Disney's First African American Princess Undergoes Changes

At the beginning of June, Hollywood star, Angelina Jolie, announced her disappointment in Walt Disney Studios for their lack of a black Disney princess.

"There still isn't a Disney princess that's African and it's very difficult because our daughter's getting into princesses right now and it upsets me," she told OK! Magazine.

Evidently she was unaware of Disney's plans to release "The Princess and the Frog," with the first African American princess in Disney's history. While it would be easy to say "that's nice" and leave it at that, such a barrier-breaking undertaking can't come without controversy.

Previously, the film was to have starred Maddy, a chambermaid to a snobby white girl, with a voodoo priestess fairy godmother and a heartfelt desire to be with a white prince. Disney was instantly hit with a barrage of complaints from critics. The name "Maddy" sounded too much like a slave name or even like "mammy," a stereotypical black woman, rotund and matronly.

Under the pressure of rising critiques of the film, the storyboard was completely scrapped. The new film now features 19-year-old princess Tiana, who finds herself in 1920s New Orleans and a country that has never had a monarchy. The prince is reported to have been changed to a man of Middle Eastern heritage and will be called Naveen. The race of the villain is also reported to have been changed.

The film will bring back such Disney alumni as John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin." Randy Newman is slated to compose the songs and score. The voice talents include John Goodman, Keith David, Jenifer Lewis, Angela Bassett, Peter Bartlett and "Dreamgirls" star Anika
Noni Rose providing the voice of Tiana. When completed, "The Princess and the Frog" will be the 48^th animated film by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Disney stated: "The story takes place in the charming elegance and grandeur of New Orleans' fabled French Quarter during the Jazz Age... Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney's rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity."

DISNEY'S 'FROG PRINCESS' STILL MAKING CHANGES: Studio's first African American lead animated character being tweaked, EurWeb.com

Toshiba Reynolds, Princess Tiana: Disney's 1st African American Princess Stereotyped?, The Post Chronicle

Report: Angelina Jolie Upset About Lack of Black Disney Princess, FoxNews.com