The Princess and the Frog

[meganbmoore]

Ok, O Mighty F-List Who Knows All, the following is what I know about this upcoming Disney movie:

1.  It's an adaptation of The Frog Prince.
2.  It's Disney doing 2D animation
3.  It has a black heroine
4.  It's set in New Orleans, presumably at some point in the past.

Anyway, apparently there is some sort of huge controversy over it?  Can anyone fill me in?

Also, does anyone know when it's coming out?

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I remember comments about Pocahontas regarding history, and have seen some complaints about how Mulan represents Chinese society (both being valid complaints) but I've never really seen anyone complain about Pocahontas, Mulan, Esmeralda or Jasmine (and I feel Nala should be included here, too) in terms of being suitable heroines for young girls, and I get the impression that that's part of the concern here.

I've built up a resistance to Hannah Montana. I blame the scene I accidentally watched where Lilly sees a gossip rag with a photoshopped Miley as a boy and says she makes a hot boy, and miley says she'd date Lilly if she were a boy. Like Suite Life of Zack and Cody, it makes me go "But Disney! Are you deliberately implying half your heroines are closet lesbians? I must watch more and find out!"

[neuclear.livejournal.com]

Yeah I've just been linked to some comments about Mulan and...now Pocahontas but it's kind of a shame since well I guess ignorance is bliss and I suppose not so ignorant anymore--I really think at the heart the matter with all the flaws Disney intentionally/unintentionally gives them the ending result of whether or not they're good people really is what concerns me the most, so yeah I agree.

Ahaha, well if I can make it past the bad acting I would attempt to, if only to feel somewhat young again, when I can find time for TV again I'll have to make a note to try then sometime...

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Some of the Pocahontas-specific criticism included all her decision-making being steered primarily by emotion rather than reasoned thought, and the only choices she gets to make being romantic ones. (The usual Disney emphasis on romance does tend to make a lot of their heroines open to similar criticism, of course.)

[livvylove.livejournal.com]

Also her character design was based off a Black supermodel instead of an actual Native American woman.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and that Barbie-doll body and glammed-up inauthentic form-fitting dress drew criticism too...again, not that she's the only Disney girl to have a very idealized figure, but that short-and-snug number shows it off rather more obviously than the puffy princess gowns used in so many of the other movies.

On the other hand, though, I do give them props for getting some really good and woefully underused Native actors like Irene Bedard and Michelle St. John to do the voice work -- according to Kocoum's VA (http://www.kstrom.net/isk/poca/pocind1.html#jimmy), all the Native characters were voiced by Indian actors, and the producers were very accepting when the actors suggested line changes.

[nebulia.livejournal.com]

I second this. Disney generally does do a good job of making sure the VAs are ethnic--all the Mulan VAs were at least Asian, and most of them were Chinese (I know the emperor (Pat Morita) was an exception, and Eddie Murphy of course, though I'm not sure who else).