Live Blog on The Princess and the Frog!
To start, LOVE this movie! The jazzy tunes and cuteness of Tiana and Naveen warm my heart :). However, watching this films with a critical, racial eye, there are issues already within the first five minutes.
Why is it that Tiana has to be poor and live in the dumps of New Orleans while her best friend, Charlotte, is living large and wants for nothing?? Even though the two are super cute and seem equals at first because of their youthful and innocent relationship, there is a clear line drawn already. Eudora, Tiana's mom, slaves away taking care of the children and sewing dresses, yet she can't shower Tiana with gifts like Charlotte's hardworking father can (he's also dressed in all white all the time, reminds me of imperialism and white man's burden).
Similarly, Tiana's struggle is that of the stereotypical struggle. She is on the bottom of the food chain because of her poor status and needs to overcome some hurdle or work super hard in order to make her dreams come true. Charlotte lives an easy life and is rewarded continuously, while Tiana slaves away working as a waitress and gets by on crappy tips. It's just frustrating because the black person is usually always depicted as being challenged in some way and needing to overcome that challenge to be successful. I remember when I became valedictorian of my high school, many often asked me who influenced me and motivated me to work hard? I was very confused, because it seems people made the assumption that I had to overcome some hurdle in school or be inspired by sometime to do well, however, there was no challenge that I had to overcome to want to do well. I worked hard like everybody else, however in a predominantly white town, many assumed that I needed a rags to riches type story. Tiana's plot reminds me of this.
Also, aside from being portrayed domestically, it is problematic that Tiana's future of owning her own restaurant lies in in the hands of the white man. Despite her success in acquiring the money to startup her restaurant, she is still shut down by two white realtors. She is not in control of her future and happiness, the white man is.
When Tiana envisions what this abandoned, dirty property could like it if it were transformed into her restaurant, Eudora reminds her that what is important in life is love, not necessarily living out your dream. This message reinforces this idea that the black girl likely won't be accepted by her society, limiting her chances of success, however, she'll still be content with her life is she can love!
Fenner and Fenner, the two white realtors, imply that a person of Tiana's background likely has no business trying to run a restaurant when they tell her another buyer has topped her offer. Disney here is clearly saying something about race; though they address it here, is that enough?
Lottie wishes on a star, her wish of Prince Naveen coming to her party comes true. Tiana wishes on a star, she becomes a frog. Hmmm, something wrong there.
Let's not forget the jazz stereotype. As seen in Disney's Dumbo and The Jungle Book, animals voiced by black characters or that are depicted as black erupt into jazzy show tunes and dance giddily. The jazz that emerged in 1920s America that was largely associated with blacks is another stereotype portrayed in the movie. Jumping off of black stereotypes, despite the animation of characters, the broke, Southern accents of Ray (the firefly) and Lewis (the alligator) suggest blackness, though there may be no "proof." Fact of the matter, most wouldn't hear these characters voices in the middle of the bayou and think that they weren't black.
Okay, one thing that I absolutely HATE is that the Disney movie with the Black princess has to take place in the south and in the bayou. You want to say that Tiana is simply a princess that is black, however, when you look at Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, and other classic Disney princesses, they are not in a setting that defines their whiteness. The southernness and jazzy-like, wild nature of the bayou in conjunction with being black, however, does imply a connection to race. Why couldn't Tiana speak in a neutral accent like the majority of Disney princesses and be some submissive, oppressed princess, born a royal, living in a castle, and awaiting her prince?
One last thing that I find interesting about this movie is Mama Odie. Tiana journeys through the bayou to find Mama Odie and seek help to be transformed back into a human. Interestingly, Mama Odie, the person that is supposed to restore Tiana's hopes and wishes, is decked out in white. This prevalence of whiteness and its connections to success imply to me that whiteness is necessary for Tiana's wishes to be accomplished.
As much as criticize this movie, I still love it. The characters are so lively and personable, the music is FANTASTIC, and I think Tiana and Naveen=cutest couple ever. If ya haven't seen it, please watch. There are many aspects that you can identify and critique, however, it is still a great children's movie.
Peace Love Disney :))
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