Disney Princess
Maegan Cherry
Dr. Walker
Composition I
15 November 2012
The Princess and the Frog Princess Diana once said, “Being a princess is not all it is cracked up to be.” This is a true statement in some insistences such as Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. The film is based in the 1920’s in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 1920’s was a time period of segregation, and it was not uncommon to see a black person working in a white family’s home. Southern states were more segregated than others, so the film being in Louisiana plays a very important role. Most black people were not as wealthy as white people; therefore they did not have the luxuries of the families they worked for. They tended to live in small houses, and they had to take the train or walk for transportation. Tiana’s family was no different than any other 1920’s African American family. Tiana’s mother, Eudora, worked as a seamstress and a caretaker for “Big Daddy’s” daughter, Lottie. “Big Daddy” is a wealthy white man who spoils his daughter, and gives her everything she wants. Eudora took Tiana with her to work where she became friends with Lottie. Lottie grew up with fairy tales, and wanted her life to be nothing short of one. Tiana, on the other hand, did not believe in fairy tales. She believed hard work would get you where you need to be. Tiana had a dream of owning her own restaurant, but she faces many challenges that keep her from achieving her dream. Many people believe that Disney has focused too much on race and the time period, rather than making Tiana a princess. Moon Charania and Wendy Simonds wrote an article titled “The Princess and the Frog” explaining the different stereotypes presented in the film. Ajay Gehlawat also wrote an article titled “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race” explaining the stereotyping of the races in the film. I think Disney did a great job of relating the time period to the characters. The film
Dr. Walker
Composition I
15 November 2012
The Princess and the Frog Princess Diana once said, “Being a princess is not all it is cracked up to be.” This is a true statement in some insistences such as Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. The film is based in the 1920’s in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 1920’s was a time period of segregation, and it was not uncommon to see a black person working in a white family’s home. Southern states were more segregated than others, so the film being in Louisiana plays a very important role. Most black people were not as wealthy as white people; therefore they did not have the luxuries of the families they worked for. They tended to live in small houses, and they had to take the train or walk for transportation. Tiana’s family was no different than any other 1920’s African American family. Tiana’s mother, Eudora, worked as a seamstress and a caretaker for “Big Daddy’s” daughter, Lottie. “Big Daddy” is a wealthy white man who spoils his daughter, and gives her everything she wants. Eudora took Tiana with her to work where she became friends with Lottie. Lottie grew up with fairy tales, and wanted her life to be nothing short of one. Tiana, on the other hand, did not believe in fairy tales. She believed hard work would get you where you need to be. Tiana had a dream of owning her own restaurant, but she faces many challenges that keep her from achieving her dream. Many people believe that Disney has focused too much on race and the time period, rather than making Tiana a princess. Moon Charania and Wendy Simonds wrote an article titled “The Princess and the Frog” explaining the different stereotypes presented in the film. Ajay Gehlawat also wrote an article titled “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race” explaining the stereotyping of the races in the film. I think Disney did a great job of relating the time period to the characters. The film
Cited: Charania, Moon and Wendy Simonds. “The Princess and the Frog.” American Sociological Assosiation. 2010. Vol. 9. No 3. 69-71. Print. Gehlawat, Ajay. “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race.” Journal of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 417-431. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. The Princess and the Frog. Dirs. Ron Clements and John Musker. 2009. Walt Disney Video. 2010. DVD.