My cousin called me last night to ask me if I had seen The Princess and the Frog yet. I hadn't but she had and she was brimming with happiness. She enthusiastically talked about how great the movie was and how much she truly enjoyed it. My cousin is almost fifty years old and she did not take one of her nieces (she is mother to many just not by birth) she went alone because she did not want to miss this opening weekend. She explained that when she was growing up there were very few Black faces on the small and large screen and on the occasion that one did appear everyone rushed to the den (there was only one TV in the house back then-imagine that)to see who it was and what they could possibly be doing.
And so this opening weekend is indeed a special one. Many little Black girls (including me)those young and those young at heart will flock to see Princess Tiana with her deep brown skin (a black black girl)and almond shaped eyes. We will flock to see someone who looks like the person we see in the mirror every morning. There has been much hype about this movie and if you know me you know I'm all about the hype. I was not even into the princess thing before I had my girls. Growing up we definitely did not do Cinderella, Belle/Beauty and certainly not Snow White(I grew up in an unapologeticly Black house-but that's another post). But master Disney has whipped us all into a Princess frenzy. Shirts and bed skirts, panties and purses, tables that turn into castles and castles that turn into tables, toy boxes and boxes of toys, you name it and Disney has put a princess on it. And I never purchased not one of those items. Not even the diapers (the baby wouldn't notice but I would and so would someone at the play group). But now (woohoo!)we got us one! And the fact that the movie is set in New Orleans my hometown (YES INDEED!) has sent me over the top with pride and sheer joy.
I am in the words of our first Black girl in the White House proud of being an American for the first time in my life(maybe not the first time but dam near). My generation and all the ones before grew up in a world that was Black at home but mostly white everywhere else. Some of us ignored this face, most of us tolerated it, too many of us fully embraced it (I've been to way too many Cinderella parties ok one but that was too much!) This generation sees more of us on the screen (TV, movie, computer)but they see much more of everything else too(no more Hannah please?!) so perhaps they need Tiana more than we did. Of course this lack of validation from the outside didn't stop manyof us from becoming phenomenal women. But then again who knows how many more there could have been if there had been a girl that looked just like you on the screen who was treated as someone worthy of the best life has to offer, whose dreams came true and whose Prince didn't sing nasty songs about girls name Nikki.
So believe the hype! Ignore the nay saying conspiracy theorist who said she was green for too long or that the Prince didn't have enough swagger. Go and be the Princess you were born to be at least for an hour and a half. And make sure you take your sons with you so they will know that little Black girls (not named Beyonce) can be and should be princesses too .
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very supportive of the concept of a black princess but it the trailers seem buffoonish and stereotypical: slick, jive talking characters, etc.
ReplyDeletedon't want to overthink it and don't need everything to be Cosby-esque, but what about something artful and respectful>
I have not seen the movie yet, but am enthusiastically awaiting to do so over the holidays.
ReplyDeleteI watched a "first look" presentation and was even more excited by the research and depth of themes - moral and literary - that have gone into preparing this film. The writers most certainly did do their homework.
Let's do ovethink it. Because Black people (and other people too) have got to get out thinking that The Cosby was the only example of the African American family when we all know that we come in mamy different types. The Huxtables were no different from any other family in TV Land...illusions. Illusions are dangerous; they have no flaws.
Before writing off the Princess and the Frog characterization as stereotypical buffoonery, think about literary elements. Every fictional piece must contain such characters (dynamic, static, flat, protagonists, antagonists, etc.) that support the main character in fulling his or her purpose. These types of characters appear in all Disney animation.
What Disney character did NOT have humorous, "buffoonistic", supporting characters to help them along? Let's see, there's Aladdin's Genie, Simba's Timon and Poomba,Mowgli's Baloo and the Monkey King. And what about famous villians - Cruella De Vil, Scar, Madame Medusa, Captain Hook? (just to name a few)
These characters will forever be known by generations as Disney's most memorable characters. Why, now that these same types of characters show up to help the Black Princess Tiana, are they suddenly buffoons?
The respectful themes in the film come from showing how Tiana is influenced by all of the people she encounters in her life and the transformation that she makes - literal and metaphorical; her determination NOT to be a "princess", but to overcome cultural and societal stereotypes on her own. The film is overflowing with art..New Orleans is nothing BUT art. It is the cradle of American artistic civilization. Where else can you find people who can dance and sing in celebration of life and death? The writers have used NO's rich history in art, music, and culture to create a classic American fairy tale that is inclusive of African American culture.
Overthink it; better yet, just go see the movie.
DAM Gina! You said exactly what I was thinking and feeling except I was gonna say it with my hands on my hips and with mt neck rolling to demonsratate that Black people are no longer 1-d characters dancing tap dancing down the steps to the watermelon patch to eat some fried chicken (Wow that's a long sentence!). We are 3-D hell 4-D and beyond! One jive talking trumpet playing alligator (actually it's a very authentic New Orleans accent hooray!) plus one Cajun talking lightning bug do not equal a simplied version of all Black people. Tiana's friends simply represent someone in your or certainly my family. Yes Virginia Black people with accents and attitudes do exist! And it's ok.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Don't think my neck wasn't rolling while I typing so fast - as shown by all the typos...lol
ReplyDeletefair enough folks. i agree with the diversity within us and appreciate that we can have a range of views. Enjoy while I wish for something different.
ReplyDelete