Film review: The Princess and the Frog
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker – 2009
With starring Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard, John Goodman and Oprah Winfrey
It has been nearly a year since Barack Obama officially took office as the first black president of the United States of America. We are thus now living under the Obama dispensation; a direct result of which can be seen in Disney’s Princess and the Frog – staring the first ever African-American princess to be featured in a Disney animation.
Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) is a nineteen year old waitress living in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Working all the hours God sends, she dreams one day of becoming a chef and owning her own restaurant; in the memory of her late father James (voiced by Terrence Howard). Down on his luck and having recently been kicked out of the royal home, Prince Naveen from Maldonia comes to town in search of a rich princess who can meet the costs of his extravagant and ever spiralling lifestyle. When a deal with the evil Voodoo Man, Doctor Facilier goes pear-shaped, the prince is turned into a frog and will only return to human form upon kissing the lips of a princess. But Tiana isn’t the princess he thinks she is and after forcing him to kiss her, they both end up as frogs. They thus enlist the help of good Voodoo Woman Mama Odie and happen on a fun-filled adventure along the bayou. But will the couple ever become human again or will they be forced to forever live their lives as jazz-loving amphibians?
When news of the film first hit America back in early 2009, critics’ initial reactions were rather negative. The main bone of contention is the fact that Prince Naveen isn’t black and while Disney had the perfect opportunity to depict the first American-American royal couple they choose instead to present a mixed-race one (and that’s a problem because…?).
However the actual merit of the film has somehow been overlooked and regardless of the race of the characters the story itself isn’t particularly engaging or enjoyable. The film lacks the magic and charm that we have now come to associate with Disney Princess animations, which is in part due to its location of New Orleans. Princesses are usually the domain of lands ‘far far away’ in an unfamiliar world containing the mystery and enchantment we’re told, little girls’ dreams are made of. Thus this literal and distinctly un-fairytale approach to Princess Tiana (who technically, isn’t even a princess until the very end and works in a cafe for goodness sake!) ends up falling a little flat. Attempts have been made to bring about a magical element in the form of Voodoo Men and Voodoo Queens but with scenes that had the power to scare a 27-year-old woman (namely, myself!) and constant references to ‘friends on the other side’ the resulting effect was more Most Haunted Live than Cinderella.
The expectation for The Princess and the Frog to set a new precedence in mainstream animation is undoubtedly high and one can only hope that others such as DreamWorks and Pixar will soon follow suit. However when the insertion of black characters and ‘stories’ are placed over the actually quality of the film, it does a grave disservice and a movement that is unquestionably long overdue feels more like a gimmick to sell tickets than a genuine attempt at diversity.
The Princess and the Frog is out now. Find a screening near you on londonnet.co.uk
I don’t see why people are getting all annoyed the prince himself is not African American. Apart from the fact there is nothing wrong with a brown woman dating outside her race this petty gripe misses the point. It’s usually brown women (especially dark brown like Tiana) who are not represented in live action as well as cartoon features. Regardless of race, men tend to be have a stronger presence in these films. In that regards perhaps ‘The Princess and the Frog’ is a good step forward.
I did like the review as it seemed more candid and less worried about tip-toeing around the main issue of quality and giving the film a PC rating as some other publications have been. An interesting, alternative view.
I am an African and I have no problems with the idea that fetishism/animism is represented in a negative light. With a family history in that background I know the results are far from positive.
Shalom x
I’ve seen the movie and I really enjoyed it. First I have to say that Disney played a little trick on us as Tiana spends the major part of the movie as a frog. I think we see her as Tiana for only 35 mins when the movie lasts an hour and a half.
Also, this Pirncess tale is not as glamorous as the usual tales with the lovely dresses and castles and far-away land.
This said, I think it’s an excellent animated movie that I would be happy to show to all the little girls I know, whether they are black or of another ethnicity. The morality tale that underlies the story is very strong and much more palatable than what Disney has served us so far: Tiana comes from a loving family, has a dream and works hard. It’s also very interesting to see Disney spoofing their own Princess fairy tales (in the person of Tiana’s friend, a dumb blonde whose only dream is to marry her Prince Charming).
I really do think the negative comments posted here are bit too strong. After all it’s a Disney movie, you wouldn’t expect them to tackle the race issue heads on. It is just not their place. But given who they are and their history of racial insensitivity, they did good this time. It is a good start and hopefully it will show Disney and other studios that an animated movie with a black central character is a commercially viable.
@tony: “this movie…presents traditional African fetish masks as scary, sinister, wicked and evil.”
I think the film makes up for this by counteracting that depiction with the Good Voodoo Woman, which shows the positive sides of traditional African religions. While the film does miss the mark on a few counts, I think it’s overall a positive representation and a good film. It’s great that my little niece can now see a (positive) representative of herself on screen as a disney princess and that can only be a good thing.
I think the “subtle sexual innuendoes almost bordering pedophilia and bestiality” comment is going a bit too far and reading too deeply into the movie. This is way more people of color need to be included in the industry so they can show more accurate and authentic representations which white people are not privy too.
I took my daughters to watch it, and I must say I was really upset with subliminal suggestions of what the film has. We really need to examine the minds of these White men who are writing these types of scripts. As an Adult and father of daughters, it has too many subtle sexual innuendoes almost bordering pedophilia and bestiality, and not to mention that our black children (specially daughters) always need them to achieve something. As an African I am fed up of Marvel, Disney etc. showing anything other than christianity, islam, or Judaism as almost Devil worship.
I think I willl give this film a miss.
I can’t co-sign this blatant disrespect
Initially the prince was white and Tiana was a maid but after outcry from the black community the prince was changed to an asian looking man named Naveen and Tiana became a waitress with aspirations. Little black girls for the first time ever will see themselves as Princesses but little black boys are sure to notice they are missing in action. It is also worth noting that this movie directed by white men and written by white men kills off the black father for no apparent reason and presents traditional African fetish masks as scary, sinister, wicked and evil. It is 2010, and this is the best we are offered ? If you want to see a classic animated movie with black characters watch Kirikou and the Sorceress
Why is it that when the princess is white she has a prince that looks like her, but when the princess is black the prince cannot look like her. This film is damaging to Black Love and Afrocentric life.
Hi Karla,
Loved the review, I have seen the movie twice and I felt that it was a good starting point and that hopefully future movies with black characters will just grow from this point.