Disney is trying to slip out of some deep doo-doo at the moment. A few months back they were happy to announce the creation of their first black princess but… since then they’ve been trying to back track to take out any references in the film that may seem racist or offensive.
Like… her name for starters, some say Maddy sounds a lot like Mammy. I can hear some of you BMWK faithful now saying “that’s just a coincidence”, and that’s what I thought until I read she would be the chambermaid of a white woman, with all of this taking place in 1920’s New Orleans. I know that’s still not enough for some of you, how about in the tradition of Disney’s princesses she has a fairy godmother, only in this case she’s a voodoo priestess. Lastly, some folks had a problem with her prince charming being a white male.
Disney has made numerous changes including the title which was originally The Frog Princess which some of the French found offensive. Disney has also made claims that most of what’s on the internet about the film is untrue and changed her name from Maddy to Tiana.
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BMWK if the story was still in it’s original format would you take your kids to go see it? Is everyone over reacting to this? Is it really a bid deal?
kim h20s says
it’s a mixed bag.
i have no problem with the name Maddy. It was seems to fit with the time period of the film.
i have no problem with her working as a domestic. there is no shame is remembering that at one point 80% of black women who were employed worked as domestics. Don’t forget Cinderella was forced to work for her own stepmother and stepsisters and had a father who did nothing about it. I didn’t see a similar reaction from whites, that Cinderella represents a tarnished view of blended families and stepchildren.
Cinderella and Shirley Temple’s The Little Princess and countless other stories are based on the premise that a lowly servant girl has a dignity that comes from within, despite her reduced circumstances, and that the hidden princess within will be rescued by her shining prince. Disney recasts this story time and time again.
i do have an issue with the voodoo priestess. the real story of voodoo, that it’s not necessarily evil devil-worshiping, that it has ties to both African indigenous religions and Christianity isn’t well known enough to play well on a movie for kids.
Anna says
I agree with Kimh20s.
If my kids were younger because it is a black princess is not a reason for me to take them to support see this movie. Although the movie is set in the 20’s and we do know the circimstances back then and sometimes in todays world. I am only wondering what Disney was thinking and how many black ppl had a voice in the script. Never mind, it’s Disney. In the board room they probably employ 0.1% blacks and it’s probably an Uncle/Aunt Tom. LOL..
Kit (Keep It Trill) says
The whole concept of the princess thing is a prince comes along and ‘rescues’ her and she lives happily ever after. Yes, it’s supposed to be ‘they’ but I said ‘she’ since that’s how young girls internalize it. Boys generally don’t buy into the fantasies and aren’t affected from my observation.
I don’t have a problem with white folks, but I have a big problem with her prince being white. White men simply don’t date or marry black women enough because they prefer ABB – anything but black, which is routinely stated on dating sites and easily observable in a high school.
If the princess were white and prince was black, I could actually see this since it is fairly common place, but not the reverse. Disney, however, is too much of a chicken to do this anytime in near future.
Thus, it’s cruel to plant the seeds of fantasies in a young black girl to begin having fantasies that this will happen to her.
I know a number will disagree and cite their interracial dating or marriages with white men, but statistically, these relationships are a blip on the statistical map.
It’s also deeply insulting that the heroine has the lowly job of emptying piss pots, as this is what a chambermaid does. The voodoo thing is a play on African-Carribean stereotypes that did exist, but WTH, it further strips reality from the black American experience.
Lastly, the princess could have been cuter. I thought the same about the Hawaiian movie, Lilo & Stitch girl character. They did a nice job, however, of making the Asian character, Mulan and the Native American, Pocahantis look beautiful.
Being a life long Disney fan, I’m really pissed about all of this, even though my daughter is too old to want to see the movie. Thank God.
Kit (Keep It Trill)s last blog post..The Coolest Guy Who Ever Ran For Office
MINA says
Keep it Trill, as much as I hate some of what your response states, I will agree that some of the crap is true. Disney has long been a network that I have disagreed with from day one. It is abundantly clear that they only cater to white people, or ethnic people that look white (just my own opinion). High School Musical in my opinion was a half a**ed rendition of throwing in a few black or biracial in the mix (only 2 mind you) and calling it a day because the real focus is once again on the white kids. The “Frog Princess” in my opinion was insulting from the jump. Then to have her as a chambermaid (if little kids even know what that is; cleaning crap like urine and defacation of other people) of a white chick is even more insulting. On top of that she needs a love interest. Why not a nice boy, if they want to cater to black people more, make him light skinned, because we cover the bases with complexion. Voodoo is a word I really believe people view negatively, just call her a Mystic fairy Godmother who has powers that originate from nature, our ancestors, and the heavens (covered my bases there).
Now with that who ABB thing, i don’t think young black girls need to hear this. it should be about personal pride, overcoming something difficult and transforming into a more confident and wise person. Black girls need to feel that they have a place in the magical world of fairytales too. And this includes finding themselves desireable to guys. Please spare them the foolishness that is black boys in highschool who are experiencinf low self-esteem and self hate just like the fools on dating sites that post ABB. Once black men stop hating and blaming, and start re-evaluating themselves, perhaps the rest of the world can finally get a break.
HomelandColors says
Wow. I think I understand why Disney waited so long ot have a Black Princess. It’s kind of a catch 22 situation. It doesn’t really matter what they do in this movie they’re going to catch hell for something.
HomelandColorss last blog post..Children of the Civil Rights
Anonymous says
Presumably, a Disney princess in the 1920s would have been born between 1895 & 1911. So, say the 1900s.
Tiana was not in the top 1,000 names in America in the 1900s, while Madeline (and various spelling variations) and Madie (but not Maddy) were.
https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/decades/names1900s.html
In fact, Tiana did not appear in the top 1,000 names in America until the 1970s.
I realize that this is just a Disney fantasy, but why give her a historically inaccurate name?
The Gracefulone says
Here is a bit of context and perspective on black women in the 1920s. There was a bit more going on in the country than chamber maids.
https://witheyeslikemine.blogspot.com/2008/08/disneys-black-princess.html
The Gracefulones last blog post..Week #3
Woman from NOLA says
Some of you are ridiculous. You didnt hear any of the hawaians complaining that Lilo is a short fat ugly little girl with a bad attitude problem. It was about the story…not how the main character looked. And you dont hear midgets complaining about Snow whites Dwarves. GET OVER IT!!! No ugly women came forward causing a stink about Cinderellas step sisters being ugly. Seriously-you could potentially view every movie from every genre and find something offensive to some group of people if thats what youre looking for. I think Tiana is a beautiful princess and i think its wonderful that ALL races of girls now have an african-american princess to love and look up to. Now, I know that in the twenties there were other jobs for black women-not just chamber maids. But in New Orleans in the 1920’s, thats about all they would have been allowed to do-or work in the fields, but even thats not likely because they are not as strong as the men. Many black women, white women, Hispanics, and asians were hired to do domestic work for rich people–and not much has changed. Next time you stay in a hotel pay attention to the cleaning staff-ill bet my life you will see at least one WOMAN from every race. As far as the voodoo thing goes-are you surprised really? new orleans is famous for its voodoo background. gimme a frickin break. and as far as her prince being a white man-do you really think thats impossible for that time period? guess again-where do you think the creoles came from? Im sure most of you are yankees who have never been to new orleans-so i can see how yall can have all of this misconstrued as being racist, but i was born and raised in new orleans and am very familliar with the history of this amzing city. We always have been and always will be very different from the rest of the country. As far as i can tell, the Disney writers have captured alot of what is important and relevant to that time period in new orleans. and anyway…i dont think the princesses race is stated in the book, but there are a few refernces to her aunt who practices voodoo, which would leave one to assume that she is of african descent, since that is where voodoo began. IF YOU STOP LOOKING FOR RACISM, YOULL STOP FINDING IT!!!
rcherie says
while i did have a few reservations on various aspects of the film i still feel this is a wonderful step in the right direction for our young black girls..all young girls. Thank you NOLA for informing us a little better on whats real. Now my issue is her name…Tiana? For real? Yes it is a pretty name but i definitely agree that it should have reflected the time period or HER culture not OURS…
Anonymous says
For the person asking about the historically incorrect name, it most likely has to do with the fact that the name was stolen from another writer. Read this article for more info.
https://filmtvindustry.suite101.com/article.cfm/disneys_princess_tiana_vs_princess_briana
and this
https://www.blacknews.com/news/just_like_me_books201.shtml