Princess Tiana And The Frog Prince - Bleh!
Oh boy... oh boy... Disney... Disney... Disney...Are there ANY black writers with awareness, or black animators, or just black people with some influence over there? Stories like the one below indicate otherwise and sadly, don't surprise me much anymore!
I think I'd rather just have them NOT create stories about "us" altogether, instead of producing these laughable pieces meant to diversify their portfolio as answers to cries of racism within the conglomerate. Just leave "our" stories alone and let "us" tell them ourselves. OR, if they are going to make attempts at telling stories about people of the African Diaspora, do so with some sensitivity - bring in voices that have lived lives somewhat similar to those in the story being told... in essence, make sure you've got some aware black folks on your creative team, and give them the freedom to make suggestions on story, structure, character development, etc, so that the end product is much more authentic than this "Princess Tiana" animated film below.
Read on from Telegraph UK (Thanks Sergio for the heads-up!):
- When Disney announced it was casting its first black princess for its latest animation film, the African-American heroine was hailed as a positive role model for little girls and an ambitious marketing ploy, not to mention an attempt to ward off the allegations of racism that have lurked since the heyday of Walt Disney Productions in the 1940s and 1950s.
But now the film studio finds itself fending off a chorus of accusations of racial stereotyping in its forthcoming big-budget cartoon, The Princess and The Frog: An American Fairy Tale, which marks a return to hand-drawn animation.
A musical set in 1920s New Orleans, the film was supposed to feature Maddy, a black chambermaid working for a spoilt, white Southern debutante. Maddy was to be helped by a voodoo priestess fairy godmother to win the heart of a white prince, after he rescued her from the clutches of a voodoo magician.
The rest here: DISNEY'S SUBSERVIENT BLACK PRINCESS
"...in essence, make sure you've got some aware black folks on your creative team, and give them the freedom to make suggestions on story, structure, character development, etc..."
Ah, Tambini, off in your own little dream world again, huh?
If only.
*sigh*
"A musical set in 1920s New Orleans, the film was supposed to feature Maddy, a black chambermaid working for a spoilt, white Southern debutante. Maddy was to be helped by a voodoo priestess fairy godmother to win the heart of a white prince, after he rescued her from the clutches of a voodoo magician."
*drops jaw* No way! I hope they would have changed it by now!