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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Princess and the Frog


This movie is a straight ahead Disney princess movie. A girl of humble origins but a hard worker and of good character, with an added helping of wonderful talent (but not appreciated) meets the right guy and she becomes a princess and all her dreams come true. The end.
The reason to rejoice here is that Disney has finally, finally, FINALLY made a princess story starring an African American woman. Long overdue. But if we put that aside, how did they do? Very well, I would say. I immediately loved Tiana--she is prettier and more likable than her friend, she is talented, she is hard working and she has a dream that she is working to achieve. It was initially a dream she shared with her father, but after he dies, she doesn't lose her momentum. She also doesn't dwell on what might have been, but rather keeps her eye on what she wants. She is remarkable. My only real complaint is her hair.
The story takes place in New Orleans, which is inpsired (although none of the trauma of the city post-Katrina is incorporated into the story line, which is regretable). The music is largely Dixieland, and in keeping with the location--it is a good quality sound track, and enjoyable. The source of evil is voodoo, and that also is a good storyline.
The part of the story I liked best was in the mangroves, a part of Louisianna I find other worldly and spooky and you could imagine all sorts of nefarious things happening there. Putting the Princess and the Frog fairy tale in this setting was brilliant.
I have mixed feelings about us having a black president before we have a black Disney princess--what is up with that? The princess we can just make up, whereas having a black president requires actual people to vote for him--the former just seems a lot easier to attain, but apparently not.

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