Racism In Disney Movies: The Princess And The Frog

Racism in Disney movies is a problem especially in the movie “The Princess and the Frog”. Many children don’t understand what is happening in the movie but there are hidden messages that need to be addressed. Disney movies have influenced many children over the years, from making kids happy, sad and learn valuable life lessons. One lesson that needs to be addressed is racism in Disney movies, such as The Princess and the Frog, young children aren’t old enough to comprehend racism in Disney movies, but it is a problem that needs to be solved. The distinction that we make on races has nothing to do with genetic characteristics. Race in a short sentence is something that we don’t fully understand completely and that is why we talk so badly …show more content…
Going back to the movie “Peter Pan”, Native Americans appear in the movie and they are often referred to as ‘Indians’, or ‘Reds’, this is showing children that it is okay to call Native Americans, ‘Reds’ because they did so in Peter Pan and that is what makes it alright. In “The Princess and the Frog” this was the first Disney that had a black princess in it. Tiana, the main character is a black female who is poor and just making ends meet along with her mother who works for her best friends, which happen to be a wealthy man and his young daughter who is Tiana’s age. Throughout the story Tiana is not worried about finding a man to help her in life she believes she can do anything she wants as long as she sets her mind to it. Prince Naveen comes into the picture and finds himself turned into a frog, he then finds Tiana and thinks she is a Princess because she is dressed up for the occasion of a party and the wealth family’s house. When she kisses Naveen she also turns into a frog and the both set out to find a voodoo specialist who can fix everything for them. This movie is not racist in the way that it is the first movie that has a black female being the lead, it is also racist in the way it portrays New Orleans at this time. Such comments such as making gumbo, or different types of music that is made throughout the movie. Another comment that came up that makes this movies racist is that Tiana was not a princess throughout the whole movie, she only became a princess at the end when she marries Naveen while they are in frog form. Why couldn’t she be a princess throughout the whole movie? Snow White, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty all were princess at the beginning of the movie, why could Tiana in “Princess and the