Animated films can in many ways be held accountable for mirroring the cultural landscapes they so inextricably help to shape and are in turn shaped by. Within the medium, Disney occupies that rarest and most delicate of positions of being a universally recognised cultural architect; unifying human beings across common cultural ground.
The studio’s latest, The Princess and the Frog, is something of a time warp. It represents a marked return to the traditional Disney of yore; a revitalisation of the classical storytelling style on which the studio built its name. It is undoubtedly, then, a huge deal for the House of Mouse. But it is the manifestation of the film’s female lead that makes this Disney’s most progressive animated exploit to date.
While she may superficially fit the mould, the ethnicity of Disney’s latest princess undoubtedly sets her apart from the caste. Ever since John Lasseter announced the film’s inclusion on Disney’s slate back in 2006, considerable attention has been directed towards Princess Tiana, and more specifically, her race. Although, in the run up to the film’s theatrical release, Disney has been quick to dispel such focus (perhaps astutely so, given the studio’s notoriety with regards to issues of diversity), it is nonetheless fascinating that The Princess and the Frog is the first Disney animated release during Barrack Obama’s presidential tenure. A 21st century princess for a 21st century America, perhaps. But why has Disney chosen a princess as a dummy for their final ethnic frontier, and why they have waited until now to do so?
Ethnic diversity in Disney films is nothing new. Still, the first example of a central human character representing an ethnic minority did not occur until Mowgli in The Jungle Book – 30 years after the studios first full-length animated release. Up until this point, Disney’s human characters had been almost exclusively white European. Female minority characters, meanwhile, did not appear until Aladdin, where Princess Jasmine was presented as Disney’s idealised incarnation of the Arabian woman.
The success of Aladdin sparked a surge in Disney’s representations of ethnic women throughout the ’90s, as Pocahontas and Mulan broke boundaries respectively. Yet African-American women continued to be ignored. Indeed, until Tiana, there had been no African-American central character in 74 years of Disney animation, and only in Hercules have African-American women appeared as black women. Strange, considering they make up a significant portion of the American demographic and, if recent demographic projections prove accurate, white Americans will represent a minority (47%) by 2050.
Meanwhile, The Princess and the Frog maintains African-American men as the fringe characters, but is this a case of racial insensitivity on Disney’s part, or merely a reluctance to portray a same-race minority couple? Prince Naveen, Tiana’s Prince Charming, has been criticised for his comparatively paler complexion (he is noticeably olive skinned in contrast to Tiana). Of course, an interracial couple promotes multiculturalism and is subsequently a far more contemporary representation of America’s ethnographic constitution. This might all seem a bit trivial, but make no mistake, Disney’s characterisations signify extensive forethought. Certainly, this is true of every Disney character, but none more so than with Tiana.
In her earliest inception, Disney’s latest heiress was to be named Maddy, but that reportedly sounded too similar to ‘Mammy’; a name laden with slave name connotations. Later announcements revealed the heroine was to be a chambermaid working for a white débutante in 1920s Louisiana. The storyline sparked a backlash from critics and social commentators at the time, who deemed the character to be racially insensitive; reinforcing prejudices and further demeaning African-Americans. Disney promptly changed her name to Tiana and re-envisioned her as an aspiring entrepreneur.
Putting allegations of racism aside, Tiana in her original incarnation actually has much in common with some of the more esteemed figures of the Disney monarchy. Snow White was a scullery maid and, ultimately, a slave to the Queen, whereas Cinderella was forced to work as a cook, laundress, and general servant in her step-mother’s house. These are two of Disney’s most iconic princesses and yet for Tiana to follow in their footsteps was perceived as politically incorrect and, moreover, racist. In her final façade, Tiana actually has less in common with some of her fellow princesses, which seems ironic considering the equality in Disney’s original envisaging.
Perhaps the real problem with past ethnic princesses is that each one represents the Westernisation of a non-Western race. As such it is easy to see how Western children can relate to the likes of Jasmine, Pocahontas and Mulan because they have been given stereotypically attractive Caucasian features, just with ethnic twists; both in physical appearance and social attitudes. This is where Tiana is so exemplary. Where the aforementioned were envisaged with typically Western traits, they were ultimately majority characters within the cultural context of their story. Tiana, on the other hand, represents a minority in a country that is still predominantly white.
Regardless of Disney’s past misrepresentations, however, the significance of their princesses ultimately lies in their attitudes and not their aesthetic attributes. While the studio can be criticised for their lack of diversity, however, their representation of strong-willed (if prototypically sexualised) women continues to denote a progressive outlook. Princess Jasmine is a feisty young firebrand, disobeying her father’s attempts to force her towards an arranged marriage. Similarly, Pocahontas is portrayed as a free-spirited and intelligent Native American and Mulan as a courageous and valiant Chinese warrior who isn’t driven by a romantic disposition.
In viewing Tiana as a prospective role model for young children, it is important to remember that she follows a long line of princesses who not only dare to dream, but have the strength and spirit to become exceptional within a male dominated world. Above all, Tiana is a morally virtuous, constructive woman and an truly American princess, and that alone is something America has never had.
