The world of Disney princesses is expanding, embracing diversity and offering inspiring role models for children of all backgrounds. From the groundbreaking Tiana in "The Princess and the Frog" to the upcoming original story of Sadé, Disney is creating new narratives that celebrate African heritage and empower young girls.
Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Princess Tiana.
Tiana: A Princess with a Dream
Disney debuted their most recent Black princess in 2009 with "The Princess and the Frog". Tiana is a fictional character in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film. Created by writers and directors Ron Clements and John Musker and animated by Mark Henn, Tiana is voiced by Anika Noni Rose. She is loosely based on two princesses: Princess Emma from the 2002 novel The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker, and the princess from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Frog Prince".
While the film faced some criticism, it was a refreshing update to the damsel in distress formula of the early Disney princesses. Tiana had dreams and goals that she worked really hard for, and thank heavens, it finally paid off. She also got the prince in the end, but I was going to die if she never opened that gumbo restaurant in honor of her late dad. Anika Noni Rose lent her heavenly voice to a Randy Newman score.
Tiana works two jobs in order to raise enough money to turn a rundown sugar mill into a restaurant, a promise she made to her father, who was killed in World War I. As a result, Tiana has become absorbed with her work and doesn't have time for anything else.
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On October 26, 2009, "Tiana's Showboat Jubilee!" debuted with appearances from Tiana, Naveen, Louis, and Dr. Facilier, at the Walt Disney World Resort; and later at the Disneyland Resort. Tiana and Naveen are also in the "Festival of Fantasy Parade" at Magic Kingdom. Tiana, Naveen and Louis are also doing meet and greets at Walt Disney World's Liberty Square and in other parks in the Frontierland area aboard the riverboats. She joined Disney's "Once upon a Dream Parade" at Disneyland Paris in April 2010 as part of the "New Generations Festival". Tiana also joined Fantasmic! in early January 2010 during the finale with the Mark Twain Riverboat. Tiana, along with Naveen, Doctor Facilier, and Ray each make a cameo appearance in Disney's World of Color at Disney California Adventure. In Magic Kingdom Tiana and the other Disney Princesses can be found at Princess Fairytale Hall.
The Making of Tiana
According to co-director John Musker, adapting the fairy tale "The Frog Prince" by the Brothers Grimm into an animated feature film had been a subject at Walt Disney Animation Studios for 18 years. Disney bought the rights to The Frog Princess, a novel by E. D. Baker that is based on the fairy tale, in 2006.
As the film's writers and directors, Clements and Musker claim that their decision to depict Tiana as an African American young woman came naturally simply as a result of the location in which the story takes place. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker opted against hiring "big stars" to voice the film's main characters, explaining, "It can help with the identification of that animated character with the voice if you don't get an instant mental picture of the real actor." The role of Tiana ultimately went to actress and singer Anika Noni Rose, who co-starred alongside Knowles and Hudson in Dreamgirls (2006).
Rose's thoughts, ideas and concerns were taken into consideration when it came to finalizing Tiana's design. "I … said I wanted it to look like she ate and wasn't skinny, and she has a full mouth and a little round nose and curly hair and these are all things that made her look distinctly herself," she said. Rose didn't want Tiana to resemble "a cookie-cutter princess who had been coloured in brown.
As a character, Tiana has been mostly positively received. Helen O'Hara of Empire wrote positively of the character, describing her as "a hard-headed heroine who works hard and displays a focus and drive". Catherine Shoard of The Guardian praised Tiana, congratulating Disney for creating "a heroine who's an actual character; a woman whose three dimensions you don't need to don daft specs to see."
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Sadé: An Original African Princess Story
Make room for one more Disney princess. The House of Mouse has secured a new fairytale for the screen. The project is titled Sadé, according to Deadline, and stars an African princess. While Disney has been churning out spectacular live-action remakes of animated classics like Mulan and Lady and the Tramp, this will be an original story.
Fan concept art of Princess Sadé.
Live action movie Sadé will take place in an African kingdom that is plagued by a mysterious evil. Using her “magical warrior powers,” a young girl must fight for her people. “Magical warrior powers” sounds a lot like another African princess we finally saw on screen last year. Shuri made Marvel’s Black Panther with her crazy technological intellect and badass bravery. She also kept a sense of humor about things, even when her brother became king. We’re still holding our breath for that female-led Black Panther spin-off and would even take a standalone Shuri movie in a heartbeat.
Sadé is an upcoming live-action fairy tale film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It tells the story of an African princess, based on an original idea by Ola Shokunbi and Lindsey Reed Palmer. Sadé centers on a young African girl named Sadé who, when her kingdom is threatened by a mysterious evil force, accepts her newly discovered magical warrior powers to protect herself and her people. This will be the first Disney feature that is led by an African princess.
This article is in need of a picture. The film is likely in development hell.
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Representation Matters
Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Tiana, shared her experiences of how the role impacted her and the community:
I actually had no idea I would ever become a Disney Princess but it has become a life-changing platform for me. After auditioning for a singing contract at Walt Disney World (WDW) Entertainment, I received a phone call asking me to audition for the role of Tiana, the first African American Disney princess. Four days later they offered me the role. I didn’t always see myself as pretty or someone to look up to, but being Tiana showed me I was all this and more. Throughout my WDW experience I got to meet families from all over the world. For the first time I felt seen by all without just being seen by the color of my skin….it was “magical”.
During my time in the parks, I traveled as Princess Tiana, opening and closing parades, attending special events such as the Philadelphia parade, and making special appearances on major TV networks like the Disney Channel and ABC. I got to travel as the media face of Walt Disney World, meaning my face represented Princess Tiana’s face.
Within my Disney career, I eventually became a trainer, which was a huge accomplishment. I got to train girls, teach them the legacy of Princess Tiana’s story and the importance of us as Black girls coming together to represent for our Princess. I was honored to see young Black and biracial girls feel the same acceptance of being seen as this beautiful lead.
One of the most memorable moments I can share was when an older black woman came to meet Princess Tiana. Her eyes were filled with tears as she said, “Thank you so much for being a beautiful, chocolate black, young lady of representation and a role model for these kids. That meant the world to me and told me that I was doing something right… and that this role wasn’t just for kids, it was for all generations. Portraying Tiana is something I am really proud of and I love that I still get to be that for children here in the Tristate area.
They can see the possibilities without feeling that they have to change who they are. I love what I get to do for all children.
Criticism and Controversy
Tiana is notable for being Disney's first black princess. The studio's decision to create a black heroine was met with mixed reception. While some critics, such as Richard Watson, praised the film for offering a long-awaited "break in tradition", others received it with much criticism and speculation. Rachel Bertsche of O, The Oprah Magazine called the arrival of a black Disney princess "barrier-breaking" and "long overdue".
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "these avowedly black people spend an awful lot of the movie being adorable, unthreatening little green creatures. Disney may wish to reach out to people of colour - but the colour green wasn't what we had in mind." Bidisha of The Observer was fairly mixed in her review, calling Tiana a "one-dimensional" but "clever, strong woman", while criticizing the film's light-hearted plot and lack of emphasis on racial issues.
Writer Brooks Barnes from The New York Times highlights the two different issues for Princess Tiana, in her article "Her Prince Has Come. Critics, Too" that shows Disney with a good standing than with a negative standpoint, with the help of other writers expressing how, "Disney should be ashamed", said William Blackburn, a former columnist at The Charlotte Observer.
Harvard teacher Michael D. Baran, a cognitive psychologist and anthropologist, expressed how children learn about race, and how Disney has a stereotyping history, "Because of Disney's history of stereotyping, people are really excited to see how Disney will handle her language, her culture, her physical attributes" said Michael D.
On March 12, 2012, Sociological Images published a post arguing that using the Disney character Tiana to advertise watermelon candy perpetrated the racist watermelon stereotype.
