Tag Archives: the princess and the frog

Disney Swears Off Princess Stories For The Time Being

Jessica WakemanNovember 22, 2010 //

My little nieces think I’m a nut job: They hand me Cinderella Barbie and tell me we’re going to meet Prince Charming at the ball and I’m, like, “Instead, let’s pretend Barbie is a brain surgeon! Or the first female president!” Lucky for crazy aunts like me, Disney is abstaining from princess flicks for a bit. After “Tangled,” Disney’s newest flick about Rapunzel, the company will focus on non-princess-centric movies, like “Winnie The Pooh” and “Reboot Ralph,” about a video game character who has been left behind with new technology (i.e., “Toy Story” 2.0). Two princess-related movies in development, “The Snow Queen” and “Jack and the Bean Stalk,” have also been killed.

But Disney isn’t swearing off princesses because pretty women who moon after boys all day are sucky role models for little girls. (Ha!) Rather, princess flicks, the company lamented, do not rake in enough dough. Keep reading »

Trailer Park: “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,” “The Road,” “Me And Orson Welles”

Amelia McDonell-ParryNovember 27, 2009 //

You really don’t need an excuse to go to the movies this week, it’s Thanksgiving weekend, you’ve already eaten your weight in butter and after you’ve hit your credit card limits for this Black Friday business, you’re going to need to hide out in the theater if only to keep yourself from eating and spending whatever is left of your life. Thankfully, there are a slew of movies coming out in limited release and regular style this week, including “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,” “Old Dogs,” “Ninja Assassin,” “The Road,” “Me and Orson Welles,” and “The Princess and the Frog.” So get to it. Keep reading »

The Pre-Princess First 5 Minutes Of “The Princess And The Frog”

Erica MaxwellOctober 8, 2009 //

Despite the “Is Disney Racist?” controversy surrounding “The Princess and the Frog,” my mixed feelings over the entire frilly pink princess marketing regime and the fact that I’m a grown woman, I’m unabashedly excited for the first hand-animated Disney cartoon in what feels like forever. Almost against my will, I’m overwhelmed with the warm happy memories of being taken to see Ariel in “The Little Mermaid,” getting my own popcorn, and leaving the theater with a song on my lips that annoyed my parents and teachers for two years. I can’t help it. This video is like nostalgia-crack to an addict. Keep reading »

Carol’s Daughter Teams Up With Disney For “Princess” Products

Annika HarrisAugust 13, 2009 //

Lisa Price, the owner of Carol’s Daughter, has proven herself to be a savvy businesswoman. Carol’s Daughter is not only sold on HSN but also at Sephora. Now, Price has joined Disney to launch a new collection of grooming products with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from “The Princess and the Frog” on the labels. The collection, which will be released in October, includes a shampoo, conditioner, hair detangler, and bubble bath. Like all Carol’s Daughter products, they contain natural ingredients that are especially helpful when styling black hair, but which can be used for any hair texture. [Black Book] Personally, I liked it when this beauty line was a well-kept secret. Keep reading »

Does The World Need Princesses? Hell Yeah!

Annika HarrisJune 8, 2009 //

There’s been quite a bit of controversy surrounding Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” which, for the first time in Disney’s 70-year history, stars a black princess. First her name was too stereotypically slave-like, so it was changed from Maddie to Tiana. Then the blogosphere was in an uproar because Princess Tiana has a racially-ambiguous love interest who has lighter skin.

Now a not-so new debate has come up about whether little girls should be indoctrinated into the princess culture in the first place. Blogger Monique Fields, who has daughters ages 2 and 4, at The Root questions the impact of princess values and ideals, preferring a healthy dose of reality for young women to counteract this fantasy.
Keep reading »

Interracial Dating In “The Princess And The Frog” — So What?

Annika HarrisApril 28, 2009 //

Later this year, Disney plans to release its first animated musical featuring a black princess, “The Princess and the Frog.” Even lthough Disney is taking a big, albeit late, step by creating its first black princess, the project hasn’t been without controversy. First, Disney changed the heroine’s name to Tiana from Maddy, a stereotypical slave name. Then, the producers changed her profession from chambermaid to restaurant entrepreneur. Now, people are up in arms because Princess Tiana’s love interest, Prince Naveen, looks white. He’s described as having olive-toned skin and a slight Spanish accent — because he’s voiced by Brazilian actor Bruno Campos. Could it be that Disney, which has a history of marginalizing blacks, is actually promoting interracial dating? Keep reading »

Disney’s First Black Princess

Annika HarrisFebruary 19, 2009 //

Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce’s co-star in “Dreamgirls,” will be Disney’s first black princess in the animated musical “The Princess and the Frog,” an adaptation of the classic tale The Frog Prince that comes out next Christmas. Rose provides the voice for the main character Tiana, Princess of America, in this story that takes place in New Orleans’s French Quarter in the ’20s. Keep reading »