Difference between revisions of "The Princess and the Frog"

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(Created page with "The Princess and the Frog is a Disney animated movie produced in 2009. The movie is based on the novel ''The Frog Princess'' written by Elizabeth Dawson Baker in 2002. Accordi...")
 
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== Controversy ==
 
== Controversy ==
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=== Language ===
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Disney film Princess and the Frog seemingly to demonstrate the stereotypical views in characters through their language that they speak. Shawg Ahmed, from University of Colorado Boulder, pointed out that in this movie, all the African American characters speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), while the White American characters speak Standard American English (SAE)<ref>https://www.colorado.edu/linguistics/2018/05/08/racial-stereotypes-my-childhood-film</ref>. All of the African American characters speak [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Vernacular_English AAVE] and depicted as working/poor class status as well as live in smaller houses. At the same time, they also  work in service-based positions, as Tiara, who is a waiter in the movie.
  
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It represents that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Vernacular_English AAVE] speakers are laborers, that they are not smart enough or not having the potential to succeed in high-level occupations.
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=== Characters ===
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Tiana, who had a dream of opening and owning a restaurant, is told by the real estate brokers of her dream property that '''“a woman of her background”''' should not strive so high. Whereas '''"her background"''' here stands in for Tiana’s race as an underprivileged, dark-skinned, fatherless girl.
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However, Tiana isn't the problem, [http://www.bvonlove.com/2009/03/19/disneys-first-black-princess-has-a-white-prince/ says Angela Bonner Helm at Black Voices]. The other problem is that her love interest, Prince Naveen of Maldonia, is white. Prince Naveen is ambiguously raced (clearly lighter than Tiana), and speaks in what seems like a French accent (that tends Spanish when he’s a frog).
  
 
== Reference ==
 
== Reference ==

Revision as of 08:03, 27 November 2020

The Princess and the Frog is a Disney animated movie produced in 2009. The movie is based on the novel The Frog Princess written by Elizabeth Dawson Baker in 2002. According to Wikipedia, the film received largely positive reviews from critics and audiences, praising the animation (particularly the revival of the medium), characters, music, and themes, and was also successful at the box office, ranking first place on its opening weekend in North America, and grossing around $270 million worldwide becoming Disney’s most successful traditionally animated film since Lilo & Stitch in 2002. It also got three Oscar nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards: one for Best Animated Feature and two for its achievement in music (Original Song). It lost to Up and Crazy Heart, respectively[1]. Even so, the movie caught the attention of people regarding the racism that it contains.

Plot

Set during the 1920s New Orleans, the film recounts the account of a dedicated server named Tiana who had a dream of opening her own eatery. Soon after kissing a sovereign who has been transformed into a frog by a voodoo alchemist, Tiana turns into a frog herself and must figure out how to turn around into a human before it is past the point of no return.

Controversy

Language

Disney film Princess and the Frog seemingly to demonstrate the stereotypical views in characters through their language that they speak. Shawg Ahmed, from University of Colorado Boulder, pointed out that in this movie, all the African American characters speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), while the White American characters speak Standard American English (SAE)[2]. All of the African American characters speak AAVE and depicted as working/poor class status as well as live in smaller houses. At the same time, they also work in service-based positions, as Tiara, who is a waiter in the movie.

It represents that AAVE speakers are laborers, that they are not smart enough or not having the potential to succeed in high-level occupations.

Characters

Tiana, who had a dream of opening and owning a restaurant, is told by the real estate brokers of her dream property that “a woman of her background” should not strive so high. Whereas "her background" here stands in for Tiana’s race as an underprivileged, dark-skinned, fatherless girl.

However, Tiana isn't the problem, says Angela Bonner Helm at Black Voices. The other problem is that her love interest, Prince Naveen of Maldonia, is white. Prince Naveen is ambiguously raced (clearly lighter than Tiana), and speaks in what seems like a French accent (that tends Spanish when he’s a frog).

Reference