Disney's Prince Charming

Finally a Black Disney princess will be in theaters this Christmas in The Princess and the Frog. Way to go Disney! It’s about time black girls have a princess they can identify with. Lord knows my daughters have benefited from having Mulan around. They don’t have to pick between the blonde and the brunette princess dolls.

Every detail of The Princess and the Frog will be closely scrutinized from lyrics, to casting, to Princess Tiana’s vocabulary, clothing, hair, and of course her love interest. There will be heated debates for years. Sure, Disney can’t make a movie that makes everyone happy, but that doesn’t mean the discussion should stop there. The Princess and the Frog offers a spring board for a wide public discourse on race, dating, and modern America.

Back to the kiss-lacking frog. Prince Naveen is supposed to look olive skin and neutral. Whatever. That’s a white guy.

Here are some arguments which present themselves immediately:

a) He should be a black prince. The message is that a black prince is not good enough. Tiana is seen as dating out or dating up. (I don’t know, a frog might be considered dating down.)

b) What is this combination telling our little black boys? Who can they identify with as far as Disney characters are concern. The villain? Yes, this movie’s villain is black. Can’t make the villain white either. A black couple fighting a white villain is too reminiscent of American slave history. Fighting against The Man.

c) If Prince Naveen was black, then will we be enforcing that blacks only love blacks? Actually, when I was first told of this project, my immediate reaction was “A black princess? There will be two black people in the whole movie and they of course will end up together.” In that case, I would have to roll my eyes. Disney’s stupid High School Musical has the one black couple in the high school. Hip hop dancing by Corbin Token Bleu. So dumb.

d) From the positive angle: Mix race couple in a Disney film, cool! Way to show that love can cross the color line. There were Pocahontas and John Smith, but let’s not go there now.

Why is race a big deal? Shouldn’t we be happy with a black princess and let the small stuff go? I don’t know if you’ve met many 5 year old girls, but they cling on to Disney princesses. They identify with the princess. They reenact the scenes, put basement live shows of the dance numbers, beg their parents to recreate the hairstyles, and memorize every song before the movie is even out. They will do this over and over and over again. Maybe even 15 and 25 year olds will also be singing the theme songs and dreaming of a frog prince marriage proposal. Maybe . . . Just saying. Fact is, like it or not, Disney princesses will integrate into our lives and fantasies, therefore worth our attention and discussion. There is no one correct path Disney can take with this story that will satisfy all. Naveen can speak Ebonics, that’ll make people happy right?

Should Prince Charming be white? Should he be black? I just don’t see why we’re stopping here. I am actually a little miffed that the prince choice is being polarized into a black-white issue. Asian Americans have difficulties getting a foothold on racial equality discussions. All too often, controversies are split down to black vs. white. Us yellows get marginalized from the platform.

Why not make the prince an API? Set in 1920’s there are numerous Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino immigrants in the US. Heck, by that time period there are even second generation Asian Americans. But why stop there? Princess Tiana can find love in an Asian American woman? This is not just a black man or white man issue.

Thanks for the tip, Thew!