluptuous curves and saucy lips, that sassy voice (actually struggling to remember her voice 
) was a killer combination and had us all drooling as boys. I was young, my imagination running wild. I’m not saying I wanted to marry or be intimate with a cartoon character, now that would be daft. Jessica Rabbit was the embodiment of what appealed to most boys my age at the time. In terms of looks and sex appeal she was the hottest thing on screen a boy my age was permitted to watch. She oozed it by the gallon. As a prepubescent how on earth can I not fantasise about her?
Article from the Daily Express… “A staggering 37 per cent reckon Roger Rabbit’s seductive wife Jessica is the most alluring animated character in cartoon history…”
Click link to read more…
Jessica Rabbit Article from the Telegraph [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/4901863/Jessica-Rabbit-is-sexiest-cartoon-caracter.html]
OJ OUT!
Not sure why it is an issue for some that the prince is NONblack. Geez! Who cares, seriously? I’m excited that they have an interracial cartoon for black girls and women anyway. Because in this day and age, here in America, young black girls will grow up to see that love DOES exist outside the black race.
As for the people who’re married to nonblack women, yet taking offense that the prince is NOT black….. let’s just say I feel sorry for you lot. No one is being stopped from making a children’s cartoon with a black princess and black prince. Disney’s ‘Princess and the Frog’ has a nonblack/white/hispanic/whatever Prince and THAT’S THAT ABOUT THAT!
I’m all for interracial relationships between black women and nonblack men. So this movie gets my approval
Queen Victoria are you not amused ma’am?
Being british royalty I am shocked you would say such a thing… “I’m all for interracial relationships between black women and nonblack men” *wink *wink 
And please don’t feel sorry for me, honestly. I will survive (#no matter how long it takes… CUT!) even though (#the road is long, a many a widing turns… CUT!) sorry keep bursting into song. Turning this into a musical. 
Um, no, a Black man does *not* have the “right” to be by any Black woman’s side. A Black woman has the right to be with whomever she wants. Some Black women choose to be with non-Black men – myself included – and this growing reality should be reflected sometimes onscreen. If you don’t like it, don’t look.
No, Black men are not entitled to my defense just by virtue of being Black and men. I can and will defend only what I agree with. It’s funny you only believe in so-called race loyalty only when it benefits you. You didn’t believe colors should stick together when you married a White woman…but you want me to feel as if I have an obligation to defend you whether I agree with you or not simply because you’re a Black man. Get real; I know all of those games used on mainly Black American women, and Black British women to a lesser extent. They won’t work on me. Your username is fitting. It conjures up images of many Black male entertainers who didn’t even remember that Black women existed – until they got involved in some scandal – and looked to Black women to defend them. OJ’s Black ex-wife was his biggest supporter when he was on trial for murder. Just think about it.
I’m bored of this discussion, as it’s just the same thing being repeated over and over. I’ve said everything I had to. The movie is out; the Prince’s color won’t change no matter how much hypocritical Black men who go home to White and Korean women rant about the Black princess being with a non-Black man.
“You don’t want even this cartoon princess to be with a Black princess and meanwhile you have your White or Korean princesses at home, ”
Oops, I mean you don’t want even this cartoon Black princess to be with a non-Black princess.
I see you’re learning Spanish. I’m quite fluent myself. Here’s a phrase for you: Hasta la nunca, charlatán.
^^^ Non-Black Prince…ha…another typo. Adios.
Who cares if its black
Not even going to waste time with you, OJ. Your sly, sarcastic remarks are such a waste of your time.
Moving on…………………..
As always, this movie is going to ROCK!!! All the little black (and some biracial) girls I know are excited about it and THAT is all that matters. The bitter people who want to wallow in their self-pity on this comment section can continue to do so…. I and other enthusiasts will be checking this movie out on Friday the 11th. Hmmm maybe I’ll go watch it with my white boyfriend…. that would be nice
I’m counting on seeing a bunch of black women and their nonblack partners at the movie.
Adieu!! I’m done with the pathetic bickering on this page.
Wow picking up some virulent vibes from the vixens in here, extremely caustic! Proves I was on to something! Guess all that’s left to do is wallow away drowing in my very own self pity!
Hmmm reminds me of an average saturday night out on the Tyne & Wear (#Cause the fog on the Tyne is all mine, all mine… CuT!) 
Mon cherie Queen V I honestly couldn’t care less, this is a debate and you don’t appear to be in it. No hard feelings… Hope you and your boyfriend enjoy the movie. Muah Muah adieu petite fille
Y Velvet, mismo a va para ti! No significa nada para mí… Lo tienes? Adios princesa de negro!
The prince looks biracial to me, not white He looks like what they call in New Orleans ‘Creole’. Can’t people make the connection that New Orleans had and has many multiracial people? And yes, it is a shame that the Princess is depicted as a frog for most of the film. If Disney wants to learn how to make a good movie that depicts Africans without being racist, they should watch Nickelodean’s ‘The Wild Thornberry’s Movie’. Let’s all remember that Disney produced two full length feature films set in Africa (The Lion King and Tarzan) without one single African person depicted in either film.
I have a 6 year old little girl who is a Disney movie buff. Watching the older classic Disney movies (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White) they ARE white girls who end up with white princes… but those stories are not Disney originals… they are adaptations of written literature from decades/centuries before they were produced by Disney. For kids… the point of the movie is the point of it: Love triumphs over adversity. My husband and I frequently poke fun at Disney movies because the majority of the heroes/heroines have only 1 parent that is living, if any at all.
I think it is sad that children’s movies are being so over-analyzed by the adult community. Who cares what color someone is. The more we push for racial definition/representation the more divided we become. Racism is a big issue. However, it is not the end all prejudice in this world.
My 6 yr old has very bad eczema, and she has her entire life. She is avoided by other kids because of it. Because she is DIFFERENT. I have raised her to be kind to others, to not judge. She is white, but she knows how it feels to be treated poorly because of something that makes her different from the other kids. So, instead of hating the world and crying about all the injustice… she has learned to be accepting of others and treat them how she hopes and would like for them to treat her. She got Barbie’s for her birthday… She got to pick out which ones she wanted.. they had pink and blue fairies, white ones w/ brown hair, white ones w/ blond hair, black ones with brown hair, black ones w/ highlighted hair. She said to me “I am getting the MOST beautiful ones!” She came to me with two black ones. She already had the pink and blue fairies at home.
Kids will learn from what their parents do/say/act like. I will be the first person to say that I am not totally PC, and I will also say that on some level it makes me stop and shake my head when people go on about racial equality, but they do it in the form of bashing every other race/ethnicity that isn’t theirs. Can we please take a lesson from our kids????
SMH @ Samantha. You’re the one not making the connection. The prince says in the movie that he comes from Maldonia in South America. That means he isn’t a Creole. You people are so racist and can’t even see it, so desperate to find even a drop of black blood in the prince because you can’t accept the reality.
Movies not only present history, but also interpret and revise history and direct our perceptions of ourselves. In the annals of American cartoons there has never been a princess with a prince who is not of her own race. Even Jasmine, the Arab princess had an Arab counterpart. Never in the annals of American cartoons has the PRINCESS BEEN TURNED INTO A FROG! She is suppose to have the power to kiss a frog and break the spel and turn him back into a handsome “prince”.
For those of you who are not aware, it has been a tradition in Hollywood to refuse to show genteel adoration, passionate romance, effusive love and fatihful marriage between an attractive black couple. I have a 1955 cover of TAN, a black magazine, with Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge from the movie Carmen Jones in an embrace with the caption “Will Hollywood Let Negroes Make Love?”
When Henry Louis Gates did a special on black people in Hollywood that aired on PBS, he interviewed a movie director regarding the images of African Americans on screen. I seem to be the only person to be completely outraged when this arrogant jerk said to Gates, “Noone is interested in seeing a black man and a black woman making love on screen(paraphrased).” Gates, who is married to a white woman, did not object nor even respond to this obscene insult to all black people. Nor did I see or hear of any objections from any black voices immediately after the program aired. The most acceptable images of romance between black couples are generally created by black moviemakers. The best depictions I have ever seen was the romance between the young couple in Denzel Washington directed movie The Great Debaters.
The absence of a black prince and the turning of the black princess into a frog are not coinsidences nor gaffes.
They were meticulously planned. They are designed to exclude romance between a black man and a black woman from the conscious images imbibed by both black and white people. There is also something else that I have consistently noticed about the Hollywood presentation of black girls/women to the world. They more than often will put the black girl in the color green(brown and green are the colors of the trees that make up the background. Pink and pastels are the colors of the flowers that stand out front). They refuse to allow the black female youth image to be associated with the color pink – that color is reserved for white girls. Black people, do not take these issues lightly. Demand equal image treatment for black characters created by Disney. Do not wait for black show business people to defend African American culture. They will do anything to get a dollar and their faces in front of a camera! This image manipulation translates to real life. Look at black sports figures and many black men in show business prolific marriages to white women. Look at the figures for marriage among black men and black women, which is plummeting below 43% at this moment, while 67% of black children are being born out of wedlock. If a black princess can’t have a black prince in a cartoon, she certainly can’t expect to have her own black prince in real life.
Superman GOOD POST man, you are right, you have the guts to say it as it is
For Velvet and other birracial people: well you are able to transcend colors, WELL NOT ME, please respect that others dont have your views, we want to keep our ‘racial purity’ if you will, and we will detest the movie’s message
Most people are like me, maybe you live in Venice, CA or some liberal extremist area, but i can tell you most America is like me and superman, we want to stay with our kind. Velvet i am sure you can easily find someone like me IN YOUR OWN FAMILY
You are talentless and this topic is uninspired. I hope you don’t consider yourself to be “a proud ethnic journalist”. Clifford the Big Red Dog did a better job at exposing subliminal racism than you did.
GBu, I’m not biracial; I’m a Black woman of West Indian heritage who was born and raised in NYC, but I’m not surprised you’re trying to claim I’m biracial in a subtle attempt to attack the messenger. The reason I say I’m of a “foreign cultural heritage” (I didn’t say foreign COUNTRY) is because I celebrate my parents’ culture. Most of the Black people in my suburb growing up were West Indian. You wish I were from some other planet, lol – but I’m right here in the same country, and I can guarantee there are many more just like me. Surveys of how many people support interracial relationships say the opposite of what you say, so just keep dreaming.
You and others like you are the ones not respecting others’ right to hold differing views, which is why you try to censor movies you don’t agree with. Stick with your beliefs, keep trying to maintain the purity of something even scientists acknowledge doesn’t exist, and keep being closed off to transcending color. It’s not relevant to me. However, when you attempt to condemn others for not living by YOUR rules, and condemn movies just for showing others who make different choices than yours, then I and others reserve the right to speak up. The rest of the world is moving forward, so the movies and everything else will move with it. If you don’t like it, then don’t watch. If you can’t deal with others feeling differently, then move to a deserted island, because we’re here to stay.
LOL, have a nice Sunday.
“i can tell you most America is like me and superman, we want to stay with our kind”
Then STAY with your “own kind.” The way you say it, it’s almost as if you thought I would care.
I can tell you grew up in some backwoods extremist conservative area, filled with many other undereducated folks who can barely spell. I agree that you should definitely keep those genes “in the family.”
We don’t want or need them in the general population. By the way, don’t think I missed the fact that you and superman are the same person. You couldn’t come up with an intelligent comeback, so you pretended to agree with yourself and used every fallacy in the book…pretending everyone else (including my family) agrees with you and using ad hominem attacks against me. What a shame that you still lose…”Princess and the Frog” is already out and many of us will be going to see it…including members of YOUR family. 
By the way, I’m not saying “biracial” is an insult, but GBu a.k.a. superman as an ad hominem in order to pretend that I have an agenda. He’s trying to distract from the fact that he has one. I have none. Love transcends color and I believe people should be free to love whomever they want…and it’s just that simple. I don’t tell anyone to go date or marry interracially because unlike superman and certain other bitter folk on here, I don’t tell others how to live their lives.
To quote the great Alfred Hitchcock, “It’s Only a Movie.” One cartoon feature length isn’t going to change society. The person who most changed and challenged my race perspective was Julius Randall – he was Black, a former NASA scientist, a college Minority counselor, and inspiring guy for many people. By example and with words, he taught everybody around him to see people caught in their situations – not as colors or problems – but as potential for change and progress. To that end, he changed the lives of many young people and started them on careers in Engineering. The only person that would not work with him was and is hopelessly prejudiced. Julius spent his own time, money, space, effort, and eventually health, on building up people. He never wasted time on tearing anyone down.
you r cool
There seems to be some confusion about the racial background of the prince which I find interesting on many levels. He is from a fictitious country in South America and appears to have light brown skin. Someone mentioned earlier that they thought he was Creole. Well maybe he isn’t Lousiana Creole, but he very well could be South American Creole.
See the wikipedia definition of Creole and you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_peoples
The definition of Creole is ambiguous and I think this character’s race and ethnicity is intentionally ambiguous. People who have a strong racial identity have the same problem with him that they have with Barack Obama and anyone else who doesn’t fit into the racial stereotypes we have been indoctrinated with.
Why are light-skinned African Americans still considered black even if their skin color is lighter than many Italians, Spaniards, and Greeks. And why do a lot of “white” people still deny they have some black blood. Most Mediteranean people are a blend of European, African and Middle Eastern people and genetic studies now show we all came frfom Africa.
I’m just glad we finally have a Disney movie that lets the African American girl play the princess. As I learned in school years ago, there’s only one race; the human race. We are each a unique blend of shades and attributes , and we should relish in our diversity.
Amen!
Nice try but Disney stated that the prince is Hispanic/Latino. Look at the princess and prince here.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2754/4101856015_e6356ca9ff.jpg
SMH @black racists. If you weren’t racist, you wouldn’t need to try to so desperately prove that the prince is sort of black or sort of light-skinned black when you know that’s a stretch. Get a life. The prince isn’t black, so? Deal with it and enjoy the movie. Stop obsessing over his skin. There can be black princes in the future.
http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/files/2009/10/tiana-and-naveen-for-blog-10_09_dl_04409.jpg
Here’s Prince Naveen at Disney World. Gee what an odd choice for a supposedly “light-skinned black man”! I wonder if hair relaxer will come packaged with the action figure! Why is it so hard to accept the reality and get over it?
This is sad…why are people lamenting over this..
Also, why are Blacks gobbling this up like a fat kid on snackday?
You gobbled up the garbage Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.
You gobbled up Soulplane.
You gobbled up Friday.
Marketing Black is so easy..Disney has you pegged with the first bone they toss at you and people start crying and singing praises that there’s finally a fictional character of color that your daughters can identify themselves with.
There used to cartoon show that used to come on HBO Kids ..it showed a series of minority characters..African kings and queens. Disney is not the first to do this.
Good for Disney, but I don’t think the children are nearly as excited as you adults are. Perhaps someone’s trying to relive their childhood..hence the childish excitement and emotions towards a bloody Disney Movie?
It’s a Disney movie..don’t read too much into it and enjoy yourselves.
I’m not bashing the movie ..I just don’t like people’s zealous behavior towards it.
Peaceout.
Harley, you are wrong. Pocahontus is native american and Jasmine is either Abrabic or hindo.
31) Harley says:
“im sure pocahontus and jasmine are black”
“You gobbled up the garbage Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.
You gobbled up Soulplane.
You gobbled up Friday.”
I didn’t watch any of those movies.
The last two were ghetto; the first either was as well or just not to my taste. Most movies aren’t, “Black movies” or otherwise.
Yup, I’m in my 20s and looking forward to “Princess and the Frog.”
I know of many other Black girls and women who are excited, too. One about my age went to see it this week and told me it’s fun and a must-see. It will be nice for my future daughters to see this beautiful princess and discover the power of love to transcend color…like mommy’s and daddy’s does. I’m ok with being excited enough for all of us, lol! 
(Gobble)
OMG u guys piss me off its a freakin movie ur freakin stupid she black yes how the @#$% is it a step forward almost every movie has a black person in it so stop ur dang crying and if anyone should be mad its the whites ever wonder why whites are the only ones who dont have a month dedicated to them??? wheres our reconition sounds to me like some bull crap and no im not racisist im just wondering y the @#$% that is
I agree with (101) OneRace about the possibility of the prince being creole, although i’m not sure it’s ever specified that the fictional country, Maldonia, is in South America. The name actually sounds more European (i.e. Albania, Macedonia, Lithuania, etc). I share the concerns raised by Shannon Prince (in the article) and others about the interacial relationship. In fact, the whole issue needs to be put in a wider context, which I attempted to do in an article at the new race-talk blog (www.race-talk.org).
I can’t believe we are moving into 2010 and people are still obsessing over interracial relationships. I am in one and happy about it, and my boyfriend and I thought this movie was a great step in the right direction for people like us. (By the way, I’m 24 and he’s 28.)
I absolutely adored this movie, and Tiana immediately jumped into the #2 spot of Disney princesses for me (surpassed only by Belle, who will probably never be replaced). And why is that? Well, let’s face it, most Disney princesses are boring. They’re pretty and kind-hearted and… boring. All most of them want is to be rescued by a handsome prince and live in a castle and that’s it. I’ve been a career woman since I was like, five! How can someone like me — an unattractive, clumsy, passionate-about-education girl from a poor family — supposed to relate to a beautiful, graceful, rich princess who never did anything with her life except get married? This was not a realistic picture for me as a child and definitely isn’t as an adult. Tiana’s character completely shatters that pristine, unrealistic vision of what it means to be a woman. She is a hard worker who doesn’t wait for some guy to ride in on a white horse before her life begins. She makes stuff happen. And yes, she gets married, but it’s a part of her life, not her whole life. Therein lies the difference. This is what makes her the perfect role model for young girls of any race. Regardless of what color her skin happens to be, she is teaching girls to dream about something other than being rescued by a prince, that achieving your dreams is possible through hard work, and – gasp – it is okay to love someone with more or less melanin in his skin. Now here is a princess modern girls can relate to.
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