Disney Tries in The New ‘toon Diversity

We are used to the idea that the Disney ‘toon heroine was as white as Snow White, that means 1937. In 60 years the Disney artists began to paint their leading ladies with all the colors, such as American Indian Pocahontas (1995), the Chinese Mulan (1998) and the Hawaiian Lilo (2002).

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Now the artists tried a different color on their principal character: Black – in “The Princess and the Frog”. Their inspiration came from two Caucasian men: current Pixar-Disney chief John Lasseter and the late Walt Disney himself.
Co-director Ron Clements said: “The story really came from an initial idea of doing an American fairy tale, which hadn’t been done at Disney. And setting it in New Orleans, which is John Lasseter’s favorite city in the world. It was Walt Disney’s favorite city in the world … Out of that, it seemed natural that the heroine would be African-American.”

Anika Noni Rose is the voice of the character Princess Tiana. She said to the press: “We walk around being black every day, and nobody talks about it. So, I suggest you follow your instinct and let it be nothing to be talked about.”

“The big deal is that it will quietly affirm to young brown-skinned children that they are special in this world,” Rose said. “And I think that it is a bigger deal to those of us who grew up without it and are now adults and have been waiting for it. It’s exciting to us, because we know how important it is to our children to have, to be image affirmed.”

Veteran character actress Jenifer Lewis said that “It is historical in the sense now that there is ‘Obama’ and ‘Tiana. It is a new day. There is hope. There is change. That is what this movie is going to bring.”

Co-director John Musker said that it is a universal story that tries to make you follow your dreams and desires, so this in important, not the color of the character.

The Disney production will run all over the world starting with December 11.