« The Doc Shortlist | Main | BYOB Hump-a-vampire-Day »
November 18, 2009
The Princess, The Frog & The Color
I won't offer any critical position on The Princess & The Frog. I was not embargoed, but the truth is, there is so much moving around at Disney these days, I am going to assume the conservative position and remain silent, looking towards the next set of relationships.
In any case...
What I do want to say is that the film is remarkable free of race as an issue once you get past the first 20 minutes or so. As Disney told everyone, the characters are black, white, and mostly, cajun, whether good, bad or somewhere in between.
The lightening bug that some worried about is one of the strongest characters in the film and doesn't identify black or white. The horn-playing alligator,a completely positive character, does play black... and unlike the characters who seemed black in The Jungle Book, is voiced by a black actor.
And Keith David, as the voodoo dude, gives - and I guess I am breaking my own rule a little here - a magnificent vocal performance, both speaking and singing. His character is not driven by race, but by greed.... a vice shared by all races.
Anyway, it really hit me about half way through that issues of race - including the prince in the film seeming more South American than black - just were not on the plate in this film, no matter what the setting. The fact that we are dealing mostly with animals through most of the film helps. A frog is green, not black or white.
I saw it at a NAACP screening... and it occurred to me that while race didn't play much of a role in the film as I saw it, for this mostly black audience, it must have been truly wonderful to see a film based around a black heroine and other black characters whose motivations are human and not just ethnic.
Posted by dpoland at November 18, 2009 05:08 PM
Comments
From what I hear, people at Disney are very proud of this movie. I think it surprised some of them how well it turned out.
It'd be nice to see a non-CG, non 3D, non PG-13 family animated film make some bank this holiday. Kinda like the good ol' days.
Posted by: Wrecktum ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 18, 2009 05:25 PM
Good little piece of stylistic nostalgia. And such a vibrant palette, too.
Posted by: Kristopher Tapley at November 18, 2009 05:27 PM
I wonder what color the new President of Marketing will be? Hopefully green for Disney's pockets.
Posted by: indiemarketer at November 18, 2009 06:46 PM
I loved the movie but I was slightly disappointed that the princess spends all of her time as a frog. We wait this long for a black princess and she's a frog the whole time? I wanted to see more of her. That said, an enjoyable film with a great message. Good music, pretty to look at - Up's biggest competition for sure.
Posted by: sashastone at November 18, 2009 07:26 PM
Glad to hear the huzzahs for Keith David.
Posted by: Scott Mendelson at November 18, 2009 08:35 PM
If Sleeping Beauty were black, people would be upset that she was asleep for half the movie. If Mulan were black, they would be angry she was in drag the whole time. And Cinderella and snow White? Cleaning houses and doing menial tasks?
These girls are the heroines of their fairy tales. They have to undergo SOME trial and hardship.
Posted by: polarbear at November 19, 2009 11:38 AM
disney's sleeping beauty, cinderella and snow white are hardly 'heroines', all of them relatively passive, helpless 'victims' of some malevolent, jealous hag who tries to either enslave or kill them, only to have to be rescued by a 'prince charming' in some guise. hardly heroic
Posted by: leahnz at November 19, 2009 01:12 PM
Well, the plucky heroines are more from the last Disney renaissance - Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Mulan, etc.
Posted by: Me at November 19, 2009 01:21 PM
Yes, Disney, is changing, and for the best (for once!)
Oh, and check this wonderful The Princess And The Frog site :)
Posted by: Tiana at December 6, 2009 03:20 AM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)