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On my sister’s 21st birthday, we ended up doing something we never would have planned on, and seeing a movie we also did not plan for; Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. It was too cold to go bar hopping, and it was starting as we walked in the theatre (so no waiting). Luckily, neither I or my sister were too hung up about walking into the movie with no child in hand. I actually enjoyed the film; which is a surprise in that I find most modern juvenile films to be far short of impressive.
Similar to Avatar, I came into this movie with some negative preconceptions. To be totally honest, I do agree with MaNishtana in regards to this movie shrugging off Black men. But I don’t agree with criticisms like this one that complain about the fact that Tiana was not a real princess; or that she spends the majority of the movie as a frog (that is a core point of the story!). So leaving political correctness alone, just what is the point of the story? How about this:
“Beauty lies within”
Ok, so let’s work backwards from that. If that is the point of the story, does it really matter that we don’t get a big hunk of screentime showing Tiana in flowing gowns or as a human? Does it matter what Naveen’s race is? Not really. Not if we want to show children that their is more to people than appearances and titles. Speaking of titles, I thought that it was great that Tiana held down two jobs and spoke frankly about her money issues. Another kudos to Disney for not completely glossing over the issue of racism in 1920s New Orleans (when the real estate agents pause on the deal due to Tiana’s “background”).
Now let’s get to the real meat and potatoes about this movie; the love story. Yes, it is a diss that the prince is not a Black man; but it would not have fit in with this story. If Naveen were Black/African, than there would be no hoopla about his arrival in 1920s New Orleans. Initially, I must admit that I was annoyed that he was lazy and shiftless; as if part of some allusion that the mates of Black women are this way because we are so freakin’ domineering. However it was a showing of how we tend to fall in love with those who possess the qualities that lack. It also showed that just because someone has a certain status or title, does not mean that they are without faults.
While the story was original and interesting, I felt the writing (of both music and dialogue) was severely lacking. It would have been excellent for Warner Bros., but this is Disney! Yet there was only a bit of the humor that Aladdin had; only a fraction of the cool music that The Lion King had; none of the theatrics that Beauty and the Beast had; Ray had some wit about him, but pales in comparison to Sebastian. So on all of those fronts, it was a let down. But the animation was good…especially with the villain. Maybe a little too good, in that I was even a bit creeped out by him!
Overall, I think this is an important film for Disney. I feel like it should have been made about 15 years ago…but whatever I guess. I am glad to see a children’s film that finally admits that all types of little girls have dreams and they are all justified in following those dreams and one day seeing them come true.
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