Disney's 2009 The Princess and the Frog as a Reminder of What New Orleans Lost

It's always fascinating to look at the classic animated shorts from Disney during the 1920's, 30's and 40's and see a lot of the racial stereotypes that still make overly sensitive people bristle to this day. True to the time, Disney (as well as all the studios doing animated shorts then) used caricatures of black people, usually involving one of the classic characters going into black face and doing a typical depiction seen in just about every movie or radio show of the era. With that (thankfully unhidden) history at Disney in mind, it might look overly obvious when they create the first black princess character in their December 2009 release of "Princess and the Frog." But you could also look at it as perfect timing in relation to the horrors of Hurricane Katrina considering the film takes place in New Orleans during a better time for the city.

Perhaps it isn't any coincidence then that this return to the fairy tale for Disney was formulated right after Katrina happened, with perhaps the thought that New Orleans and the hurricane would be analyzed for years afterward. Because the story is from legendary Disney animators/directors/screenwriters Ron Clements and John Musker, you know it's going to be compelling. And had they decided to place the story in the post-Katrina time, it probably would have been accused of making a political statement. Instead, they wisely set the story in 1920's New Orleans during the golden age of Jazz and when the city was truly thriving.

When you add the old classic fairy tale of The Princess and the Frog to the mix, you have a story that'll draw kids into the (likely unknown to them) traditions of old New Orleans and something for the adults who've probably forgotten the legacy of the city. Also, because there's going to be a lot of 1920's Jazz sounds in there via Randy Newman, expect it to be a bit in the tradition of Walt Disney's own 1967 "The Jungle Book" where swing music played a huge part in the soundtrack and never became outdated. True to Disney tradition in the animated features, it's also going to explore a dark side to the city--this time in the realms of voodoo.

Yes, get ready for a new Disney villain in that above vein with the name of Dr. Facilier (a nod to the story taking place in the French Quarter). Plus, there's a benevolent voodoo fairy godmother by the name of Mama Odie (no relation to the Garfield dog).

Having all of this as an amalgam of celebrating the African-American cultures in old New Orleans will probably get a new generation interested in the legacy of the city and perhaps work on its own as the ultimate metaphor for what was lost during Katrina or what still could be lost further in the future. While the film is certainly making waves containing the first African-American princess (Princess Tiana), I'm sure it isn't lost on some of the voice cast that it's also sending a powerful message about the tragedy of our government initially ignoring some of the problems of New Orleans and what's possible there. Oprah Winfrey, who's joining the voice cast as Tiana's mother, obviously understands that, despite most people assuming she's joining just as a chance to be in Disney's first movie containing African-American characters.
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From all indications, it's looking like a classic Cinderella story of a poor African-American girl being drawn to a wealthy prince who's the son of a wealthy sugar mill magnate being voiced by John Goodman. This story will fit right in with the basic battle of New Orleans now and during Katrina: The divide of the rich and poor. Of course, you'll have the spoiled rich girl as the sister of the prince who'll likely try to keep Tiana away from the prince (Prince Naveen). Based on the descriptions of all the characters, though, it'll be sending the controversial message that all rich are arrogant and spoiled and the poor may be down on their luck, but always win in the end.

That's going to be a powerful statement and will hopefully be seen by every poor family still struggling to survive down in New Orleans. If Disney predicted New Orleans' struggles to recover from Katrina would still be a huge news story by 2009--well, they were very prescient. In fact, they're bringing back a lot of the prescience that Walt once had that made the studio always ahead of the game. All at the same time, it'll be a movie that can be watched in any era with the wise choice of creating music that's always relevant rather than adhering to current trends.

And if you don't think there's a nod to "The Jungle Book", the classic swing score and the even more classic voice work of the late legendary bandleader Louis Prima, then you should take a look at one classic character that may become iconic. A manic, trumpet-playing jazz-singing alligator will be in "Princess and the Frog" named, you guessed it, Louis.

Alongside the subtle examinations of the juxtapositions between the rich and poor in a city with many poor people still living within it, we'll still be given the one ingredient in a Disney feature film returning from the era of Walt: A broad sense of fun.

Source:

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/