Okay, earlier this week I indicated that I was none too excited about the Princess and the Frog. This lack of enthusiasm was in large part due to SOME OF the companies Disney apparently partnered with to do their multicultural outreach and their bootleg blogger e-mail campaigns and annoying people telling me I HAAAAAD to go see this movie or else there will NEEEEEEEEEEEEEVER be another film made about Black girls ever again. That kind of irrational desperation does not make me want to race out and buy ticket to see a movie. I was none too impressed. In addition, the trailer didn’t let me know a dadgum thing about the story.
Now the vaunted Disney marketing machine that we’ve become accustomed to is kicking in high gear and I can honestly say, I’m getting that curious feeling that would cause me to stand in line to get tickets for a movie opening weekend. Tiana is getting the same treatment as Mulan, Ariel, and Pochohontas, which is what she deserved all along. Focus on the characters and the story!
For example, the AP did a story about the little Black girl who is the voice of a young Princess Tiana. her name is Elizabeth Dampier and she’s from Mississippi.
Then another story about Jennifer Lewis playing the role of Mama Oldie. I didn’t know the character’s name from the previews, I just called her a voodoo priestess. She’s actually being called the First Black Fairy Godmother.
Now we’re getting the classic Disney back stories about how the actual film got made instead of that pablum they cranked out about doing focus groups to make sure they didn’t offend anybody. Movie goers don’t care about that. They want to know how the art got put together just like we did with Finding Nemo. Let the movie be the draw, not who gave their stamp of approval to it. Then there is the underlying story about what this film means to Disney’s commitment to 2D animation. I think that’s a great and overlooked marketing angle that was jettisoned in earlier articles about the movie in lieu of listing which members of the Black Elite Establishment said it was okay for us to watch the film.
On another note, I saw this over at Deadline Hollywood Daily.
After creating their first ever African American princess, Disney breaks new ground with a Jewish American Princess. Featuring Will Hines, Megan Neuringer, Achilles Stamatelaky, Daniel Spenser, Cecila Lederer, Nicole Shabtai, Shannon Coffey, Katie Schorr, Steven Levine, Michael Antonucci, Joni Lotan, Andrew Ford, Jared Neumark and Devon Kensington. Written and directed by Daniel Spenser, Steven Levine and Michael Antonucci.
They basically make my point about the marketing for the Princess and the Frog.
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17 comments ↓
One of the things that made me want to see and support the movie is the luncheon and presentation Disney Interactive sponsored at the Blogalicious conference in October. We really had a chance to see what was happening behind the scenes and to talk with Disney staff. The BAP part of me was also very curious to see what Disney is doing. I am encouraging my BAP Living fellow members to check out the movie and see for themselves what is going on. Thank you for sharing your insights. They are always appreciated.
that was funny
OK, this is what I was writing about in the previous post on TPF. Rachel and the Dragon is about a JAP. A JAP who gets a nice Jewish boy. Disney creates a movie based on a BAP and she gets a boy of indeterminate origin.
I truly am all for Black women finding happiness anywhere she can find it. Even though I am married, happily, most times : ), if I were looking, I would not exclude any man. With that said, I am dissapointed in TPF. I am the mother of a son. Why can’t I see my son on the silver screen as Prince Charming? It just seems the most politcally weak groups, Blacks and Native Americans had their men replaced with Others to save them. I just can not support this movie.
So basically you were mad because you didn’t feel Disney put as much effort into marketing the “black” princess as they did the others and now that they have you are ok. Seems like it wasn’t about the actual movie or the so-called guilt trip at all.
First I wasn’t “mad” I specifically said I was “meh” You need to go back and read the post instead of proving how clever you are in the comments section. I was expressing my opinion. If you don’t think that opinion was authentic, then take this opportunity to not read this blog ever again. Let me help you by blacklisting you from the comments section. You can disagree with what I say as several posters clearly have, but don’t you dare question that I mean what I said and I feel the way I feel. Like I’m getting paid for blogging or something so I have to just go make opinions up. How about I could have not posted at all? I said “kind getting excited.” It meant the movie’s marketing was more in line with past promotional efforts. People want to be entertained, not lectured.
And another one bites the dust! Did I mention I’m not putting up with people and their crazed commenting issues in 2010?
Well @hrprofessional that’s your choice. I just hope you exercise that same philosophy when we see a line of Black male characters connected to non african American women. How did a princess movie become about the prince?
Im going to see the movie tomorrow. I’ve heard great reviews from people who have actually seen the movie.
Looking forward to seeing the movie sometime soon. And in full agreement with this:
gem2001 on 12.11.09 at 8:52 pm
Well @hrprofessional that’s your choice. I just hope you exercise that same philosophy when we see a line of Black male characters connected to non african American women. How did a princess movie become about the prince?
Gem2001 and Spinster, yes, I do “exercise that same philosophy when we see a line of Black male characters connected to non african American women.”
As a matter of fact, as of late, I have sworn off of Terrence Howard movies. Previously, I had taken a stand against seeing Hitch, starring Will Smith as well as the movie Denzel Washington starred in with Eva Mendes (the name of the movie escapes me).
A princess in the movie is inextricably linked to the prince in the movie. We pretend it is not true, but the prince makes the girl want to be the princess. He saves her, he loves her, in some cases he gives her her worth (monetarily speaking). These movies whether we believe it or not is about both genders.
While I don’t necessarily, believe media controls people, I am looking at his from a political POV. What Disney has done is replace BM with someone they believe can make a princess a princess.
“What Disney has done is replace BM with someone they believe can make a princess a princess.”
Well to be fair…and to be realistic. Disney is right.
For BW right now, BM are not the ones to make any girl a ‘princess’, with the crime rate and how things are looking for BM right now, anyone BUT a BM would and could be a “prince” for any future “princess”.
Honestly, disney teaming tiana up with a non bm is way more realistic than if he were to be black.
I see more Bm/non BW out than a BW/BM couple…
BW and especially young black girls need to wake up before it’s too late
A few years ago I read a short article that observed that Black male stars were having to specifically request Black female romantic interests in their films or they would be cast with a non-Black woman, especially a Latina. First because a film that featured a Black couple would be considered a “Black film,” and therefore be less appealing to a broader demographic (I’m just telling you what I read) and second because Hollywood was making an effort to reach out to the growing Latino population.
I do plan to see the film, and yes it would have been nice to see Disney take it all the way with a Black prince as well. However, the choice of a non-Black prince could also have a positive message. Some people honestly believe that we are only attractive to Black men, and if they don’t want us, we’re just stuck. The prince may be a cartoon, but hey, he’s pretty hot. I’m glad he falls in love with a chocolate-skinned princess. I’m going to stick with the positive spin and enjoy the movie.
I still say it is some kind of marketing scheme or something else when it comes to not casting black males and females romantically when the movie does not have a black theme.
Such as is the case in some of those Will Smith movies(i.e. “Hitch”, 7 pounds and etc.).
As far as the statement “anyone BUT a BM would and could be a “prince” for any future “princess”.”
That is really is an animated fantasy tale. I mean I know there are issues with BM with crime rates and etc. But, I am hear to tell you there are more than a minority of BW young and old that have indeed found there BM prince. Just because you can say and make such a racist claim does not make it true.
Also to the claim of there are more BM/non BW couples than BM/BW.
That is also a statement of fiction backed up by not a single documented fact.
I enjoyed the movie. Of course there had to be the underlying issue of women missing out on love because they are so focused on their career. lol I can overlook that and see the beauty in the story. The theater was full of parents with their daughters (and sons) wearing little paper crowns. They couldn’t have cared less about the racial issues of Disney’s past. They just wanted to be little princesses. Love it.
If it is that serious to some, the prince in this movie was an epic fail until he met Tiana. He was jobless with no purpose in life. I can imagine the furor it would have caused if he was black.
@ S
As reluctant as I am to agree with Tusk, where are you located where BW/WM relationships outnumber BM/BW? Now I will admit, I have noticed a definite uptick and on my side of town I would say I see about 40% bw/wm, bm/ww couplings, but ain’t no way that that’s the majority of the city.
And for the record everybody, there is no such person as Prince Charming, you’d have beeter luck trying to hook up with the Easter Bunny, Santa Clause or the ghost of Christmas past.
I am in London UK and i see more BM/WW couples out and about than BM/BW couples, on average i see about 15 BM/WW couples on a normal outing and about 1 (and that is highly unusual) BM/BW couple, usually an older couple, BW i see on average about 5 BW pushing a stroller alone looking miserable.
That is my experience and i have lived in london for more than two years.
I don’t have any “scientific fact based blah” for you i just have my own two eyes but rest assure, wherever you are, you too will soon see more and more BM/WW couples or BM/non BW couples. It’s all fantasy now but wait until it reaches your shore, you wont be so quick to type then.
There have already been prominent british BW in the media ( mainly writers of “black culture” personally i see no such thing as “black culture” here but whatever) and one BW wrote about why black male clebs always chooses “the first blonde he sees” i quote. More and more british BW are starting to wake up and they’re actually shocked about what they see.
personally i don’t like it. I don’t like BW getting their nose in black mens business as if to say all BW actually care about BM who date irr.
I just think BW should leave it and search for potential love elsewhere.
And this defense mechanism thing BW do when you mention your personal experience, seeing more BM with non BW and immediately you get the statistic response as if it’s a reflex or something “nuh uh, see there are more BM/BW married than Bm/WW don’t let the media, (insert any black male athlete) and oprah fool you”.
uh yeah OK.
How long has that statistic been up there anyways? things have changed, believe you me.
And it will keep on changing.
In the UK, Bm/BW couples get stared at more than BM/WW couples, it’s a look that says “why are you with her when you can get a WW?”
Take my word for it or keep turning a blind eye to the reality.
She could be in Minnesota (Minneapolis to be exact) where 44% of BM are interracially married.
Maybe it will make it to our shores here in the U.S. but, as for now and certainly in the south it is not a high percentage of interracial marriages.
The dating numbers are slightly higher I am sure but, not the marriages.
I really don’t care I have been happily together and married to a BW for 25 years now and never looked back. In fact never once wished to date anything but, a BW myself and never felt in any way shape or form that I was limiting myself.
To each his own I guess I think the final point of the prince was correct though because he had about as much African blood in him as the princess